Read Mark 8:1-21
This morning we continue our series entitled, “The Year of Supernatural Manifestation”, with our mini-series on “The Miracles of Jesus.” After walking through all the miracles Jesus performed, I am using the last miracle I covered, the feeding of the 4,000, as a launching point from which to discuss the importance of spiritual perception. We have been looking at this miracle and this concept for days. Let’s do it again.
In Mark 8 Jesus fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread. Later He and His disciples boarded a boat to head to the other side of the lake. Once in the boat, the disciples realized that they only had one loaf of bread. This caused an argument about who was supposed to bring the food. Jesus said, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see? Are you not able to understand? Do you have eyes that can’t see? Do you have ears that can’t hear? Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread? I divided five loaves of bread for 5000 people. How many baskets of food were left over?” The disciples answered, “12 full baskets.” Jesus continued, “And when I divided seven loaves of bread for 4000 people, how many baskets did you fill with the leftover pieces?” They answered, “Seven full baskets.” Then Jesus said to them, “You remember these things I did, but you still don’t understand?”
The Bible has a great deal to say about the importance of seeing in the Spirit. The Apostle Paul, as an example, certainly knew the importance of being able perceive the things of God. He could not have accomplished what he accomplished without an ability to perceive, in order to receive and perform God’s will. So this was his prayer for the believers in Ephesus:
“I always pray to the great and glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that he will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The Spirit will let you know truths about God and help you understand them, so that you will know him better. I pray that God will open your minds (other translations say, “Flood your eyes with light”), to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious.” (Ephesians 1:17,18).
Paul prayed that believers would be able to “see”. This is absolutely critical, because we will never take possession of things we can’t SEE in the Spirit. This ability to see or perceive the things of the Father is what separated Jesus from everyone else. But once He died, and the Holy Spirit was restored to believers, now we all can live like Jesus lived and like Adam lived before the fall of man.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s glean a few things from Paul’s prayer.
1. Paul prayed for the believers to have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.
a) Paul did not accomplish what he accomplished with head knowledge. He accomplished what he accomplished because he had the heart of God. Paul was able to flow with God and allow God to flow in, with and through him. This is how we are supposed to live today.
b) The Spirit-led believer is possessed of God and he knows it. He is led from the inside by the presence, power, wisdom and revealed truth of God Himself.
c) The Holy Spirit can provide divine wisdom and spiritual insight. This gives believers an advantage over those without God’s Spirit.
d) God made plans for you before the world began and part of the role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal those plans to you.
e) The Holy Spirit can reveal to you what is concealed to others. This revelation equips you to experience divine success in the earth, so you can glorify God.
2. Paul emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
a) Paul was unashamed about the role of the Holy Spirit. He said, “The Spirit will let you know truths about God and help you understand them, so that you will know him better.”
b) Not only will the Holy Spirit reveal things to you about God, but the more you know God, the better you will know yourself as well. When you truly discover God, you actually get to discover yourself.
c) The Holy Spirit can provide both revelation and understanding. This means He can reveal what was concealed, and then help you understand what He revealed. Without this revelation and understanding, we will never be able to maximize our purpose and potential in life.
d) God Himself lives in you and you should live like it. God never intended for your post-conversion life to be confined by human limits. Once God Himself (in the person of the Holy Spirit), took up residence inside of you, you became a spiritual being living in a natural world, called to demonstrate the supernatural on this planet. People are supposed to experience heaven on earth when they come in contact with you!
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I am born from above. Your Spirit lives IN me. I am no longer limited to operating as a mere man. I am a God-man. Your Spirit gives me revelation and understanding. You are able to give me insight from heaven. You reveal things to me that I could know no other way. I am able to discern things I could not learn. So now I don’t just live by education or worldly information. I live by revelation and spiritual understanding. Your Spirit gives me an advantage over those who do not know You. I declare that Your Spirit speaks to me as I seek to make the most of every meeting, conservation and activity I engage in today. I am empowered to SEE into Your realm and this spiritual insight empowers me to experience victory in this realm. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
