Fresh Bread

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.'” John 6:35a

“I will seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.” George Mueller

  • Call your prayer partner for your 10-minute prayer call. Keep trying to connect until you get to pray together. This tiny habit of praying with a friend regularly will truly change your life!
  • Start your day with God. Gather your Bible and pen and open your heart to fellowship with your Creator. God loves you so much and wants to fill you with His Spirit! As Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden, so He longs to fellowship and walk with you!
  • Read 1 John 1:1-4 (NASB) Write verse 1 in your journal. This verse explains that Jesus is the Living Word. Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) and write it in your journal also. These verses explain that the written Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit, fully equips us.

 

Fresh Bread

Have you ever questioned whether God still speaks today or if He even cares about you? For a large portion of my life, I felt sure He did not. He seemed distant, so far away. I didn’t think I could hear from Him personally and wondered if He was even interested in my life. I assumed He only spoke to and loved important people. How wrong I was!

Today I would like to explain a beautiful truth I didn’t understand for many years: the written Word (The Scriptures) and Spirit of Jesus (the Holy Spirit) work together. The Scriptures were actually written through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word and the Spirit never contradict each other. They are one and bear witness of one another. God still speaks today through both.

He wants to speak to you!

It wasn’t until I was 29 years old that God’s Word became alive and I heard Him speak personally to me. Up to that time, though I had memorized many Scriptures, even chapters of the Bible as a young girl, it all just seemed like any other normal book.

Many years later, I had an encounter that changed everything. God opened my eyes, and I saw how terribly sinful, how hypocritical and self-righteous I was. I grieved and repented of my own goodness and asked Him to wash away my sin, to open my eyes. I read Luke 11:13, which says:

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. (Luke 11:13)

This was a brand new thought for me! Though it was a strange idea at the time, I decided to do something I had never done before. I invited The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Jesus) to come and fill me. Over a short period of time, something miraculous began to happen: the Scriptures began to make sense. They became alive and fed me, like sweet, fresh bread. Oh my! I read and feasted on this Bread for many days, and it felt so personal, like it was written just for me! The Holy Spirit gave me new understanding of the Scriptures.

God’s salvation story became personal to my heart: God sent Jesus, the Living Word, to come and die, to take our place because we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Though He was sinless and perfect in every way, He took the sins of the whole world upon himself and died a terrible, painful death to save me, heal, and bring us back into a close relationship with Him. Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. He miraculously rose from the dead! Then He went to heaven to be with the Father so He could send the Holy Spirit to come live on the inside of us and make us righteous! His love came to help, comfort, and guide us.

You see, when the Holy Spirit brings understanding, God’s written Word feeds like fresh bread straight from a hot oven. Nothing satisfies our hunger and longings like it. Together, the written Word and the Holy Spirit become our road map, helping us navigate through life, especially the dark, difficult seasons. Through both, He speaks directly to our heart, telling us what to do during key moments. By His Spirit we can overcome our struggles and our sin.

Friends, we cannot save and guide ourselves by human strength. The Bible says our own goodness is like “filthy rags” in comparison to God’s righteousness. This is why Jesus, the perfect One, had to come. Hallelujah! When we allow the Holy Spirit to freely reign in our lives, He makes us holy!

Do you need a helper? Have you gone off course? Don’t be discouraged—the Spirit of Jesus and His Word are available to help you! If you have never invited Him to come fill you, just ask Him! If you are struggling to understand the Scriptures like I was, ask Him to open up your mind and give you revelation, and He most definitely will. He will bring you an understanding of God’s Word in a new way!

I pray for God’s Word and His Spirit to fill you. May your eyes be opened in a new way, and may His Word penetrate into the deepest insecurities of your heart and bring you freedom. I pray for the Spirit of Jesus to connect you to His Word, to open up its hidden Truth to you in every way. May He fill you to overflowing.

Blessings and Love,

Mari Jo

Questions to Ponder

  • The Word and the Holy Spirit cannot be separated. Have you encountered one without the other? We need both: the Word to show us how to live and the Holy Spirit to empower us to live His way, above sin.
  • Write a prayer in your journal, asking your Heavenly Father to reveal more of Himself to you through His Word and Spirit.

Faith-Filled Idea

We can find out God’s will through His Spirit in conjunction with the written Word. This week, commit to reading the Bible every day and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you. Jesus longs to have a relationship with you so you can talk to Him like you talk to your best friend. Read His Word as if it was written just for you and be completely amazed at what He reveals to you! Believe His personal Word and trust His Spirit.

 

Mari Jo Mast
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3 Comments on “Fresh Bread”

  1. I loved this Bible study!!! So wise when you wrote that we cannot save or help ourselves by our own human strength. Yes! Only God can do that. 🙂

  2. This was such a powerful part for me! Thank you for sharing your heart Mari Jo! 💕

    “You see, when the Holy Spirit brings understanding, God’s written Word feeds like fresh bread straight from a hot oven. Nothing satisfies our hunger and longings like it. Together, the written Word and the Holy Spirit become our road map, helping us navigate through life, especially the dark, difficult seasons. Through both, He speaks directly to our heart, telling us what to do during key moments. By His Spirit we can overcome our struggles and our sin.”

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