July 2016 Spirit Food

Once you are presented with what the Word of God has to say about an issue, you are responsible for receiving His love, grace, & favor; and the gift of His righteousness. Remember, you are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by your Heavenly Father.

This month, let’s focus on the loveliness of Jesus.

Leviticus 2:1 - When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour...

In studying the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you to understand that many of the things written are written in symbolism. I enjoy the symbolism of Jesus as fine flour. Fine, even flour comes from wheat that has been pounded and beaten again and again, and sifted several times. Doesn’t that remind you of Jesus’ sufferings and sacrifice for you?

And like fine flour, there is nothing coarse about the person of Jesus. Everything about Him is in even proportions. Every word that He spoke when He was in this world, every thought of His, every action of His, was so fine! When He was kind, He was not soft. When He was assertive, He was not overbearing. He is steel and velvet, meekness and majesty. Like a perfect diamond, every which way you turn Him, you see flawlessness, beauty and brilliance. There is no one altogether lovely like Jesus!

Even though Hebrews chapter lists the many of the “heroes of faith” and their accomplishments, many had “shortcomings” while on this earth. However, Jesus, didn’t have sin tainted blood; therefore, he could fulfill the law and remain altogether lovely! What about Bible greats like Moses and Abraham, or Peter, John and Paul?

Moses, whom the Bible says was more humble than any man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3), was once so furious with his people that he struck a rock twice, something he was not supposed to do. (Numbers 20:1–12) His temper got the better of him on that occasion.

Abraham, whom Christians regard as a man of faith (Hebrews 11:8–10), lied about his wife being his sister when a king coveted her. He endangered her life just to save his own skin. (Genesis 20:1–18)

Peter, who was deeply zealous for Jesus, denied Him three times. (Matthew 26:33–34) John, the beloved disciple who leaned on Jesus’ bosom, was all ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy the inhabitants of Samaria who had rejected Jesus. (Luke 9:52–54)

As for Paul, the apostle of grace, who blazed the missionary trail which future missionaries would follow? Even Paul went to Jerusalem when he was told not to by the Holy Spirit through some disciples and the prophet Agabus. (Acts 21:4, 10–11)

The fact is, the best of us can miss the mark. The only one who is faultless, flawless and altogether lovely is Jesus. And because He never misses the mark, you can look to Him. He will never disappoint you!

Thank Him for His Word in Romans 8:1 - Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Condemnation is the “root cause” of most illness in mankind. Allow me to use this analogy: When you have a plant with sickly leaves, it would be foolish to just treat the leaves without knowing the root cause of the problem. Similarly, when “leaves” of sickness, poverty and destructive habits start sprouting in your life, you need to know what the root cause is.

Experts will tell you that it is stress. They may go a little deeper and say that it is fear—fear of the future, of rejection, of loss, of death and so on. But is fear really the root? Or is there something deeper than fear?

The Bible shows us that the most fundamental cause of problems in our lives is condemnation. With condemnation comes fear. Fear then induces stress which brings about the symptoms of the curse.

This is what happened to Adam. Long before he faced poverty, sickness and eventually death, he had stress. Because of his sin, God told him, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground.” (Genesis 3:19) Sweat speaks of stress. But before there was stress, there was fear because Adam told God, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)

What made Adam fearful? Adam only feared when, seeing his nakedness, he realized that he had sinned against God. He felt so ashamed and condemned that he hid himself. God then asked him, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11) There was no one else in the garden other than Adam and Eve, so we know that it was probably the devil who told Adam that he was naked.

Condemnation is the root cause of the symptoms of the curse manifesting in your life. That is why you need to comprehend that at the cross, God took all your sins, put them on Jesus and unleashed the full fury of His wrath against them until Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”

Again, all of your sins (past, present and future) have been completely punished in the body of Christ who was condemned for you. The root cause of all your problems has been dealt with. This means that the devil cannot enforce the curse in your life apart from your receiving condemnation. So come to the place of no condemnation and no sick leaves will sprout in your life!

Now, because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, people need to understand that Jesus paid the price for mankinds’ redemption; for sins, past, present and future. People need to understand that because of the sin nature of mankind (starting in the garden) which came on mankind as a result of Adam committing high treason (following Satan instead of God), a price had to be paid. God is a just God, so someone had to pay for mankinds’ redemption. That someone was Jesus. Glory to God!

At the cross, Jesus accepted/took all of mankinds’ sicknesses and diseases on His originally perfect and healthy body, so that we can walk in divine health. That is why the Bible says by His stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24).

In Luke 22:20, Jesus tells us that the cup is the “new covenant in My blood”, and the apostle Paul tells us that the blood of Jesus brings forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14, Ephesians 1:7).

Besides being born again in Christ, a healthy body and mind are the greatest blessings anyone can have while still on this earth. And the Holy Communion is God’s ordained channel of healing and wholeness.

On the night that He was betrayed, Jesus ate His last supper with His disciples. And knowing what He would accomplish through His sacrifice, He instituted the Holy Communion (Luke 22:19–20, 1 Corinthians 11:24–25).

His loving instruction is that we are to remember Him as we partake of the Holy Communion. Jesus wanted us to be conscious of how His body was broken for our wholeness, and that His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And whenever we partake in this consciousness, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (again)” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Today, when we partake of the bread, we are declaring that Jesus’ health and divine life flows in our mortal bodies. And when we partake of the cup, we are declaring that we are forgiven and have been made righteous. Jesus’ blood gives us right-standing before Almighty God, and we can go boldly into God’s presence (Hebrews 4:16). When we pray, we can be sure that God hears us!

Before you partake, remember that the Holy Communion is not a ritual to be observed, (although some in religious circles would probably disagree), but a blessing to be received. Many in religious circles believe that an ordained minister must administer the Holy Communion, and some have even made it a ritual in their circles, but the Holy Communion is for all believers who desire to partake. Revelation 1:6 states that Jesus has made us kings and priests unto God … Amen, so as a born again believer, you have all the authority you need to partake of the Holy Communion on your own.

Because it is not a ritual, there is no prescribed bread or special drink required. Yes, religious stores carry the Holy Communion wafers, and they are convenient and have good presentation. At the Last Supper, Jesus used whatever He had at the table—bread commonly eaten at supper, and whatever they were drinking.

To partake, first, hold the bread in your hand and say:

Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son. By the stripes that fell on His back, my body is healed from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet. Every cell, every organ, every function of my body is healed, restored, and renewed. In Jesus’ name, I believe and I receive. [Eat the bread.]

Next, take the cup in your hand and say:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your precious blood. Your sin-free, disease-free, poverty-free life is in Your blood. And Your shed blood has removed every sin from my life. Through your blood, I am forgiven of all my sins—past, present and future—and made completely righteous. Today, I celebrate and partake of the inheritance of the righteous, which is preservation, healing, wholeness and provision. Thank You Lord Jesus, for loving me. Amen. [Drink the wine.]

Misconceptions and wrong teaching about the Holy Communion have robbed many Christians of an important God ordained avenue of healing and wholeness. The power of right believing is amazing!

If you’re reading this, but you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life, and would like to, pray this prayer out loud in an audible voice:

Heavenly Father, your Word says in Romans 10:9-10- “that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, that I would be saved. For with the heart one believes unto salvation.” I believe your Word, Heavenly Father, and confess Jesus Christ (the anointed one and His anointing) as Lord of my life now. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess that I was a sinner, but now I’ve been saved by Your grace, and in Your thoughts, I am now in right standing with You. I denounce Satan and all he stands for. Write my name in the Lamb’s book of Life. In Jesus Name. Amen (so be it).

Congratulations! If this is your first time praying this prayer, please write and let us know!

Should you decide to give and financially support this ministry with gifts given in faith, I join my faith with yours to see the devourer rebuked (Malachi 3:11) and for you to receive a harvest; pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). Please remember to name your seed!

Dr. Mark Krom, Ph.D., D.Psy

Minister/Clinical Pastoral Psychologist