Text: Numbers 11:4-6

4 And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting:  and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?  5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely;  the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:  6 But now our soul is dried away:  there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

Friday, 15^th March 2024

TO ESCAPE FROM THE DEVIL’S SNARE

  Change your appetite!

Text: Numbers 11:4-6

Memory verse: Luke 21: 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your heart be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Matthew 5: 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. To be overcharged literally, is to be made heavy, as is generally the case with those who have eaten or drank too much. Take heed that ye be not rendered secure by an improper use of lawful things: do not make this earth your portion: expect its dissolution and prepare to meet your God. Do not forget them, and do not be secure and satisfied with this life and the good things which it furnishes. Do not suffer from being drawn into the fashions of this world; to be conformed to its customs; to partake of its feasts and merriment; and so, these calamities shall come upon you when you least expect them.

1 Corinthians 9: 27 But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 6: 12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

What are you hungry for? There are appetites we have been customed to that we find difficult to put under control. Such appetite should be watched so closely because some are designed to take us to Satan’s snare. If you are just going through your life trying to survive, this may be your answer. The Early Church did whatever they had to do to see the Kingdom of God grow. Their personal possessions and provisions were secondary. They used their money and possessions for God’s glory. They worked to provide for one another. God has given us jobs, possessions, talents, and spiritual gifts to edify the Body of Christ. When you have a hunger and thirst for righteousness, each moment that you are here on this earth matters.

Most of the time, the leadership of the Church decides what the Church is going to do. Here is where we must change. The Church doesn’t need new programs, extravagant Worship Concerts, or a largely paid staff. What the Church needs to do is to focus on Jesus. What is it that we need to be doing when we meet? Who is hungry to see one another strengthened in Christ? Who is hungry to see people saved? Everything we do should be about our hunger and thirst for righteousness. We should desire what was happening in the Early Church. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

 

CGDS HYMN 4; SS&S 281:

COME, FOR THE FEAST IS SPREAD.

1. Come, for the feast is spread;

Hark to the call!

Come to the living Bread,

Broken for all;

Come to His “house of wine,”

Low on His breast recline;

All that He hath is thine;

Come, sinner, come.

2. Come where the fountain flows-

River of life-

Healing for all thy woes,

Doubting, and strife;

Millions have been supplied,

No one was e’er denied;

Come to the crimson tide,

Come, sinner, come.

3. Come to the throne of grace,

Boldly draw near;

He who would win the race

Must tarry here;

Whate’er thy want may be

Here is the grace for thee,

Jesus thy only plea:

Come, Christian, come.

4. Come to the Better Land,

Pilgrim, make haste!

Earth is a foreign strand-

Wilderness waste!

Here are the harps of gold,

Here are the joys untold-

Crowns for the young and old:

Come, pilgrim, come.

5. Jesus, we come to Thee,

Oh, take us in!

Set Thou our spirits free;

Cleanse us from sin!

Then, in yon land of light,

Clothed in our robes of white,

Resting not day nor night,

Thee will we sing.

   Prayers: 

1.  Lord Jesus, control my appetite to always align only with Your will.

2.  LORD God Almighty, I decree and declare that as I thirst and hunger only after Your righteousness, You will fill me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

3.  Pray for others in this regard.