By Bill Tilney

The disciples had been with Jesus as he taught the multitude. They had witnessed the miracle of feeding 5,000 and then 4,000 with plenty left over! The miracle had happened through their own hand, but what did they learn from their experience?

They had come to Jesus with concern for the people. They were in a deserted place and the hour was late. They appealed

to Jesus to send the crowd away so they could buy bread to eat, but He had other plans. Jesus said, “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). “Are you serious, you want us to walk into the village and buy enough bread to feed them?” They did not understand this was a command! “You give them something to eat!” Jesus did not rebuke his disciples for not understanding his command, he simply enabled them to do the impossible. They did not understand that the provision was in the Word spoken by Jesus.

When He speaks to us today, we must understand the provision is in the Word. When we obey His word and step out in faith, we will find the provision has already been supplied.

After feeding the 4,000 the disciples followed Jesus into a boat, forgetting to take bread with them, which left only the one loaf that had been in the boat. When Jesus said, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15), they though He was referring to the fact that they forgotten additional bread and began to reason themselves.. In reality, Jesus was addressing their reasoning. Leaven is a subtle influence on the mind to shape how we perceive reality. They had been part of a miracle of multiplying bread for a multitude and now they are worried that they do not have enough bread for themselves?

Jesus is warning the disciples, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?” (vs.17-18).”How is it you do not understand?” Jesus was referring to the fact that they had just had an encounter with the supernatural power of God – but seemed to have forgotten it entirely.

Why are you looking at what you don’t have? When you have seen and been part of a miracle you should not be looking at what you don’t have, instead, you should be remembering how God delivered you. Your reasoning should start with what you have, a supernatural God that is well able to meet all of your needs!

A hardened heart does not remember. God built remembering into the culture of the children of Israel. He told them over and over, do not forget. Build a memorial so that when you pass by you will remember when I delivered you. Yes, remembering is something we have to do by choice. Just as the enemy used the Pharisee’s to plant doubt in people’s mind; he is, likewise, doing everything he can to stop us from remembering the goodness of God.

Psalm 78:40-42 tells us, “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy.” They limited the Holy One of Israel because they did not remember.

I have lost my right to doubt because I have seen the miraculous power of God in the deliverance of my family many times on the mission field and all the years we have served the Lord. Were there times when we were tempted to doubt God’s Word to us, yes. But then I remember when my daughter’s hair caught on fire and my wife reached up with her hand to beat the flames and the instant she touched the flames, the fire went out. My daughter suffered burns on her scalp, but my wife walked through the fire and she did not get burned! That scripture in Isaiah 42: 2 became a reality. . Our daughter healed supernaturally, without pain. This is the God I serve and my history with God has changed my perspective of this world I live in. I will not look at what I don’t have, but I will seek the Lord for His provision to our need.

Pastor Bill Tilney is a speaker and author of the book, Fuel for the Fire, Man’s Insecurities are the Devil’s Security. This book can be obtained at www.thevoiceofgraceandtruth.com.