Dr. Mark Krom, Psy.D. 

 

 

 

Welcome to “Spirit Food” 

Hello! We at UACCMI have been directed by the Holy Spirit to start a monthly series, which for now, we’ll call “Spirit Food.” Our purpose in doing this is to assist you in your spiritual growth within the body of Jesus Christ (the anointed one and His anointing). As the human body requires food for the nourishment of the physical body, so the spirit also requires feeding, for spiritual growth. Hosea 4:6 says – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge …”. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we truly desire you to live blessed lives in accordance with Deuteronomy 28:1- 14. To live this type of life; however, you are going to have to make the quality decision Washing with the Water of the Word There are daily defilements in our life in this world. -Bad TV news, bad images on billboards, gossip, lying, cheating, etc. So, you can wash yourself from these defilements by being washed in the water of the Word – daily devotions, listening to a grace message, etc.. It does not mean that you have lost your standing, you are still righteous in the Father's eyes (2 Corinthians 5:21). ·You were washed in the blood of Jesus when you made the quality decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life. You never lose that once and forever bath, but your feet are still dusty. John 13:10-11 -Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore, He said, “You are not all clean.” So, let us back up a little bit in John 13, and look at the context. John 13:2-5: 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” Washing of the feet is a form of listening to teaching/preaching – however you do it – when you invest time in the Word of God, you are exposing yourself to the basin of water. And that is what washes your feet. After Jesus washed their feet, He dried their feet with a towel. This towel was a linen cloth. Linen in the Bible represents righteousness. Then, in John 13:6-8, it says, “Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” ·“With Me” – refers to Peter having a part of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Then in John 13:9, it says, 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” ·Is not it just like prideful people, instead of flowing with God’s plan for their life, they would rather hold back or jump ahead. ·Jesus, washing the disciples' feet was an act of cleansing, purifying them, and using the linen towel to wipe their feet was an act of making them righteous. Let’s look at how this is recorded for our learning in the Old Testament. Numbers 19:2 – “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come.” 4 The ashes of the red heifer – are a symbol of Jesus. A heifer is a female, and it speaks of passivity. Male represents active, and female passive. So, the ashes of the red heifer speak about how the Lord can apply this to you. Remember, in 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul, a man of intelligence, said that Jesus knew no sin. And Peter, in 1 Peter 1:22, a man of action, said that Jesus did not sin. Then John, in 1 John 3:5, a man of the heart, said that in Jesus was no sin. Numbers 19:3 – “You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him;” ·Eleazar- means helper in Hebrew. ·Jesus was crucified outside the camp. Numbers 19:6 – “And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.” ·The red heifer was burnt until there were just ashes left. ·But the blood from the red heifer was sprinkled seven times before the Temple. ·These ashes were used to cleanse people who had touched dead things. Ashes mean the judgment has passed. The ashes are a reminder of the finished work of Jesus. Our sin is removed and remembered no more (under the New Covenant). Numbers 19:17-18 – “And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave.” When you touch death, or become defiled by the ungodliness of this world, you need the washing of the water of the Word. ·This can happen by listening to the Word of God, you receive cleansing. ·After a good message, you should feel refreshed. This shows us the importance of hearing the Word of God. In Leviticus 14, it explains the procedure for the priests to follow, taking the two birds, killing one, and getting the blood from the bird killed and dipping the live bird into the blood and sprinkling it seven times on the leper, then letting it go. ·It is a representation of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Leviticus 14:7 - “And he (the priest) shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field.” The first pronouncement of clean is salvation, - “veTihaRo” in the Hebrew Leviticus 14:8 – “He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp and shall stay outside his tent seven days.” The second clean is “vetaHer” - meaning free from physical disease. Okay, now that it has been established that we are made clean, first by being made righteous by what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and can receive daily cleansing by the water of His Word; let us recognize that He is still serving. Revelation 1:13 says, “and in the midst of the seven lampstands, One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.” ·Golden girdle, Jesus is still serving. In the four gospels – the veil that separated the Holy place from the Holy of Holies, had four symbols on it representing the four gospels. Matthew is portrayed as a King - the face of the Lion. Look at the sermon of the mount as the constitution of the King. Has the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham. Matthew ends with the great commission. Go ye … Mark is portrayed as a servant - the face of the Ox, a tireless laborer. The last verse in the Gospel ends with the Lord working with them. Luke portrays Jesus as a man - the face of a man on the Vail Reflects His ancestry back to Adam. And John, where He's portrayed as God - the face of an eagle, representing the Heavenly. In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Isaiah 11:5 – “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.” Remind the congregation that they as believers are the righteousness of God in Christ. So, I encourage you to expose yourself to the water of the Word daily or you will become dusty. And when you are dusty, you become the devils' food. Because God told the devil, dust you shall eat, all the days of your life (Genesis 3:14). Believers had a bath by the blood of Jesus. You just need your feet washed by the water of the Word. Believers need to flow with God. In our daily life in this world, we can become defiled by the negative effects of this world, so we need the daily washing of the Word to wash the dust off. I encourage you to wash the dust off your feet as often as required by the water of His Word