Springs Without Water

October 25-31, 2013 Springs Without Water – Manna by Dorothy Callies

2 Peter 2:17 “Those false teachers are like springs without water …” (NCV).

Peter was writing about the false teachers who would cause the people to be lost. The false teachers even refuse to accept the Master, Jesus, who bought their freedom. This requires study of God’s Word and a determined effort to know the truth and teachings of Scripture. Studying God’s Word will help us to defend our faith and resist the false teaching.

The holy faith is the New Testament revelation handed down by Christ and the apostles. The important thing is to be faithful to what Jesus Christ teaches. Without a strong view of Holy Scripture, the full authority and teaching of the Bible are weakened; the Bible will in time be replaced by human’s other religious experience or human become independent into their own belief.

Without a strong view of Holy Scripture, the church has no true and sure foundation for its faith. Without Jesus’ teachings, there is no salvation. Without the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no message to preach. Without the Son of God, there is no baptism in the Holy Spirit and the working of miracles. Without Jesus Christ, there is no hope looking forward for His coming again. Without Jesus, we have no living water to drink from and eventually it will lead to spiritual death.

The song “Without Him” is a powerful testimony against the false teachers that should constantly remind us that from Him comes the living water of eternal life. Hallelujah! My heart is filled with praises to Thee.

Song: Without Him

Chorus: Jesus, O, Jesus!

Do you know Him today?

Do not turn Him away.

Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus!

Without Him how lost I would be.

1. Without Him I could do nothing.

Without Him I’d surely fail;

Without Him I would be drifting

Like a ship without a sail. (chorus)

2. Without Him I would be dying.

Without Him I’d be enslaved;

Without Him life would be hopeless,

But with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.

(Mylon R. LeFevre, Sing His Praise)

Wells Without Water

October 22-24, 2013 Wells Without Water – Manna by Dorothy Callies

2 Peter 2:17 “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever” (KJV).

Jude who is a half-brother of Jesus wrote this letter. “… clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees who fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness for ever” (Jude 1:12c-13 KJV).

Peter wrote “Those false prophets are like springs without water. They are like mists driven by a storm. The blackest darkness is reserved for them” (2Pet.2:17 NIRV).

Jude wrote “They are like stains at the meals you share. They eat too much. They have no shame. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They are like clouds without rain. They are blown along by the wind. They are like trees in the fall. Since they have no fruit, they are pulled up. So they die twice. They are like wild waves of the sea. Their shame rises up like foam. They are like falling stars. God has reserved a place of very black darkness for them. He will keep them there forever” (Jude 1:12-13 NIRV).

The commentary from the Full Life Study Bible quoted what “twice dead” means. The apostate teachers among Jude’s readers are “twice dead” (literally, “twice having died”). The false teachers were once believers in Christ who had “passed from death into life” [John 5:24] but had sometime afterward severed (separated) their union with Christ and passed out of life back into death [Eph.2:1]. The word apostate means “giving up their previous loyalty to Christ.”

Paul wrote the reason for their spiritual death. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (control) the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom. 8:13 KJV). It was their failure to put to death the sinful deeds of the body that leads to spiritual death and the lost of inheritance in the kingdom of God. The words “ye shall die” mean that a Christian can pass from spiritual life back into spiritual death. It means that sin is always striving to regain control over us.

Like Jude quoted the kind of teachers who had no control over their flesh, their souls were lost. So how do we avoid this? In my translation what Paul meant, “If you through the Spirit do discipline the body that often tried to tempt you, you shall live.” It means that we as believers must continually decide whether we will surrender to the ‘pulling’ of the sinful human nature or surrender to the demands of the divine nature of which we partake in Christ living in us.

Wow! Now we know what it means “wells that has no water.” This is why Jesus said, “Come and drink” the living water. It is Jesus that keeps us alive. Keep drinking the Word of God from day to day. Amen!

I see why I miss the Bread Verse is like drinking the living water for my soul! Log in: http://www.deafprayerpartners.blogspot.com/

News about Bread Verse

The Bread Box Verse now goes to the Deaf Prayer Partners LIFELINE. Log in:

http://www.deafprayerpartners.blogspot.com/

If you check my profile, you will see two Blogs:
Fresh Manna and Deaf Prayer Partners Lifeline.
You could try to click it for Bread Box Verse.

Any questions, email dotcallies@hotmail.com

Many thanks!

Dorothy Callies

Shall Never Thirst

October 19 21 2013 Shall Never Thirst – Manna by Dorothy Callies

John 4:14a “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst …”

Jesus is the living water. Water does at least three things. It cleanses or purifies; it refreshes; and it revitalizes or energizes. How does a person feel when he or she drinks the water? Like someone quote, “Drink lots of water.” Why? The water cleanses your body. The water refreshes your body. The water energizes your body.

What happens when we “drink the living water” which is Jesus Himself? Jesus, the living water cleanses us. Jesus, the living water purifies us. Jesus, the living water refreshes us. Jesus, the living water revitalizes us. Jesus, the living water gives us new life. Jesus, the living water gives us new strength. Jesus, the living water gives us energy. Jesus, the living water gives us the power to do things.

The “water” given by Christ means spiritual life which Isaiah 12:3 quotes, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” To partake of this living water, you need to “drink” as Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (Jn.7:37). This act of drinking is not just for a moment or just for one time, but rather a repeated drinking.

The word “drink” is a present command or a strong encouragement to continue to repeat the same thing over and over. Drinking the water of life requires regular communion with the source of the living water, Jesus Christ Himself.

Word of warning: No one can continue to drink of the water of life if we become separated from its source (who? Christ). No one can survive without drinking the living water who is Christ. What happened when a person become separated from Christ? Such people will become, as Peter describes, “springs without water.” [More to come on the next Manna]

I wondered if we really understood what Jesus was trying to tell us about the living water like He had talked with the Samaritan woman at the well. He said, “If you only knew the free gift of God and who it is that is asking you for water, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (Jn.4:10 NCV).

Let’s listen to Him today.

Song: There is a River                                              Song: Only Jesus

There is a river                                                          Only Jesus, only Jesus,

That flows from deep within;                                     Only He can satisfy;

There is a fountain                                                     Every burden becomes a blessing,

To cleanse the soul from sin.                                     When I know my Lord is nigh.

There is a vast supply,                                               [Inspiring Choruses]

There is a river

That never run dry.

[Inspiring Choruses]

Athirst? Come!

October 17-18, 2013 - Athirst? Come! – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Revelation 22:17b “… let him that is athirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (KJV),

 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Rev.21:7 KJV). In Revelation 22:1-2a “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was shining like crystal and was flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb down the middle of the street of the city” (NCV). It feels like we could dive into the river of the water of life and swim with Jesus.

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may have the water of life as a free gift” (Rev.22:17 NCV). The last mention of the Holy Spirit in the Bible shows Him inspiring the bride (i.e., the church) to invite all who want salvation to come to Christ. The church is now empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the evangelism of the world (Acts 1:5-8; Acts 2:4). [Note from the Full Life Study Bible] Oh! Let’s sing! “Glorify Thy name … Glorify Thy name … Glorify Thy name in all the earth!...” (Song by Donna Adkins, Sing His Praise)

I was surprise to find this song that matched Psalms 42:1-2a. It’s beautiful! It touched my heart and it comes with this verse. Psalm 42:1-2a “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (NKJV).  

Song: As the Deer Panteth

1.  As the deer panteth (thirst) for the water,

so my soul longeth after Thee.

You alone are my heart’s desire,

and I long (want) to worship Thee.

Chorus:

You alone are my strength, my shield.

To You alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart’s desire,

and I long to worship Thee.

2. I want You more than gold or silver,

only You can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy-giver

and the apple (favor) of my eye.

(Then chorus)

3. You’re my friend, and You are my brother

even tho’ You are a king.

I love You more than any other,

so much more than anything.

(Then chorus)

 [Martin Nystrom, Sing His Praise]

I pray that your soul would reaches to the very heart of Jesus. As we touch His heart, His healing will just flows into our bodies, mind and soul. Oh, how much we need to worship Him. May the Lord touch your bodies and be healed in Jesus’ name. Amen!

The Future Feast

October 14-16, 2013 Future Feast of Tabernacles – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Zechariah 14:16 “All of those left alive of the people who came to fight Jerusalem will come back to Jerusalem year after year to worship the King, the Lord All-Powerful, and to celebrate the Feast of Shelters” (NCV).

The Feast of Shelters is the same as the “Feast of Booths” or “Feast of Tents”; reminded the Israelites of how God had taken care of them when they left Egypt and lived in tents in the wilderness. (Ref. Ex.23:16; Deut.16:13-17)

“And it come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which come against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles (Zech.14:16 KJV). This is a prophecy that foretells the future plan after Christ’s return to earth. After the destruction of antichrist and his armies, all the nations of the earth that survived the Great Tribulation will come together to worship the Lord in Jerusalem during the Feast.

 At the future Feast of Tabernacles, people will celebrate for joy, liberty and victory because the redeemed people have gone through “the wilderness experience of life” and they will experience the new glorious provision of God. That glorious provision is living eternally and worshipping and serving God through the universe. The Feast is a foreshadow of the Lords’ sheltering Presence over Israel during a thousand years of peace. There will be no more oppression of the ungodly nations of the world.

The whole point of the Feast was that the people thank God for the rains that brought forth fruits of the ground as the “Day of Ingathering” of the harvest. Interesting part was that God commanded that all nations come and to keep the feast of tabernacles annually to worship the King which is Jesus Himself. Why? It was to remind them that God is the One that provides the rains and if any nations refused to come to the Feast, God will withhold the rains upon their nations (Zech.14:17-19).

There are three things that impress me about the Feast. One: thanking God for the rains for the fruits to grow and to meet our daily needs. Second: Jesus provides the water of life for our thirsty souls. Third: a time of rejoicing, liberty and victory that God is our provider and He delivered us from Satan’s oppression.

This calls for faith when we go through the “wilderness experience,” we could have “The Holy Ghost Feast” in us, a time of rain, a time of rejoicing, a time of victory, a time of deliverance, and a time of healing waters flows into us. Hallelujah!!!

Let God be praised for open His Word to us about the Feast!

Feast of Tabernacles

October 11-13, 2013 - Feast of Tabernacles – Manna by Dorothy Callies

John 7:2 “Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.”

I was thrilled to discover how important researches are to share with you so please bear with me. Note from the Full Life Study Bible: The “feast of tabernacles” commemorated the post-exodus journeys of Israel and the time when they wandered in the wilderness, living in tabernacles (or tents) under God’s care (Lev. 23:34-43).

Jesus was at the Feast of Tabernacles, but Jesus did not go into the Feast right away. His brothers challenged Him to reveal Himself if He was truly the Messiah. They didn’t believe Him because He was “too human.” Jesus said that it wasn’t His time yet. He told His brothers to go to this Feast and that He will go later (John 7:3-9).

Jesus could not come to the beginning of the Feast because the Jews sought to kill him (Jn.7:1). The Jews were asking where He was (Jn.7:11-13). He went in the middle of the Feast and He sat down at the temple and taught (Jn.7:14-19). Then there were debates and questions among the people and the religious leaders (Jn.7:20-36).

So Jesus was there for few days until the last day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out … “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Does anyone believe in me? Then, just as Scripture says, streams of living water will flow from inside him.” When he said this, he meant the Holy Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit later. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given. This was because Jesus had not yet received glory (Jn.14:37-39).

The priest with the pitcher poured the water over the palm branches that covered over the altar. The people were watching and at the same time, Christ introduced Himself as the Water of Life. The people discovered that the clue of the Feast was the Messiah. They said, “This is the Prophet. This is the Christ” (Jn.7:40- 41).

Still there were arguments among the people whether or not if Jesus was really the Christ. But at the end, they decided that Jesus was the wrong “Messiah” because they based that He was from Galilee and that no prophet ever come from Galilee. What they didn’t know that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem. So everyone went home and that ended the questions about Jesus (Jn.7:40-53).

I also, learned that the Feast was about giving thanks to God for the blessings of the rains, the water that brings fruits of the ground. God commanded that the people come to this Feast every year to give thanks to God for the rains and the fruits and that He would continue to bless them when they shouted “send now prosperity” (Psalm 118:25). More to come!

Chorus: The Healing Waters

Where the heal - ing waters flow,

Where the joy – celestial glow,

Oh, there’s peace and rest and love,

Where the heal – ing waters flow!

(H. H. Heimar, Sing His Praise)

Come and Drink

October 8-10, 2013 - Come and Drink – Manna by Dorothy Callies

John 7:37 “In the last day, that great day of feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

I was curious what happened “in the last day, that great day of feast”? NLT quoted, “On that day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘If you are thirsty, come to Me!’” NIRV quoted, “It was the last and most important day of the Feast. Jesus stood up and spoke in a loud voice. He said, ‘Let any one who is thirsty come to Me and drink.’”

What was the most important day of the Feast? What was so special that Jesus used that day to shout to the crowd? I did some research and it would be good for me to share this so we could visualize exactly what happened during the feast which was actually called, “Feast of Tabernacles.”

The Feast of Tabernacles was the most popular feast among the Jews. For that reason it was simply known as “The Feast.” The Feast was celebrated for seven days. Each Jewish family built a tent-like structure in their yard or upon some other property. Then they moved out of their home into the tent for seven day period. The purpose of moving into the tent was to remember the history of Israel’s wilderness wanderings of their forefathers (Lev.23:40-44).

The Feast celebrated two special events. First, it celebrated the day when Israel wandered about in the wilderness as strangers without a homeland. Secondly, the Feast was to be a time of thanksgiving at the end of harvest season. The people were to give thanks for all that God had given them and all the fruit of the land that enriched their life.

On each of the seven days, the people came to the temple and brought some fruit as an offering and a few palm branches. The branches were used to form a roof over the altar. Then the priest took a golden pitcher and led the people in an orderly ceremonial way down to the pool of Siloam where he filled the pitcher with water. During this march the people played the flute and sang from Psalms 113-118. It was on the return march that the special drama took place.

Two things happened: As the pitcher of water passed through the Water Gate, people repeated in musical pitch: “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). Secondly, when the pitcher reached the altar, the water was poured out over the altar as an offering to God. While this was being done, the people waved the palm branches and recited (to repeat from memory) words “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech (beg) thee, send now prosperity” (Psalm 118:25).

It was on “the last day, the great day of the feast,” when the people marched in the ceremonial seven times, and the people finished saying, “Send now prosperity” (Ps. 118:25). Then Jesus stood and cried out in a thundering cry: “If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly flows rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). [Manna shared some notes from Preacher’s outline]

This blew my mind because that “Feast represented Christ!” He announced it! Think about that! It is the first time I understood what the Feast was about! More to come!

Deer Pants for Water

October 3-7, 2013 Deer Pants for Water – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Psalms 42:1-2a “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (NKJV).

“A deer longs for streams of water. God, I long for you in the same way. I am thirsty for God. I am thirsty for the living God. When can I go and meet with him?” (New International Reader’s Version). (Pant=to breathe hard; yearn or long=desire eagerly).

David, as a psalmist was feeling separated from God and he wouldn’t rest until he restored his relationship with God because he knew that his very life depended on it. Just as the water is necessary for physical life, it gives a clear picture of God and His presence is necessary for our satisfaction and wholeness of life. We as the true believers will hunger and thirst for God and His grace, blessing, and supernatural activity in our lives.

When we stop our thirst for God, we will die spiritually. We need to check anything that would cause us to lose our intense desire for the things of God. One scripture warned about too much cares of this world, and chase after the earthly things, and the pleasures of the world would choke out the hunger and thirst after God and the desire to seek His face in prayer (Mark 4:19).

Someone said, “If we pay one tenth of our money that belongs to God, we could spend one tenth of 24 hours of our time to God daily. Out of 24 hours that is 2.40 hours. I asked Tony, my husband about this. He replied, “Take out 8 hours of sleep and 8 hours of work that leaves 8 hours.” The time included eating 3 times a day plus, getting ready for the day and bed time would be 2.00 hours. That leaves 6.00 hours minus 2.40 equal 3.60. 1/10 of 24 hours doesn’t seem much, but the problem is that sometimes we don’t realized how we used our times.

So what I am saying, is we need to be like “a deer that longs for the living water” so that our soul would always be conscious of being thirsty for God. David, the psalmist took the “time out” to seek God. Like David, let’s seek Him, communicate with Him, praying, listening, reading His Word, studying, listening to the music (hearing people are lucky since most of us deaf can’t hear), watching CC on TBN’s preaching & singing, read devotional books, etc. Just 2 hours and 40 minutes of daily 24 hours would be ideal to keep in touch with God.   

If you call up your friends through the video phone and give an encouragement one to another, it is part of 1/10 of your times. I find this a blessing to pray with friend. You might want to lift your cup to the Lord and let Him fill you with His presence and let your cup of the living waters be overflowed into your friend. It would be awesome? So let’s sing!

Song: Fill My Cup

Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord,

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul,

Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

(Inspiring Choruses)

Let the Lord fill your cup and continue to be overflowing into everlasting life!

Water Springing Up

October 1-2, 2013 – Water Springing Up – Manna by Dorothy Callies

John 4:14 “The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (NKJV).

Song: Springs of Living Water

1. I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame,

And nothing satisfying there I found;

But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came,

Where springs of living water did abound.

Chorus:

Drinking at the springs of living water,

Happy now am I, My soul they satisfy;

Drinking at the springs of living water,

O wonderful and bountiful supply.

2. How sweet the living water from the hills of God;

It makes me glad and happy all the way;

Now glory, grace, and blessing mark the path I’ve trod;

 I’m shouting “Hallelujah” every day. (then Chorus)

(John Willard Peterson, Sing His Praise)

You know I came across reading the Daily Bread and somehow the quote impressed me, “Drink Lots of Water.” The same verse from KJV: “The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The word, water interests me. If I ask a person, could you explain the meaning of the water? Ahhh, everybody knows what water is. Water is water! Yeah, but can you explain the meaning of the water? Ahhh, no! So I guess I better look up in the dictionary since I am very curious how to define the “water.”

The meaning of the word, water: Noun 1: the liquid that descends from the clouds as rain, forms streams, lakes and seas, and is a major part of all living material and that is odorless and tasteless compound having two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen per molecule. I skipped to this. 5: a liquid containing or resembling water; esp: a watery fluid (as tears). Verb 1: to wet or supply with water (water horses or water the lawn)

I guess it got complicated. So to say, what is water? In my own words, water is liquid and it has no smell and it has no taste. It gets wet. When we drink water, it satisfies our thirsty body. What’s amazing? God created the water, knowing that our bodies would forever need them especially our soul. In the Bible, water is often used as a symbol of Jesus as the Living Water who satisfies our deepest needs.

On October 1^st, I read about John 4:14 and pondered them. The next morning I woke up with a song, “Drinking at the springs of living water” since I am familiar with it. So I looked up the song book and decided to share it with you. Don’t you love what Holy Spirit does for us? Awesome Holy Spirit! Thank you, Holy Spirit for keeping us alive.

May the Lord bless you today!