Living the supernatural Christian life is definitely rewarding but not for the unadventurous, Jack discovered.When he was a young Christian he knew the importance of the Bible and read it consistently and fervently to look for treasures. He was advised by pastors and book sellers to also read the commentaries. He attended Bible/theology classes and sat for examinations too.
However, the hunger and thirst for God was not met. He was taught in traditional evangelical Biblical principles. He hungered and thirsted for the practical. No, it was not physical sensation that he was after. Rather, he was longing for the reality of the presence of God and knowing how to receive supernatural power through God's word in his daily life as promised in the Bible.
Only when he read the Bible afresh lately with the clarity from his spiritual eyes (given by the Holy Spirit), he saw true light!
For example, he ponders on what Jesus had meant by saying that "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled"? (Matt.5:6) What or who is the righteous? Where and how will the hungry be filled?
The Bible says, there is none righteous (Roman 3:10) except the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (1 John 2:1). He is the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2). Righteousness is of God. When a man hungers and thirsts for righteousness, he is seeking God (Jesus Christ). So Jack seeks God fervently.
About being filled/satisfied, he found that God meant meeting his complete needs. "For He satisfies the longing soul and fill the hungry soul with goodness." (Ps. 107:9) God really meant to fill him with "good things", (Luke 1:53)(including food!) God even gave a reason for doing that, "so that your youth will be renewed like the eagle's." (Ps. 103:5) Above all, God will satisfy those who seek His righteousness the resurrected life like Jesus. The psalmist David thus prophesied, "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." (Ps. 17:15)
When he started to live by the Spirit, that is, to become a supernatural Christian, he started experiencing the practical reality of this!
During the year of training to live supernaturally, starting with fasting and praying, he discovered that truly Jesus meant what He said. When tempted by the devil to change stone into bread to prove that He is the Son Of God, Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" (Matt.4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3) Indeed, God provided manna from heaven to feed three million Israelites in the wilderness.
Jack used to worry about fasting. He thought he would be weak and lack energy to do anything. He imagined people lying in bed whole day. He wondered how they could be effectively praying. But he witnessed people who had gone through a prolonged period of fasting and continued to live normally doing all the necessary daily activities. Apprently they did not suffer adverse side effects that could hinder them from praying and functioning.
During a recent painful week in which he was forced to fast (due to mouth discomfort for no medical or dental reason) more consistently, strange to say, he did not suffer from the lack of the usual volume of physical food or drink (he subsisted on less than 1000 Cal food with plain water daily).
He continued to seek and worship God daily. He exercised and functioned as usual. Something happened in the divine realm. The food came from God's word. Just as the psalmist had said, God's word satisfied his mouth and his soul with good things. There was no discomfort in his digestive system at all. At the end of the week he emerged feeling and looking more fit as though his youth was renewed like the eagle.
(He received the 'divine slimness' he had been praying for to tuck in his shirt smartly and still can kneel down to worship God comfortably in the house of God!)
Making small steps are important. He knew. The Holy Spirit is a good teacher.
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