Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

I have a question for you. How is your walk with God these days? Is it better today than it was last year? Are you spending time in His word and with Him in prayer? Do you think about Him as you walk through your day, asking Him to help you and lead you? Do you sense and experience the working of God’s Spirit strengthening you and helping you live a maturing Christian walk? Are you saying no to sin and yes to the godly desires you want to be evident in your life? Would people around you say you are one of the people they look to when they think of being more Christ-like? 

God wants you to increase in spiritual knowledge and understanding which leads to greater spiritual maturity. He does so that His tangible blessing may abound in every area of your life. And more importantly, so you become a greater influence and blessing in numerous ways to the world around you. This will happen because you desire it, ask God to help you grow and be used of Him, and because you have great faith that He will help this happen within you!

Again, it’s critical that you have faith that God will help you grow into and walk in this over time! Colossians 1:10 NIV says, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” You walk worthy by learning God’s desires and will for your life. And you walk worthy by applying your faith to ask for God’s help and grace to live this life as He teaches and leads you to walk it out.

Jesus paid the price. He died and took your sins upon Himself. Then He put His robe of righteousness upon you so that you’d be cleansed of all sin and washed in His sight. This was His doing, not our own. He sees us cleansed despite ourselves. That is what Jesus accomplished at the cross for us. He qualified you despite your shortcomings and failings.

It’s funny how we do our best to hide our shortcomings and failings from others, yet remember them and often disqualify ourselves from being used by God in our conversations with Him. Moses did that. Moses told God all his shortcomings and why he was not the one to lead his people.  God kept telling Him He was the one and how He would help Moses. Now He is leading you to align your life the best you can by developing a godly attitude, pure motivation, and godly conduct. You may feel highly underdeveloped at this stage in your life, but that’s the point—He wants to help you change that. And He does not want to wait until your perfection (which will never come) happens. He will use you according to the ability you have helped by His grace and power! God is your loving Father and coach. He knows what He created you to be and to do. He wants to lead you in that. He wants you to see yourself through His eyes instead of the inadequacy, failure, and condemnation that can come when you look in the mirror and see your shortcomings.

And so, In order to become and do what He desires, we must stand before God with requests for help in every area of our life, and do so in strong faith!

For today, let’s stop there and just ponder on what was just said! God wants to use you. It’s going to take your faith and a lot of asking for help. Can you do that? You can and here’s why! James 4:2 says, “You have not because you ask not.” And Hebrews 4:16 NIV says to come to His throne and ask, ask, ask saying, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  

I’ll share more with you in Part Two of this next time, but for today will you take a step of faith toward God and pray asking Him to help you grow and use you just as you are!

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

If Fresh Manna is a blessing to you, I’d love to know. Click here: FreshMannaFeedback

How Your Donations Are Used? click here  

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2023 All rights reserved
https://TimBurt.org