WHEN JESUS TURNED NO INTO YES

For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:7-16

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10


"Wanna go with me to a wedding reception?" It's in Cana of Galilee. "C'mon, let's go!"

"C'mom, let's hurry! The guests are already moving through the buffet line and helping themselves to good food and wine. The music is lively; the decorations are festive; the parents are pleased; the bride and groom are happy ... everything's set for a memorable day so let's get in line before they run out of something ..."

... and then something unforeseeable happens ... before everyone is served, they run out of wine.

"Oh look, there's Jesus ... and His disciples ... and His mother!  Did you see Mary nudging Jesus just now? Let's move in closer so we can overhear their conversation ..."

MARY: "Jesus, there's an uncomfortable situation taking place right now: they've run out of wine before everyone has been served!"

JESUS: "So?" He replies a little irritated. "That's not our business or my problem, and besides, my hour has not come.

Mary is beside herself. She cares that a dream-come-true wedding should be perfect in every way. Mary is thinking that her son is thirty years of age. Thirty, and still living at home. Thirty years she's been waiting for the day He would show forth His glory and still no sign of a miracle from the Son of God!  But today there is something different in the air. Today it isn't about miracles; it's about a helpless situation.

The servers are in a quandary. They can't perform their job. Mary feels their helplessness and quickly looks to Jesus, saying,

"Whatever He says to you, do it!"

Now there were six earthen water pots that held twenty or thirty gallons each. They were just waiting there ... empty ... as if they had readied themselves for the Lord's use, even though they were meant for the ceremonial washing of the Jews who were obviously ignoring their purification ritual (a type of baptism) before entering the synagogue.

I find it interesting that when John questioned Jesus about who should baptize who, Jesus explained, "Permit it to be so that you baptize me for it is fitting we carry out all that God requires to fulfill all righteousness." Matthew 3:15. I mean, if God required Jesus to be baptized that all righteousness be fulfilled, what does that say about the unrighteousness of the Jews?  So the Lord, who wastes nothing wasted no time in putting those water pots to good use.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the water pots with water," and they filled them to the brim. "Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host," and they did.

While in route, the water turned to wine. Now the host of the wedding didn't know what just happened but the servants knew exactly ... that mere water didn't just turn into wine but Jesus turned the water into the finest wine possible.

Now why would Jesus begin His public ministry with something as trivial as wine at a wedding? Why not raise the dead or open the eyes of the blind ... or did He do exactly that?

There are so so many needs in the lives of people everywhere. People suffer everyday with not
enough to make ends meet; not enough to go around, and not enough to get by.

In 1 Kings 17:7-16, we read that the brook dried up because there wasn't enough rain. The widow didn't have enough flour to bake Elijah one little cake of bread and her child was deathly ill.

In 1 Samuel 21 we read that David didn't have enough bread to feed his men. Another time a neighbor didn't have bread for his company. In Matthew, Mark and Luke we read about the disciples not having enough bread to feed the 5,000. Another time there wasn't enough to feed 4,000. Even after that, the disciples worried about not having enough food for themselves, and in John we learn there wasn't enough wine for the wedding guests. Story after story and situation after situation we find people hurting when there isn't enough.

No doubt Mary and Jesus were invited to the wedding at Cana because they were close friends with the wedding party. Mary cared when there wasn't enough to go around. It really didn't matter whether it was wine or food or whatever. She was moved to concern -- concern that weighed heavy on her heart -- a heart that was burdened over her friend, and because she CARED, she moved Jesus into His hour. I believe she turned His NO into YES because it mattered to Mary and therefore it mattered to Jesus, fulfilling the promise found in Psalm 55:22: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. 1 Peter 5:7 is likened unto it: Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.   

In the natural realm, lack says, "NO", but in the Spirit, need says, "YES"!

And God will generously give you all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:8 

Oh yes, I would say that in a way the dead were raised back to life again and the blind eyes were opened that day in Galilee. The ministry of Jesus isn't about meeting the need for a miracle, it's about the miracle of meeting the need.

There was nothing small about the miracle of turning water into wine. It was the Lord's debut and He planted a seed of hope for what matters most and that is what matters most to you!  

100% HUMIDITY

Therefore I say unto you, "What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them."  Mark 11:24. 

But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? Romans 8:24 (NIV)

TEXT: And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24 

WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE I took a physical geography class. I presumed this class was going to be all about the earth's surface but it was much more that that. It was about what makes our earth tick.

One of the topics we covered was all about humidity and rain. We learned that humidity can be measured from 1% < 99.9% but once it reaches 100% the chemistry changes into something else. Living with 99.9% humidity is stifling. But when it reaches 100%, it is no longer humidity; it is rain. 

Recently, as I pondered the subject of faith, I asked the Lord to tell me just how faith becomes the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The Bible says, "For by it the elders obtained a good report." Hebrews 11:1&2. I believe I know what faith is, but I didn't know how faith becomes sight or how to receive whatsoever I desire WHEN I ask for it. I'm talking about needful and immediate things; promised by God, things; life-changing, miraculous things. So I realized that when I prayed, I looked for and waited for the answer rather than believe I received it WHEN I asked. I wasn't in faith at all but only hoping, and by hoping, nothing ever changed so I kept asking and asking and asking ... because I thought this was faith. 

The Bible says hope that is SEEN is no longer hope. In other words, if we already have something, we don't need to continue hoping for it because at 100%, HOPE  becomes something else, It becomes FAITH, and FAITH when believed, is no longer faith. It is not until faith reaches 100% that it becomes the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. The Bible says we've been given a measure of faith so one does not have to operate in 100% perfect faith but one must believe God with 100% of that measure.  Esther declared, "If I perish, I perish, but I am going for it 100%."

Abram experienced this before the time of Jesus.

John proclaimed, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad." John 8:56 

And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:6 (NLT)

So when Abram believed God at 100%, faith, his faith changed into something else. It counted the same as righteousness.

At the wedding at Cana the wine ran out before everyone was served. Mary hinted around that Jesus do something and do it now. But he responded with an adamant, "NO! My hour has not come!" He was letting her know that it wasn't the right time to reveal to the world who He really was, and that it wasn't His problem! But it was HER problem. She was concerned. She cared, and she believed Jesus could and should do something about it. The Son of God was now thirty years old and still living at home! Yet, when Mary's faith reached 100% Jesus' hour became now and "No" became "Yes." He turned water into wine. So I asked the Lord, "When WAS His hour going to come?"

The Lord responded with Hebrew 4:2.

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Jesus said something similar to the woman at the well. He said, "The time is coming ... and now is." How can the time be coming and now is? Faith at 100%, now is. Rain at 100% humidity, now is.

                       

I believe Mary moved Jesus into His hour when her faith reached 100%.  The woman at the well said, "Sir, then give me this water now!" And she left her water pot or the former way of fetching water. She experienced the humidity in her life turn to rain.

In Hosea 10:12 we read, Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you. 

Wait a minute ... how does sowing seeds of righteousness reap a crop of mercy?  That's like planting corn and harvesting turnips. And when a farmer breaks up fallow ground it is so that he might re-plant his field. But this scripture says break up your fallow ground and seek not a harvest but the Lord until HE COMES with rain that changes into righteousness.  Another translation replaces the word mercy for love.

Jesus said, "Others will know you have invested time with me by your love one for another." He was talking about the kind of love (mercy) you did not possess before you engaged in fellowship with Him; love you didn't have before you sowed in righteousness; righteousness you didn't have before you believed by faith, and faith you didn't have before you had hope. 

After being swept away by these thoughts, I immediately thought about the man who knocked on his neighbor's door for bread but his neighbor said, "No! And he meant it. "No, don't bother me!" "No, the door is shut!" "No, my children are with me in bed" and "No, I cannot get up and give you anything!" When I looked closer at this passage, the man who asked for bread only asked once but he continually knocked until -- because of his persistence -- the man who once said no, rose up and gave him as much as he needed. 

I find it very interesting that in Luke 11:13, after Jesus concludes with this parable, that 100% "No" changed into 100% "Yes"with immediate results. 

Then Jesus says something amazing:  "SO ... if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the HOLY SPIRIT to those who ask him?" How did asking for bread turn into asking for the Holy Spirit? Jesus is making a profound point here. He is announcing that with the Holy Spirit, 100% of one thing can change into something else. 

"Who do you say I am," Jesus asked? If you want to see faith in action, -- with results -- make sure your faith in who Jesus says He is, is at 100%.  Then 100% faith on your part will change into 100% righteousness on the part of the Lord. 100% hope will change to faith the same as 100% humidity will change into rain.

I have had many unanswered prayers. Prayers that concern my children, finances and relationships. Important things that matter to me. Like Mary and her concern for less than enough wine, they were still my problem while operating with less than enough faith. But ... they became the Lord's concern after I placed 100% faith in HIM. By focusing all my trust in the Lord rather than the if's and's, but's, Plan B's, double-mindedness and ways to make it happen on my own, I became convicted about unrepentant bitterness and anger directed at a former boss who treated me unfairly in the workplace. Although it was only hindering one or two percent of my overall faith, it prevented me from reaching 100% on the humidity meter. I could no longer remain in that sweltering fire. At an altar call one Sunday morning, I stepped up for prayer and received the grace to make things as right as possible with my former employer. All these things are no longer unanswered prayers but have turned into something else: answered prayer. It's only the beginning but it's beginning to rain.

Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:21 

• Talk everything over with God.
• Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes 5:18.
• Ask once. Believe now.
• Whatever He says to you, do it.
• Knock continuously as one who refuses to accept no for an answer.
• Who do YOU say I AM? "I AM" is not only a proper noun, it is also an action verb. If you ask God if He is moving on your behalf He will answer you with, "I AM." 
• Don't waiver or doubt in your heart but believe 100% that He is faithful who promised. 
• We are not ignorant of the devils devices so no looking any longer to the left or to the right.
• Prepare ye the way of the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
• Be full term with expectancy.
• Emmanuel means God WITH us, and if He is with us then He is for us, and if He is for us, who can be against us? I will fear no evil for thou art with me.

If man could have reached righteousness by obeying the law, he would have had to score 100% on the law meter. That being impossible because of sin, Jesus stepped in in all His sinlessness, fulfilled the law and has given every man a measure of that same faith with the potential to believe just like Abram believed. As did the law require 100% obedience, so does access in the the realm of the Spirit require the obedience of faith. In other words, believing God with 100% of your heart. For things hoped for and things unseen to change into both the substance and evidence of that hope, it will take no less than 100% of that measure in our 100% faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without doubt, without wavering and without unbelief, which is sin. This is how ALL THINGS are possible to them who believe.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24 

YES LORD, HELP THOU MY UNBELIEF!

The time is coming when our Lord will come back for us. I believe He is waiting to hear us cry out for that day. Yes, the time is coming but do you believe we can believe Him for that hour? Could it be that the time is coming ... and by our faith it could change to AND NOW IS?     

THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY, "COME." 

LET ANYONE WHO HEARS THIS SAY, "COME."

LET ANYONE WHO IS THIRSTY COME.

LET ANYONE WHO DESIRES DRINK FREELY FROM THE WATER OF LIFE. Revelation 22:17

In Love,

Mindi