How to re-establish your spiritual supply line

 

The kids and I drive downtown into the setting sun to hear about the Nuba people. We sing in Arabic and our Sudanese brothers teach us, “Yesu gouwa aswa gouwa.” At least, that’s how I sing it. Jesus is super, super power.

Three men report to our association of churches. They show videos of lorries filled with grain traveling through the rain into the Nuba mountains. We watch as the Nuba people come running. “Who sent this?” they ask. “Where does this come from and why?”

Our brothers, those three men sent out from our churches girded with the prayers of the brethren and enabled with support, they tell our oppressed brothers, “Your brothers and sisters in America have heard about you. They see your suffering and they love you and want you to know they care. They sent us to you with food and the love of Christ.”

We witness tears, trickling down their faces as they receive food and hope. My cheeks are wet, too, as I watch the exchange, and we all bow low, basked in this glory. We watch sacks of grain go off the trucks, carried on shoulders into caves and crevices where mothers and children hide.

Then the refugees pile in; over 500 people pack into those trucks, until they are forced to turn people away. Back down the mountain, through muck and checkpoints and darkness and danger, the trucks drive down to the nearest refugee camp.

We praise our Father for the success of the mission, and at the end of report time, the floor opens for questions. A woman stands up and asks if there is a way to send supplies, things like shoes and clothing. “I have a garage full of clothing I can’t use,” she says.

Pastor Tim says something that strikes the heart and lingers long. “It’s not a matter of food and clothing being available. They have these things available and at far lower prices than we could ever get it to them at. Additionally, there are relief organizations on the ground and government agencies as well. So it’s not a matter of availability. It’s that the supply lines are broken. They can’t get the supplies up to them.”

Pastor Tim explains how the enemy has come in and bombed the area, creating fear. The people are running for their lives, dispersed and scattered. The supply line necessary for transporting the resources has crumbled.

“There are people up there starving because there is no way to get the abundance of food in the city up the mountains into the caves,” Pastor Tim concludes.

Long after the service is over, the Spirit speaks the words over and again to my heart. “It’s not a matter of availability. My grace is sufficient. But the supply line is down.”

The supply line is down.

The scriptures tell us how the enemy of our souls roams and roars like a lion. He aims to ignite fear and we scatter and stumble. Our supply line is cut off. But aren’t all the resources of Christ surely always available to us, just not always appropriated? Looking out over the mass of American believers, could it be said of many of us, that our supply line is down?

Yet there’s this blinking headlight in the battle dark, the reminder that faith is the victory. For those cut off and holed up and without supply, this hope in the dark points the way. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. The believer’s supply line is our faith.

Dr. Joon Gon Kim, founder of Campus Crusade’s Korean ministry, is quoted in Vonette Bright’s book, In His Hands,saying,

“Faith is the source of all graces that we receive. We are saved by faith. We live by faith. We pray by faith. We walk by faith. We appropriate the filling of the Holy Spirit by faith. By faith we overcome the world. All these blessings and virtues of the Christian life are rooted in faith.”

 

I read it right there in Jude, the instruction to re-establish our supply lines. If we are not fully appropriating the sufficiency of Christ, we must tend to our most holy faith.

“But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit.” (Jude 1:20, AMP)

Later, the Nuba team tells us the plan to establish a church there at the base of those mountains. I can envision it. I see faith rising like an edifice, supply lines stretching from south to north, closing the gaps, connection re-established.

And with my own battle weary eyes I see it, a faith amongst God’s children the globe over that appropriates all the sufficiency of Christ.

Yes, beloved ones, re-establish the supply line. Build yourselves up in your most holy faith.

 

Excerpt taken from Trust Without Borders: A 40-Day Devotional Journey to Deepen, Strengthen, and Stretch Your Faith in God

 

31 days of trust without borders

Day Six

 

1. The Bread:  Read John 3:22f

2. The Devo: Read day six in Trust Without Borders. Jot down key concepts that jump out at you.

3. The Plunge: So far in the Trust Experience, we’ve identified wrong beliefs about God as well as areas we’ve reverted to survival tactics to well, survive. We’ve prayerfully committed these areas to the Lord. Now it’s time to be pro-active in re-establishing our supply line.

How to Build Faith

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)        

A steady diet of God’s Word is the foundation of faith. Do you have a Bible reading plan? I hope you are reading through the book of John with us this month. However, to make this a habit, we also need to prayerfully plan the following:

The place: (choose a place where you can be alone to meet with God. Maybe it is your bedroom or office. Perhaps the bathroom. Maybe outside. The important thing is that you can be there alone and uninterrupted.)

The time of day: (select a time that is do-able long term. Don’t commit to 4am if you aren’t a morning person. The goal here is to pick something that you can be consistent at, even if it is just 10 minutes every day. You can always stretch it longer later.)

The reading plan: I have found that having a plan laid out for me is essential in being consistent and getting the most out of my time. I have used many different reading plans through the years and my personal favorite is The One Year Chronological Bible NIV. This will take you through the entire Bible in one year. What is your plan? I’d love to hear!

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9 Comments

  1. My reading plan might seem silly but I printed off a form that has each book of the Bible listed along wtih a box for each chapter. I started at the shortest book and am working my way up. It’s just a different and new way for me to get in the Word. :)

    1. Rikki, that is a great idea to start with the shortest book. Those small wins really help keep you motivated. I’m going to use this! P.S. It’s great to hear from you :)

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