Observations:
How do the disciples react?
"But where in this remote place
can anyone
get enough bread
to feed them?"

Observations:
I asked myself what were the actions of Jesus?
"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.
Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Jesus took the seven loaves of bread
Jesus gave thanks for the loaves of bread
Jesus broke them  gave them to his disciples to set before the people.
Jesus gave thanks for the fish as well
Jesus told the disciples to distribute them.

Interpretation:
I asked myself the significance of Jesus' actions?
On Friday, I learned that the disciples were so earthly minded that they forgot the miracles Jesus did in the past including the feeding of the 5000. Instead of getting mad at the disciples or even shunning the disciples, Jesus addresses the problem at hand, that of feeding everyone that was there.

Jesus' response to the disciples answer was 'How many loaves do you have?'. Jesus already knew how many loaves they had but Jesus wanted them to realize and come to grips with what they had with them. I remember that they had just told Jesus,

"But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?".

Jesus is letting them know that circumstances do not have to hinder them from finding a solution to the problem at hand and that Jesus could use what they had with them to feed the crowd and that's what Jesus did. Now Jesus takes the seven loaves of bread from the disciples and even the fish they had and performed another miracle after giving thanks for them. The miracle of feeding the crowd that was with Jesus for the 3-day retreat occurred.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. Whatever circumstances I am faced with or going through if I just focus on the problem at hand, I will be stressed out and find no solution but if I take those circumstances to Jesus including the problem, He will provide the solution for me like He did for the disciples. The disciples told Jesus what they had with them and Jesus used what they had to bring about a solution to feeding the crowds that were with Him for 3-days. Jesus can do the same thing for me too for nothing is impossible for Jesus. I need to turn with my problems to Jesus and ask Him for a solution instead of wallowing in my problems. I need to also be thankful to Jesus for all He will do for me.

HOW GOSPEL AFFECTS MY TESTIMONY REGARDING P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S
Last year, I was having a lot of pain in my body near my heart, on my left arm from the elbow down, in my legs especially my left leg, my feet especially the sole of the right foot, my knees, etc and it was really scary at times. My mom was afraid that I may have been dealing with Diabetes. I did not know and was scared to go for a checkup. This problem too was a result of sin if that is what was occurring. You see my brothers and sisters in Christ from Oakland International Fellowship told me time after time to curb down on the desserts I was eating, sometimes 6-7 desserts a day even though there is Diabetes in the family generation line. The way I was eating desserts, you would think I was invincible from getting sick but the pains did not make me feel invincible anymore. I did not know if the results were going to come out negative.

Even so I had to deal with the problem at hand which was GETTING A HANDLE ON THE DESSERTS and keeping away from GLUTTONY TO DESSERTS.

I had gone to the doctor after asking the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive me for abusing the body He gave me and asked for His healing in my life. I knew even if I had Diabetes, Jesus could heal me because He has the power to heal if He chose to.

I was eagerly waiting for the results from my doctor and my brothers and sisters from OIF were praying for me specifically from Potter's Clay (Baby Clay I: Elias, Christy, Liz, Cathy, Ksenjia, Min, Luke, Jeremy, Yohko, Mark, etc) and Living Acts (Baby Clay II: Marie, Edwin, Steve, Zela, Keng, Ling, Susannah, Kristen, Bryan, Lydia, Rachel, Josh, Ryan, Pastor Ed, etc)

I had told the Lord Jesus that I would not eat desserts crazily anymore like I used to. I can tell you that the Lord Jesus handled my problem for me. Even if I had Diabetes, when the results came back, it did not show. One day, I felt that the Lord Jesus did a complete healing in me and the results confirmed it. Thank you Jesus! Praise the Lord! 

I share this with you because now that was a problem at hand. How I dealt with the problem also revealed my own relationship with the Lord Jesus or if I showed that I was have a relationship with Satan. I do not want to have a relationship with Satan and should never have a relationship with Satan but that is what will happen if I handle problems in a sinful way such as drinking, sleeping them away, eating too much, etc.

Even if I were sick I wanted to be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who said to the king, "Even if the Lord does not deliver, we will still not worship you'  because their allegiance was to Jehovah and not to the king or problems at hand such as the fiery furnace.

I need to do the same and find my strength in Jesus Christ and use the opportunities I have for ministering to those around me with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for speaking out on issues that matter to God such as Pro-Life, Pro-family (sanctity of marriage), poor, etc.

For all problems need the help of the Savior especially the problem of sin. There is no cure when we have a relationship with Satan except the SAVING GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST who paid for our RESCUE BY HIS BLOOD.

Indulging in sin and living a rebellious life of sin is having a relationship with Satan and we don't even think about it that way. We need to though. Satan will only make our relationship with our Heavenly Father worse because Satan is the father of lies and wants to destroy us by putting problems in our ways and giving deceitful solutions. We need to be aware of that!

Jesus does not want that for you and me and that is why He came into this world to have a relationship with you and me so He can deliver you and me from the bondage of sin that captivates us. May you remember that!

We need to turn to Jesus in our sin and ask Him to lead us and guide us for He alone can deliver us. Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross of Calvary by being crucified for you and me so His precious cleansing blood can become the antidote for this virus known as sin. When we take the antidote and are covered in the blood of the Lamb, we are freed from its bondage.

Only Christ can do that when we focus on Him now and forever more. Whatever problems you have including the problem of sin, take it to Jesus in prayer and allow Him to work in your life. Do not give up for any relationship to flourish and blossom, it takes time and effort. Allow His grace and love to permeate your life and draw your nourishment from Him now and forever more digging deeply into the Word of God and claiming His promises.

I ask you now dear friend, how do you handle your problems in life?
Dear friend, people handle problems in different ways and not all ways bring benefit in our lives. Some go to the bottle to deal with their problem, some take their problems under the pillow to try to sleep them away, some binge eat thinking eating away will make their problems go away, etc. Some even start out with an attitude of pessimism like the disciples did about finding solutions to problems. The disciples were so pessimistic regarding how the crowd could be fed because their focus was on the problem and circumstances instead of the One who could help overcome the problem and find the solution.

I don't know how you handle your problems but when I have problems I have not always handled them in a manner Christ would want me to handle them. On the contrary, I would act just like the disciples having QUESTIONS for the problems instead of turning to Jesus with my problem and what I have for Him to help me out.

Jesus bailed out the disciples and gave them the solution using the food they already had with them when they worked with Jesus. Jesus can do the same things for us too.

When we have problems, we need to go to Jesus with them instead of being pessimistic or having the attitude of what's the use. Jesus who fed the 5000+, and this large crowd too can feed us solutions to the problems we have.

Friend, are you sick?

Friend, are you financially in a jam?

Friend, are you stuck on the research you are doing?

Friend, are you in a broken relationship?

Whatever problem you are faced with, turn to Jesus for the solution. The way to do this is through STUDY OF GOD'S WORD & PRAYER. Also, involve the body of believers who will be a SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY for you.

I can speak from experience based on my interactions and blessings from being part of OIF community. If you have not found a community where you feel loved, taken care of, etc, I invite you to come be a part of our church at PCCO-Oakland International Fellowship. We are located on North Dithridge St in Oakland in the heart of Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh.

We need to take the help provided for us to overcome the problems we face even if it has to do with eating. You could say that I was addicted to desserts and had a sweet tooth. Now, it is not that I don't like desserts but the Lord Jesus is helping to keep me accountable.

Four friends were especially instrumental in trying to keep me away from desserts: Liz, Christy, Cathy, and Marie. Thanks to my sisters in Christ for all their help :)

My mom would pray to asking the Lord Jesus to curb my appetite against too much dessert. Now only on special occasions do I eat a lot of dessert but that to is rare.

Friend, the solution may not come the way we always want it but Jesus' solutions will always work better for us. The disciples mindset was on buying the food but Jesus' mindset was on providing the crowds food with what they already had. This did not cross the disciples minds.

Sometimes we are so preoccupied with our own problems that we forget to look to Jesus, the Answer. Jesus has the answer to our problems whether it is sickness, financial jam, broken relationships, etc.

Come to Jesus as you are and let Him handle your problems.

Friend, all of us have a problem we cannot get rid of without Jesus Christ in our lives and that is the problem of sin. You cannot handle the problem of sin on your own because the heart is deceitful and who can know it. When you think you have it together, you will stumble because that's how Satan works. He makes us think that things are going alright and then he puts us more into bondage to the sin that captivates.

Most problems are sin problems and only Christ can help us overcome this. Look at the problem you are faced with and you will find that it is sin somewhere along the chain that caused it.

But the Good News is what Jesus Christ already did for you. Jesus went to the cross to HANDLE THE PROBLEM OF SIN for you. You and I could not be saved on our own no matter what we did but  thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ that a way was made. Our redemption in Christ is a gift of God to us because of His grace. May we marvel in His grace and rest in Him now and forever more because He can give us Eternal Life through Jesus Christ!

The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23)

 May you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to live out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

May you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you. Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new identity in Christ Jesus.

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!