Truly we have been among those who have been thrust into a new level, and we do not know whether we will like it or not. As we have entered into this day, it has been like entering into a strange land and partaking of new and strange foods that we are not accustomed to.
It must be as it was with the Children of Israel. In the wilderness they were able to partake of the manna that tasted like honey and wafers. Although it was rather monotonous, it was not a bad diet, and they survived on it. It was probably rich in vitamins and all the nutrients they needed. Then came the day that they crossed over Jordan. Four days later they kept the Passover and ate of the old corn of the land (of Canaan). And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land … they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. Joshua 5:12.
Corn, as we know it, is indigenous to America. When the King James version speaks of the old corn of the land, it is speaking of the wheat that had been raised the previous season. They had to grind it into flour and then bake it. Of course, it was more convenient to have the manna delivered right to their doorstep (or, to be more accurate, to their tent flap).
We too have come to the place where we have to labor to prepare our grain, and even scare off a few giants that are watching the granary where it is stored. In the name of the Lord we must possess the land. We don’t even know whether we like the process or not, but we will! I prophesy the joy that is before us, because of the new level and the new season we are in. There are things that we were not sure we would like. We have been acting like children who refuse to taste a new food, or one that is prepared differently. They say, “I don’t like it!”
“You haven’t tasted it yet.”
“I know I don’t like it.”
“Take just one bite. The least you can do is to taste it.”
“I don’t want to.”
Things are changing, and we don’t know whether we want them to change or not. There is a perversity in human nature that does not want change, even when one is crying for it. Take that first bite! You will cultivate a taste for it.
Lord, give us an appetite for the new diet. More and more we will be responsible for some of the breakdown of that food for ourselves. It is marvelous the way the Lord provides for our sustenance. Only the very young get their food predigested. The mother eats the food and digests it. Then her breasts fill with milk, and all the baby has to do is suckle away and grow fat. But there comes a day when the baby has to eat more than milk. Then mother cooks some vegetables and fruits and mashes them. Before long the child has learned to eat by himself. But what a mess! Everything was so sanitary and clean before, but not now!
We are getting into the messy stage too, where we will no longer be fed by the apostle and the prophet. That is not their purpose. Their purpose will be to direct the activities by which the people take the old corn of the land and break it down into food for God’s people. The people get the word from the Lord, memorize Scriptures, get into the flow of revelation, get into the ministry, minister to one another. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you; with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16.
A new day is coming—a new day in which this body will find that the strong are feeding the weaker, the older ones are caring for the younger. More and more we will find that the responsibility of feeding the flock does not rest on just one or two. The word of the Lord will begin to come forth in a marvelous pattern. Rejoice! We are entering into a new day. Open your heart to it now. Let the word of the Lord run swiftly; let it have free course! Let it feed your heart. Let it be a ministry to your spirit. Do not try to thrive only on predigested food. Go to the Word and learn how to digest it and assimilate it yourself. Take that old corn of the land of conquest and break it down. Eat it. Partake of it in the name of the Lord.
Milk belongs to the babes who are unskilled in the word of righteousness, but we will see God bringing forth the meat which must be chewed and assimilated. The army of the Lord will grow strong in the word that it partakes of.