Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin L. Zadai 

Invite the Lord Into Your Situation

"When Lord opened my eyes in the spirit realm, I saw that the angels were there in the deepest, darkest situations, waiting for me to engage God."

~Kevin Zadai

By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey.
Jesus acted as if He were going on, but they begged Him, "Stay the night with us, since it is getting late." So He went home with them.
—Luke 24:29 NLT

DISCUSSION:
This week, we will discuss how you can ask the Lord into your life and see supernatural manifestations like you've never seen before. We will dive into the account where Jesus appeared to His followers on the road to Emmaus. It's important to understand that we must ask the Lord for help and invite Him into our situation. We must realize that God will not always push Himself into our lives; He is not always evident like you would think. Sometimes, He just wants you to ask Him and to request His presence.

JESUS WANTS TO BE ASKED
One thing that I've observed about Jesus is that sometimes He just wants to be asked. Interestingly, He's always present, but doesn't always make Himself known. To give some background for our discussion, in Luke 24, the women who had followed Jesus went to the tomb and found angels there, but Jesus was gone. The angels reminded them of what Jesus had foretold them—that He would be crucified, and then raised on the third day (Luke 24:1–7). Jesus had taught His followers they needed to take up their cross and follow Him, which was prophetic since He hadn't died on a cross yet (Matthew 16:24). Not only had Jesus given hints, but plainly told them that He would suffer at the hands of evil men, be crucified, and buried. He foretold that He would rise again on the third day (Matthew 16:31). When they went to the tomb, they had forgotten all that. So, the angels reminded them and even recounted Galilee, the place where He had initially shared the prophecy with them.

As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing Him. He asked them, "What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?" They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.
—Luke 24:15–17 NLT

After the encounter at the tomb, two other believers were walking to Emmaus, a village that was seven miles from Jerusalem; so, it was a seven-mile walk from what previously happened (Luke 24:13). As they walked along, discussing everything that had taken place with Jesus, He suddenly appeared to them and asked what they were talking about. God prevented them from recognizing Him (Luke 24:14–17). What took place back in the New Testament has also happened to me. Angels have come, and I didn't recognize them; it took a while to figure it out. God is with you all the time, but doesn't always reveal Himself. Sometimes, He's cloaked, which will keep you from recognizing Him.

Then Jesus said to them, "You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn't it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all things before entering His glory?"
—Luke 24:25–26 NLT

When Jesus asked, "What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?" the disciples stopped short and were sad. They thought He must have been the only Person who didn't know what happened. So, they told Him everything. (Luke 24:17– 24).

JESUS WAS HURT BECAUSE HIS FOLLOWERS DIDN'T BELIEVE
As Jesus listened to the disciples share their accounts, what really hurt Him was that they said He was a prophet, not the Messiah. His followers said He did powerful miracles, was a prophet and a mighty teacher in the eyes of God, and was crucified by the Pharisees. They hoped He was the Messiah, but it looked like they didn't believe that anymore. They told Jesus that some women in the group went to the tomb to look for Him, encountered the angels there, and everything else that took place. Consider how upset Jesus must have been by verse 25, where He addressed them as foolish people or you fools; they still didn't recognize Him.

Jesus's followers found it hard to believe what the prophets wrote about in the Scriptures. He asked, "Wasn't it clearly predicted that the Messiah would suffer all these things before entering His glory?" As they traveled the seven miles to Emmaus, Jesus went through all the Scriptures with them. He was walking with them slowly, since they were talking. So, for hours, He explained again what was predicted concerning the Messiah. The whole walk went on without them noticing.

Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. At that very moment He disappeared! They said to each other, "Didn't our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"
—Luke 24:31–32 NLT

As Jesus and His followers ended their journey, they arrived at the fork in the road to turn the town of Emmaus, and Jesus acted as if He was going to go on (Luke 24:28–29). That's the key here: He wanted to be invited in. Since He shared the Scriptures and the anointing was there, they begged Him to stay the night because it was getting late. So, He went home with them, sat and ate. When He took bread, broke it, and gave it to them, their eyes were suddenly opened. They recognized Him as Jesus, and at that very moment, He disappeared.

o Why do you think Jesus acted like He was passing by in Luke 24?

Throughout the Bible, the Lord often cloaked Himself and acted like He would pass by. For example, the day after Jesus miraculously fed the 5000 men and their families, He walked on the water towards the disciples, who were in the boat struggling against the wind and waves. Jesus acted as though He was continuing on His way by Himself until they cried out (Mark 6:47–52).

GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU
You must understand that God never leaves you. Sometimes, the Lord is silent because He wants you to ask Him into your situation. We all need to do this. The tests, delays, and trials we go through at times are divine because God wants us to engage Him. And if we don't, He walks on by.

Luke 24:31 says that the men's eyes were suddenly opened, and they recognized Jesus, as we discussed. They asked in verse 32, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road, as He explained the scriptures to us?" So, after their 7-mile trip back to Jerusalem, they found the other disciples and told them that the Lord had risen (Luke 24:33–34).

Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study

Dr. Kevin L. Zadai 

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

—Matthew 28:20 NLT

You may be going through a hard time and feeling overwhelmed with life; maybe you don't feel God at all. However, if you look down in your heart, you will find it's burning within you; you will then realize that God is with you. I had encounters where God showed me He was with me during those difficult times. Even if you didn't have Him specifically reveal that to you, your heart will know, by the Spirit, that the angels are with you and God has not left you at all.

Jesus appeared to His followers because He wanted to start spreading the news of Him being back from the dead. He also appeared to Peter; then it spread that He was among them (John 21:4–7). After His resurrection, Jesus went around teaching on the kingdom of God for 40 days (Acts 1:3). You can imagine Pilate, the Pharisees, and everybody heard about it, yet nobody could stop Him. You know that Rome heard because the Jewish leaders tried to bribe the Roman soldiers to make up a lie (Matthew 28:11–15). So, you can imagine the situation during those 40 days after Jesus's resurrection. How do you explain that? He taught people, and the Pharisees couldn't do anything to stop Him.

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

—Isaiah 41:10

Angels are assigned to you, so they don't leave you (Psalm 91:11–12). Some situations look so bad that you may wonder why your angels aren't involved. You might have asked questions such as, "Why did God let this happen to me?" In these times, your heart should be waiting on God, and you should invite Him in. Jesus wanted His disciples to invite Him into the boat; when they did, the storm stopped (Matthew 14:32–33).

Similarly, in Emmaus, Jesus waited and acted like He wasn't coming with His followers because He wanted them to ask Him in. When they invited Him, He ate with them, revealed Himself, then disappeared. When you face challenges, don't be frightened, worried, or doubtful, but discern deep in your heart you may be burning inside. Jesus is actually there; He's just waiting for you to invite Him in.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

—Psalm 27:13–14

I have had many supernatural encounters where I've been shown what happened behind the scenes in situations I didn't understand previously. When the Lord opened my eyes in the spirit realm, I saw that the angels were there in the deepest, darkest situations, waiting for me to engage God. When I sought God, they were activated, yet they were with me the whole time, setting it all up. So, I want you to be encouraged.

While they were talking about this, Jesus Himself [suddenly] stood among them and said to them, "Peace be to you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said, "Why are you troubled, and why are doubts rising in your hearts?"

—Luke 24:36–38 AMP

When Jesus hides Himself, He wants us to invite Him into our situation.

• Jesus wanted His disciples to express faith by engaging Him.

• The disciples thought He was a ghost in Luke 24 and when He walked on the water. They couldn't discern who He was at first.

• Jesus appeared to His followers many times after His resurrection, yet they did not recognize Him immediately.

• It is essential that you receive healing because Jesus has not left you.

In Luke 24:36, as the disciples discussed their encounter with Jesus on the way to Emmaus, He suddenly appeared in the midst of them and said, "Peace be with you." As mentioned, the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost. He asked them why they were frightened and filled with doubt. I'm asking you now, "Why are you frightened, and why are you filled with doubt?" Jesus is right here amongst us in any situation.

PRAYER:

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You that Your power, presence, angels, and You Yourself are with us. You are with us no matter what we face in our state or country; You're just waiting for us to invite You in. Thank You, Lord, for encouraging our family all over the world by the Holy Spirit. Lord, Help us to stand for righteousness and to stand for You, knowing that You are the Lord in our midst. Righteousness and justice are with You, and You will execute Your judgment. Thank

You for providing for us as a good Father. Thank You, Lord, that everything we need for life and godliness has been given to us. We are grateful and receive it right now, in the name of Jesus. Thank you for the financial miracles and supernatural provision. Thank You, Lord, that You will be glorified and that we will have many testimonies of Your faithfulness, provision, and healing in their bodies, in Jesus's name, amen.

1. Why is it essential to know by faith in your heart that God is with you, even when you don't feel Him?

2. Discuss what happened on the road to Emmaus, according to Luke 24, and what we can learn from it.

3. When we are struggling in life and feel like God is far away, what does Jesus want us to do? Why do you think God sometimes cloaks Himself?

4. When we do not engage the Lord, He will not force Himself on us. What does discerning the Lord mean, according to this study?

5. Is there a situation in your life where you are frightened, filled with doubt, or feel like God is hiding Himself from you? What will you do to engage the Lord?