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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: THE PANTRY

A couple of times a year I try to clean out my pantry. I wash down shelves and wash the baskets and drawers that I use to store food items. I check for food that is outdated. I think about what my needs are for the upcoming six months. If I do not think I will use something before it expires or I get to check again, I add it to a donation box.

I have been working on my pantry over the weekend and it prompted me to think about our spiritual food. It is time the church cleaned out our pantry. First, we need to rid it of bible translations that are watered down and bad for our spiritual health.

It is easy when shopping at the grocery store to pick up items that look good. Once we get them home, they are complicated to fix, we are missing one ingredient that we keep forgetting to buy the next time, or it just doesn’t sound as appealing as when we bought it.

I think the real church is starting to figure out the man-made ideas that have been packaged as a good meal are not filling or fulfilling our needs. These ideas have left us hungry for something of substance. They are like Hamburger Helper, they need the meat of the word.

It is not too late to get into the meat of the word. I cannot seem to get away from the message of digging into the word of God and knowing it for yourself. We cannot depend on our preachers to do all the meal prep for us. They are human and can make mistakes too.

This is why Paul says in Philippians to work out our own salvation.  In other words, we are each responsible for our own soul. It is up to us to know the word and if we can trust what is being said, some are wrong by mistake or misunderstanding.  Then there are others who are evil and deceptive only wanting our money. We have to discern the difference between right and wrong and those with evil intent.

People think that God’s word is a big jigsaw puzzle to be pieced together. They feel like it is too complicated to understand without going to Bible College. I believe if we ask God to open our spiritual eyes we can know and understand his word.

I am not so arrogant as to say I understand everything in the word of God. There are many things, especially in the prophecy books that I have not figured out yet. But that doesn’t mean that we do not keep trying.

The things that I end up throwing away the most are expired spices. They are the things that add to the flavor of the main dish. If they have lost their strength, they are not worth anything.  The enemy tries to add things to us that take away from the joy we have in our life. We need to get rid of the spices he tries to add like, fear, anxiety, dishonesty, depression, grief, physical illness and pain, and all the joy stealers.

Matt 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

We need to make sure our lives are full of people that enhance our faith walk. Make sure they are good salt. Our life is enhanced by the joy of the Lord. He gives us peace, friendship, healing and joy to make our faith walk an experience of growing.

Just like the expired spices. There are times when we have to walk away from people in order to maintain our peace. It is not an easy thing to do, or one to be taken lightly, but when God tells you to separate from certain people, He has his reasons. He knows they are often poison in the stew of our life.

We need to make sure we store our food somewhere that mice cannot get to it. People often pour things out of boxes and plastic wrappers into storage jars. We cannot allow the word of God to be compromised by those who wish to just eat the edges and corrupt it for everyone else. Like a mouse would just chew the corners off of the crackers. These false teachers will give you just enough of the word to make you think you have been fed but will leave a lot of the good stuff behind. We have to have the word hid in our hearts to keep the enemy from ruining it, by only giving us the edges.

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Before pouring food into the storage containers, we must make sure they are clean vessels. Asking God to remove anything from our lives that are not of him, will make our vessels clean. Then we are ready to pour his word into our hearts to hide there. We study and hide God’s word in our hearts so that the enemy cannot deceive us with false words known as fake bread. Jesus is the word and our Bread of Life. But we do not hide God’s word in our hearts only for ourselves. But we have to have it within us in order to go out and share with those who are starving for the truth of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

In summary, we need to get rid of everything that is not healthy for the body of Christ. Make sure to eat of God’s word and share that which we find to be good food.

Have you ever gone to a new restaurant and had a meal that was just what you had been craving. It was prepared perfectly. You couldn’t wait to tell others about your experience. A good message from God’s word should be the same way. We need to share the things that the true anointed ministers of the gospel are saying, it may be just what someone else is starving for as well.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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