Food & Faith

What does food have to do with faith? Apparently a lot. Paul told Timothy that in the last days, people would depart from the faith and listen to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. What would those doctrines be?  

1. Forbidding to marry

2. Abstaining from certain foods

Paul then goes on to say that every created thing is good and nothing should be refused. He said it’s sanctified (separated from profane things and dedicated to God) by prayer and thanksgiving. This is why we pray and bless our food. I mean…really pray and bless.  Not a perfunctory prayer at the table.   

So where do our doctrines about food come from?  Either the Word of God…or demons. We should examine what we believe.  

Tragedies

We’ve faced some tragedies recently, haven’t we?  Covid changed our world! We experienced being quarantined, illness, loneliness, changing friendships, churches changing, food shortages, and skyrocketing gas prices—all while our 401K shrunk.  

Our world changed overnight. We changed. People began experiencing anxiety and depression. Counselors’ schedules were full. We began trying to make sense of all that was happening…because we were shaken. 

I believe Jesus is coming back very soon and will take all of those who have accepted him as their savior—and committed their lives to following him—to heaven. Those who haven’t chosen to follow him will be left behind.  

Here’s what I know. If you were shaken these past two years because of Covid and its effects, you will definitely be overwhelmed after millions of people are missing. One tragedy after another will take place. The establishment of the Antichrist, lawlessness, people killing one another, worldwide earthquakes, 1/4 of the people on earth killed by famines and plagues. Things will keep coming. You won’t have time to recover from one tragedy before another hits! If you never choose to follow Jesus, you will spend an eternity in hell with perpetual trauma and isolation. 

There is a solution: give your life to Jesus now. Admit your sin and ask his forgiveness. Follow him! Give up control and give him control of your life. Make him the boss of your life. And get in the Word—the Bible!!  You won’t grow or change unless you do. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. He will. 

Your life doesn’t have to be controlled by tragedy.  Trust Jesus—and let him have complete control of your life. His ways are higher (and better) than our ways!

Who is Your Giant?

Who is your giant? Is it a person, fear, anger, lust, the future, hopelessness, a job, expectations, control, or something else? David killed his giant…how do we kill ours?

David had already been anointed king but hadn’t come into that position yet. Instead, he was a shepherd boy (probably 15-years-old) keeping his father’s sheep. At that same time, the Spirit of God came on him (the Spirit didn’t indwell people in the Old Testament). He had plenty of time to practice using his sing shot and had successfully killed a lion and bear—and probably lots of other wild animals. His father sent him to check on his three older brothers who’d gone to battle against the Philistines. 

When David got to the battle site, Goliath was doing what he’d done for the past 40 days—day and night: he was taunting and challenging the Israelites—daring them to fight him. The reason he could do that is because he was around 9 feet tall! He was a giant with at least two giant brothers. The Israelites were trembling in fear—including King Saul. They’d had forty days of the same message of death and destruction…and did nothing. David heard that message one time and stepped up to the challenge of fighting Goliath. David knew Goliath wasn’t defying the Israelites…he was defying God. David went into battle (when other, older men were too fearful) and killed Goliath that day. (Read the full, exciting story in I Samuel 16-18)

What does this story have to do with us? The same tactics are used today by our enemy. Satan and his demons speak to our minds daily—in fact, many times a day. They want to destroy us. So they use fear, control, hopelessness, and all those other things to try to bring us to our knees. The truth is, they’re defying our God. They hate him so much, they don’t want one Christian left standing. So they assault our minds day after day. 

We need to do what David did. Take a stand. Take that thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ the first time you hear it! David didn’t mess around like the rest of Israel who listened twice a day for forty days. Don’t you see that if you listen that long, you become brainwashed and it leaves you cowering in fear?! That’s Satan’s intent. He wants to bind you in fear and destroy you. 

We are to take those thoughts captive by obeying Jesus. And as a believer, you have authority over Satan and his demons. Tell them to leave!! We are overcomers by the blood of the Lamb (salvation) and the word of our testimony (speaking truth). (Revelation 12:11)  Don’t tolerate the lies that come into your mind. Quote scripture to your enemy—he hates it! Be like David and destroy the enemy the FIRST time you hear his lies.

Kill those giants!