Month: September 2019

From the Kitchen Table

Victorious Living Day 6

​ And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.  1 Corinthians 2:1-16

There’s another type of Christian known as the mature Christian.  We were all made to grow up physically, spiritually, mentally and so on.  There are mature Christians who grow up spiritually because they grow in their relationship with the Holy Spirit.  There’s nothing unusual about this, some people grow up physically, naturally, but they stay mentally where they were as a teenager or young adult.  They consider being independent as maturity.  Maturity is an interdependent thing where we rely on what the Holy Spirit speaks to us and shows us and not just on what we know or see or want.  Just like in our physical maturity we move from being dependent, to becoming independent to interdependent.  That only happens as we come to conclusions that are truthful.  The truth is that the wisdom of God is freely given to believers by the Holy Spirit so that we will not be held captive by the incomplete wisdom, wants and will of man.  The Holy Spirit matures us so that we can judge all things and not be judged by everything.  We can have the mind of Christ today but we will need to Holy Spirit showing us and speaking to us the wisdom of God to do so.  If we will live today looking for and listen to the Holy Spirit, we will judge all things rather than be judged by all things. That’s maturity.

The Kitchen Table

Victorious Living Day 5

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?  1 Corinthians 3:2-4

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.           1 Corinthians 3:16-17

There is a third category of persons that we must be aware of and avoid becoming or I should say commit to leaving.  There is a thing called carnal Christianity where we live in the flesh rather than in the faith.  These are people who have believed in Jesus but can’t seem to behave like Jesus.  We’ve all been there, and in some ways, we are still struggling against our old sinful nature to live for God.  Our carnality, old sinful self isn’t hard to detect, it operates in jealousy, strife, envy, outbursts of anger, sexual immorality, division, drunkenness, lying, selfish ambition, fear, wickedness and wicked associations, rebellion and so on.  The carnal Christian forgets that his/her body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  Carnal Christians don’t realize who they or whose they are.  The carnal Christian lives in the human way rather than in the heavenly way and will reap what he sows  There’s a dangerous warning for carnal Christians.  Carnal Christians are destroying the temple of God and that’s dangerous.  Live in the truth and trust of Jesus and the Holy Spirit will put us on heaven’s way, to see heaven’s will while preforming heaven’s work in and through our lives.  We are a temple (house of worship) of the Holy Spirit.  It’s an amazing relationship and an amazing life.

The Kitchen Table

Victorious Living Day 4

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 1 Corinthians 3:1-4

God has made us to grow up and to rule over, but we will never rule over unless we grow up. Just as there are natural people who make their decisions based on how those decisions will affect them, there are baby Christians who will do much the same but never really want to be responsible for the decisions that are made. They want Jesus and, not just Jesus only. They have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior, but they haven’t accepted the Jesus word or way for their own lives. Here’s the thing, we can all be there. It happens when we want the rules and a reputation in life rather than the revelation and responsibility for life. Baby Christians, infants in Christ, will need the message and the ministry to be soft and easy to swallow so they will depend on someone else to be their faith, deal with their fear and excuse their foolishness to keep them from their failure. If we haven’t already, we’re going to develop teeth and those teeth are for chewing. When we start chewing on what we’re feeding from we’re going to begin to pick and process what’s coming into and out of our lives. That’s good. God has made us to grow up and rule over. We can’t be afraid to stretch our wings and fly as we grow in your faith. God will grow us from Jesus and what someone else thinks or something else does to Jesus only. We were made to rule and reign with Him, choose Him and His word for your life today!

The Kitchen Table

Victorious Living Day 3

Now, this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24

The Kitchen TableVictorious Living Day 3Now, this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24Winning is an inside job. Victory comes from the spirit out rather than from the skin in. We often miss it because we let our feelings command our actions rather than our faith. It’s called living in ignorance from a hard heart. An empty heart becomes an empty home denigrated from without with no one to defend it from within. An empty heart and an empty home don’t have the breath, the belief nor the bearings and bravery to be victorious. An empty home becomes the target of the rocks, eggs, and graffiti of an uncaring world. We need to let Jesus take us off the housing market and make us His new home in our neighborhood. If we’re going to be victorious then we must think victoriously and that comes from a heart revived, renewed and re-programed by the Holy Spirit. Natural man lets the outside lead him but the spiritual man operates from within by the breath, belief, and bravery of the Spirit. The victory is ours today if the voice we listen to is His today.

Now, this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24

Winning is an inside job. Victory comes from the spirit out rather than from the skin in. We often miss it because we let our feelings command our actions rather than our faith. It’s called living in ignorance from a hard heart. An empty heart becomes an empty home denigrated from without with no one to defend it from within. An empty heart and an empty home don’t have the breath, the belief nor the bearings and bravery to be victorious. An empty home becomes the target of the rocks, eggs, and graffiti of an uncaring world. We need to let Jesus take us off the housing market and make us His new home in our neighborhood. If we’re going to be victorious then we must think victoriously and that comes from a heart revived, renewed and re-programed by the Holy Spirit. Natural man lets the outside lead him but the spiritual man operates from within by the breath, belief, and bravery of the Spirit. The victory is ours today if the voice we listen to is His today.

From the Kitchen Table

Victorious Christian Living Day 2

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.   2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Don’t forget, there’s more to this life than meets the eye.  The natural man lives in natural possibilities, but the spiritual man lives with infinite spiritual possibilities.  Don’t be fooled, even though this natural body and life is wasting away, your spirit isn’t.  We have a treasure inside of us, the person and power of the Holy Spirit, who always works to renew us for the revelation of God’s glory.  The Holy Spirit isn’t limited to just the seen or unseen and because He isn’t, neither are we.  God works in the eternal.  Godlessness works in the natural or temporary.  Don’t forget, there’s a whole other world of possibilities that natural man can’t see but the spiritual man can’t deny.  We’re walking around in what’s temporary, walking in what’s eternal and that means heaven is always within view.

From the Kitchen Table

Day 1

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.    1 Peter 4:1-11

Somewhere along the way we need to stop and ask, “Is it worth it?”  Remember that anyone can give up!  Victory belongs to those who don’t give up and even are willing to suffer to win.  But it takes a vision.  The victorious Christian life involves living with a vision for this life and beyond.  What is our vision for living?  If it’s worth talking about we need to believe in someone bigger with something bigger to live for than ourselves.  This is where the gospel comes in.  The gospel is God’s word for God’s way to God’s world.  And its’ good news because it offers victory and victorious living to anyone who would believe in God’s word for God’s way to God’s world.  There’s going to be a struggle and it’s going to be a struggle with our own skin as much as it is a struggle with our own kin or world.  Our skin, our sinful nature, is used to calling the shots but this life is lived from within by the spirit with the Spirit.  The beautiful thing about this big life God gives us is that He comes to us and lives in us to help us.  God’s vision for our lives is so big that we need Him to help us get there.  God is here and He’s got big plans, we just have to share His vision for our lives and that’s when things begin to happen.  And it’s worth it!

From the Kitchen Table

Day 39

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.           Hebrews 12:11-13

While most people are looking to get out of their circumstances, don’t be afraid to go through them.  Our circumstances may not have been God’s perfect will for our lives but God can and will shape us for His will through our circumstances.  The Bible says that we reap what we sow and so there will be times where we learn as we go.  God is not limited by our choices and circumstances if we won’t limit Him in our choices and circumstances.  Depend on Him and He will develop and deliver us through our difficulty and from our difficulties.  Being precedes doing, having and going, let God develop you through your difficulties while He delivers you from them.  We wouldn’t need a miracle if we never had a difficulty.  Never forget that God is in the room.

From the Kitchen Table

Day 38

​ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.           Hebrews 12:1-3

You’ve got a great big destiny ahead of you, don’t the anyone or anything delay God’s plans for you.  This thing about attitudes and appetites is something we must pay attention to.  They may not keep us from getting to heaven but they may keep heaven from getting to us.  Our flesh and our foe will use the littlest things to keep us from the biggest treasures.  It’s attitudes and appetites that keep people out of the game, off the field, in the dugout.  That’s why we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, looking and listening to Him, the author of this life we live.  He knows how to win at life and His ways work.  It’s really a decision about success and shame and that will involve our attitudes and appetites.   Jesus never seemed to have a bad attitude or bad appetites.  Yeah, there was that day when He cleared the temple, took some drastic action to correct depraved system that treated people, especially the poor, badly.  Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, He had an attitude of holiness and an appetite for heaven and it kept Him slender and strong for running the race, winning the prize.  If we keep our eyes on Jesus we will keep our feet in the race.  Anybody can quit, and many, because of their bad attitudes and appetites do, but you have to chose to live.

From the Kitchen Table

Day 37

I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.  But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.  It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.  I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?  The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.  Romans 7:14-25 msg

Don’t underestimate the strength of the skin.  The Bible calls it our flesh, our sinful nature.  It’s the house of our spirit this skin of our flesh.  Our own skin can and will be our greatest enemy at times.  When man sinned, he went from living from within, by the breath of God, to living from without in the appetites and attitudes of his flesh.  The Bible says we were all dead in our trespasses and sins.  Sin operates in the appetites and attitudes of our sinful nature.  We can want to do what is good because our spirit, which is formed by God, is hungry for what is good and right and true but the sinful appetites and attitudes and even anxieties of our own skin overpower our will to do and be good.  We need help and that’s what Jesus brings us.  The Spirit of Jesus steps into our hearts and walks hand in hand with our spirit.  But there is going to be some suffering as we chose to rule from the inside out and overcome the situation on the outside  We will have to learn to starve the skin in the strength of God’s Spirit which lives in us.  To know and do the will of God, which is powerful and pleasurable, we must turn the operation of this life over to the Spirit and learn to breathe the breath of God as we go.  It’s a mystery but it’s marvelous.

The Kitchen Table

Day 36

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”   Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”  And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62

The kingdom of God is the will of God.  Some people will be constantly looking for the will of God because there are constantly leaving the will of God for everything else under the sun.  Jesus sends out the twelve and later the 72 to do what?  To bring heaven here.  In Luke 9 there are all sorts of things that get in the way of God’s will for the disciples, such as  5,000 hungry people,  fear of death, a sick boy, disrespect, worry about who’s going to be first, competition, anxiety, inheritance and family.  Things will always get in the way of God’s will until we let God’s will get in the way of all those things.  That only happens where there is not only faith in God’s will but faith to DO God’s will.  We will see the power of God when we decide to serve the purposes of God first and foremost in our lives.  Don’t be one of those who die for lack of doing.  Bring heaven here today in the littlest of things and you will see heaven, here today, in all things.