Communion: It's Different

Communion is awesome--yet it's also not for everyone.  We need to walk on the right path so that we can take the Elements faithfully.  We need to be woven into Jesus by the Spirit.  If we know the truth, then we'll have been set free.  If we've already been set free, then we are free to take communion!

Communion is for Believers:  It's through our belief that we are justified (Romans 10:10).  If we have the faith of God, then we will be blessed in our doing.  In other words--If you know Jesus, remember Him thru communion.  Receive what He's done with thanksgiving and reverence--Yahweh does not give as the world does (John 14:27).



Communion is a Proclamation:  When we partake of the Elements, we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).  And when we proclaim God's will in faith, it is established for us (Job 22:28).

So as we take communion, we are having Jesus' death established--fulfilled-- in our new life.  We realize that One died for all and that therefore all died (2 Cor. 5:14).  We proclaim Communion as the most sure Word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19)--the most reliable prophetic word.  It is the most powerful positive confession.  We proclaim that God really did send His Son for us.



Communion Requires Discerning the Body:  We need to treasure what Jesus has purchased--our brothers and sisters, for whom He died (1 Cor 8:11)!  We need to be perfected in forgiveness and love (Matthew 5:48).  And because God's already done the perfecting, we just need to choose to yield to it.  This means having the faith to discern that Jesus is enough.

We need to acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:2).  With that, He destroyed the sinful nature once and for all (Romans 6:6).  Let's receive the grace of freedom from sin (Romans 6:18). We are a sacrifice of Holiness!  We have received the sinless body of the Lord.



Communion Requires Discerning Yourself:  The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and of righteousness (John 16:8).  He shows us a wonderful paradox--we were sinful in the flesh, but now we are flawless in His Spirit.

If we are convicted of our own righteousness, if we know that Christ is in us, then we can turn from sin and understand how we need to yield to God's growth.  We can discern how we've went wrong and see communion as a marking point of change.  It's so important to remain in His purifying fire.


Communion is Seperate: Do you know what the word 'Holy' means?  It's original meaning is different, set apart, other.  We are a holy priesthood, a chosen nation (1 Peter 2:9)!  We have been selected and set apart by God, and communion can activate our living like it.

The Holy Spirit is saying come away, He's saying come out of oppression.  He's saying be in the world, just not of it (John 17:16)!  Communion is a spiritual force that draws us away from the world and into the wonderful, sacrificial Love of our Saviour.  It's a blessing for those who are worthy, and a curse for those who are not.  It's a torrent of God's love for those who believe, and the cup of His wrath for those who do not (Matthew 26:42).  When we receive the needed belief, we receive the abundant blessings!

Dream: The Importance of Feast Days

"And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever."         Genesis 12:17

"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever."    Exodus 12:14

I've been thinking about Old Testament regulations a lot recently.  Vanessa and I feel that it's been the Lord who's brought such things to our attention.

See, when God is speaking to Moses about feast days, celebration days, etc...He tends to use the words, 'for ever'.... quite frequently.  And I think there's significance to that.  God didn't say to keep such rules until His Son came.  He could have specified that, but He didn't.  There are many such Old Testament commemorations that God instructed His children to keep, for ever.

"For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

Matthew 5:18

Even a few things Jesus said have made us think.  Heaven and earth have not yet passed away!  Though I don't have even close to a full revelation on all this, yet, I feel that some of aspects of the Word here just can't be discounted.  To summarize, I'd say that the Law is good (1 Timothy 1:8).

And I had a dream last week that really convicted me.  You know when you have a dream that you just know is from God?  This was one of those.  So, in the dream, I was being shown a pamphlet full of Heavenly revelation.  And I was reading a page that was titled something along the lines of, "The Importance of Feast Days".

On this page, there were several bullet points, and under each bullet there was an awesome description of why God ordained dates and calendars to be the way they were.  As I read more and more, the amount of wisdom and revelation coming through was astonishing.  I realized what God intended when He made things the way He did.  And I read all about the specific reasons for the feast days He established.  Reading through that page was pretty amazing, and I had God's heart for the ancient Israelites conveyed to me in a way that's hard to describe.  I realized in a new way just how meticulous, thoughtful, and wise God is in the things that He does--the things that He does for our own good.

I woke up the next morning remembering the dream, but having completely forgotten the specifics of what I'd read.  And I think that's what God intended.  Some of the stuff I read probably wasn't meant to be made known!  But this dream convicted me of the tremendous physical and spiritual benefits that will come by following God's calendar of religious feasts and fasts.

Like I said, I don't have all this figured out yet.  But I feel like there is something to it.  For now, I'll liken keeping the Old Testament Law--whether by observing feast days, religious fasts, the Sabbath, or dietary rules--to icing on the cake, so to speak.  The Law cannot save you!  Nonetheless, I think it pleases God if His children show a conviction for the Law.  I think it pleases Him if we show our interest and appreciate His workings of the past.   I think that the ancient Hebrew calendar, which God first made for His chosen people and continues to work by, is worth researching.

When The Power of God is Present

"And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them."      Luke 5:17

How does the power of God show up today?  It shows up when people are desperate.  It shows up when people turn their desperation into expectation.  It shows up when faith is activated and people expect the Holy Spirit to work miracles!

Ministry becomes so much easier when the power of the Lord is present to heal.  Everything is easier when the power of God is there!  The Spirit of love comes in, and things start happening.  Events start aligning.  People start aligning.  Ministry breaks out, and so does the miraculous.

I remember about a year ago, Vanessa and I were praying for a man with back pain.  We were right outside our favorite restaurant, and a few people were beginning to take notice.  The Lord healed this man pretty dramatically.  Wonderful!  And then another man, an easygoing catholic guy, came up.  He wanted to know what was going on.

And then this second guy remarked that he, too, had back pain.  Vanessa and I knew what to do.  Faith had already been activated!  So, the guy talks about his back hurting, and continues walking up to us.  When he got close, I asked him how he was feeling now.  He said all the pain was gone!  Nobody prayed for him.  See, Jesus was there all along.  The Holy Spirit had already set up shop among us.  The power of the Lord overshadowed us.  The power of the Lord was present to heal.

This is what we need today, and it needs to begin within the Church.  We as Christians need His power enveloping us! We as believers need to be ministered to!

Once we ourselves are within God's power, then we can minister out of it!  Those not yet saved need to be exposed to the power.  They need to be exposed to the manifest presence of Jesus.  Those not yet convicted will only be convicted when the power of the Lord is present.  They'll only be saved when the supernatural power of God begins to flow.  This is a place of ministry.  This is a place of love.  This is a place of being inhabited by the Holy Spirit.  We need to have the Spirit, and we need to have His power.  We need to have been so touched by Him that wherever we go, the power of the Lord is present to heal.


"...And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power"         1 Corinthians 2:4

Word: Convert All Things to Trust

About a week ago the Lord spoke to me some words of encouragement.  He said,

"Today is a day to convert all things to trust."

And He went on with some reassurance in other areas...but I was still convicted by the wording of that first sentence.  Trust!  He was saying that every characteristic should be drained of itself and transformed into a trusting in Him.  Every anxious emotion should be converted into a hope in the Lord.

"Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD."             Psalm 31:24

Now I couldn't do this.  I can't convert all things into trust.  But the Lord can!  And He wants to.  So let's let Him--let's take from Him courage and hope.  God wants to alleviate us from every unbelieving thing.  He wants us to break out of every layer of fear and timidity and abide in Him.  

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

2 Timothy 1:7

He has given us a Spirit that personifies Christ's love.  He has given us His Holy Spirit, which drives out fear (John 4:18). God has given us a Spirit that works all things for our good (Romans 8:28)--a Spirit that converts all things into trust.

"Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:8

Snapshot: Holy Earthquakes

God has promised to shake things--to shake us in discipline, to shake the earth in judgement, and to shake the heavens in preparation for Christ's returning.  This is a promise!  A promise that those who are right with God can look forward to the fulfillment of with eagerness and joy.

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying: "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN"      Hebrews 12:26

We were reading through this section of Hebrews in Church today.  So God is doing spiritual shakings within believers today--to purify us, to shake off any potential hindrances..  Praise God! And He will do a literal shaking of the entire earth on that day.  On a slightly different note, I believe earthquakes can be a sign from God.   It happened in the book of Acts:

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."

Wow!  We also touched on this a little in Church.   I guess a few of our members were praying once and during their prayer, there was a small earthquake.  I'll take it by faith that this was from God.

A few moments after the speaker brought this up, there was a loud knocking that came from outside the building.  It began knocking so powerfully, that it sure felt like a shaking to me.  The Church was shaking!  Thank you Lord for confirming your Word in such creative ways!

We need to have power in prayer.  We need to have conviction in our prayer.  Our words can and should have power (Luke 4:32).  They should be full of the power of life!  We have to be shaken by God first.  We have to come out of purification "as gold" and then transmit that testimony to others (Job 23:10). We have to know how perfectly God hears us.  We need to know that prayer changes things.

Confirmed: Recently I read a word from 2012 that James Goll has sent out a word on the Elijahlist about this kind of holy shaking. In it, he details a powerful prophetic dream that he had.  Below is an excerpt:


All of a sudden, the late John Wimber, former leader of the Vineyard Movement and voice for the Third Wave, was firmly standing on the newly purple-carpeted platform. The cultural atmosphere was now pregnant with a realm of the glory and the thick majesty of God. Then I heard and felt the voice of John Wimber echo an invitation that rattled the entire place. He simply declared, "COME AGAIN HOLY SPIRIT!"

People started crashing to the floor en masse under the impact of the power and authority that resonated in those simple words. Once again another sound wave was released, "COME AGAIN HOLY SPIRIT." It was not gentle Jesus showing up or the comforting dove of God manifesting. It was not just another renewal or revival meeting - though it seemed to include all of those qualities. It was the violent invasion of Heaven entering a time and space world. It was a Church quake.


Come, Holy Spirit!  He wants to come.  He wants us to want Him to come.  Come, and make real life real to us!  Make us see things as they really are--reveal to us your Love, your sacrifice, and your character. (1 John 3:2)

Confirmed:  Yesterday the Lord quickened to me a sign that said, 'The Shakers'.  I don't know what that particular sign--a street sign--was referring to, but I knew what it meant to me.  The Shakers were a charismatic, Utopian community back in the eighteen hundreds.  I think a few of them are still around today.

And we can all be 'shakers' for the Lord--ministering with salt (Colossians 4:6--get it?) and power as we walk with Him and align with His will--which is to shake all that can be shaken.

Snapshot: When He Sends His Spirit

Wonderful things happen when God sends us more of His Spirit.  Wonderful things happen when He gives us a double portion.  Wonderful things happen when we have received new wineskins that are ready to accommodate Him.

When God sends us more, it fills His people with joy.  It fills us with supernatural Love and bubbles over us with streams of living water.  When God sends us this gift, we partake of His Glory.  We see a portion of His beauty.  And we become changed into a new creation that is modeled after Him.  When God sends His Spirit, He heals all the earth.

"When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."  Psalm 104:30

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Thank you Jesus.  He came and brought in the Spirit's outpouring, He came and started the commission.  What is the commission?  It is God's idea, it is God's master plan of Redemption and Salvation.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."  Matthew 16:15

This is what we've been called to.  We've been called to magnify His Presence and show His deliverance to all the earth.  Every creature needs God.  All creation needs salvation.  And we are the ones who have been anointed for this very purpose.  Jesus came and set the precedent, now He is with us to empower us to do the same.  Glory to God!

When He send His Spirit, we are changed.  He transforms us and places within us the every creature commission.  He puts in our heart the great commission.  This commission should be our major passion.  We need to identify the beauty in His Will.  We need to understand the nature of His Love.  We need to realize how wonderful His commands are.

"They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb."  Psalm 19:10

If you do not have this heart for His commands, then you are stifling the Spirit.  Allow Him to bring you to conviction and then to repentance!  Allow Him to send His Spirit!  Allow Him to give you a new wineskin.

This is where revival starts.  God is sending His Spirit, and He is renewing all the earth.  He is renewing the earth, one mind at a time!  Allow your mind to be next.  Let's awaken to Him, and let's awaken to the Kingdom that has been birthed within us.  Let's allow Him to take us from strength to strength as we fulfill His commission.  Let's allow Him to make a new way.

How Many Messages?

When God speaks, He wants us to be sure.  He wants to give us confirmations, so that we can discern more easily what is of Him.  I've found that so many things God speaks are true on two levels.  So many of His quickened, personalized messages point at two different things.

"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: 'Power belongs to you, God..."  Psalm 62:11

"For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it."  Job 33:14

"In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true."  John 8:17

In other words, God is faithful to interpret any of His words for us.  There is a fullness in any word, any direction, any conviction, that He gives!  These things are from God, and every gift He gives is perfect (James 1:17).    I think He enjoys speaking in double entendres.  Jesus spoke in parables!

I'll give a real-life example.  When God relays a theme to me, it may have both practical and spiritual messages.  Or it might describe both the present time and some specific moment in the future.  Or it might apply to myself, and to Vanessa.  The list goes on, but God seems to nearly always gives me messages in twos.  After all, the Word cuts both ways (Hebrews 4:12).  Praise Jesus for speaking to us!

But there is another voice out there.  The voice of doubt, fear, lies, confusion--call it what you want, I'll call it the voice of the enemy.  Anything that isn't for His purposes is against Him (Matthew 12:30).  This voice usually isn't a voice at all, but rather a dark web of half-truths that goes directly against the Love of God.  This is the third voice--if the first two are of God, then this is the voice of doubt and darkness that asks us, "Did God really say?"

If Satan had his way, we would fall into doubt to the extent that we no longer believed in God's goodness.  If the enemy convinced us of this lie, we would give up and be tempted to stop following God.

As an aside, "hearing" things other than the voice of our Lord doesn't mean you're crazy.  Jesus never said we wouldn't hear other voices (John 10:5), though He promised we wouldn't know or follow them.  We need to be close enough to our great Shepherd to identify His heart among all the chaos that the enemy would try to throw at us.

Anyways, my point is that satan has an agenda too.  he too wants to give us messages, and convince us of his beliefs.  he is also capable of planting ideas and impressing on us different things.  satan can work through much of the same things that God can, including God's word (just look at how Jesus was tempted in the desert).  The enemy, too, can give signs and leadings.  How do we know the difference between what he gives us and what is actually from God?   Praise God that there are a few clear distinctions:

1) Any message from God will be established by confirmations, and will often have more than one meaning in itself
2) Any message from God will be grounded in the Spirit of the Bible (God's Word)
3) Most of all, any message from God will be full of Love.  God is Love (1 John 4:8).  Now, within that Love might by exhortation or a warning to stay away from sin.  But God is full of love and redemption, and it is not His will to condemn anyone.

Messages from the enemy are often not confirmed, neither by signs nor by other Christians.  You usually have to be deep into fear in order to have Satan's lies perpetuated.  More on this in a future post.

In the meantime, know that God is the One that has created every good thing.  He is the one who has promised to guide us.  With discernment, we can have confidence that we're in position to receive from the Lord every message and parable that He'd have us receive.  Glory to God!

"Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."  Isaiah 7:11

Snapshot: Revival

A few days ago God spoke again started speaking to me about revival.  What is revival?  It is a work of God, towards a harvest of salvation, that He orchestrates through those willing to do the work that His son already set the template for.  Revival is a sweeping move of His Holy Spirit that brings conviction and healing to a group or place.

So God spoke to me about this.  Revival has to start within us.  We need to fully accept the Spirit that called us and saved us.  We need to live up to our calling.  God has called us to have joy unspeakable and be full of Glory.  That's what we can experience, what God wants us to experience.  But we have to live up to our calling.  Throughout the process of inner revival, we have to remain Jesus' best friend.

Will you follow Him to the cross?  Will you follow Him there, and then cry out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"?  (Acts 7:59)  This is where unchangeable peace is found.  This is where Jesus comes to our side and ministers with us.  This is where the climate of revival begins.

Confirmed:  This teaching about revival started just before I read an Elijahlist article on Spiritual acceleration.  Scroll down a little to see that post  ("Snapshot:  The Rocket").  Anyways, it struck me that this article was written by a "revivalist preacher".  Revival begins when God's greatly anointed are used by the Lord to bring Him glory.

Confirmed:  Later this same day, I was reading Psalm 80.

"Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name."  Psalm 80:18

God is waiting to quicken us, to awaken us, and to revive us.  Then we are enabled to truly call on Him.  Revival starts within us.  When the Spirit has total control in one person, that love will flow into another.  When the Holy Spirit has total control, He can give us wisdom and insight into His ways.

If you have time, read this article on the Hebrides revival of 1949.  God started speaking to me about that Scottish revival late this past Spring.  At that time I sensed there was a significance to December.  He hadn't called me to go to Scotland, but He Himself has called me to usher in revival here.  It's been a faith builder to see Him bring the revival theme back again.  Inner work starts revival.  Prayer in that secret place is where we get intimate enough with our Lord to be His friend.  We become His friend, and we share His passions and His thoughts.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."  John 15:15

Can we say that we know what His business includes?  Can we say that we know just what He wants us to do?  If not, it's time to become friends with Jesus.  It's time to draw close to Him.  It's time to be revived so we can start the revival that at this moment is waiting in the wings.  It's time to become "Unstuck" (See previous post).

Let's make His life our own.  Let's live as a present-day manifestation of Jesus.  I'm not there yet.  But let's allow God to push us from strength to strength.  Let's be withholding nothing.  Let's want nothing more than Him.  Hallelujah!  Let's allow Him to touch us and then reach out by His Love and touch others.  Let's be revived.

Victory through Repentance

This morning, I surrendered some things to God.  Honestly I was long overdue in doing this.  So, I surrendered to God and repented for the things I had been clinging to.   "Pet sins" are very dangerous.  Fleeing from sin is the best response to it.  We need God's help to do this.

"Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD's house."  Isaiah 52:11

God spoke to my heart that I was forgiven and restored to Him.  I had come out of my sin, and then He made me pure.  It is His grace that does this.

I was instructed to "bear fruit in keeping with repentance"  (Matthew 3:8).  Repentance to me means turning away from one thing and changing mindsets.  It means looking down on sins that separate from God, and looking forward to His new opportunities.

God gives us grace so that we can return to Him.  As long as we want to and repent of our past sin, we can return.  After returning, obedience is especially important.  It is a yielding to His Spirit that allows us to bear fruit "in keeping with", or worthy of, repentance.  If we are not bearing good fruit, we probably aren't fully repentant.

Once forgiven, I felt an influx of God's love.  It feels so good to be accepted and redeemed!  It feels to good to partake of the heavenly gift.   It feels so good to be judged righteous.

The Lord God gave me a vision of a person standing victorious.  This person had a large diamond planted behind them, but only the top quarter was showing.  So the only part of the diamond exposed to the outer world was a small triangle. They were victorious through their belonging to God, which demonstrated itself in true change.  Victory was found in bearing fruit!

Diamond Representation:  Represents our portion in Christ, our spiritual origin.  God polishes us as diamonds in the rough, glorifying and reflecting Himself through His good works in us.  There are so may unseen treasures stored up for a child of God.  "All creation" has been groaning "for the revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19-22).  The Holy Spirit wants to reveal Jesus in all of us.

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn".  Isaiah 51:1

Small Triangle Representation:  This was the top of the diamond, the "tip of the iceberg".  Seen things are only a small portion of the glory of God's Spirit living in us all!  And there's a price to pay for more of God to unveil itself through in us.  So, this small triangle is the fruit of the Spirit, that "fruit worthy of repentance", that other people see.  Remember that a triangle represents change.  Change follows repentance, if we belong to God.

Put together the pieces of this vision, and you'll see a clear message unveiled.  True Victory comes from true change, which comes from true repentance, which is made possible by our inheritance and belonging to God.  Glory to God!

Food and Faith

This is post three of three on food. In this article I'll describe how I feel about food, faith, and trusting God. I'd like to provide a biblical view on how we should approach the links between food, disease and health in light of the promises God has given us.

Flaws in Our Food System

Like I mentioned in the previous two posts on food, today's food system is contaminated with all sorts of toxic substances. So many of the additives and preservatives in our foods have been linked to cancer, hyperactivity, etc. Even fruits and vegetables are not safe (from a worldly point of view)! So what are we as Christians to do? Well, I am definitely not against buying organic and unprocessed foods. In fact, I think that is usually a good idea. But many people don't have money to do this. Even if they did, I believe there are better ways to spend your money.

Respect Conviction

I don't want to get too generalized here. One of the amazing things about God is that He knows our quirks and differences. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, God's commands to one person regarding food may be different than the next person's. If God convicts someone that they need to be eating organic food, who am I to argue? I do not want to be so prideful as to undermine someone else's convictions. Paul talks about this concept at length in the book of Romans.

"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God." Romans 14:1-6

Convictions from the Holy Spirit are more important than my opinions about food. But we need to separate our own feelings from the Word of God. Remember, "we have not been given a spirit of fear". Instead, we have been given a Spirit of self-discipline that always holds fast to the Word! So trust your convictions, only if they come into agreement from God!

Faith is Greater than Food

A permanent solution to our physical health is not found in food. Eating organic, taking natural vitamins, and other things are good but not critical. They should definitely not be the focus. Food does not make us clean or unclean. Jesus said this!

"It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." Matthew 15:11

"I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean." Romans 14:14

We see that Paul had enough faith to accept the unconditional nature of the promises of God. He knew that God could and would keep his health regardless of his diet. However, Paul also operated out of love enough to respect the convictions of less mature believers. This is important! We need to act lovingly, and not with harsh judgement. You see, sometimes God limits Himself for us as to not overwhelm us. His Spirit seeks to build our faith, not turn us away. Paul knew this an respected others accordingly.

"If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died." Romans 14:20

So mature Christians need to know the supernatural power of God to keep us. This power is greater than food. But they also need to respect the work (or work in progress) that the Lord has done in other believers. Who are we to judge their spiritual progress?

Now I want to show you a better way. One more time, though, some things are not worth bringing to others if they become a stumbling block. Faith is greater than food, but Love is greater than faith.

"The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves." Romans 14:22

Instructions to Mature Believers

The solution, then, is to eat "whatever is set before us" out of faith. If you do not buy organic produce, glory to God! Let's rejoice all the more, as His "power is made perfect in weakness". Let's look to the Word to see where faith in God can take us. Keep in mind that faith is not a license to do anything.

"Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial"

With that being said, though, often faith can be built through hard situations. As long as we behold Jesus, and not the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, our faith can be built. Anyways, here are two examples:

We can drink HCFS-laden soda: "...they will drink deadly poison, and it will not hurt them at all."

We can eat poptarts: "I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself."

Faith in the fullness of the promises of God allow us to eat without fear. Eating in pure faith will never result in sickness or disease. In faith we can eat to the Glory of God, and testify to His healing power and not the benefits of this or that food!

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Trust Him, Don't Test Him

Keep in mind, though, that "not everything is beneficial". We cannot abuse God's word by making it a license to gratify the flesh. God's grace is not to be tested; "God cannot be mocked".

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" Romans 6:2

The Holy Spirit will never lead us to test God, so let's walk in the Spirit. This way, we will not be tempted to "gratify the desires of the flesh" It takes discernment to know when our eating is acceptable, or when it is turning into fear or food idolatry. Food is not of critical importance, this is a matter of the heart! We can eat wrongly eat salad if we idolize it, and we can be justified and honor the Lord while eating ice cream.

"...Whatever is not of faith is sin" Romans 14:23

There comes a time when our eating may no longer glorify God's gift of faith to us. I don't know that anybody advocates purposely eating lead or washing their hands with acid. Obviously that's very extreme, but for many people, even a little junk food is a stumbling block for their faith. Everybody needs to draw a line somewhere, not according to the wisdom of the world or their own fear, but according to the measure of faith given them. And if we want more faith, let's ask for more, and receive it, so that God may be glorified!

"For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" Romans 14:17