How's your Appetite?

Admin Wed 11 May 2011, 11:38 am

How's your Appetite?
It has been said that more have been killed by food than by poison. The second best can often be the worst enemy of the best.

That is what Jesus was talking about in the Parable of the Sower when He said, "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity" (Luke 8:14 NKJV).
This is someone who appears to have made a decision for Christ and seems to be changing. But then slowly but surely, it becomes apparent that he or she doesn't really want to follow Christ. Other things become more important, although they're not necessarily bad things in and of themselves.
This isn't someone who deliberately refuses to pray or read the Bible or go to church. In fact, this is a person who feels these are very good things. It is his or her intention to do these things eventually, when there is time in that busy schedule.
Other pursuits eventually crowd out the things of God, and gradually the physical becomes more important than the spiritual. TV becomes more important than the Bible, movies are more appealing than church, parties are more important than prayer, and things on Earth are more important than treasures in heaven.
Is this happening to you? Do you find that the things of God just don't have the appeal they once did? Now that you have been at this for a while, are you not as into it as you once were? This isn't a good sign.
If you are not feeling well and go to see the doctor, one of the first things he or she will ask you is, "How is your appetite?" A hungry person is a healthy person. So if you don't have a hunger for the Word of God and the things of God, this would indicate that you are not strong spiritually.
As you look at the early church, the church that turned their world upside-down, the Bible says of them, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42 NKJV).
The Bible doesn't say they just went to church, read the Bible, and prayed. It says they continued steadfastly.
What does that mean? It means they did so with passion, with dedication, and with commitment. And that is the way we need to come to the Word of God and to the things of God. It is attention with intention.
Harvest Christian Fellowship, the church where I pastor, is built on a decomposed granite pit. So quite literally, it is a church built on the rock.
I remember how, when it was being constructed, explosives were used to clear an area so we could lay the foundation for the building. It took a lot of work to prepare the ground to erect that structure.
In the same way, God can sometimes come in with a weed whacker to clean up the soil of our lives, and it looks just fine. Other times, He needs to bring in dynamite and do some big-time work. It all depends on us.
Some of us need some major work to prepare our heart for the seed of the Word of God. It might be a boulder of sin. It might be a weed of rebellion. Or it might be a stump of disobedience.
God needs to remove that perpetual sin that has had a stranglehold on our lives for years so our hearts can be receptive soil for what He wants to do. That is what will determine whether our conversion is real. It is the test of time and the presence of spiritual fruit.
The real test of whether our commitment is genuine is not how large a Bible we carry. It is not how often we attend church. It is not how loudly we sing. It is not how much we give in the offering.
Though all of these things have their place, here is what it comes down to: if we are true believers, there will be fruit, or evidence, in our lives to show that.
Can others look at you and see the changes in your life? Can they see changes in your character, in your outlook, in your motivation, and in what drives you? That is how people will know.
God sees our heart, but people see our works.
Greg Laurie~

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Don’t Be Dust-Conscious
Luke 13:11
11And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

Imagine being bowed over for 18 years. All you would see is the dust on the ground. That was the predicament of the woman in Luke 13. Dust was all her eyes fell on, all the time, everywhere she went, until she became dust-conscious. Thank God she finally saw the beautiful feet of Jesus, who brought her good news and raised her up.

Now, dust is the devil’s food. The Bible tells us that God cursed the devil to eat dust all the days of his life. (Genesis 3:14) Dust represents death. (Genesis 3:19) The devil wants you to be like him — to fall flat on your belly, crawl and eat dust. To eat dust is to feed on your shortcomings and lack, until you constantly feel that there is so much in your life that you need to clean up. You may not be physically bowed over, but like the woman, you become dust-conscious and life every day is a struggle.

Having a dust-consciousness also affects the way you see others. You look at people’s faults all the time. You point out their shortcomings and rake up their past failures. When you are dust-conscious, you find your relationships robbed of peace and joy.

And if you, like the woman, keep looking at the dust, before long, that inward position of dust-consciousness becomes so entrenched that you become the devil’s food because dust is what he eats. God’s Word describes him as being like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

If you don’t want to be devoured by him, then lift your eyes above the dust! Instead of looking at your failures, look to Christ who has delivered you from every defeat. See yourself the way God sees you — righteous and holy in Christ. (Colossians 3:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21) You are not dust because you are not in and of the flesh — you are in and of the Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

My friend, the more you realize who you are in Christ, the more you will straighten up and walk the way God sees you — a new creation with His authority, power and overcoming Spirit!
Joseph Prince~