Comfort Food

I enjoy cooking for my family and for those who can appreciate the flavors as well as the labor of cooking from scratch. The style of cooking for me isn't specific to one type. I like fresh food where the flavors merry well and when one has finished the meal he/she isn't looking for more 10-20 minutes later. The meals I serve are satisfying.

Satisfying an appetite is so different then trying to comfort someone with food. I recall as a child coming home from school distressed because the bully antagonizing me in the 4th grade happened to be my teacher. Eventually I would tell my mother while we were out shopping. As I was telling her, she took me to an ice cream parlor (as they were once called). Was it intentional? I have no idea. Whether she had her childhood issues resolved that way or it was something she read, it seemed to have worked out for the best, though it wasn't the ice cream and I knew that. Nevertheless, when the term, "comfort food" was introduced, I had come into adulthood. Without defining the term, instinctively it seemed all that heard it, knew what it meant.

Over the years, "comfort foods" have developed into a style and is now a part of pop culture. Having its roots coming from the 40's and 50's, we understand that the food was mostly made from carbohydrates and fat. The food was created back in that fashion to fill a family to satisfaction. Today it is not something we consume daily due to the high fat content. Still, with relationship problems, distresses on the job, and daily issues with life, people tend to gravitate towards what will make them feel full, content, and satisfied like Momma use to make. There is a universal understanding that these foods are filling a psychological void; however, instead of getting the help that's needed, the calories still mound.

Now that the casserole, candy bar, cheeseburger, carton of ice cream, or whatever makes that sustaining feeling come about, is gone - did problems get resolved as well (John 4:13-14 AMP)? While shoveling those calories down, did some food fairy come along and make issues go away? As believers, I would like an explanation as to why food has been a comfort to you? Have you ever used the term? In using those words, would it be grievous to the Holy Spirit whom Jesus left to comfort us (Ephesians 4:29-30 AMP)?

We know that which the world does is not in the mannerisms by which we have been taught (James 4:4 AMP). We have been set aside as a peculiar nation (Deuteronomy 14:2 AMP). Embracing the peculiarities, we acknowledge that we also have a means to sustain us. We also have food by which we do get comforted. It does not cause us hurt, harm, or danger which the aforementioned could, if consumed in excessive amounts. The Word of God is life. We are made the light of the world and salt of the earth because of it (Matthew 5:12-14 AMP). We are content and satisfied because we know that in Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26 AMP). In Him it is already done. In Him we have the faith to keep us so not to complain or run to some means that will either be moth eaten, spoiled, or rusted through. We have a Comfort that is a constant (John 167-8 AMP).

Granted, with the babes in Christ, still on the milk of God's Word, they may have the tendency to reach back to that which is supposed to be dead. That is only because the babes in Christ have not learned anything new to replace that old (1 Corinthians 3:1-4 AMP). It is why the encouragement to keep going to church services and read the Word for yourself is paramount (Joshua 1:8 AMP). The children of God have learned more and will try his/her spiritual teeth on some of the meat but it still has to be repeated again and again in order for the child to sustain the new as good habits (Hebrews 5:11-14 AMP). Yet, the sons of God have skills and exercises their power in Christ. They have used the gifts that have been given and have no identity crisis at no time. The meat of the Word has been our sustenance for a long time and we have established ourselves as friends of God (James 2:21-24 AMP). Understand, these are levels of maturity in the faith. Macaroni and cheese doesn't come close to what we have in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 AMP).

You Can Do All Things?

As a young believer in Chirst I listened to many seasoned fellow Christians thinking they had my best interest to heart. I had got myself in all sorts of trouble listening to these so called believers in the things of God instead of reading the Word for myself.

Now as one who has been following Christ instead of every "narry-do-weller," I have a better understanding and my life is consistent with what the Word says will happen as long as I adhere to it. This is true for all who continue to walk by faith and not by sight. The faith is through Christ.

The operative phrase is "through Christ." This operation is also true with the scripture, "I can do all things..." For what reason does one believe all means anything? That would be insane! Just because all is defined in the message given by the speaker, doesn't make it so that you can do whatsoever comes across your mind and still be called a true believer in Christ. You can't, you can't, you just can't - so stop believing the lie!

To make this more credible to you, I will show how that verse has been manipulated to do mischief and, as my mother use to call it, devilment. A major peeve I have is in the five-fold ministry. How can you teach, preach, and counsel believers to do one thing according to the scriptures and then that very speaker, teacher, preacher, counselor does otherwise? How is that possible and still maintain credibility in what you do, say, and how you appear to others? If that is following Christ, then sinners can make it to heaven without believing too, right? But if that's true, heaven would be a mess with all kinds of chaos and confusion. Yet seeing that God's throne is in heaven and He is not the author of confusion, having what He created decent and in order, that would then put a gliche in all sinners will be in heaven without believing. The proof of hypocracy is in the life of the minister, preacher, teacher, prophet, and/or evangelist. The anointing coming from Christ tends to all matters of a believer's life. When a hypocrit looks good by appearance there is some other aspect that isn't all good. Why? Because hypocracy is giving place to the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. When your favorite teacher, preacher, evangelist, pastor, and/or prophet becomes ill, loses his ministry, the church gets robbed, finances are gone, the family has issues, or so forth and so on, the answer is he gave place to the enemy who is doing his job. This is one example as to what you cannot do (say one thing and do another - hypocrit) thinking that it is through Christ.

Another would be the ways of the world being incorporated in the church. I could go on and on with the ways of the world and you should know as a believer that those ways can lead to destruction. The ways of the world cannot be through Christ. For it is written, broad is the way to destruction and the ways of the world are broad. The world has changed many principles that came from the scriptures. Is it archaic for women to wait to be proposed to? When a woman proposes, isn't she essentially saying, "I need your help" rather than the other way around? Is she proposing through Christ too? How happy is that Christian marriage? Will the husband rise to the occasion of being the head of the household or does he cower in the face of adversity and looks to her to take control? Is that what's suppose to happen? I guess it would for those men who prefer that and the women raised to be in control yet, where does the reverencing of her husband fit when it is required of her through Christ? How does she honor her husband being the head of him? When that man grows up because he no longer needs a surrogate Mommy, the aggravation in the marriage may be defined as irreconciable differences or falling out of love but actually it will be him realizing that he doesn't need that woman who proposed to him. He no longer needs that kind of help - Mommy help.

At the same time, the controlling man that realizes his help is with his wife takes those controlling matters too far. He isn't secure with who he is in Christ so he believes his wife is property with which he can do as he pleases including terrorizing her into submission. This terrorizing can be through emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and he keeps her by quoting scripture believing it is through Christ.

Doesn't through Christ mean just what Christ has done? Doesn't it mean following in His footsteps? How is he loving his wife as Christ loves the church and abusing her into submission at the same time? How is abuse and love synonymous? Should Jesus treat this man in the same manner as his beliefs with his wife? That would be seed sown and God cannot be mocked.

What I am trying to show you is the Word cannot be twisted. It is written to keep you out of trouble. Jesus came to set the captives free. The captives are those lost in sin. He came. We have been set free and as He told the woman at the well, go and sin no more.

The Prayer Closet

What has happened to the prayer closet? No one speaks of it or teaches it to the younger believers. Is it no longer necessary? Or maybe its so archaic, it has passed away with all of the other old things?

I was taught to pray unceasingly (as it is written), but only in the Spirit which doesn't mean you have to stop doing your regular tasks. I never thought of the lesson much just incorporated it into my everyday life as with all that I have learned since coming into the knowledge of the Truth.

There is no harm. I am still doing what is written; although, I don't recall Jesus doing this. It would seem when He prayed, He made it a specific time and place though it may not have been a closet, it still had some scope of solitude.

Being isolated from everyone can make some men go crazy; as we know of prison inmates who misbehave. They are already in prison. Their freedom has been taken away and still they have a tendency to be mischievous? What else can be done but to put in a real life time out? There he sits all alone in solitary confinement to think of what he has done with his life. The longer he sits, the more he thinks. If he is not saved, he will talk to himself. If he is in there for a certain length of time with no human contact, he will answer himself or a voice will answer that he knows not of (that's schizophrenia). What would be the benefit of this having no good training for him not to misbehave anymore? Won't he come from there angry and do worse? Yet, we are not prisoners but have been set free through Christ Jesus.

The prayer closet is a means for those who can be distracted not to be. The isolation from media, family, the telephone, work, and anything else ceases because of this specific place for the purpose of being in His presence. While one might think it is complete solitude, with practice you know that you are not alone. Peace, Love, and joy encompass the focus you now have in Him and all that you may have thought you would have liked for yourself is no longer important. Life becomes more pleasant - even brighter. Rhema knowledge sits before you and still how can it not be taught the importance of the prayer closet?

Skeptics? Well, best thing to do is make this more visual for better comprehension. My youngest son comes to me with his personal plights. Many times I think he makes some things up just to see if he can stump me. As he got older his attention span seemed to be equivalent to a gnat. He asked me a question and as I was trying to get him to understand, he had papers to gather, the channel to change, he's walking, looking outside the window - so I stopped talking for him to collect himself. He stopped being busy the moment I stopped talking and said, "what?" I asked him, "are you finished?" He replied that he was multi-tasking. I called it being rude. If you are interested in what I am saying, you will give me your undivided attention.

When we have problems too big for us to resolve and we go before the Lord, aren't we believing that He is listening to every single wailing word, snifle, and cry we have? What if He was multi-tasking and you could see Him do this? Wouldn't you think that what you were asking wasn't very important to Him? Then why would we do this when we come to pray and worship? Is that honoring Him? Is multi-tasking reverencing Him? Is He pleased with your efforts?

Tell me again, how archaic is the prayer closet and why don't we teach it to the next generation?