“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit, think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God.  It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under control of their sinful nature can never please God.”

 

A few weeks ago I picked up some food from Bonchon – a Chinese restaurant chain that does their food with a twist. I ordered chicken fried rice and potstickers. The food was excellent! I was savoring more potstickers before I had finished eating the ones right in front of me. The flavor was delicious.  Days after I found myself craving the taste of these delicacies and looking for more. In fact, I must confess, they were so good I looked them up on the internet to see if there was any way I could possibly make them.

I ended up telling one of my friends about the potstickers who agreed they were scrumptious.  So good that I have thought about going to get some almost every weekend since then.  My imagination drifted as I thought about the taste and the flavor that is released when you bite into one of the tasty treats. It almost made me take a trip several miles from my home. However, I resisted the temptation to purchase any more. There was one reality that I could not get beyond-they were fried.  Fried foods don’t really stick (no pun intended) so well with me. I knew the temporary satisfaction of those delightful, little things would cost me in the long run. Don’t get me wrong they were truly delightful but the feeling I had after eating the sixth one, wasn’t.  I had to make a decision beyond my feelings to deny the thought.

The potstickers were a reminder of just how we treat sin or bad behavior at times. There are times when I have self-control and want to do the right thing, recognizing the benefits will be worth it. And there are times when I have partaken in the temptation knowing that I should not due to how I will feel afterwards.  You see we have two natures, sinful and Holy- which controls us?  Just like my urge for potstickers -we must watch what we intake and how that can control us. There is nothing wrong with liking good food but if the food is not good for my system- do I have enough control to say “No” because of the effects it will have on me after the moment of satisfaction.  The ultimate question is, “Am I able to overcome what I want for the moment for long term consequences?”

Paul presents it in a way that it gives us the choice that we must decide what is most important to us, flesh or Spirit man?  Just as our Heavenly Father is a gentleman and He will not violate our will but gives us the onus to decide, we make a choice to submit to the flesh (even if for the moment the choice may be satisfying) but in the end what will be the long term effects.

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”(Romans 6:23)

 This lets us know there are consequences to our choices- so we must watch what we take in.  I love good food but if I know the effects of that food on me and I still decide to take it in, then what happens after that is on me.  Perhaps you too enjoy good food, maybe not pot stickers- yours may be pork, chicken, sweets or maybe other weaknesses, such as pornography, gossip, illicit relationships, drug use, alcohol; all things that gratify the flesh for the moment but lead to bad consequences.

So I think there are a few things we can do to help with what we take in. The first thing is submitting our mind to the control of the Holy Spirit.  This is important because just as anything else we do if we are not completely surrendered to God then we have kept ourselves on the throne. This all comes down to relinquishing control of our inner man, Spirit man and the flesh. James 4:7 reads, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  The scripture says submit yourselves-that means it is something that we have to do, no one can do this for us.  The act of submission means to lay down.  We must lay down our mind and control to something greater than us.  Just like in the example of the potstickers I had to convince my mind that they were not in my best interest to continue taking in.  We must make the same decision with sin and the fleshly nature by bringing our mind under submission.

The second thing is be careful what you expose yourself too. Somethings you just need to not touch, taste or even see because exposure can be detrimental. We must guard ourselves from certain things. If I know that I am trying to change eating habits I cannot go down the chip and cookies aisle in the grocery store. We have to avoid certain things.  1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Recognize those things or situations that bring us trouble. The Holy Spirit will remind us and even warn us of danger or things to avoid.  I’m so thankful for an advocate that looks out for and reaffirms us so to keep us from taking in those things that are detrimental.

Be mindful of what you “take-in” and you will not have to be concerned with certain consequences.

 

Be encouraged,

Charles

 

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

 

There is something to be said about the importance of a good sound system. If the system is out of date or the sound check is not done properly it can lead to issues with the audience. A quality systems makes the difference between whether the message comes through clear and concise or choppy and distorted. I remember being at a conference one time in which the latter was described. In fact, the speaker had to continue to ask the sound crew to turn there microphone up and at one point they were unable to hear themselves through the speaker monitors-an important piece of equipment in getting the message through.

The stage monitor system is described as a “performer-facing loudspeakers used on stage during live music performances. It is used as a sound reinforcement system is to amplify the performers’ singing, music, speech and other sounds for the audience. It is the pulse of the message measured by the speaker to make sure the message is getting across in a way that the audience is able to hear.”

There are some nuggets hidden in this definition that correlate with a microphone and us as believers. We are the microphone that is purposed with getting the message of Christ out to the world. No matter how popular or unpopular you are this is our corporate purpose for the kingdom. If no one has ever told you- what you says is an intricate part for the kingdom.

I want you to think about four questions?

1. Is what others hear really what I am saying?
2. Is what I am saying loud or offensive?
3. Am I gauging the way the message is being perceived?
4. Do I need to do a sound check?

Is what others hear really what I am saying?

It is important to make sure that what others are hearing is really the message that we are really trying to relay. I know firsthand that sometimes what I speak does not get relayed in the best way- so I have to go back and try to convey the message that I am trying to get across.  I don’t know if we really realize how important this point is because we all want to be understood. And in order to be understood we have to take the time to speak correctly.  There is a reason we should slow down to formalize our thoughts or in this case slowing down and allowing the Holy Spirit to help you relay what you want the listener to hear.  If the microphone is not clear, has background noise or truly is not connected to the source for power -the message can come out different, choppy or even worse may not come out at all.

Is what I am saying loud or offensive?

Some of us have been so used to speaking in a certain tone that it is the norm. We do not even realize what we are saying could actually be offensive. This is not good friend. We should be careful to “season our words with salt” as the word says in Colossians 4:6. This salt is referring to making sure we are speaking with grace.  This seasoning does not mean that we just don’t say anything, but rather we take time to make sure you formulate that which you speak, especially if we are attempting to represent Christ in the earth. People may not see your God but they see you and how you are acting and it can influence how others see Christ.  Ever heard the statement, “We are billboards for the kingdom.” People may not step foot in a church but they will read you all day.

Do I gauge the way my message is perceived to others?

This is important so we do not prevent the furtherance of anyone from pursuing relationship (not religion) with Christ. I remember when I was quick to speak with such arrogance and recklessness thinking that I had to be the Lord’s mouthpiece. Man was I wrong for how I represented Him and the things that I said to people that in reality were no different than me. One day the Lord humbled me and made me realize I was doing more harm than good. My microphone was broken and all I could do was surrender to the Holy Spirit how wrong I was. I am thankful for other opportunities to fix my crooked places that I was not deserving of.

An interesting fact I learned about microphones were there ‘specs”. They consist of four areas: maximum input sound level, self-noise, signal to noise ration and dynamic range. The one I want to expound upon briefly is “self noise.”   Self-noise is the signal the microphone produces of itself, even when no sound source is present. Noise is not what you want to hear coming from the microphone. It is the presence of air around the microphone. We call it noise because there are no tones in the signal.  If there is no tone then that which is being heard cannot be differentiated from sound.  This is where we lose our way family. We have a lot of self noise. Instead of a message which allows the hearers to comprehend what is presented it comes out as just noise.

Do I need to do a sound check?

The Sound check is done to make sure all is flowing and operating as it should. This friend is where it all comes together. We have to check and see where you measure up. The microphone has been setup and now it is up to you to make sure all can hear correctly.

Lord help us to be able to gauge the way our message is being perceived whether with tone or not?  If there is no tone then there is no message. Our microphones may be on assignment but we must be cognizant of what we put out. Allow us to operate as a microphone in the full functionality and the great significance of what it is able to complete. Others can hear that which is being stated and will attempt to hear your Spirit (your tone) in the midst of sound.

Be encouraged 

 

Charles