Come and dine is the subtitle to the book I am working on. It is still percolating. A Biblical Approach To Nutrition is not about food or supplements. You will have to wait and see.

Revelation 3:20 was always a salvation verse when I was growing up. When we look closely, we see another application. It says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

I want to contrast this verse with another. Song of Solomon 5:2 can be applied to us and the Lord. I am going to type it as such. It says, “I sleep, but my heart is awake; it is the voice of my Beloved! He knocks, saying, Open for Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My perfect one…”

In verse 3 she delayed through excuses. Verse 4-5 says, “My beloved put His hand by the latch of the door, and my heart yearned for Him. I arose to open for my Beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock.”

Did you notice the fragrance in His touch? He let her know that He was there but He didn’t force His way in. The Lord never does. He waits for our response.

When I grew up eating was done in silence. It was serious business for my dad. Even when I took care of him those 10 1/2 years, eating was in silence. He was a fast eater and always finished before I was half done. So I learned to ask him questions about the book he was reading. It was a way of conversation.

When the Lord says, ‘Come and dine,’ He has the table set with the choicest of foods. Galatians 5:22-23 defines them as the fruit of the Spirit. Our relationship with Him is bathed in love. Everything He did and continues to do demonstrates His character of love. 1 John 4:8 says, “…God is love.”

To physically eat as though it is a race, or when we are emotionally distraught, or fearful, will negate the process of digestion. To chew slowly and thoroughly enhances our digestion.

Dining with the Lord is pleasurable, peaceful, and full of conversation that touches our heart. The Lord is never in a hurry. He yearns for His time with us, and savors every moment. Isaiah 55:2 says, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Couple that with these two truths. Isaiah 43:7 says that we are created to glorify the Lord. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship…”

The folks that Paul wrote about in Romans 1:21 did not glorify Him. The result? It says, “…became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Here are some more truths. Jeremiah 23:24 says that God fills heaven and earth. No one can hide from Him. Psalm 139:1-4 says that God knows us. He understands our thoughts before we think them. David asked in verse 7, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”

Everyone, in the whole earth, is known by God. No one escapes His eyes or His intricate knowledge of them. Yet, John 15 gives us a different perspective. It is one of intimate communion. It is only for those who dwell with Him.

Verse 5 in the Amplified says, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing.” All fruit comes through our abiding. It is not what we do, but Who we spend time with. Acts 4:13 says of Peter and John, “…And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

I want to be like that. I want the fragrance of the Lord to linger on me because of my time with Him. I want to be a sweet savor to those around me. Here are the first few words of a new song: Your fragrance is so sweet. There is no scent on earth that equals. Each spice is clear and distinct. They fill my heart with Your sweetness. It is taken from Psalm 45:8 which I quoted yesterday.

Leaving our quiet time with His fragrance is only possible as we are fully present while in His Presence. I was thinking about this last night. Being present means that we are really aware, attentive, not distracted, focused, and intently gazing.

We reflect who we have been with. Moses’ face shown after he spent time with the Lord on the mountain. Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father.
Are we truly the reflection of Jesus? Progressive sanctification is like a flower bud. The fragrance increases as the blossom unfolds. Walking in intimate communion is a fragrant lifestyle that attracts unbelievers to Jesus.

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There are certain verses that just stop me. I picture it like a momma cat carrying her kitten to another place. The kitten in her mouth doesn’t make a sound, nor does it wiggle to get free.

Psalm 78:41 says, “Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” Psalm 78 revealed a pattern that we can learn from.

Verse 9 says that the children of Ephraim turned back in the day of battle. Verse 10-11 says, “They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.” Verse 17 says, “But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.” Verse 18 says that they tested God in their heart. Have you ever done that?

Verse 41 made me stop and ask the Lord, ‘How am I limiting You?’ Let me add another verse. Psalm 138:2 says, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”

Review this with me. Proverbs 18:21 says that the name of the Lord is a strong tower. Philippians 2:10 says that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow. In Acts 3:16 Peter proclaimed that it was through the name of Jesus that the lame man was healed.

Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Yet, the Lord says that He magnifies His word above His name.

I was thinking about this last night after I read it. To magnify means to make something bigger in our eyes. A magnifying glass, in a ray of sunlight, can intensify the heat on an object.

How do we limit God? When we disobey His word, tempt Him through questioning His timing, wanting out of our trials, or forgetting the price He paid to redeem us by sinning against Him.

When we are obeying God’s word, hiding it in our hearts, allowing it to transform our thoughts, we will become more like Jesus. There are folks around us who don’t read the Bible. They don’t know the Lord as their Savior.

2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” We are either diffusing our flesh which stinks and taints our testimony, or we are diffusing the fragrance of one who loves to dwell in His Presence. Psalm 45:8 says that His garments are scented with spices.

Emotional Freedom: releasing the heart

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When I think of essence, I picture a lot of parts boiled down to its highest concentration. Essential oils is an example. It takes pounds of a plant to yield a small amount of oil.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”

In using essential oil and a dead fly as an example, I want to look at John 6:63. Jesus’ words to me are the essence of nothing. It says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits NOTHING. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

Anything we do in our flesh is like a dead fly in ointment. It is fouled up and has to be thrown out! Isaiah 43:7 says that we are created for His glory. Our fleshly reactions, doing things independent of the Lord, and our exaltation of self dishonors the Lord.

Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Verse 10 says, “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” We can couple verse 10 with Romans 6:6. It says, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

We are not slaves of sin. Verse 1 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” We were set free from the slave-block of sin at salvation.

Progressive sanctification is learning to say ‘no’ when confronted with the temptation to sin. All sin is done in the flesh (which profits nothing).

Nothing means that it is futile. Here is Strong’s definition of futile: fruitless, empty, hollow, unreal, unproductive, lacking substance, ineffectual, void of results, and worthless. Hmm. Why would we want that?

How then shall we live? Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Dead to sin means that we have no response to its temptations. The only recourse satan has over the life of a believer is when they are in their flesh.

Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Ephesians 4:22 says, “That you put off, concerning your former conduct…” Verse 23 tells us how, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Verse 24 says, “And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Note how verse 23 is sandwiched between verses 22 and 24. We put off, renew our mind, and put on. We shed any thought of the flesh by renewing our mind with truth. We fight our flesh with God’s word hidden in our heart. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”

Here is another nothing. It smacks our fleshly spirit of independence. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Nothing is so all inclusive. It means that not one thing we can do in our own strength will glorify God. Think about a fruit tree. It cannot produce fruit on its own. It requires soil and water so its roots will grow deep, strong, and tenaciously hold their ground. That is a picture of abiding faith. I’m not a arborist so I won’t go any further with this picture. I hope that you get the idea.

Paul understood. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He wrote that after he explained how he had learned to be content. He experientially knew that whether he was full or hungry, abounding or suffering need, the Lord’s power would sustain him.

He also wrote verse 7. From his own experience he mined this truth that he wanted his readers to grasp. It says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Let nothing cause anxiety? Whew! We live in troubled times. It is worldwide. It is important to remember that we have His irrevocable gift of peace within. It cannot be taken away. Yet, we maintain it in our hearts through our focus. The moment we take our eyes off Jesus, anxious thoughts may crowd in. Peace is not circumstantial. No matter what is taking place in our lives, we can remain in peace.

Here is another ‘nothing’ that is so amazingly precious. Romans 8:38-39 says that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Not one thing. Our past is under the shed blood of Jesus. He bought our redemption. However a significant part of our progressive sanctification is to keep short accounts with God. Entertaining worry, anxiety, or thoughts of fear is sin and needs to be confessed.

Today, as you go about your day, I encourage you to ‘dwell’ in His word that will help you maintain peace in your heart, draw deep from the wells of your salvation, and rejoice in your dependence on the Lord! May the Holy Spirit sensitize us to the buried things that trigger ‘self’ to race to the rescue in our times of need.

Jesus saw satan coming towards Him. John 14:30 says, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” Jesus was not born with a sin nature like you and I. He had no past. Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or every You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

There was nothing in Him that could give satan any influence. On the other hand, that is not true of you and I. Ephesians 2:2 says of every one born, “In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.”

How do we know if there is something in us that would allow satan’s influence? Jeremiah 17:10 says that our hearts are deceitful. James 1:22 gives us a clue. It says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

What part of the word are we only hearing but not doing? That is where we begin. Verse 23 is very explicit. It says, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.” God’s word is our mirror. It perfectly reflects our progress of sanctification. Any fleshly reaction reveals that there is ‘something’ still within us that does not exemplify Jesus.

Please understand that I am not talking about perfection, but rather maturity. Everything in our life boils down to the essence of our relationship with the Lord. 2 Peter 1:3 says that through our knowledge of Him, His power is activated. Verse 8 says that when we add the inner grace gifts to our faith, “…you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit what is IN you that blocks you from reflecting Jesus when your will is crossed, your rights are violated, you are in pain (emotionally or physically), you are frustrated, someone cuts in front of you too close as you are driving, etc. You can add your own triggers.

What triggers a fleshly reaction in the present, is a strong indicator that there is something that needs to be confessed and released. Unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, or buried offenses all feed into our thoughts processes. They are called unresolved issues.

Proverbs 4:23 helps us in our progressive sanctification. This is a ‘doing’ verse. It says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Here is another ‘springing up’ verse. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many are defiled.” God’s word is our shovel to uproot and destroy strongholds in our mind that negatively influences our character. Let us be doers of His word and not hearers only.

A temptation is designed with a conception, embryo, and birthing. James 1:14-15 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

We crush a temptation before it appears. Note how James highlighted own desires. Buried fleshly desires are self-serving. Even though they are ‘buried’ they enter into our thought process.

I have never drank, and I have no hidden desire to drink. However I am tempted by another, I will not be enticed. Why? There is no seed of conception that could develop into an embryo.

Don’t get me wrong. There may be other seed-desires planted in my heart. With the right enticement I might be drawn away. I am writing this to remind us of the progression.

David wrote Psalm 51 after the fact of his self-serving conception, embryo, and birth that brought forth death. Verse 10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalm 119:10 says, “With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.” How do we not wander? Wanderlust begins with a thought. The true definition for a wanderlust is a strong desire to travel and explore.

In a spiritual sense, it means to go beyond God’s prescribed way. We can easily travel in our minds and explore worldly pursuits. It is a mental dialogue that births the temptation, bringing it into full-grown spiritual death.

Our spirit man needs spiritual food to thrive. That starts by reading God’s word daily to observe to do it. His word remains only print-on-a-page until we inculcate it into our hearts. His digested manna will sustain us so we can readily rise up to say ‘no’ when a juicy temptation is presented.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” As we delight in Him, new desires are conceived and grow into a heart full of thoughts that please Him.

Every temptation is an invitation to sin. We must never forget that Jesus paid the price for our freedom from sin with His blood. No temptation has a sign, “Beware! Temptation Ahead” because satan uses deception.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says that our temptations are not unique to us. They are totally normal to mankind. Listen now to God’s escape plan. The verse says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Picture this lesson from nature. I have read that a bird who eats dead animals will peck at their eyes first. They want to make sure there is no reaction. Dead things have no response. Our temptations are just satan ‘pecking’ to see if we will respond to his deception.

Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Verse 2 was the answer to Paul’s question. It says, “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Verse 4 is a picture of what takes place at salvation. We die with Christ. It says, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

We turn our temptation to sin into triumph by remembering what Jesus did. In the face of a temptation, we stand firm in our salvation. We remember that we are DEAD to sin, and therefore have no response to it. Just as Jesus triumphed over satan, we too will triumph when we take up our cross. We crucify out flesh when e deny the temptation to sin that would dishonor the Lord. We are created to glorify Him in all that we do and say.