Why the question mark? Isn’t this a known truth??

Someone once told me an old saying….. A lie told 1000 times is still a lie.

I’ve got some of your attention now don’t I! Don’t worry I used to believe this lie too. I used to think that if I grew it myself I knew what it was made of and if I knew what it was made of then I would stay healthy. Jesus shot this idea right in the foot for me.

My daughter puked today and my first thought was “we’ve been eating a lot of junk food”. I’m convicted of this thought. Why? Jesus did not say…. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing…..oh except junk food…. and that means chips, hot dogs, school lunch, and GMO’s definitely worry about those….” Dangit! That’s NOT what He said. He said….”Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.” (Mathew 6:25 and 15:17-18)

Okay so you may argue that this is talking spiritual defilement. Fine, lets follow that logic trail, how then do you explain chapter 14 of Romans? I was thinking about copying the whole thing here but if you really want to follow the train, you’ll read 14. You want my synopsis? Eat what you’ve been given which is all things as long as you believe in the One who gives you life. Don’t eat anything that may lead another into sin if they don’t understand why you feel free to eat it. My statement is not nearly as convicting as chapter 14.

Let me come at this a new direction. If you DONT eat something because you’re afraid of it, what is controlling your decision? Fear or Faith? If you eat something because you don’t fear Jesus (hence if He has told you to not eat it) then what is controlling your decision? Obedience or Disobedience?

Now don’t go getting all wrapped up in the Law here because I will always tell you what you need is a deep personal relationship with Jesus, not a bunch of rules.  The law had a job to do. That job was to point to Jesus. Do the eating rules in the Law tend to show healthy results? Yes. Do they mean you can make it into heaven by following them? No. Furthermore, does Jesus not talk about how everything is good to eat now if you trust in Him? Yes. Why??

I will tell you! Jesus is the way, the truth, the LIFE. Only thru Jesus do we have life anyway even if we choose NOT to eat. “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Have not many fasted for days and weeks even? Yes.

So then does this mean that my daughter was “defiled” at heart and puked? No. What this means is that if my daughter needs healing then I need to seek the one that gives healing… Jesus. He paid for it, why wouldn’t He want us to take part in it? If I trust only changing her diet to heal her, who/what am I trusting in? Ouch right?

Here is my choice, instead of jumping straight to blaming the food we ate, ask Jesus. Here’s my prayer “Lord, forgive me for not trusting that when I prayed for you to bless my food that you did. I know that thru sin in the earth there are things that make us sick. I also know that by disobedience I can suffer consequences. Have I sinned and this is a consequence or is this just a result of sin in the world? Show me Lord and I shall repent. If there is something I need to do or not do show me. Heal my daughter Lord for I know that only you can heal and only you can give life. Thank you for the price you’ve paid.”

Jesus vs Sin…. Jesus wins. You see even if it was because the sin in the world resulted in bad food or resulted in a bad virus that doesn’t mean that I have to fear it. Jesus wins. If its due to my own sin, then confess and Jesus says “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If it is due to Adam’s sin, again confess it and be cleansed. This is not rocket science but admittedly, I forgot this.

So what then do I say to those that read this and think that I’m saying I can do whatever I want and Jesus will let me, and for that matter bless me for it? That’s crap. That’s what’d I’d say to that. What I’m trying to say is that if I have a true, deep, honest relationship with Jesus and He convicts me to eat differently or not eat differently than I better obey! The Lord says “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Also what I’d say is that the Lord has convicted me of where my trust is. Do I trust Jesus or do I trust food? My actions must line up with my faith or its dead.

I must go pray for healing with my daughter and confess to her my sin of believing in food and not Jesus. We’ll chat again soon!