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We have all heard the old saying, “If you can’t take the heat, then stay out of the kitchen.”
But what encouragement is there for those who choose to remain in the kitchen, no matter to what degree the heat may rise?
The heat generated within many culinary kitchens is simply a bi-product of whatever means is in use to prepare the food.
It is in the culinary kitchens that meals are prepared to provide its dependents with daily nourishment.
In the spiritual realm, the kitchen is also the source of nourishment, but of a spiritual nature.
Spiritual malnutrition is the leading cause of apostasy.
As born again believers we have two competing forces of influence seeking control of our thoughts and actions (Romans 7). It will be the one we choose to nurture that will win this battle.
In the day and age in which we live, our spiritual “kitchen” can be a traditional pulpit in a local assembly, or it can be one of the many means of communication that have made an imminent fulfillment (Matthew 24: 14) of the Church’s mission (Matthew 28: 19, 20) a realistic possibility within our life time.
The means of communication is not important. What is important is the quality and the quantity of the information that is being communicated.
The devil and the Ephesians 6:12 forces of evil have a long history of putting an alterative spin on what God had and has to say, dating back to the Garden of Eden.
The spiritual combat of the Church Age dispensation has always been a war of accurate vs. inaccurate information. “For as he thinks within himself, so he is (Prov. 23:7).”
The devil and the Ephesians 6:12 forces of evil continue to have considerable success, distorting, and/or adding to what can be Biblically substantiated.
Every thought of a spiritual nature has its roots in one of two schools of thought. There is divine viewpoint revealed in the, “mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16)”, and there is evil revealed in the mind of the devil (John 8:44). Fallen Man, by nature, concurs (Romans 8:7) with the devil.
The one and only tangible source of spiritual edification for the believers of the Church Age is the unadulterated Word of God.
The most detrimental form of evil is promoted in the name of religion (2Cor. 11: 14, 15).
The heat in the spiritual kitchen is the result of the inevitable friction generated whenever these two opposing sources come into conflict with each other, pressuring an advancing disciple to choose one source, and in doing so, reject the other.
Human beings are creatures of habit and are resistant to change, especially change that invites conflicts within the closest of human relationships (Luke 14: 26).
The intake of spiritual food often calls for an overhaul of the former digestive system in order for it to be metabolized into spiritual energy (Luke 5: 37-39).
To consider that one’s present source(s) of spiritual edification is/was either totally false (Psalms 96:5), corrupted (1Timothy 4:1), or inadequate (Heb.12: 5-14) is a concept that most folks lack the courage to explore.
Fleeing the heat of the kitchen will alleviate the immediate pressure to address a spiritual issue, but leaves the issue unresolved and destined to return.
If the issue is being raised by God the Holy Spirit, the advancing disciple can go no further in his walk with God until the present issue is resolved.
The lack of appetite for natural food is an indication that something is going amiss with our natural health. Failing to develop and to maintain an appetite for the spiritual nutrition of the Word of God (1Peter 2:2) is an indication that something is amiss in one’s spiritual life.
Satan not only knows when and in what environment to best tempt us with his junk food, he presents it with an aroma that is appealing to the fallen nature within all of us.
By turning up the heat of conflict, the devil is able to take what could and should be an environment of fellowship and thanksgiving around the kitchen table into one of hostility, tyranny and rebellion.
The heat in the kitchen is a necessary element in the process of preparing food, but must be managed properly in order to maintain a productive environment.
The advancing disciple, as Christ‘s ambassador (2Cor. 5:20), must master the art of diplomacy.
Diplomacy allows a needed message to be conveyed without escalating a potentially hostile environment in the kitchen.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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