Ingredients of the Spirit

When it comes to our walk, we are being observed and evaluated by those around us. From our loved ones, to our friends, our colleagues and even those we don’t know in the world. People are observing. They are watching everything we do, collecting and processing information. All from our words, actions and behaviors. The ingredients you have will impact the view of others. The question is, what are the ingredients we own? Do they display the fruit of the Spirit or something else?

Much like cooking, ingredients can bring a recipe to life or turn it into a disaster. The same can happen with our walk, the ingredients we use can dictate the nature of our direction. If we walk in the light, seeking the Kingdom first in all we do, we form a closer relationship with the Father. The outcome is delightful.

On the other side of the coin, if we use the ingredients of the world, we find ourselves in hardships. Our actions will result in a feeling of separation from the Lord. This separation can manifest into something more, causing believers to stray. We find ourselves missing out on the blessings God has called for our lives. This path leads to unnecessary trials which we can avoid.

Using the Right Ingredients

In Matthew 22:37, Jesus said we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind. This is the first and great commandment. Then, Jesus included that we are to love our neighbors as we love our selves.

These ingredients are powerful. They are the essential base ingredients for a love lasting relationship. Creating a bond like no other with the Author of our lives, God.

For many of us, we have never used ingredients like this. It’s only through the work of Jesus on the Cross our hearts transform. We come to understand how God wants us to love, Agape. It is this level of love God displays when He sends His Son to the Cross. Who, bearing the sins of the world so we could providing Salvation for those who believe.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
– John 3:16

Later, Paul writes a letter to the Church in Corinth about agape love.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
– 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Written above, we see Paul’s ingredients of agape love. Made up of a series of smaller ingredients. These ingredients align us with the will of the Father. Ingredients I thought I had before knowing Jesus. But the truth is, they were worldly ingredients and not of the Spirit. It’s no wonder I didn’t understand this love before I knew Christ. The love I knew prior was superficial. They were full of conditions which only benefited myself instead of others.

Using the ingredients of the world in God’s economy doesn’t work. No matter how good the ingredients may look, how appropriate they may seen, it always leads to tragedy.

There is only one formula for the Kingdom and it’s outlined throughout the entire Word of the Bible. If we learn to use ingredients God called us to use, we’ll come to realize God’s ingredients are perfect. They are life-changing and freeing, there is no substitution. We have to seek and find it.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
– Romans 8:5-8

Using the Wrong Ingredients

The ingredients of the world will draw us away from the Cross. These ingredients are destructive. They seek to place us in a position where we exalt ourselves over the One who gave us the perfect recipe. We need to be alert and cautious of worldly ingredients.

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
2 Timothy 3:2-5

Understanding All Ingredients

In our hands, we hold a collection of books. Books which give us instructions through historic accounts and prophecy. Within these accounts, we go deeper and see two common narratives, love and rebellion.

These two ingredients and can draw us closer or push us away. For those who follow and adhere to the teaching of the Creator, they become closer. For those who fall and worship the creation, they push away.

Knowing the ingredients which are good, allow us to be confident in our walk with the Most High. We ask and receive God’s will in our lives and then we obey. The same occurs when we understand the wrong ingredients. We come to realize what draws us away from walking upright in the Lord. Knowing what is wrong will prevent us from falling away from our Abba (Father). This understanding will open our eyes to the heart ache we will have in our lives.

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Friends, the ingredients in God’s economy have one focus, His Son Jesus Christ. It’s through Jesus we are able to come to the Father, and only through Him. For Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. By having Jesus first in your life, the Spirit will open our eyes to the ingredients God calls for our lives.

I pray we all surrender our heart to the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. That we become like children and listen to the teaching of the Spirit and allowing His work in our lives. By doing so, you’ll come to know the ingredients God gives for a Spirit filled life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we stand before You – humble and seeking the bread of life. We ask for Your hand in our lives, guiding us through the trials we face. We ask for Your forgiveness in adding worldly ingredients to Your perfect recipe. We ask for clarity in our walk, being able to discern what is Your will and not our own. Give us the strength, and the courage, to be a reflection of light to the world. To not hold back the gifts you give us, and to not be distracted by the tactics of the enemy. To always have a tender heart of love, overflowing with mercy and grace. God, we thank You for the work You do in us, and the work You do through us. Thank You for Jesus and what He did on the cross. For paying a debt that He didn’t owe, for a people who owed a debt they could never pay. God, we pray our walk glorifies Your name and our actions always speak and point to You. Guide us Father and fortify our armor through the sovereign and divine power of Your Word. Bless us with your Ingredient of the Spirit and may our lives glorify and bring honor to Your mighty name. We love You Father and thank You for hearing our prayers. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.