To Yeast or Not to Yeast

A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.

Galatians 5:9

“In the bible, yeast is used as a metaphor for something very small that causes great consequences.

Yeast is used mostly to symbolize evil disposition, corruption, malice, wickedness, or uncleanness.”

•  quoted from Jesus is mighty to save ministry

In my study one day, I studied the sin of gossip, something we all have done too well but it’s hard for us to tell because just like yeast it blends in with our everyday language. Whether it’s with our friends, our family, our church, job, or school. The Bible said that gossip is like choice morsels. A choice morsel is a small amount of food, it’s just a tiny bite. Think of hors d’oeuvres, the fancy crackers with cheese appetizers.

For many of us we like to eat until we’re full in order to know that the food has had an effect. No, or is that just me? We underestimate the tiny bite of food and take 2 then 3 then 4 then before you know it, 10 bites of the same product, and eventually your body has had enough and it will tell you when to stop, unless you don’t like to listen to your body. That’s the same with gossip. It’s slides in so smooth, looking appealing and don’t look like it will cause damage but it does. It’ll present itself small but then our eyes get big and we want more. Without awareness, self-discipline, and the desire to change or repent, the sin could possibly become hard to stop. And unfortunately for some of us we all have sins that are too deep for us to overcome and it only takes the power of the Lord to break it.

That’s why we have to be careful when speaking on other people’s sin. If you never know what that person goes through and what led them to that lifestyle then we have no room to talk whatsoever because everyone is different, including their story. If they have a sinful life, they have a redeemed story that will save souls who are in the same position they once were in. It’s like being on the sideline at a football game and seeing someone who’s smaller than the others and talking trash about him only because he’s small. Soon that player who appeared smaller than the rest was the reason his team wins the championship because of his final touchdown.

That player is the sinner and sometimes the people underestimating him is the body of Christ, his family, his peers and sometimes even his friends. God looks for those who are willing to get out to practice and play the game, not those sitting on the sideline underestimating the weakling on the field. Especially, if you’re not providing them with a solution to help them overcome their sin. We have to be careful to not judge the person and compare them to their sin. Or worse, we can’t compare them to our sins and think that we’re better than them just because we can see their thorn in the bush and they can’t see ours. The person is not their sin as long as Christ has died to condemn their sin, and give them a free new life. They are a human being who is capable of sinning because of the fall of Adam, just like you and me. Whew and don’t let the Father catch you being the one to have the same sin you talk about the other person having, whether to yourself or others, because Jesus talks about us getting the speck out of our eye first before getting the log out of our brother eye. Something we all try to do in our human strength.

 We are called to uplift, encourage and speak the truth gently in love and allow the power of God to do His work if we desire for the person to change. Simply exploiting and exposing their sin is setting you up for a trap to fall into that’s hard to come out of.

In this journey of life we can either be prideful ‘that could never be me’ or remain humble ‘ I don’t know what it feels like to go through that and I thank God for it’ or ‘ I thank God for bringing me through the storm’. Either way it takes faith and His grace to pull us through, no matter what we face in life, our reward is on the other side.

Trust me, I’ve been in the position of that ‘it could never be me’ mentality and I was blind to the fact that IT WAS ME! Before Christ pulled me out of sin, it was me who was living a life full of sin. As a babe in Christ I fell deep into the trap of pride thinking because I was saved I wouldn’t betray Christ. How could I do such a thing when He saved me? I was like Peter who in a million years thought he would never deny Jesus, and soon found himself denying him while he was dying on the cross.

Eventually I was full of myself thinking I could stop sinning in my own strength, I looked at the others who chose to live of the world and thought I was somehow better. Then eventually fell into sin, the same thing I told myself I wouldn’t do. Why? Because I wasn’t trusting in the Lord, I wasn’t focused on Him. I put the focus on myself thinking that I could prove myself to Jesus. I was working for His love instead of walking in His love. Looking at me also caused me to look at my insecurities, failures, sin, mistakes. I was too busy looking at self, I fell into the trap of self-pity, self-sabotage, self-condemnation, all because my perspective of God was all types of messed up. Before God changed my heart posture and attitude, I didn’t preach the gospel in love, I was mean because that’s how I was raised to be guarded and tough. Being sensitive, expressive, vulnerable and full of empathy wasn’t a thing. But O how Christ came and softened my heart, and everyday He still is softening me because of course I’m His baby, a precious one He died to save.

How many of you can honestly open up and say although you aren’t as young as me you are still a babe in Christ. One thing I love about God is age ain’t nothing but a number to Him and it doesn’t identify how smart you are to God. You can be a 40 year old babe to God who still needs refining, new revelation of Him because He’s our Father who wants us to all walk in love not on egg shells around Him. Or some of us act as though we’re in the Kingdom but forget that God is the King. That He’s the one that deserves to be exalted, instead of exalting ourselves.

We get so excited to go for Jesus, ready to tell the world about Him but we forget to humble ourselves and talk to Jesus. Rest in Him and fill ourselves with His word. Allow His word to transform us, and open our hearts to Him. It’s His kindness that’s leads to repentance not his wrath. The grace of being able to wake up everyday and join Him in His bakery to eat of His daily bread, and leave with a basket full of wisdom, blessings, revelation, love and more of Him.

We can only love others when we come to know how much God loves us and that’s only when reading His word, searching the scriptures as if it’s treasure, and storing His word in our hearts to see it unfold itself in our daily lives, choices, and behaviors. And that won’t come perfect immediately, but that’s okay. As a babe, mistakes and sins are bound to happen but as you walk and talk with God, you’ll find yourself going from crawling, to stumbling, to walking, to running. He wants that intimate time with you because that’s where you grow, heal from your wounds, learn from your lessons, overcome your sins. Without those moments you wouldn’t know God and you can’t walk in this world with Power, Authority, Love and Wisdom, if you don’t know God, because it all comes from Him.