"Daily
Dining with our Father"
“Daily
Dining with our Father” by Jennifer
Young as adapted from Pastor Jim Denison’s sermon from Park Cities
Baptist Church entitled “How do we stay close to Him?”
Ingredients:
Maintaining
spiritual disciplines is essential to defeat Satan as he tries to pull
you away from daily dining (i.e. communing) with your father. The
following strategies will help you defeat the enemy and prepare you to
attack when temptation comes.
1.) We
will be tempted by “The Self”. In other words we will take on a “do
it yourself” mentality which prevents us from being reliant on our Savior.
To ward off this temptation, ask yourself, “How dependent am I on prayer
and scripture ?” Submit yourself to God and ask for His help. Jesus
submitted to God through fasting. Perhaps you might abstain from something
physical and /or an activity that will help you focus on God. Christianity
was not meant to be a solo.
2.) Command
Satan to get behind you. Go to Matthew 16:23 for those exact words.
The business of our lives is all-consuming—the restlessness, the stress,
the distraction. Are you too busy working for Him that you forget to walk
with Him ? Matthew 1:35 shows us that Jesus went to a solitary place to
pray and “Dine” with his Master. We all need extended periods of
solitude with God.
3.) Celebrate
the fact that you are God’s disciple. In being His assistant, we
are called to “carry our own cross and follow Him (John 14:27).”
How is God using suffering in your life? Realize that suffering is a gift
from God. Don’t let Satan manipulate your struggles for His gain. He will
replay every failure, every sorrow, every fault in your mind until it consumes
you like a flame. Ask the Lord to help you see the joy in your pain so
that the Devil doesn’t get the best of us.
4.) Satan
is the Father of Lies. Ask the Lord to give you scripture to defeat his
enticing voice. We need scripture to battle sin in our life as well. Satan
will tell you that you are dining with your Master, but the reality is
that you are serving and dining with the enemy.
Preparation:
Mix
all these ingredients into your daily living. Spend at least 15 minutes
a day in His word to prepare yourself for the daily battle so that you
can have time for a feast in the evening. Perhaps if you have a family,
make a meal that symbolizes your commitment to God. Reserve at least two
nights a week for family dinner time. Don’t let Satan confuse you with
a sea of busyness so that the ones you love the most get put on the back
burner (no pun intended!).
Until
next time—try out this fabulous recipe submitted by Sandra Hammack, one
of our own on-line subscribers. Sandra says, “I've adapted this recipe
from Grannaw Mary Eckard “
Chicken
Broccoli Supreme (submitted
by Sandra Hammack)
Ingredients:
6 chicken
breasts, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
cooked
broccoli spears (or asparagus spears)
1/2
cup almonds (optional)
1 can
cream of celery soup
1 can
cheese soup
french-fried
onion rings (canned) or similar topping
Instructions:
Layer
first 4 ingredients, top with cheese soup. Bake
at 350
for 25 minutes (covered). Place onion rings on
top,
and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Easily served with biscuits and
salad.
If you
would like to submit a recipe, please fax your menu to 972-491-1098 c/o
Jennifer Young or email to Attn: Jennifer at info@dragonflyministries.com
Blessings
to you,
Jennifer
