Yeast

Sin posted by Erin Davis on 07/29/10; 21 comments

Have you ever baked bread? If you answered yes, you know the importance of yeast. I have a love/hate relationship with yeast. It's tricky. You get the measurements or the temperature wrong and your bread is going to be a flop. Just a pinch of the stuff has the power to ruin an entire batch.

In Matthew 16:6, Jesus said, "Be careful. Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

In Matthew 16:10–12, we read, "‘Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Jesus wasn't talking about baking here. But what kind of "yeast" was He warning about?

In Luke 12:1, Jesus says, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." First Corinthians 5:6 compares yeast to boasting. First Corinthians 5:8 calls malice and wickedness "old yeast."

I think we can draw a larger comparison. All of these "yeasts" have one thing in common—they are sin.

That's the thing about sin. We can't contain it. It has a way of working itself into every corner of our lives. For those of us who have been Christians for a while, this is a powerful reminder. Sin doesn't lose its potency. We should never let down our guard around it; instead we should treat it like yeast and recognize its power to spread.

"Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).

What "old yeast" do you need to ditch in your life?

Comments

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Cupcake

Please pray
on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 3:09 am

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your blogs they are always so helpful, can someone please pray for me i have anger towards God that needs to go and i dont want my heart to harden toward him and also my relationship with him hasnt been so good for a while but i just want it to be better and i want to be close to him again?

Angela;)

Re:
on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 7:59 am

Excellent points you made! In my experience, not only does our own sin have a sneaky way of permeating our lives if we don't get rid of it, but I've also found that exposure to other's sin can cause problems. Other people's sin can have an influence on us, and make us start believing that it's okay to do those things. Either way, sin has a way of spreading. And we need to be very careful to clean it all out. Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Thanks for the post!

AnnaKate

Relationships
on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 1:28 pm

At what point does a relationship become such "bad yeast" that it must be thrown out? And what if that relationship is a family relationship?

Luv the blog. Keep up the good work! :)

Anonymous

"old yeast"
on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 7:21 pm

Great post!

You asked what "old yeast" we needed to ditch. What if that "old yeast" was someone who was a very good friend. But then that good friend started talking about inaporopriate things? And what if you really wanted to ditch the old yeast but didn't know how to? How would you handle something like this?

edavis

Cupcake
on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 10:16 pm

I am praying.

Erin

Miss Anonymous

Yeast
on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 10:56 pm

Caring about only my appearance sometimes.
Being prideful.
Showing anger and rebellion towards my parents, even if its on the inside.
Not focusing on God.
Looking towards my own needs, and not others' needs.
Praying for you Cupcake :)

Ruby

Cupcake
on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 10:21 pm

Dear CupCake.
I know how anger goes. It is like yeast in so many ways. You have a little yeast and it affects the whole loaf of bread. It is the same with anger. You have the slightest inkling of anger in your heart towards God and it spreads like a wild fire and consumes your whole heart. I know first hand how it is to be so angry at God. Maybe you haven't read my previous comments on the previous posts but I'm sixteen and I'm fighting Leukemia. I used to shake my fist at the ceiling because I would be bedridden. I would cry tears of hate, anger, and frustration. My older sister who was a christian would hold me every night and rock me to sleep as I wept.

But one night I had a dream and I saw Jesus. Or atleast I believe it was Jesus. He spoke words of comfort to me. He held me. But he told me that he had more in store for me and I woke up and immediately I searched for my sister and we prayed and I was saved from a road that led to death. Jesus had become my Lord. And today I share that story with many in order that they might see God's glory and power and that they too may be saved.

Now I don't know where you are in your walk with God. But don't let your anger consume you. Let Jesus take a hold of your life. He's there. Knocking and waiting to talk to you about everything. He wants you to return the love he gives to you freely.

Know that I am praying for you and as a sister in Christ I love you. My prayer is that you would grow in love for our everlasting God. I want to see you say that you are rejoicing in His name. Whatever is causing you to be angry. Lay it at his feet. Maybe write down what it is that is making you angry. Every hurt you've felt. Write it down on a piece of paper and then ask God to take hold of whatever it is and ask Him to help you through it. God doesn't save us from trials but he comes along side us and leads us through the trial.

I could type for hours and maybe this did you no good but I will pray for you.

I love you!
~Ruby

Andrea

to Cupcake
on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 12:45 pm

Girl, i've been where you are! Its kindof scary. Just ask God for forgiveness even if you don't feel like it and give your anger to Him and ask Him that He would help you to want to listen to Him. Even if you don't feel like it. That really helped me. I'll be praying.

Lydia

re Anonymous
on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 8:18 pm

heyy! so i totally had this friend thing happen to me to. i was in this little "group" of 5 girls and it was clear that my one friend was like the "leader". so when she started listening to inappropriate music and saying stuff, the others would do it to. and it started affecting me, so i knew i had to do something. so i told her and the rest of my friends to stop saying that stuff and playing that music around me. it worked for a little while, but then she started going back to the old habits. i told the others about it, and they realized that the same thing was happening to them. so i decided to stop being friends with her. i told her that i would like to be friends again if she stopped the bad habits and she just stopped talking to me for a while. but she was in my youth group, and after we stopped being friends she came to Christ. so if God is giving u a gut feeling that u have to get away, get away. it could be for her own good and yours. it helped me

cupcake

Ruby & Andrea & Erin
on Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 3:02 am

Thank you all so much for this as it has been a struggle for so long, but i will do what you guys recommended coz it sounds really good especially writing things down becuase i dont know exactly why i am angry but i know it is at God for something, and yes i need to ask him to help me to want to spend time with him coz lately i have wanted to do everything else but that, thank you all for your advice and i will let you know how it goes, Ruby i will pray for your lukemia, how is it going? i am so glad you gave your life to God that is amazing how he has changed your life, and thank you all for being so honest because sometimes i feel like i am the only one who feels these things etc.

Love you guys
xooxoxox

Ruby

Cupcake
on Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:51 pm

Instead of re-writing what I commented on another post...I'll just tell you to look at the the post which I commented on. Its called How important is the local church? I commented twice on it and I think you'll understand how God is challenging me at the moment.

Right now the cancer is hard. Each day brings little challenges but God has been good to me and he has reveiled himself to me in small ways every day. Sometimes I don't acknowledge it but I still know he's there. Thanks for praying....I'll be praying for you as well...

Love you
Ruby

cupcake

i forgot to thank miss anonymus
on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 12:23 am

thank you for your prayers as well and i know i am the same at you i only focus on my appearance and i think someone will only love me for how i look, an sometimes i think appearance is everything in life but its not, it is a very hard thing to overcome but just try and focus on God more and your appearance less even if you feelo so tempted to look in the mirror 50 times a day,

xoooxoxox

Grace

Yeast
on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 10:33 pm

My relationship with God has recently grown a lot, but I struggle with "yeast" in my life. I've gotten into a certain sin that has grown and I've been struggling for the past year to get out of it, but I keep falling back into it. I can hold up for awhile, but then I mess up big time... and it's so discouraging. I hate myself for continually doing this and messing up my relationship with God... but I'm afraid that I've started playing games with Him. I'll commit the sin thinking that He will forgive me, and that's wrong. It's so frustrating, and I don't want to keep being a slave to this. I know that my God is bigger than this, and that He has broken my chains from this sin, and I hope that one day I will be completely past it and can use it in my testimony. Please pray for me.

cupcake

Ruby
on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 1:16 am

Wow i read your blog, i cant believe people can be that terrible that is so wrong of them, you are loved greatly and people should understand that you have to wear a hat because of it, i am telling you now you are not weak you are strong because you have God, and i admire you because of your love for God despite your consequences i wish i could be like that, anyways i am still feeling angry at God, i have been praying about it and reading and stuff but nothing feels the same all my strength is gone and all the things i should be wanting to do for God im not its like i dont care anymore or i dont want to do them anymore, i feel like im perishing and im starting to not even care and all of this is making me feel so angry it feels like God doesnt even care, when i repent im not even feeling sorry and i have forgotten everything God has done for me - i dont know what to do i am going so bad and i know it but i dont even have motivation to care or change what do i do, can God change my heart? I dont know how to get through this and it has been 2 years now :(

edavis

Grace
on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 8:07 am

Here are some past blog posts that I think might really help you.

http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=245

http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=246

http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=520

Grace and Peace!

Erin

Ruby

Cupcake
on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 12:24 pm

Hold on Miss. I have to apologize. What I said there when I commented on the other post was out of frustration and I pointed that out in the second comment that I wrote. And When erin wrote back to me she asked me to pray and ask God to help me view things through his Word. And I have been praying and I have been reading the Bible like crazy. And I think that I have been viewing them wrong. Even if they did have wrong intentions....I would have to love them anyways. "Do good to those who hate you and pray for those who misspitefuly use you." and....."This is the first commandment, that you love the lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself." So you see me acting out in frustration wasn't right.

So you're angry at God because you don't care anymore and because you don't obey like you should? If this is what you are saying then I'm gonna have to tell you this. Sometimes when people pray to recieve Christ into there hearts they often say they accept him as savior. But there's often a problem with that. They accept him as Savior to Save them but they don't accept Him as Lord over their lives. Which leads to problems. Because sooner or later they realize that there's a lot that Christians do. Like a Quiet time. Prayer. And then you have all the sin that you repent from. So then they eventually fade out from Christianity. Maybe this is you?

Just a word of encouragement. I'm glad you feel uncomfortable where you are at. But it's not God's fault that you are where you are. Listen, God gave YOU the choice. He is waiting there knocking on your door....check this post out. and no I'm not joking. Read it and then come back to this site and finish reading what I have to say.
http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=388

The girl who wrote that changed how I look at things. And I admire her for sharing her thoughts. She knows what's real and legit. Often people go around and say they don't see God caring for them. God cares for you. God loves you but imagine how hurt he is every time you look the other way and walk away. Whether you like it or not it is you and your sin that causes you not to care about obeying God. Obedience is a choice. We don't do it because we absolutely love it. We do because this is what is right.

On the repentance note....Feelings don't define what is real. Keep praying and ask God to help you repent. Repentance is a long step. It takes many times of repenting to understand what it is.

Do you mind if I ask how old you are? I feel like you are in your teens. If I'm correct....those are the hardest years. Sometime between 9th and 10th grade is when you become aware of others having drinking parties. It's when you want to try things out and you say only this once but it becomes addicting and you do it again. This is when drugs come onto your radar screen. When boys no longer are just friends. Maybe this isn't you but if it is I beg you. Look around you. Breath in. Did you deserve that breath? No. Breath out. Did you deserve your body. No. Every thing around you....you don't deserve that. No body does. What everyone deserves is death. Snap your fingers. Someone just died. Question is. Where are they going? 50/50 % chance that they went to hell. How sad is that. I want to see you in heaven some day and that's your choice whether I'll see you there or not and there's a good chance I'll go ahead of you and I'll be waiting.

I could go on for hours upon hours...but seeing as I pretty much wrote a novel here then I'll stop.

I'm praying for you. And i write this out of love. Not out of judgement. Good chance you won't like me after you read this but I still love you.

~Ruby

Grace

:)
on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 12:33 am

Thank you Erin for your comment, it was really encouraging :). The one thing that I'm scared to do, though, in getting past my sin is telling someone. The sin is lustful in nature, and I'm scared and embarrassed to tell anyone like my mom, but I don't think it's appropriate to tell my friends. Please pray that I will find someone talk to, or to have accountability with. Thank you!

cupcake

Ruby
on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 1:39 am

Thank you Ruby i still like you and i need to hear the truth so it is good that you speak the truth with love as well, i will keep praying about it coz it may take a while for this anger to go but i will still keep trying and praying and however long it takes is fine with me i just want to get through this, im so angry i feel like heaven is too good to be true and like i will never make it, it feels like a far away dream that i will never receive, but i know i gave my heart to the Lord and i started off really well and then problems came and from these problems i developed anger towards God not the other way around, i feel like its impossible to be who God wants me to be :( but i will keep praying, thank you so much for keeping on writing to me and by the way i am 22 and have already done so much bad stuff when i wasnt a christian eg, sleeping around, drugs, alcohol, i had a lot of issues and i was a very bad person in worldly views a bad outkast, i hope your leukemia gets better xoxoxo

love you too

Rachel

Sin
on Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 10:40 pm

I've had a sin showing up for about 10 years, and no matter how many times I give it to God or read about how to get rid of it it always shows up again. How can I make it go away for good?

edavis

Rachel
on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 9:54 am

I would strongly encourage you to tell someone about your sin.

James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

I would also encourage you to set up some accountability to help you the next time you are tempted in this area. Find a wise Christian and get a game plan for how he or she can intervene the next time you are tempted.

We also have a couple of past blog posts on finding freedom from sin. Here are the links:

http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=245

http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=246

http://www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com/index.php?id=520

I would also highly recommend that you read "Lies Young Women Believe" if you haven't already done so. It has some great practical advice for stopping the cycle of sin.

Grace and Peace!

Erin

edavis

Anonymous
on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 10:14 am

That's tough. Proverbs 13:20 tells us that "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." You are wise to realize that your friendships matter, and that spending time with an unwise friend WILL impact your spiritual walk.

But be careful not to sit in judgement of your friend. Matthew 7:2 says, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Her sin is between her and God. It isn't your job to point it out, or punish her for it.

I would simply put some distance between you and your friend. No big long explanation needed, just spend less time with her. Contact her less often. Get busy making plans with friends who are making wiser choices.

And then (here's the kicker!) commit to pray for your friend. Pray consistently that she would see her sin and pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Hope this helps!

Erin

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