What’s In Your Pantry

What’s In Your Pantry?

How many times I have said, I wish I had more pantry space? More than I can count. The house I currently live in, has minimal pantry space, and I am constantly telling my husband, I wish I had more pantry space. Yet, just yesterday I went through a basket of things in my cabinet and threw most of the items away because they were out of date.

Matthew 6:19-20 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Lately, the Holy Spirit has been really talking to me about my thoughts. On what am I focusing? The truth is, that what our focus is, will determine in many cases how we respond.

Jesus gives us very clear direction in the above verse about what we should store up, and therefore, what our focus should be and that is, those things which are eternal.

So much of the time my focus is on the treasure of the earth, things that really don’t matter and in eternity they certainly won’t matter.

Several years ago, I walked through a very traumatic experience. Prior to this experience, I felt like I had a strong relationship with Christ. I felt unworthy of the life He had given me, and I was incredibly fulfilled, had a tribe around me to do life with, and was living a life of joy. Suddenly, because of circumstances beyond my control these things were taken from me.

For years I blamed God for this experience. I knew that if He had wanted, he could have stopped this situation and changed the circumstances. I was angry with Him for His not protecting me and not taking care of me, at least that is what it felt like.

I remember telling God I will keep serving you, but I don’t want anything to do with your people or the church because they caused this trauma. The hurt I experienced during this experience, was more painful than anything I had ever experienced. That trauma changed me forever. It impacted my focus for years. That situation satan used to alienate me from God and others. I really didn’t feel like God cared about me that much because, if so that experience would have never happened.

You see, I allowed the enemy to fill my pantry with expired lies and for several years he did a good job of causing me to lose my focus, and not fill my pantry with the Spirit filled life that Christ intended for me to have.

Today, I still don’t understand why what happened, happened, but I don’t blame God any longer. I realize that as painful as this situation was at the time, it was God’s plan for me and my family for Him to get us where HE wanted so we could begin to THRIVE His way, and I praise God for that.


Currently my husband and I live in an area where there is not a church that comfortably connect with our spirits, however, we found a church on line that has become our church. The physical location of this church is about 5 hours and every chance we get to be there in person we do. We have sent our son to church camp down there, we tithe there, we support missionaries through this church, we often attend special functions they provide in person rather than online. Why? Because these people are like minded. The people who are a part of this church are, our people, they feel like “our tribe.” They have some of the same things stored up in their pantry that we desire.

They have things in their pantry such as, faith in Christ to do the miraculous that I have never witnessed before, they know God will do what He says He will do. They have a joyful expectation that each time they come into the house of God that they will see and experience the miraculous. The truth is we are seeing miracle after miracle occur. Not only are we seeing miracles of healing, but we are seeing the greatest miracle of all, and that is record numbers of those coming forward at the end of service to accept Christ and ask Christ to lead their lives, as well as seeing many baptized and being discipled in Christ.

These people have an indescribable compassion for people, a passion for worship and prayer that I want and can’t get enough of. I desire a tribe like this around me physically, but until then, I choose to be grateful that I can connect with virtually, and at times be in person physically. My prayer is that as I can somehow allow the passion that is present in this tribe on a regular basis, to spill over into my life and I can affect those I am near physically in my community.

I want what these people have filling their spiritual pantry filling my spiritual pantry. I don’t want to be taking up space in my brain with toxic relationships. Today rather than not wanting to be in church or around church people I crave it more than ever. I desire so much to have women in my life that are challenging me and pushing me to grow in my walk with the Lord.

I don’t understand why I don’t have these types of women in my life that I can physically sit down and have coffee with, but I am grateful for these women that though they may live five hours away technology allows us the opportunity to sit down and have virtual coffee connections. Each time I walk away from one of these encounters, I am challenged, I am encouraged, I am strengthened, and I am desirous and determined to run passionately after Jesus.

I want my pantry to be spilling over with the character of Christ that others are drawn to it. Not because of me, but because of what Christ has put in my pantry.

Let’s do this life together-girlfriend.

Much Love, until next time.

Regenia