What's Your Flavor?

Psalms 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

INTRO

I would like to play a clip of a popular song that will give us the Title of our message:

(Play a clip of the chorus of Craig Davis’s song, “What’s Your Flava?” )

Craig David came out with a song called “What’s Your Flava” in 2002 where he uses metaphors like ice cream flavors to describe his preferred flavor of women. By the end of the song, we recognize he’s not just limited to one flavor.

I think Craig poses a very pertinent question when we look at the state of society today that we should take into consideration even when we think about our own lives:

What’s your flavor?

DEFINE FLAVOR:

Now, a flavor is described as a sensory expression of a substance. So basically whenever we taste or experience something, our sense of taste lets us know rather we like it, love it, hate it or can’t live without it. Everything has a quality that affects the sense of taste. So for example, our staff participated in a chili cook off in 2019, and praise God, yo’ girl won!!! lol! There was something that I added to the chili that gave it a certain flavor.

Flavor is also defined as something that has an appealing characteristic or nature. So for example, someone may like your flavor (meaning how you dress, how you speak, how you carry and conduct yourself, etc.).

MANY FLAVORS:

There are many flavors the world offers… Some people are drawn, like Craig, to the flavor of a person or persons (They look around and see all kinds of flavors that they want to try)… People taste good to them. Some people are drawn to the flavor of money, where they would do whatever they can, right or wrong, to get it… Money tastes good to them. Some people are drawn to the flavor of marijuana, where even the smell of it just lights up their senses. Marijuana tastes good to them… Some people are drawn to the flavor of power and position… Some people are drawn to the flavor of fame, of pursuing happiness, of chasing their dreams and goals…Some are drawn tot he flavor of violence (Thus why we see what we see going on in major cities like Chicago), while others are drawn to the flavor or peace. Some people’s flavor is social media or TV, while other’s flavor is work. There are all kinds of flavors we are offered in this world, both good and bad.

WHAT’S YOUR FLAVOR:

Question today for us is, “What’s your flavor?”

It’s very important that we consider Craig David’s question because your flavor has the ability to affect what you consume, and what you consume will affect the quality of life. And flavors have the ability and the potential to turn into an addiction. And addictions can become gods.

What’s your flavor?

TASTING IS HOW YOU KNOW A FLAVOR:

You’ll never know the flavor of anything unless you taste it...

Our scripture says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good...”

For example, we know that in the beginning of time, Adam and Eve messed up all over a taste of something they were never supposed to taste. The serpent came to her and told her if she tastes this fruit, she would be like God, knowing both good and evil, but what she failed to realize is that she was already like God, made in His image and that God only wanted her to know good! So she fell for the taste test and Adam did the same. The Bible says in Genesis 3:6-7 that “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” They would have never known they were naked if they didn’t TASTE the forbidden fruit. This is the first case of human “tasting and seeing” that we see in the Word. And this incident of “tasting and seeing” cost humanity our original place in the Lord.

- I would have never known how intoxicating alcohol could be unless I tasted enough of it.

- I would have never known that I could be ensnared or held captive by stuff like low self-esteem if I had not tasted insecurity.

And some things we’ve tasted in life that was beyond our control… that abuse or violation that was brought on by someone else. Those lies that the enemy spoke in our hears.

Sometimes you gotta taste something bad in order to taste something good…

This Psalm is written by David, and he writes this in the midst of a time when he’s tasting a crazy situation. He’s in a situation where he has to act out of his mind in order to get out of it.

What you mean… I would have never known that God is a Healer unless I tasted sickness. I would have never known that God was able to mend a broken heart unless I had tasted heartbreak. You would have never known that God is one who accepts and love with a love like no other unless you had been rejected. We would have never known that Jesus could save had we not tasted sin. Had we not tasted abuse

When we consider

What makes Him good… the fact that all of this stuff worked together for my good.

My flavor is the blood, my flavor is the Holy Spirit, my flavor is the Word, my flavor is getting on my knees, my flavor is praise, my flavor is worship, my flavor is Jesus, the one who came

So now, He is the one that I can run to when the flavors of this world start to press upon me because I’ve already tasted and seen of His goodness.

There is one taste that will trump all other flavors.