Hosea 7:8 – “Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned.” NKJV

This is an interesting description.  A cake unturned is “uncooked on one side.”  The prophet described Ephraim as one who has so co-mingled with the nations that they have become “half-baked.”  If you follow that through naturally, you will find that an unturned pancake would tend to be raw on the unturned side and in danger of becoming charred and burned on the side nearest the fire.

I have seen people in the church who are so one-dimensional in their view of the things of God who reflect this.  They are burned on one side by that which captures their interest but are without benefit in other areas of their lives, spiritually speaking. 

They become Pharisaical, demonstrating great zeal and enthusiasm for one particular dimension of Christianity.  They look down their noses at anyone not sharing their viewpoint and yet are not growing in grace and becoming a well-rounded Christian who can demonstrate to the world that they can rightly divide the Word of Truth.  In a significant sense, they are “half-baked” and frequently turn more people off than they reach for our Lord.

God wants to touch every dimension of our lives, and in so doing, He will bring us into an encounter with truth that will help us mature and develop in all areas of our Christian walk.  You may have a particular gift or calling you primarily focus on, which is good. But you need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring you to maturity in all aspects of your life.  Your passion may be for a particular area of ministry, but you should be able to see other areas as well.  The Christian walk does not center around you and your passion for a particular work. It centers on Christ and the His Body of Believers.

The person who is a “cake unturned” will find that they have things in their lives that are unchallenged, unchecked, unrepented of, and weights that will hinder their walk in Christ.  We need to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to the total man or woman; as He does, he will turn us so that we are thoroughly cooked, not burned on one side and raw on the other.

I feel this is for some who have neglected to press in deeper into the things of God and have remained as a “cake unturned” to the point that they find the Christian walk a struggle, even to the point of becoming disillusioned.  That person could be in danger of throwing in the towel and giving up.  I want to prevent that and encourage you to seek the wisdom of the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to take the spatula of God and turn you over and over until you are thoroughly cooked for Jesus!

May the Lord be with you as you go through God’s kitchen!  Blessings as you go through your day!