there’s a reason the scriptures call leaven subtle.
it doesn’t explode—
it expands.

it rises quietly, invisibly, but persistently.
and by the time you notice,
your whole being may already be filled with it.

sin, in this way, is like breathing—
natural to the flesh,
but deadly to the spirit.

deleavening ourselves, then,
is not just about abstaining from bread.
it is about identifying what rises within us and takes over—
pride, envy, lust, fear, bitterness—
all these are the leaven we’re called to cast out.

Yahshua (Jesus) warned His disciples:
“beware the leaven of the Pharisees” (Matthew 16:6)

which He later revealed to be hypocrisy:
“beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1)

the danger wasn’t in their doctrine alone—
but in the fact that their sin was masked,
dressed in righteousness,
yet fermenting beneath.

during these days of unleavened bread, i’ve been asking:
what leaven have i tolerated because it looked small?
what poison have i let sit because it felt normal?
what thoughts, habits, or desires have i rationalized rather than repented?

“purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump,
as ye are unleavened.
for even Yahshua (Jesus) our passover is sacrificed for us:
therefore let us keep the feast,
not with old leaven…
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
(1 Corinthians 5:7–8)

this isn’t just about morality—
it’s about life or death.

leaven doesn’t seem dangerous,
but it kills slowly.

and sincerity and truth don’t seem dramatic,
but they cleanse completely.

we cleanse not to boast,
but to live.
not to appear holy,
but to actually commune with YHWH (God).

Yahshua (Jesus) didn’t just come to forgive sin—
He came to break its cycle.

let us be broken with Him,
so that we may rise,
this time not with leaven,
but with His breath,
His spirit,
and His truth.