March 13, 2012

Good morning all,

I have the day off today as well - YEA! It's been a very busy couple of months at the church and a day off to slow down is great! Often times we are so busy, we forget how critical a pajama day and some "sofa time" is in the journey of our lives. Sometimes I feel guilty about that, but my husband is always there to insist that I STAY home and rest. So, today is that for me. :)

I was reading in Luke 4 this morning about how Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and THEN immediately tempted. I thought about us - sometimes we have a revelation about our health and our journey to walk in victory. We declare, "I'm gonna do this - no matter what it takes. I'm going to do this!" And in the next moment temptation shows up in the form of our favorite food. I think it was cool that Jesus was FIRST tempted by FOOD. Satan knows how weak we are in this area. But the TRUTH that confronted the temptation turned the appeal around. Truth triumphs!

When the temptation comes to grab a third cookie or 2 more pieces of chocolate - what is the truth? The truth is that we do need food, but food cannot be our master. Jesus didn't say "man shall never eat bread." No He said, "man does not live by bread alone, but by the TRUTH of God's word." There are a lot of spiritual applications here - and we cannot read into the scriptures and make them "say" what we want - but Jesus confirms that we need natural food, but it cannot be what our lives are dependent upon. Eating a cookie or a piece of chocolate for some of us may be okay. For me not - as food was an idol in my life. Definition of idol: "anything one runs to in a time of trouble OTHER THAN God." So, for ME, I had to smash that bridge to food, demolish the crutch, beat down the escape hatch. If there's NO WAY to return to that idol - then it's easier to walk in victory.

I am not certain what that looks like for you, but it is something worthy of consideration. Yes?

Choose life this day and eat to live, PK