Escape temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

We are all vulnerable to temptations and the devil knows exactly what they are. Imagine this scenario:

You are at your desk at work and are tempted to buy cookies from the vending machine. You have an apple in your desk that could ease your hunger better, but a voice whispers “You know you don’t want that.” So the movie begins.

You see yourself eating the cookies. You think about how the cookies will taste and how the sugar buzz will feel after you eat them. You dig in your pocket for change so that you can get those cookies. What happened? You’ve just been seduced by Temptation T.V.

Channel 666 on your mental dial, this channel broadcasts 24 hours a day and its programming caters to your food weaknesses. Its images appear even better than the real thing. But it never lives up to its advertising.

Whenever you find yourself being tempted, check to see if your mind is tuned into Channel 666. If so, think or say in faith, “Lord, I am being tempted. Your word says that I am able to bear this temptation and I believe your word. Show me the way out of this temptation right now and give me the strength to choose that path. I receive the escape and the strength right now in Jesus’ name.”

Whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do, then do it immediately. The more you tune in to the truth from God's word, the weaker the signals get from Channel 666.

Here is another tip: Do not keep foods in your house that tempt you. Think about a person that has a weakness for cookie binges. They keep some in their kitchen cabinet and are tempted to eat them. They think to themselves why doesn’t the Lord  just remove the temptation.

Well, I am sure the Lord told them that they needed to get rid of the cookies and that was the way He provided for her escape. Remember: The best way to win a fight is to avoid getting into one in the first place.

But if you must face temptations, then combat them with God's word and look for the escape route. God has prepared the path for you - all you have to do is take it!

Dear Lord, thank You for the escape You give us when we are tempted. Help us to turn for the evil one and put our trust in You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Embrace the Grace

Romans 6:14 (ESV)

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

I have read on Facebook something that saddens and that is people who condemn themselves because of their obese state.

And because they condemn themselves and others have condemned them, they think that God must condemn them too.

Nothing could be further from the truth! God is about restoration, not condemnation. He sees differently than human beings see. Think of it like x-ray vision. God can look right past your body, straight into your heart and mind.

He sees all the invisible thoughts and behaviors that contributed to your physical results. And He has the ability to help you change them.

If you have been condemning yourself for your weight gain and generally being unforgiving to yourself then I believe it saddens God. Why? Because through His grace, He has set you free from garbage thinking. Continuing to put yourself down plays straight into the hands of the enemy.

The enemy wants you to be so condemned and discouraged that you get deeper into bondage. But sin no longer has dominion over you. The only power it has is that which you choose to give it.

Remember who your Father is. In your weight loss journey, think restoration not condemnation. Forgive yourself for your past; after all there is nothing you can do about it.

The body you have now is just a snapshot of the choices you made in the past. The choices you make now will determine the body in which you will live in the future.

A necessary part of embracing health is embracing grace. In that way, you can walk in freedom and newness of life, which is the gift that Christ died to give you.

Dear Lord, help us to not condemn our self or others for their weight. Help us to walk in the newness of life found in You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Keep on running

2 Samuel 22:30 (ESV)

For by you I can run against a troop,

    and by my God I can leap over a wall.

I remember watching Superman as a young man and thinking how cool it was how quickly and easily Clark Kent turned into Superman. Pretty much the transformation was instant.

Wouldn't it be cool if losing weight was like that? All you would have to do is spin around, God would zap you, and all of the weight would disappear. But it doesn’t happen that way.

Instead God gives you the endurance to run against troops and leap over walls. That’s what King David discovered.

David wrote in the scripture after God delivered him from King Saul, who had been trying to kill him for years. Even though David had defeated Goliath and God had anointed him King over Israel, he still had to fight battles before he could claim what was his.

A strong, healthy body is yours. But you will have to fight for it. Scripture tells us that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12).

God has strengthened you with the endurance to run against troops, like your habits of the past.

The way you can run with endurance is by giving yourself a vision of what you are running toward, keeping a clear picture of your future healthy self in your mind’s eye at all times.

God has given you the ability to leap over walls, like your fears and limiting beliefs.

For example, you might have the fear of failure to leap over. But if you consider failure as a learning opportunity to grow, then you never fail.

Or you might have a fear of success. You might fear if you lost weight, you wouldn't fit in with family or friends anymore.

But leap over that fear by recognizing that every person is responsible for him or herself. The best thing you can do for them is to be a good example and demonstrate that there is a better way to live.

Dear Lord, help us to recognize that You have given extraordinary abilities to us.  Help us every morning by faith use them in our daily decisions.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (ESV)

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

The other day I read an interesting fact. Every day, we have to make over 200 choices that impact our health and weight…choices like what to eat, whether to exercise, how to respond to stressful situations, and others.

It was hard for me to fathom the number was that high, so for one day, I decided to count the choices I had to make that would impact my health and weight. I counted over 75 choices. I was still surprised because I was thinking that it would only be around 30. That is a lot of choices to make in one day!

The scary thing is that most of us make these health choices without thinking about them…influenced by advertising, other people, or just simply repeating the habits of our past.

But there is a bright side. You have between 75-200 opportunities every day that can change your health for the better. Every choice moves you closer to where you want to be. That is…if you choose wisely.

In today’s verse, we are advised to cling to God because He is life and the length of your days. Without God, it is impossible to gain the wisdom we need to apply health knowledge to our unique situation. Plus, only God knows about the mental strongholds that may be sabotaging our good intentions – and only He gives you the power to take them down!

So today, let us make a conscious decision to choose life regarding your health. Decide that we are determined to be strong and healthy no matter what. And then seek God’s wisdom in every choice that we make. That way, you can live to the fullest and inspire others to do the same.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would make wise decisions when it comes to our health. Help us to always seek Your wisdom. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.