I did Day 16 yesterday, but wrote about day 15 yesterday, so thought I would try to catch up this evening.
During day 16, some things really came to the forefront…actually, God keeps bringing them up. I have mentioned pride before.
I guess it occurs to me that it is easy to say that I am no longer in rebellion. That is the big thing, isn’t it? I mean, my response when I read the scripture about God hating rebellion…that it is to him as divination is to be aghast with myself that I would prolong my rebellion.
Somehow, I minimize that rebellion can be in the minute. One tiny choice to do my own thing “just because I want to”…even if it is “small” is based in pride. It, too, is rebellion. I want to sugar coat it. Dummy it down…make it not sting so much.
Yet any time I make my own choice, disregarding God’s best in the tiny moment, in the small choice….that is pride…it is sin.
I don’t mean just food either. But, God is using food to form and shape my character in this regard…it is ever and always in my face, it seems.
For instance, when I eat to a five and then say “I think I will end the meal with a tiny bite of brownie…” or when I know I am not at a 0 yet and I reason that I could have a healthy dose of salsa with a couple of chips and “it would be healthy, after all”…If the Holy Spirit objects and I minimize this choice…say “This isn’t any big deal…look at how I gave up half my bowl of cereal this morning…” or something similar. Gosh, I see it so clearly now. This is rooted in pride. My way, my will, my food, my choices, my life….
I got to be 50+ pounds over weight by these very attitudes. They may not have been over one tiny bite or over chips, but it was the same attitude. This isn’t about the food. It is about a heart transplant. It is about breaking the chains that I have allowed connecting me to food in *any* way. It is taking the verse in 1 Corinthians to the next level… “All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial. All things are permissible, but I will not be mastered by anything…” The freedom I have in Christ is wonderful, but it is for freedom…freedom from being mastered by chocolate, pizza…whatever…it is for freedom that Christ set me free (Galatians 5:1 I think). I am, therefore to put to death the deads of the flesh. Like indulging the lusts of my flesh at any level.
It isn’t about getting thin and impressing God. Nope. It is about my heart belonging to him.
I have been convicted that it is time to make beneficial choices like the verse says. Move on from just enjoying the fact that all foods are permissible when eating according to God’s marvelous plan of hunger and satisfaction. But maybe now it is time to move on from what is merely beneficial, to being more sensitive to what has mastery over me. Is the idol still on the throne of my life? Do I still cow to any certain food? Sure, maybe I eat it 0-5….but could I….NOT eat it? How would that affect me?
What is at the root of my unwillingness to give up caffeine in my diet coke? My will, my choices, my body….me me me. I continue to minimize this…yet it is something God has spoken to me about. “Oh, Lord…not that, too…I have given you everything else…are you really going to take my bubbles, too?” This isn’t about the food (or drink). This is about my heart.
Does it have mastery over me? Then maybe I need to eradicate it from my life for the time being. If I can’t say no to it, maybe I need to “fast” from it for a time. Like go a week (or even a day!) without any carbonated drink!
Does this make sense? Do you see where this leads? If I really break free from being mastered by anything other than the Lord, then food will be a non-issue.
Boy, I am sure going on and on….sorry. Can’t imagine anyone really reads these! LOL!
The book says it this way: We have begun to release our hold on demanding our way, which doesn’t have quite the appeal it did before we came to see Him as good, wise and sovereign. We see that we have an opportunity to make choices that are in agreement with His divine purposes. In this there is peace and rest. He is our ahtority. He is our king. His ways are good. We begin to understand that the delight and peace found in submission is worth far more than “our rights,” some of which we have relinquished.” (page 161)
All for now…I still wanted to share Day 17 thoughts!
