Temptation

Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death. Do not be misled, my beloved brethren. (James 1:12-16)

With the discussions that have been taking place on the Yahoo forum I have learned that gluttony is sin...and so I'm also safe to say that overeating is sin. At first this truth made me want to run because I didn't want to believe it. But the Lord continues to drive the point home that it indeed is sin. Food has been something I have lusted over in the last few years, without even realizing it. I'm thankful that the Lord has shown me so I can move toward that victory in Jesus.

There are so many addictions out there. Today I was talking with someone about the addiction of pornography and I was thinking, "Why can't these people just stop?!" And then the Holy Spirit reminded me of how food has been like an addiction to me and reminded me of how difficult it has been to walk away from it, or as some say, "Quit cold turkey." It's hard with food because you need food to survive. It's a basic necessity.

A lust is anything we allow our flesh to be consumed with. I was consumed with food. I remember I would spend each night writing down the food I would eat the next day and making sure I didn't eat more calories than I needed. This was a daily ritual and I think there was only one day of the many months that I did this that I actually stuck with my plan. I was consumed with thoughts of food. And it drove me to want to eat more and more. It became a god to me. And then after calorie-counting it was Weight Watchers points, and then it was worrying about eating healthy. I was in a lot of bondage over it. But praise God, He has set me free! I am no longer dealing with those condemning thoughts that I *have* to eat a certain way in order to have this or that happen. (I talk more about this in an earlier post)

But praise the Lord, He provides a way out of EVERY temptation!! "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Cor. 10:13). I can choose NOT to make the choice to be consumed with food. I was really doing well with following my hunger signals and eating only when I was hungry. It was great! I was spending some awesome time with the Lord and so focused on Him that I really didn't even care about food. All praise and glory to Him! But the last few days have been a struggle mostly because of some emotional things I was dealing with. I looked to food for comfort just like I have done a lot in the last year. Today there have been so many times I have wanted to eat. I really wanted to eat...but I wasn't hungry and I told myself no. And I prayed and asked the Lord for help. And He did! Thank you, Lord!!

I am learning to take my eyes off of me and what my flesh wants, and instead looking to the Lord and desiring to do what honors Him. It's all about Him. For so long I have tried to do all of this myself. Even with Thin Within I found myself depending upon myself and thinking that *I* could do it all, but I always failed. But we will never fail with the Lord! When we are weak, He is strong!! Praise the Lord!