Temptation

 Happy Saturday! We made it once again! What is going on at your house today? We have a workday and I am dreading the work but excited about the possibilities of what we are going to get done. Our carport is a disaster, I have some touchup work to do on the paint in the family room, I bought a new table that needs put together and I want cup hooks put in my coffee cabinet. Praying we get it all done today!

This week's Bible study fits in really well with trying to be healthy, we are talking about temptation. We are ready for James 1, verses 12-15.

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

We like to think of temptation about bigger things than eating but this is talking about anything that leads us to do what we shouldn't be doing and honestly, we shouldn't be overeating and eating things that are not healthy for the body God gave us. It is easy to say, oh, I am not tempted, or I am not lusting (verse 14 in KJV uses the word lust in place of dragged away by their own evil desires) but lets be totally honest. Eating is one the biggest temptation and food is one of the biggest things we lust over. There are plenty of people out there with other addictions, and this pertains to them too. And yes, I called it an addiction because it is, at least for me and I figure for most of the other millions of people out there who have a weight problem. It took my son having an addiction to alcohol to realize I have an addiction to food. Thankfully, we both got help, and honestly, it is still a struggle. 

So looking at James 1:12 here is the HEAR breakdown

Highlight=I want to highlight most of this verse: Blessed is the one who perseveres (my word again!) under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life.

Explain= God blesses us greatly when we live through temptation without giving in. He has promised us a crown of life. I know in reality our rewards come in Heaven, and not here. But this one, I feel like we can look at it as here. There is nothing out there that is a temptation that if we stay away from it doesn't make our lives better right here and right now.

Apply= I will tell you, I still have issues with overeating, and eating junk, and much like that lifestyle of an alcoholic, once I get started, I can't stop easily. I was in Charlotte 2 weeks ago and got ahold of a lot of carbs at meals. I had packed my snacks so I didn't let it come into my hotel room, but carbs makes me hungry for more carbs and I have fought trying to get back on track all week. I am telling myself today, no unhealthy carbs, again, and today, I am convinced I am going to win. 

Respond= Dear Lord, help me understand that eating unhealthy is just as detrimental to me as drinking alcohol or putting other substances in my body that knowingly and purposely damages it. Help me persevere through the temptation today and every day going forward.

Our next verse is James 1:13 and we must realize when we are tempted to do things we shouldn't be doing, it isn't God who is guiding us. 

Highlight= no one should say, "God is tempting me.:

Explain=We are letting the devil into our lives. As I stated earlier, we want to think this is just talking about "big" things, like cheating on your spouse but we know, or should know, sin is sin, God doesn't qualify "big sin" and "little sin", but he does even straight out mention in Proverbs 23:20-21: Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags." Overeating and the constant eating of foods that are bad for us is a sin. I need to hear that louder tonight when I reach for the cheez-its.

Apply= I will make healthier choices and not let the devil talk me into eating because I am bored, frustrated or lonely. If I find myself in those situations, I will do something good for myself, not bad. I will go for a walk, find a 10 minute cleaning job that will make me feel accomplished, or use my sword, the word of God and read a passage to stave off the temptation until it passes.

Respond= Lord, equip me with the tools and the forethought to be ready when temptation hits. Help me make better choices for the temple you built just for me.

And finally, lets look at verses 14-15

Highlight= after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin and sin....to death

Explain= As I said, this is very fitting with my whole pages theme of faithful and fit foundations. Let's face it. Sin kills. There is not a sin out there that does not lead to death. Period. We know all the health issues that comes with overeating. I know I will use this verse time and time again here, One of my biggest influencers in my life was Ted Marrs Jr. He explained many, many years ago 1 John 2:16 "For everything in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- comes not from the Father but from the world. "  Every sin out there falls into one of these three areas, and it makes it easy to identify sin. Food can fall into all three categories, it taste good, it looks good and honestly, sometimes just being able to afford it makes us feel good for that little bit of time. (yes, I am pointing straight at the $12 monster carrot cake from Coco's in Lawrenceville).

Apply=Today, I am going to remember my reason for being on earth is to spread the good news of Jesus and salvation to the ones I come across. This is both through my actions and my words. I want to make sure I am setting a good example for others all the time, and this includes my habits.

Respond= Lord, today, help me remember that You are in me and You are greater than this world. Living my life on this earth to please you and to share your word is why I am here today. I cannot do that to the best of my ability if I am impaired by a sin of addiction to anything other than You. 

I know some of you are probably thinking I am going to an extreme, I am sure God doesn't care if we have that carrot cake, and I will tend to agree with you but seriously, that particular carrot cake should be for 4 people. And it is different if you are someone who can take a couple bites, be satisfied and go on down the road and not think about more food every minute for the next few days. I truly am a food addict and I know it. Since my surgery, I know when I overeat, especially if I hardly even touch real sugar sweets, it will make me throw up and there are times I choose to do it anyway, and I do not like myself for it because I am truly just giving in to lust. I know my stomach is the size of two Nyquil cups and that is how much I should try to put in it, yet, I don't stop on certain things and that is a problem. It is also one that, because of me having this Bible study this morning, I will try to be more careful about going forward. 

I don't know where else I will admit this but I am sure it will come up again. I have hit the two year mark on my surgery and that is when a lot of people start having issues with keeping the weight off. I don't ever want to go back to feeling that way, or looking that way and part of why I started this site is to be brutally honest with everyone and keep me accountable. 

Hope you all have a great Saturday and get everything done that you want to get done, whether that is resting and recharging for another week, or having a workday. Take care!