| One of the things that have been so hard for me in the area of temptations is fighting my own desires. When you desire something, it’s very hard to say no. However, something God showed me today really makes a difference in the “how” of resistance. I was driving past a Wendy’s this morning, thinking that it will be nice to have the extra money to be able to stop for breakfast if I want to. The second thought that passed through my mind was that fast food is bad for me, and I should not eat it. The very next thought was, “Boy, I don’t know if I can give up fast food. I really like it. It sucks to have to give up everything I like.” The Spirit of God began to share some things with me. First of all, that statement is not a truth. I don’t have to give up everything I like. So, my thinking is off already. Besides that, I’ve taken the wrong perspective when it comes to doing things God’s way. I think, “God says don’t do that. No matter how much I like it, and I want to do it, I can’t.” Well, that may be true, from an outsider’s point of view, but I am not an outsider. I am a daughter of my God. I know Him, and He knows me. I love Him, and more than that He loves me. He never tells me not to do something just so I won’t have pleasure doing it. The reality of the situation is if God has told me not to do or have something, He has set that rule for my own safety. Something about that thing that I used to enjoy is dangerous to me. Doing that thing will leave me open and vulnerable to the attack of the enemy in some way. The key here is to change perception and focus. Instead of looking at the desire to do; for instance how much I want a chocolate chip cookie whilst I am dieting; what I need to be focusing on is the reason that cookie is not allowed. I want to lose weight and be healthier. I already had two. Another will be dangerous to the success of my goal. Eating that cookie will hurt me. Suddenly, when I focus on the result of the action beyond how it will make me feel for the moment, the desire for that cookie is greatly reduced. I will still have to fight a craving, but now I am better equipped to do so and that craving doesn’t seem as powerful. When God gives me direction about a certain issue, it is always in order to save me some trouble just around the corner. For example, when God says not to harbor unforgiveness and become bitter against someone else, it is not just because He doesn’t like unforgiveness. It is because He knows what will happen to my heart if I let that bitterness and anti-love get a hold of me. He sees that it will open my life up to the attack of the devil. So, when I have the opportunity to step into unforgiveness I need to consider more than just the command. I need to focus on the reason why the command was given. It’s easy for me to not forgive because it feels good at the moment. Forgiveness seems unattractive because it doesn’t cater to my hurt feelings. However, if I stop and consider the outcome of the action, my perspective will begin to shift. I consider the fact that unforgiveness separates me from the will of God. I’ll be taking myself out of God’s protection, and striking out on my own solution. Unforgiveness also allows the enemy access into my life. I’m giving him a foothold. Unforgiveness, if unchecked, develops into bitterness. Bitterness is a curse, it causes hardness; interferes with my ability to hear the Word of God. If I can’t hear the Word of God, I won’t be sure what decisions to make about my life and its direction. I’ll be doing it on my own. I’ll be susceptible to deception. I’ll be in danger. With this perspective in the forefront of my thinking, suddenly indulging in unforgiveness doesn’t seem so attractive anymore. It’s no longer a luxury that I deny myself because I love God. It is now a dangerous toxin that is intended to incapacitate me, and God has warned me about it because He loves me. Sure I still have to deny my feelings on the matter, but it’s now much easier. It’s easy to say no to a cupcake you know is laced with arsenic. On first glance, this seems to my mind to be a bit over the top. Dangerous toxin? Surely a few hours of unforgiveness will not have that adverse of an effect on me. Then the Spirit of God prompts. Would I take a bite of a poisoned cake? Surely there’s not enough poison in one bite to kill. I wouldn’t think of it! It wouldn’t even be an option for me, and if someone suggested it I would think they were trying to harm me. Yet I have allowed my thinking to be shaped and influenced by a world that is captive to the devices of my enemy. I listen carefully when his agents tell me I’m making too big a deal out of it. It’s just a little thing. He did it to Eve in the Garden of Eden. God told her not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Not because He wanted to keep her from enjoying something good, but because He knew that in the wrong timing it would be dangerous, even fatal to her. But the enemy came and pointed out to her the benefits of the fruit. It’s good for wisdom. It’s desirable. It’s sweet. Suddenly the perspective is changed. Now God is keeping something back from her. He’s lying to her; she won’t surely die. In the heat of one moment, Eve looked away from everything she knew about God and Who He is and his Love. She’s gazing intently at a dangerous thing that will be sweet for a moment. Suddenly the desire to have that thing is stronger than the command not to have it. Deception takes hold, unhindered by clear thinking, and Eve falls. So, when I am tempted to do something that God has declared I should not do, or not do something that He has asked me to do my first response should be to stop and think about the reason behind the request or command. I need to remind myself why it is the prescribed course of action, and what will result from straying from that course. My God loves me, as much as He loves Jesus. He is not trying to see how much of my own pleasure I’ll give up to prove I love Him. He is looking out for my safety. He is looking to lead me to my fullest pleasure. |
