Daily in Christ 6/24
June 24
TEMPTATION'S HOOK
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Food is the ultimate appetite, since it is necessary for survival. So we eat to live, but when we begin to live to eat, food no longer satisfies. Instead, it consumes us, and millions of people feel powerless to control their appetite for food. When your body is deprived of necessary nutrients, you naturally crave those foods which will keep you healthy and keep your immune system functioning. If you eat to satisfy those natural cravings, you will stay healthy and free. But when you turn to food to relieve anxiety or satisfy a lust for sweets, salt, etc., you will lose control and the results will negatively affect your health.
It is no coincidence that Paul mentioned misuse of food in conjunction with his sober warning that "in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1). One of the evidences of the last days will be those who "advocate abstaining from foods" (verse 3) which are intended to meet a legitimate need. Every eating disorder I have dealt with had a spiritual component, yet virtually no counselors treating anorexia and bulimia expose the spiritual problem. A pastor's wife wrote to me after a conference:
Dear Neil,
I was bulimic for 11 years. But now I can be in the house alone all day with a kitchen full of food and be in peace. When a temptation or lie from Satan pops into my mind, I fend it off quickly with the truth. I used to be in bondage to those lies for hours and hours each day, always fearing food. Now I'm rejoicing in the freedom which the truth brings.
Temptation's hook is the devil's guarantee that what we think we want and need outside of God's will can satisfy us. Don't believe it. You can never satisfy the desires of the flesh. Only sustaining right relationships, living by the power of the Holy Spirit, and experiencing the fruit of the Spirit will satisfy you.
Prayer: Father God, protect me from giving in to the world, the flesh, and the devil. Keep me abiding in You so I can bear the fruit of righteousness.
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