So this post started out in my mind with a title of 60 minutes of freedom but the more I thought about what I wanted to say the more I disliked that title. So as of right now this is untitled but it will come to me eventually.
I spent the better part of an hour, o.k. Maybe more like two hours but anyway where was I? Oh yes, I spent over an hour reading blogs and posts on different things with God; some serious and some humorous and after I got done and went to shower, which is what I was neglecting while reading, I realized that I had spent all that time on the computer and I don’t recall being tempted once. No anger, lust, pride, lust, depression or lust. Yeah lust is a weak point where most of my attacks seem to land and it is tough, real tough but for that hour or so there was a calmness and freedom if you will.
I could chalk that up to a good evening or at least a good couple of hours or I could examine what happened in that time to curb the temptations. Now in no way am I saying that I am cured or that I have conquered temptation in fact I realize even more how real it is and that it is only through Christ that I can resist. Acknowledging weakness and a dependency on God is vital to overcoming temptations and I know that on my own I would consistently fail. And I would fail miserably. But I did realize something tonight, something I probably noticed before but how easily I forget.
It all comes down to diet and exercise. How many of you have dieted at one point or another? (Raises Hand) O.K. now, how quickly do the temptations arise when you are dieting? I may make it a day or two, if I am really lucky but the temptations come quickly when you start a diet. All those bad things that you had enjoyed so much start entering your thoughts and the world doesn’t help with the pizza commercials and sugary advertisements. Just writing the word pizza gets my taste buds doing summersaults and I’m not even dieting. So what happens when those temptations hit you? If you are like me I resist and resist then I cave and often I cave hard. Ugh. Now we get mad at ourselves and do one of two things. We either forget the diet altogether and continue to indulge or we shake it off as a blip in the diet and continue on. There must be something we can do to keep the temptations from being so intense. There is and it is called…
Exercise. Something happens when you team exercise with your diet, they go together like peanut butter and jelly; oh, wait I am talking about diets, how about broccoli and ranch. How often does a pizza or other goodness tempt you when you are sweating away on an elliptical or lifting weights? There is something about exercising that, at least momentarily, blocks the temptations and cravings. You are focused and it is more difficult for the cravings to enter your mind. Another thing happens as well. When those temptations come at you, you remember all the work and sweat you have endured and even if you do falter you are more likely to get back on track quickly.
So what does this have to do with God or sin? Well if all we are doing is eliminating bad stuff (sin) from our lives then we are essentially just dieting and we are more likely to fall harder when we do fall. (Yeah, I did say when, sorry but none of us are perfect and we will mess up along the way that is why God’s grace is so amazing.) We have to include exercise in with our spiritual diet. We have to exercise by being in the Word, praying and in community. When we are consistently exercising along with our spiritual diet it is easier and easier to resist those craving, those temptations that will come at us. And even when we falter our exercise regime helps us to get right back up. But know that all the exercise and diet is of no use if we are not covered by the blood of Christ and using His strength. We can’t do it alone.
Grab a partner and lets start our diet and exercise in and through Jesus Christ.
