Holding Nothing Back

Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes God makes sure you hear the same message over and over again, until suddenly it smacks you in the head and you go – “OH! That’s why you keep repeating yourself.”  I don’t know about you, but I can be really dense sometimes.

Over and over again the past week or so, I kept hearing the same message: Move according to what you know is right, and not your “Feelings.”  And I’d say “Amen,” and keep going on with my life, trying not to let myself be ruled by my feelings – that is in every area of my life except for food. This area I still hold back from Him.

I continued to let myself be ruled by what I feel like eating, when I feel like eating, and how much I felt like eating.  I didn’t realize that I was allowing myself to be ruled by these feelings.  I thought that I these weren’t emotions exactly, so how could I control them?

1 Corinthians 6:13 – Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them.

I was allowing myself to be ruled by the feelings and demands of my stomach.  Although I was trying to restrict portions, I still let it call the shots as to whatever it craved, I tried to give.  Because I held back this area of my life, I continued to allow myself to be ruled by my desires and my feelings. 

Luke 4:4 – But Jesus answered him, saying, “it is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’.”

Only by self-denial can I learn self-control.  Again, this is a fruit of the spirit.  Until I learn to give God all of me instead of reserving this “small thing” for myself, I will never win this war.  I need to remember that God doesn’t count what I give Him as much as He counts what I hold back.  I need to give all of it to Him and stop holding back anything. 

He is generous, and I need to trust Him.  No matter what I “feel,” it is my ability to choose that separates me from these animalistic urges and makes me human.  And God makes everything glorious,  so by Him I will be healed, and I will win.