1/19/2024
Feed Your SoulI love chocolate.
Delicious, smooth, velvety, melt in your mouth, milk chocolate. But, I have some food issues, along with physical issues. I’m allergic to gluten (like, really allergic, not some dietary fad) and I have a very high intolerance to lactose, casein and eggs. I also have arthritis and heartburn. But…I LOVE chocolate. And milk chocolate is made with lactose. Chocolate, high on the list of what NOT to eat if you have arthritis or heartburn. And yet, that Hershey’s kiss really, really wants to kiss me. I’m that girl that can eat a pound of fudge and when someone else says it’s too sweet for them, I respond: “I’ll eat yours too.” And so, I found a bag of Hershey’s kisses on my lap quite often during the holidays. I’ll be good I told myself. I’ll only eat one. Pretty soon I was figuring out in my head how many kisses would equal a candy bar (probably 8? Maybe 10 🫣), because it’s only ONE candy bar, right? That’s not bad. Why do I torture myself? It only takes 1 ladies. And I’m not talking about chocolate. 1 moment of envy. 1 moment of bitterness. 1 lie Satan whispers in our ear. 1 lie we tell ourselves, or others. 1 look. 1 lofty moment. I day missed praying. Or reading our Bible. 1 word. 1 thought. 1 wrong direction. It only took 1 moment in the garden of Eden to change the course of all humanity, and it can take only 1 moment to change your life forever. Because 1 thing can spiral, until you’re trying to figure out how many “things” are okay before it adds up to “really bad”. Before you eat that whole bag of kisses and convince yourself it’s not that much. Guard your thoughts and minds ladies. Guard your eyes. Guard your hearts. Guard your homes. Even the strongest Christian can falter in 1 moment of weakness. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I am so weak when it comes to chocolate, that I just can’t have it in my house. I will eat it all. And too often I am the same way in my spiritual life. One moment of giving in can lead to chaos if my heart’s home is not guarded with God’s word and prayer. Even though it felt good to eat all those kisses in the moment, ultimately it made me feel very, very bad. It’s going to take me a while to get back on track after the Hershey’s fiasco. My body doesn’t bounce back like it used to. The good news is, today is a new day. I can start again and do what’s right for my messed up, allergy ridden self. I can keep putting the good stuff in. The nutritious stuff. Before long I know I will find myself asking why I do such stupid things, when I feel so much better after NOT doing them. And that’s the good news of the gospel. It doesn’t end with the bad. No matter what we’ve done, whether it’s one thing or whether it’s spiraled into many~God’s grace is greater. His mercy is more. His love is infinite. When Jesus cried “It is finished” on the cross of Calvary, that was the end. And if we have asked Him to be our Savior, it’s our beginning. The beginning of a brand new life. A life filled with new beginnings. Because God knew we would need them. I know I do. I’m so glad His mercies are new every morning. Every minute. And they are for you too ladies, right now as you read this. Don’t allow that 1 thing. Guard your heart. A great place to start is to get in God’s word and hide it in your heart. Read it. Memorize it. And feed your soul. Don’t believe the lie that you can handle it, whatever that 1 thing is. I know I can’t. I can’t even stick to one Hershey’s kiss, let alone fight against the forces of sin. So, grab hold of God’s mercy, grace, love and power~ And feed your soul. SCRIPTURE READING: Proverbs 4:20-23, 25-26 Psalm 139:23-24 Psalm 147:11 Psalm 94:18-19 Psalm 86:3, 5, 13, 15 Psalm 31:7 Psalm 66:20 Psalm 103:8-14 Psalm 136 Proverbs 28:13 Hebrews 4:16 Titus 3:5-8 1 Peter 1:3-9 Isaiah 55:6-7 Lamentations 3:22-23 1 John 2:15-17 Galatians 5:16-17 Proverbs 6:16-23 James 3:14-17 Proverbs 16:3 Romans 12:2 Hebrews 4:12 Ephesians 3:20-21 |
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