I’m not only a recovering single mom but I’m also a recovering 24/7 chocoholic. I guess you could say I’m recovering from the first part of my life in hopes that I’ve learned from my mistakes and working on finishing the last part of my life, well. Amen?
Have you discovered the website Pinterest? Here's a description of their site: ‘A content sharing service that allows members to "pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard.’ One of my girlfriends told me about the site after her daughter got her captivated to it. Perhaps we now have recovering Pinterest users?
Someone else told me about the site and when I asked her how she would use the site, she said, ‘I go there when I have nothing better to do.’
Before publishing this post, I decided to bring up Pinterest – my second time – (praise God it’s not one of my addictions) and here’s what I found on the opening page:
Baked Alaska cookies. .... Mexican Chocolate Snicker doodles...choc chip cookies baked into a smooth white choc cheesecake, decorated over with mounds of mousse and choc shards….and my favorite…Car Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies! Is your car in the sun? Is it over 100* out? Bake some cookies without ever turning your oven on.
I quickly shut down Pinterest before my sweet tooth got the best of me. My husband has a ‘stash’ of junk food in his office which always includes chocolate of some proportion. Viewing what was pinned to this site almost sent me running into his office for chocolate, but I resisted. Why did I resist? Because I want freedom from the consumption of sugar more than I want the temporary feelings of satisfaction from sugar.
Have you ever wanted freedom from something so badly that the very thing you want freedom from, consumes your every thought?
John 8:32 says that if we abide in His Word (that is, continue to read the Bible) we will be set free; we will have freedom. Freedom from what? I’m glad you asked - Freedom from sin’s power and freedom from sin’s pain. “Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”
Here are 5 questions ~
- Do you have a secret sin that is increasing its’ control over you?
- Do you get easily offended and hold onto the hurt that was caused by the offense?
- Do you almost have a reflex reaction to people when they say something that reminds you about a past bad decision you made?
- Do you become overtly turned off when someone talks about God?
- Do you battle with an inner critical spirit, especially towards others that appear to have life figured out?
Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not; if you answered yes to just one of these questions, then you are in need of freedom from the pain that you’ve been experiencing within the walls of your mind. You need to be released and get yourself to a place of absolute freedom. “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,” (Isaiah 61:1)
Note: Isaiah was a prophet back in the dark days of Israel’s history. He was a man appointed by God to evangelize; talking to people about their sins and failures. He was concerned about the moral and political decline and corruption of the nation. He was concerned that people’s hearts were hardened about the things of God. Isaiah’s heart broke for the things that broke God’s heart. His desire was for all people to repent of their sins and have freedom in Christ Jesus. (we could be referring to 2012 but this was actually 700 B.C.)
I know that one chocolate donut or one bowl of ice cream is not going to kill me. But I do know that consuming one sugary food leads me to another and sometimes to a third.
Whether we are discussing my consumption of sugar or a bad habit we can’t seem to kick, a burdensome secret, or any type of addiction or unhealthy lifestyle…we are discussing the need for freedom.
For me, the definition of freedom is having the desire to do what I know is the right thing. Operative word: desire. But because we are born with natural tendencies to sin and take on undesirable habits that at times control us, we need help from something bigger than us. Since we are ever changing, we need help from the One thing that never changes.
God calls us to wholeness. Only God can give us the type of freedom that is real. Even Paul, who I consider one of the Godliest men in the Bible, struggled with sin. I suggest reading what Paul said about himself in the Book of Romans 7:13-25. Here is a snippet from vs. 19-20 “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” If you don’t have a Bible, and wish to read this passage in full, go to the website www.Biblestudytools.com or directly to http://www.biblestudytools.com/romans/passage.aspx?q=romans+7:13-25
Dear Lord, I pray for each reader of this post. You are the only One that can give us freedom from things in our life that take us away from the truth and keep us in bondage to unhealthy situations. Lord, please do not leave us where You’ve found us this day. May our hearts break for the things that break Your heart. Amen.
If you would like to talk further about obtaining freedom from something in your life that is gaining control over you, please post a comment or email me at nancyfbc(at)maine.rr.com. (insert an @ sign instead of the word at)
Until next time~
Blessings, Nancy
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