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Saturday, September 22, 2007
 I “heart” chocolate. Virtually all day long, I battle a nagging inner voice whispering, “Get some chocolate. Now.” Behold my unsuccessful strategies for taming my habit: Cold turkey. One ounce per day. Fake chocolate. Caffeine. Fruity water. Vitamins and minerals. Candy. Chocolate-scented candles. I can’t believe I’m revealing this, but I have even opened up a packet of Splenda—the sugar junkie’s methadone, and poured it directly on my tongue. Oh yeah, this habit is bad. Yesterday I was jonesin’ for some no-bake chocolate oatmeal peanut butter cookies, my personal tipping point when it comes to chocolate bingeing. I can make these cookies in my sleep. And eat them in my sleep. I worked my magic. Guess how many my husband and daughter ate? Zero. Guess how many I ate? Whatever you guessed, you’re wrong, because I ate more than you guessed. The morning after a night like that isn’t pretty. I promised myself that when I came home from work today, I would not eat the remaining three. Can I just say in my defense that if cookies could wink with a flirty come-on, these did. So I wolfed them down. Obviously, I cannot have cocoa, peanut butter and oatmeal in my house simultaneously. So I pitched the cocoa into the trash and grieved over it like it was a grave. In Romans 7, Paul expresses how remorseful I felt in that moment. In fact, he communicates the whole human condition precisely: “I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. What a miserable person I am!” Although eating chocolate isn’t exactly a sin, my habit wields enough power over me to disrupt my life. God is concerned about our struggles because left unchecked, sin kills us, spirit and body. No loving father wants to see his children wither away or hit the wall at full speed. Some people erroneously believe they must first clean up and straighten out their lives before God will be interested in them. But God is not stunned by our habits, weaknesses, and hang-ups. It’s all old news to him. First, he wants a relationship with us. Then, if destructive forces are compromising our lives, he will reveal them and help us say “no” to one thing in order to say “yes” to the ultimate good thing. After his confession of moral impotence, Paul offers this hope, “Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me! If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be condemned. The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.” As long as I’m in this body, I will never be completely sinless. Sometimes I’m more successful than other times in battling my weaknesses. But when I find myself in yet another self-dug pit, knowing that a forgiving, compassionate Father wants to lift me up and dust me off gives me courage and hope for the next leg of my journey.  Please visit my personal blog at 2nd cup of coffee. Labels: Linda's Articles, Redemption, Sin, temptation Leave a comment... 10 Comments Links to this post One common thread runs through my family, unfortunately, which is, "money in—money out." I’m bad for that, as are my husband and kids--with one exception. For Graham, a dollar made is a dollar saved. He was just born that way I guess, because while he should have, he didn’t learn it from me. I try to save, but I usually break down the moment I walk into the first home decorating store. Graham started off earning three dollars a week allowance. Once he saved fifty dollars, I added ten, and once he earned a hundred, I added twenty. I was amazed to see this kid saving $3.00 x 33 weeks without spending a dime. So I raised his allowance to $5.00 this year to match his sisters, who spends like her wallet’s on fire. The other day we all piled into the car for a Slurpee run. That’s another common thread in our family, which must be genetic, they all love Slupees--just like their dad! Whether it’s 80 degrees or thirty below they pile into the store every Saturday filling their cups with slush. I heard something interesting this summer, when as usual we pulled into the 7-11 parking lot. While the kids were piling out of the car a little voice broke out from the back seat, “Can I stay here, Mom?” Graham asked. “Why, it’s hot in here,” I answered. “Don’t you want to come in with us?” “No, if I go in with you, I’ll just want to spend my money. So, if it’s ok, I’d rather stay here,” he said. It took that little guy with his big courage to remind me of the path that leads us into temptation, “But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” ~ James 1:14 And the danger we face each time we step into a situation that we know could potentially lead us into temptation. It only takes one step to start the process of releasing those strongholds, but the same holds true for the opposite. It only takes one step of courage to step back and begin the good fight. Sure we might fail from time to time as we strive to overcome temptation in our lives. In fact human nature tells me that the likelihood is good. But if you take three steps forward and one step back, you’ll still arrive at your destination, right? Keep making the choice to move on everyday. Our lives our filled with temptations of every kind. Little secrets we hide in our closets away from the world, but they don’t have to remain there. Each little step we take in faith toward those goals set before us add up. If Graham can save a hundred dollars on three dollars a week, you can too. Just keep up the good fight, and remember that God is your source of strength, and through Him we find peace. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. ~ James 1:12  Visit my blog at: Darlene Schacht.com Labels: Darlene's Articles, temptation Leave a comment... 8 Comments Links to this post When we bought our house in a quiet neighborhood of a college town, I never expected I would need to research wildlife. After all, one mile down the road, there’s a small shopping plaza. A couple of miles the other way, there’s a cluster of offices, yogurt shops, miniature golf course, etc. In short, a fox family should not be content to frolic in my yard. We offer no thickets or chicken coops. One reason they could be prowling around my backyard, driveway and front yard, however, is to meet and greet my 5-lb Yorkshire Terrier. Not gonna happen. Maybe I’ve absorbed too many Beatrix Potter stories, but a fox is a bad guy to me--tricky, cunning, predatory, and omnivorous. He is also beautiful, especially the red fox. As I researched ways to get rid of these interlopers, I couldn’t help being reminded of our great Enemy. In many ways, he is like the fox: intelligent, cunning, predatory, and omnivorous—and in the guise of meeting our deepest needs, he can appear as a beautiful solution to many problems, unless we are wise to his deceit. Omnivorous? Yes, it doesn’t matter who a person is—young, old, rich, poor, male, female--if he or she is human, he is God’s creation, and nothing gives Satan more pleasure than driving a wedge between the Creator and his creation and ultimately destroying lives. 1 Peter 5:7-9 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” As Christians, we may be lulled into feeling untouchable by his stalking. But just because he prowls the perimeter of our lives and isn’t invited inside the cottage to sit by the hearth doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. Here are some tips I read for getting rid of foxes that might apply to our predator, as well: --Get rid of your garbage ASAP. Foxes will raid trash cans and compost piles. Likewise, if there is sin we haven’t acknowledged and asked forgiveness for, we are mistaken to think it is safely buried in the past. We’re still open to raids and to our own bondage to that sin. In fact, we are warned in Proverbs 26:11 that we are likely to return to that sin like “a dog returns to its vomit.” Unconfessed sin weakens our fortress against recurring failures and against staving off new sinful invasions. Thankfully, we have a place to take our ugly baggage, the cross of Christ, where no one is ever turned away. Ever. --Don't feed them or get close enough to pet them. I’m going to get a little more exhortative here than usual: Do not “flirt” with trouble. Do not so much as dip your toe into the waters of sketchy behaviors. Do not tolerate within yourself a thought or habit out of line with what you know your Father approves of. Do not allow yourself to get too close to a stronghold to prove you have overcome or been delivered of it. You are not a superhuman, no matter how much you’ve been set free from. Christians are vulnerable to any sin. I speak from personal experience when I say never kid yourself or claim to someone else, “I would never be involved in [X],” whatever nefarious situation that might be, slight or blatant. Before the mist from your breath carrying those spoken words dissipates, Satan will be licking his chops and drawing up plans to bring you down. --Watch over your small pets. When I think of what could happen to my little, innocent dog, I get goose bumps. Now, this is a stretch, but protect your little ones, your children, even those who live in your house who are not so little anymore. As children grow older, parenting does not grow easier; the issues simply change, and we face challenges from the child in addition to those from the outside. My little dog cannot understand why I won’t let her roam in the backyard, but she has no idea what danger lurks there. My kids have not always understood why we chose to do or not do certain things. They may have thought I was foolish, but they did not fully know what I know. And if I have occasionally over-reached in protecting them, I have been a fool for lesser things. --Don’t let the fox immobilize or intimidate you. He is a menace, but he is not omnipotent. He may threaten; he may attack, but Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). We are not powerless. However, we conquer the enemy only through the power of Christ, which he gives to every one of his children as they daily confront the foxes and giants in their lives. His word tells us to humble ourselves, obey him, and believe in him who conquered death and whose name is above all. The way to keep the fox at bay, then, is to trust in the “Hound of Heaven,” who specializes in finding lost children and subduing the frustrated, defeated fox. Please visit my personal blog at www.2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com Labels: deceit, fear, Linda's Articles, power, Satan's schemes, temptation, victory Leave a comment... 7 Comments Links to this post
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