Whenever you decide to do something good in life, something is always going to happen to test you on your resolve. That is the basis for Step 5 of the Take Back Your Temple process: “Expect Tests and Be Prepared.”
I started this journey back in December 2003, but I still get tempted occasionally to eat things I know are not good for me. Jesus was not immune to temptations either. Luke 4:13 says, “When the devil had ended all the temptations, he departed from Him until another time.”
Did you get that? The devil tempted Jesus after His 40-day fast, Jesus resisted the devil, but then the devil still sought another opportunity to tempt Jesus again.
That’s why Scripture tells us, “Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet.5:8).
This week, I faced a tempting opportunity. My husband, Mike, and I went to a neighborhood Christmas party. Mike brought some chocolate cake home.
The next day, I received a phone call with some bad news. Suddenly, I remembered Mike’s chocolate cake in the refrigerator. That was the tempting opportunity.
Now up until that point, the cake had not tempted me. But I felt bad and I wanted to feel better. That’s what the habits of my past would have dictated: run to food whenever I had emotions I didn’t want to feel. It was my emotional painkiller.
But I remembered Ps. 46:10, in which the Lord says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
This time, I just sat still and talked with the Lord: “Lord, my heart is heavy. I need your Holy Spirit to minister to my heart right now and give me peace about this.”
I meditated on His Word and allowed the Holy Spirit to bring Scriptures to my remembrance that comforted me. He showed me a new perspective on the situation.
Learning to sit still with your feelings and allow your built-in Comforter to minister to you is a key skill in overcoming emotional eating. The enemy will try to convince you, “I can’t stand it. I must eat right now to escape this uncomfortable feeling.”
Emotional eating is a behavior of impulse. The enemy wants you to move fast so you don’t think about what you are doing. He also wants you to focus on looking to the past rather than moving forward.
I am happy to say I did not eat that cake. So it is not tempting me anymore.
The bottom line: You will be tempted at various times in life until you meet Jesus face-to-face. So the wisest thing to do is shut the doors on the enemy to limit those “opportune times” whenever you can. {eoa}
Once 240 pounds and a size 22, Kimberly Taylor can testify of God’s healing power to end binge eating. She is an author and the creator of the Christian weight-loss website takebackyourtemple.com. Visit today for inspirational health and weight-loss tips.
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