Have You Suffered Enough? – Purity 1330

Have You Suffered Enough? – Purity 1330

Purity 1330 04/19/2024 Purity 1330 Podcast

Purity 1330 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the Hudson River under an absolutely
clear blue sky comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene from the River
walkway and boat launch at Schodack Island State Park on Tuesday, April 16^th. 

Well, It’s Friday – Thank God! – and I am thanking
God today for more than just the end of your normal work week – besides if I
was counting on that to make me happy I would have been sorely disappointed
today because, due to my shifted tour, I have to work tomorrow. No, today I am
rejoicing in the Lord because that odd Tuesday off seems to have been the
demarcation point of a new season of repentance in my life as I am back on
track with my health goal’s food plan and hopeful to have experience a change
in my heart about “doing what is right” with how I comfort myself. 

During the busy “freedom season” of ministry over
the past several weeks I have been going at it earnestly spiritually in
discipling others and leading 8 men through the Steps to Freedom in Christ, but
somewhere between January 31^st and now I have lost focus on my
health goal. I have plenty of good excuses for seeking to comfort myself with food
over the past few months including a Disney World vacation in February,
increased stress from work and a busy ministry schedule, and another less-than-disciplined
vacation at my place down by the River last week but what was a 5 pound see saw
plateau has revealed itself to totter into a 10-pound weight gain since January
31^st, and that’s after 4 days of food plan success! 

So what happened? Life happens. Those vacations were
understandable “breaks” from the norm but what also was happening was some
release of restraint with “cheat days” or at least “unmonitored days” on some
of the weekends between – my best weight and where I find myself today. 

A couple of days ago on the podcast, I mentioned how
I was going to proceed without the “crutch” of an accountability partner
because I think that at some point we need to mature and decide for ourselves
that we are going to walk in integrity without having to tell someone else
about it.  While I firmly agree that to
make a breakthrough we may need the use of a trusted brother or sister in Christ
to be accountable to – self-deception happens all by itself and we need to be
real with someone else to be set free on occasion.   But at
this point in my battle with food addiction, I feel it is time to take off the
training wheels and just be real within myself. 

My experience over the last several months has
taught me what foods I can trust and rely on for a diet of sustained victory –
knowing is half the battle – and I have learned through suffering this current setback
just how unsatisfying it is to give into seeking comfort through the flesh with
sweet foods that taste good but that do damage to our bodies and souls.  Food addiction is a subtle beast but the
cravings and cycles of behaviors that make one “soulish” are the same as an
addiction to alcohol, drugs, or sex. That pull of temptation, that longing,
that giving in, and that pain of regret, guilt, and quite frankly the physical discomfort
that results from giving into food addiction is of the same type as a drunken
binge or lustful escapade into darkness. 

Anyone who has successfully escaped a “sin-confess,
sin-confess” cycle can tell you of the insanity of repeatedly going back to the
things that didn’t satisfy them physically or emotionally and only caused them
to feel empty spiritually.  When you’re
in those cycles, you wonder just how many more times you will have to learn the
same lesson – this behavior, this substance, this stuff doesn’t make me happy!
It causes me pain!

This morning I came across the following verses in

1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV) that tell us:
¹  Therefore, since Christ
suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he
who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
²  that he no longer should
live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the
will of God.
³  For we have spent
enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles–when we walked
in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable
idolatries.

In giving into the same old sweets and
comfort foods periodically over the last couple of months,  I think I have suffered enough – I have spent
enough of my “past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles” and even though
this passage seems to highlight the activities of my former ways of darkness, I
think they also apply to my food addiction. 
Because the cycle of behaviors and emotions of my food addiction seem to
be a more wholesome version of my former darkness, I think the principle
applies.  

And the big insight here is that it doesn’t
really what you are comforting yourself with, if you are turning to certain substances,
activities, or behaviors independently of God to find happiness, peace, or
comfort, you go astray. You sin. And just like the alcoholic who has to hit
rock bottom before wanting to get sober, I think we are all capable of “suffering
enough” from our sins in our flesh to come to the point of repentance.

After “playing games” and going around
the merry-go-round once again, for a short trip – mind you,  I think I may finally be “done” with taking
my liberty to practice license with the things of the flesh – in this case
food.  

And believe me this is a tough ‘cookie”
to crack – because there is nothing inherently “wrong” or immoral with eating
the foods that put me in this cycle – but there is the rub – just like some can
drink alcohol and not be tempted into drunkenness but was somewhat
inconceivable for me – I likewise have to recognize the craving “lustful”
behavior that latches onto otherwise wholesome food to see the error of my ways
– and realize that if I can’t avoid being pulled into that cycle of behavior by
indulging in certain foods – it is best for me not to go there at all. 

I think I may have had this insight before,
but it didn’t stick obviously, and I let stressful or restful circumstances
allow me to think I could “go back to the well” foodwise. But just like in my
drinking days, no matter how long I had been sober if I went “back to the well”
it led to disaster.  With food addiction,
“the disasters” aren’t as dramatic but the pain to my body and soul that
results from “not doing what is right” foodwise tell me that it may be best
just to not “go back to the well” ever again.  

The verse in 1 Peter does say “he who
has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” and I know I have suffered,
and I think I understand now how foolish I have been in thinking I could have
peace by doing anything other than “ceasing my sin”. 

I have such an abiding peace within me
this morning from walking in victory for 4 days and it is my intention to
disrupt it by indulging the flesh.  

1
Corinthians 10:23 (NKJV) says
²³  All things are lawful for
me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all
things edify.

And the NLT
puts it this way. 

1
Corinthians 10:23 (NLT2)
²³  You say, “I am allowed to
do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do
anything”—but not everything is beneficial.  

While I have
the freedom to eat anything and could attempt to do so in “moderation” – it may
be wiser to see that these foods that give my tastebuds pleasure – are not beneficial
to my soul and over indulging in them addictively causes disruption in my
spirit because I “sin” – miss the mark by seeking comfort from the idols of
food and filling my belly rather than being content with food that provides for
my needs and relying on God to give me peace.  

So today will
be day 5 of another day of victory in the war against the flesh and I am
hopeful that I have “suffered enough” and won’t go back to the well again. 

Christ came to
set the captives free, not to allow the captives to freely indulge in the things
that keep them in chains, so keep walking and talking with God and allow Him to
show you that you have suffered enough and you can now walk free from the ways
of the flesh to experience true peace and joy with Him.

——————————————————————————————–

Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.

(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Death and Eternal Life

Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
¹⁶  The Spirit himself bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
¹⁷  and if children, then
heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in
order that we may also be glorified with him.

Today’s
verses fall under the twelfth point of our counseling reference guide
resource’s section on Death and Eternal Life.  

12. Believers are co-heirs with Christ.

Today’s
verses remind us of the good news that we are indeed children of God, and we
will inherit a piece of God’s kingdom – provided we suffer with Him! 

Whoa,
whoa whoa… did you see that? It’s like good news, good news, good news, and oh yeah
by the way “provided that we SUFFFER with Him.  

Now don’t
get this twisted, there are some well-meaning faithful believers who have taken
this quite literally and will actually try to reenact the sufferings of Christ
by being beaten and crucified and I think they are a little off base, or at
least I hope so.  

Although,
being more like Jesus could be interpreted as suffering the same things He did –
I don’t think we have to start with flogging and being hung on a cross!

My
attempts at sanctification have been painful enough and I would suggest that
trying to overcome the flesh and to remove sin from our lives is more than
enough suffering to meet the “requirements” of today’s verse.  

But
seriously, our faith is counter-cultural and counter-intuitive of the ways of
the world that we were raised in and so if we want to be able to claim our piece
of God’s kingdom as co-heirs with Christ, we can attempt to follow Christ’s
example and be holy and the suffering will follow after just like it came into
Jesus’s life.   

———————————————————–

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.

As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.

EVENING READING: ACTS 1

“A witness with us of His
resurrection.” – Acts 1:22

It is very obvious from this verse and the surrounding
verses that the fundamental qualification of a true witness is the knowledge of
and the conscious responsibility to testify concerning the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the
foundation stone of all Christian doctrine. For, “If Christ is not risen, [our]
faith is futile; [we] are still in [our] sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). The crucifixion
of Jesus could be the martyrdom of a good man, but the resurrection of Jesus
seals the death as being the atoning death of the Son of God.

How important then to be a true witness to the
resurrection of my blessed Lord.

Lord, help me never to leave it out
of my preaching.^[1]

—————————more
tomorrow————————

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, “Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the
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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship