Choosing to Do Nothing and to Just Sit There – The Thrill of Obedience – Purity 1542
Purity 1542 12/30/2024 Purity 1542 Audio Podcast
Purity 1542 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of the shadow of my canine pal, Harley, walking the last few feet before turning into our countryside driveway, under the silhouette of tree limbs and the last light of day on the horizon, comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene after sunset on Christmas Day.
Well, it is Monday, December 30th, and I am happy to announce that I currently have 24 hours of victory over the sugar demon that has had free reign over my life for quite some time, as I have been weak in my determination to live a sugar free life ever since I made the transition to becoming a vegetarian in November. Although I had victory over sugar in the past, I inexplicably opened the door to it again and am now choosing to eliminate it from my life once more. Changes in our habits can’t happen all at once and we have to measure our progress in baby steps and claim our victories one step at a time and one day at a time. To give up addictions or things that are bad for us, we have to accept the pain of the process of change (it’s difficult not to do what we have always been doing) and we have to accept the pain of the reality of the new normal (there will be a void in our lives where our addiction used to be and we will have to fill it with something else or we will suffer.
I remember the first time I quit smoking cigarettes, years ago, I really struggled with both these pains. Not only is nicotine physically addictive – and getting that monkey off your takes can 2-4 weeks of real physical withdrawal but the behavior of smoking can become a mindless automatic part of your life. Lighting up and smoking a cigarette was a constant and persistent habit, and in order to get victory over it, I had to tell everyone I was quitting (confession and accountability), and I had to remove cigarettes from my presence (elimination). I also had to tell myself that I didn’t need them (proclamation) and that I wasn’t a smoker anymore (identity). While I could understand that I could tell myself that I didn’t need to smoke, I could usually delay or say no to the temptation to smoke when it wasn’t appropriate or it literally made me feel sick, I struggled with the idea of a new normal without it ever in my life. I remember honestly asking myself, “So what do you do when you quit smoking? Do you just sit there? doing nothing?”
While there could be some replacement habits you could choose to do until you are in the clear the answer to those questions is “Yeah, you just sit there and do nothing.”
So, I have to earnestly continue in the process of “doing nothing” when it comes to consuming sugar, just like I have successfully done with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and sexual immorality. I know how to do nothing; I just have to do get in the habit of eating healthy again and not to consciously choose to “do the next right thing” when it comes to food. With addictions, it’s best not to focus on what you crave and instead just choose to do the right thing. It’s a proactive positive orientation approach to choose the good rather than lamenting over the life we are choosing to say goodbye to.
I’m rather embarrassed about my food failures because I have successfully walked away from all other addictions and haven’t looked back. So as we begin the new year, I am humbled once again and am choosing to “do the next right thing” by leaning on the Lord for strength and wisdom, to surrender to doing “what’s right” as a steward to my body, the temple of the Hol Spirit, and to forgive myself for the my weakness in indulging in the flesh.
The good news is that I know the Lord is faithful to help those who ask Him and He blesses those who obey the collected wisdom of His word. Speaking of the blessings of obedience, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley speaks on this topic so I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage all of us to follow the Lord into all the blessings He has for us in the new year that is less that 48 hours away. Dr. Charles Stanely writes:
“The Thrill of Obedience
Walking by faith leads to unimaginable blessings.
Christians sometimes approach obedience as a way to avoid the negative consequences of disobedience. When this happens, obeying becomes a heavy burden. But God intended our walk of faith be a thrilling adventure, motivated by our love for Jesus and our desire to please Him. Obedience is about discovering more and more of God—not simply avoiding unpleasant outcomes.
Some may equate doing God’s will with the word burden because weighty decisions may be involved. Yet the Lord doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle. Our obedience in the smaller matters of life prepares us for bigger issues.
When we place trust in the Lord’s omnipotence and act on His prompting, life becomes exciting (1 Samuel 15:21-22). And we need not be fearful—for two reasons. First, God has promised to walk through our challenges with us (Hebrews 13:5). And second, He already knows the good that will result when we do what He asks. In fact, after taking one step in obedience, we will have opportunities to do so again, and to experience more of His goodness.
As you walk into this new year, ask yourself, What is my next step of obedience?”
Amen. Instead of worrying about what you are going to do when you decide to give something up for the new year and the “big void” that choosing to “do nothing and just sit there” will bring, look for the next step of obedience that the Lord is calling you to take. Those steps might include: “Pray. Study. Read. Meditate. Work. Serve. Or Rest”
A sense of peace comes to us when we are walking in the Spirit because God’s ways are right, and they bring blessings when they are obeyed. Choose God’s path of goodness and righteousness and you will understand the blessing of being obedient.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes 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 Humility (Pride).
Luke 14:11 (ESV) For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Today’s verses are the first of two passages of scripture that fall under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Humility (Pride).
2. Listen carefully to what Jesus says.
Today’s Bible verse reminds us to avoid self-promoting ourselves to the point of exaltation because the pride goes before our destruction and humility is waiting for those who boast of their own abilities.
Boasting is risky business. Not only do we run the risk of not being able to back up our claims of our own abilities, but we also enter into the dangerous area of idolatry as our self-praise is false worship, making ourselves a god. So remember God has given us everything we have and w are not to be exalted. God is the only One worthy of worship or praise.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com 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 “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 41
I was delighted that I found some of your children walking in the truth …
2 John 4
These children of the “elect lady” were living according to the truth, John reports. He delighted in the fact, and said so. But you and I know that there is a form of rivalry in which one Christian attempts to justify his own sinful behavior by “downing” another who is “walking in the truth.” You hear such cutting words as, “Oh, he’s just acting super pious to impress others,” or “She must think she’s better than the rest of us.” That’s not the way John viewed proper behavior in a Christian. Notice he describes it as “walking in the truth,” that is to say, walking according to the truth revealed to us by the Apostles. How encouraging these words must have been to the elect lady. Do you delight in the faithful walk of your brothers and sisters? Surely, you should. The problem is that many of us are so self-centered we don’t care one way or the other about our brother in Christ. Why not begin by commending their behavior to others who would also be delighted to hear of it. Perhaps, as a result, you too will learn to delight in it as well.[1]
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 49.
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