by Janelle Keith | Honestly, there were many days that I had to practice again and again. "No way will I eat that!" "Um—you want me to eat what?"
Sweets, also known as refined sugar can take over a strong, sound mind and leave you in a pile of cookie crumbles. This notion runs rampant with those who struggle with food temptations.
There's a powerless feeling that rises to the surface and quickly dominates your emotions.
Those Twinkies and cookies that lure you in! I know; me too!
A "sweet tooth" commands your mind to submit to your taste buds. My own cravings for sweets rendered my willpower powerless. It was then that I realized I had a choice to make.
I want to help you step back and examine why you crave these sweets plus how to respond to temptations. There was a day when I had to give myself a gift.
I started saying "No" in a new liberating way.
Saying "no" to unhealthy food choices now will free you.
This encouragement will help lift your perspective to a positive "No, not now" response and empower your journey of shedding an appetite for things you know you shouldn't eat.
What is your temptation? Is there something that continually gets in the way and bumps up against your logic by dragging you back to eating that "one bite"?
I call those temptations. You have what it takes to say no to that food, (whatever it is) because you have the power of choice!
A breakup with Little Debbie (skinny or not) is so hard to do.
I stepped away from the dessert table and hit the floor with my request. I needed a supernatural resistance to overcome my natural desire. The Lord gave me my exit strategy. I practiced this gift of "no" to myself.
Honestly, there were many days that I had to practice again and again. "No way will I eat that!" "Um—you want me to eat what?"
After practicing responses within different social scenarios, I was able to stand strong.
I asked myself a question and answered indignantly.
A food/feelings journal helped properly process my emotions and the triggers that set me off. As I owned my overconsumption of calories, I policed myself. Personifying food empowered me to choose positively, liberated my strength, and encouraged me in my weaknesses.
Finally, I got to the root issue and let God remove my fear of people, the pressure of performance and the disease to please others.
I accepted my limitations, turned compassion around and treated myself with kindness. I realized I possessed an ability to stand up to temptations when presented in social situations and in times of loneliness.
It's empowering when you stand up to temptation.
You get to tell your emotions how to behave instead of feeling powerless and succumbing to the pressure of the situation. In other words, you choose where the temptation should go, you get to be the boss!
Spoiler Alert: The enemy crouches at your heart's door, waiting for you.
Satan absolutely, undeniably and most unequivocally abhors it when we obey God…. Period.
But worse yet, like sea salt rubbed deep in his giant evil ego, he hates it when you praise God for the freedom and deliverance in tempting situations. Satan hates it when you ignore the cat calls from those donuts and when you act deaf when he shouts, "It's only one bite, no one will know!"
I gave too much ammunition to temptation.
I cleaned out my cabinets of all tempting foods and refused to go down those sweet tooth aisles at the grocery store. Satan knows which buttons to push! He is the one who keeps reminding you that you have failed, have fallen, are weak and powerless.
I've even heard the enemy's hiss of "you're not mature enough to stand up" against temptation. He's the best accuser I know and directs all of his accusations and half-truth statements at you.
Blame swallows pride.
Satan feasts on old wounds, damaged self-esteem spots and cravings for acceptance. The father of lies doesn't need any new tricks up his sleeve because deception still works effectively.
As I gifted myself with a "no, not now," it helped me back out of a sugar-coated pit of despair. I gained more self-control and willpower to overcome my wild emotions.
Until you look at why you eat, you won't have the appetite to stop what you eat. So today, start saying, "Not today, Satan!"
Be mindful that the enemy will spare no expense when it comes to getting you off track.
Food is amoral.
Food has no feelings or reasoning ability, understandings nor wisdom. Our lack of self-control creates a huge gap of misunderstanding when it comes to comfort versus and obedience. That's why we have to separate ourselves from the temptation itself and take care of ourselves as the Lord leads us to do so.
We have to feed into our hearts and minds the freedom that awaits our flesh by moving towards our goals in spite of whatever hurdle the enemy throws at us.
Encourage yourself.
I self-motivated instead of self-medicated my soul. Instead of your taste buds, submit to the Holy Spirit. God cares about your health and nutrition too!
I took a baby step towards this kind of freedom but then ran towards hope. The more you gift yourself with a no, the more "yes in Christ" freedom you will taste!
No matter what temptation you face, say "no" to it and walk far from it.
"Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
"That you put off the former way of life in the old nature, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new nature, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22-24).
"All things are lawful for me" (1 Cor. 10:23a), but not everything is beneficial. "All things are lawful for me"—but not everything is constructive." Verse 24 states "Nobody no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being."
I love the acknowledgment of freedom in these verses. They call out of hiding what you have been hiding from and show you how to practice your newfound freedom. I practiced, and now, liberation is what I choose. The gift of no is a small price to pay for what you gain in the freedom of choice and freedom from what drags you down is worth more than what money can buy.
Janelle Keith is a popular blogger and lost 132 pounds through God's power. Connect with her via her website at thejanellekeith.com.
Read original article at takebackyourtemple.com.
