Exercising Discipline

 

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  John 6:51a

A Physical Battle

Exercise and eat right. Who does not know this is the prescription for good health, energy, and a stable weight? We have heard it for most of our lives, so why don’t we do it?

Most women have a constant struggle with eating well and maintaining weight because there are so many opportunities to eat and so few to exercise! If we want to exercise we have to deliberately carve out the time in our schedules. We may even have to pay for the gym membership if we want to exercise regularly.

Whether we want to eat or not we are offered a buffet every time we turn around. Almost no meeting,  no office we visit, or our own homes, lack opportunities for a quick snack. Even when I go to the bank now I am faced with cookies, pretzels, and coffee.

Self-control is the key! I loved Lysa Terkeurst’s challenge in her book “Made to Crave”. She said that when she sees tempting food she thinks to herself something to the effect of, “Will I be happier tomorrow with the victory of not eating this than I will be right now with the taste?” I still indulge sometimes but at least I am weighing (wink, wink) the consequences before I do.

In Matthew 4 Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness and He said to the devil, “It is written, ’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Spiritual Battle

It seems that we are caught in a similar pattern of temptation with spiritual food as we are with solid foods. Things look or sound so tempting that we listen and take in what almost anyone who teaches tells us. We fail to consider the consequences or look for the real ingredients of the teaching so we know what we’re getting. Before you know it, we are weighed down (pun intended) with burdens we did not plan to add.

There are many days when it is tempting not to sit down with the Lord for a time of prayer and Bible reading/study. The things of the world are so alluring, work, time with friends, other books, the internet, and even family can all be taking us away from the time we might give to the Lord, to get to know His Word. When we succumb to that temptation too many times, when time in the Word of God is not a priority, we are far more likely to fall for false teaching.

Jesus once told the Sadducees that they were wrong in their thinking because they did not know the scriptures or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29) How often is this true of any of us?

Eating the right spiritual food and exercising our faith will be as healthy for us as leaving that Oreo cheesecake on the table would have been for me recently!