Volume 25, Issue 8
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 7
You’re Not ‘Giving Up’ Anything
(Continued from Page 3)
cious enemy that wants you sick and dead. So now go — trample Satan and his schemes under your feet. Freedom awaits you, but go with God because you can’t do
this alone. “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.” Email: Rob@WisconsinChristianNews.com Phone: ( 7 1 5) 4 8 6- 8 066
All addictions are the re- sult of “wanting.” Wanting something we’ve trained our brains to think we need, after indulging in it for so many years. We all want to feel good; we all want pleasure rather than pain. We all want to feel connection — to our- selves and others. We want acceptance, valida- tion, assurance, and se- curity. And we all want to be loved. So rather than fuel your New Years Resolution with willpower, when the temptation comes to indulge in more of what you know you no longer want in your life, instead, ask your- self, “what do I really want?” You want strength, courage, vitality, self- respect, a feeling of ac- complishment. You want to feel whole, without any voids in your life. When you give up those old habits and addictions, understand, you’re not “giving up” anything — you’re simply returning to the natural state of health, wellness and wholeness God intended for you. You’re returning to the real YOU, before you started this behavior. You’re not losing or giving up anything of value. On the contrary, you’re get- ting rid of a cruel enemy that’s hijacked your heart and mind and taken you captive in a place you no longer want to be. It’s the same for those addicted to smoking. Many think they smoke to relieve stress, but as with all addictions, the only stress it relieves is the stress brought on by the previous dose of the drug. This is why smokers never succeed with Nico- tine Replacement Ther- apy. That, too, is another deception of the devil. It’s an ingenious conspiracy between Big Pharma and Big Tobacco. Think about it: how can you get free of the addiction by taking the same drug you’re addicted to, just in
a different form? It does- n’t work. When Satan whispers in your ear that “just one puff won’t mat- ter,” ask yourself what you really want... the an- swer is you want to breathe, you want life and freedom. Then take a deep breath of life-giving fresh air, hold it for a few seconds and then exhale. Breathe life rather than
flesh, for these are op- posed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” So, plan your resolu- tions ahead of time — de- cide in advance how you’ll respond to each temptation, and include God in those plans. Why is it we only pray when we’ve done everything else in our own power and have failed? Lamentations 3:40, “Let us test and ex- amine our ways, and return to the LORD!” 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; be- hold, all things are be- come new.” What New Years Resolutions do you have? Do you want to lose weight? Stop bring- ing GMO junk food into the house. Stop eating two big burgers every day for lunch, followed by two king size candy bars and diet soda. Try some healthy chicken and vegetables. Eat clean. You’ll soon find your desire for the bad stuff goes, as you take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and your will begins to align with God’s will. This world is filled with temptations. The enemy of our souls wants noth- ing more than for us to continue believing the lie that we’re dependent upon poisons — whether that be a poor diet, or nicotine or alcohol, or pornography or Face- book or whatever. They’re all poisons — to our bodies, minds and souls. When you stop indulging what you think you need and instead ask yourself honestly, “what do I really need?” — and rewire, retrain your mind to return to the real you — as God made you — you’ll see you’re not giving up any- thing. Instead, you’re ridding yourself of a vi-
poison.
The key is to change your heart and mind and bring your will into align- ment with God’s will. Be- cause every action begins as a thought in the mind, and that’s where the devil goes to tempt us. “A few Doritos won’t hurt.” “I’m tired today and need a day off. I’ll exercise to- morrow.” “One drink won’t matter. Nobody has to know. I’ll quit tomor- row.” For most, tomorrow never comes, but instead turns into days, months, and years. And before you know it, a lifetime of good intentions — ending in an early, ugly death. Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is will- ing, but the flesh is weak.” Indeed, the flesh is weak. The carnal man is weak. This is why we must set our sights on spiritual things in order to accom- plish those good and righteous things we really want in our lives. It’s that old spiritual warfare again. Galatians 5:17, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the
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