What To Do When You Want To Cheat Part IV

What To Do When You Want To Cheat

Part IV



II Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.



Think correctly about food. We have a tendency to have imaginations about foods. We daydream about and crave certain foods. The battlefield is the mind, where it all starts and where all sin begins. The solution is to get the thought in your head that short time pleasure is not worth long term pain. The pain can be defined as health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol caused by eating wrong foods in excess.



There are two ways to think about food. You guessed it, the wrong way and the right way.

The wrong way to think is what I call Esau thinking. (Read Genesis 25: 29-34). Esau thought that short-term pleasure was worth long-term pain. He exaggerated his hunger to the point of saying he would die without a portion of the meal his brother had prepared and as a result, sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew. The birthright was a very valuable thing, which would have allowed Esau to experience special opportunities, but he believed short-term pleasure was worth the long-term pain. He sold his birthright for a morsel of food and later hated his brother.



How often have we talked ourselves into believing, "I've got to have that second slice of cake or just one more piece of chicken?" Then we beat ourselves up after giving in to the desire for a food we know isn't good for us. How many people do you know with high blood pressure or diabetes; who after eating a food they knew was bad for them became ill, and afterward regretted the action.



The right way to think is what I call Moses thinking. (Read Hebrews 11:23-26). Moses thought that short-term pleasure was not worth long-term pain. Living with the Pharaoh, Moses had access to much good food, all the delicacies. But Moses chose to give this up. When he learned of his true heritage, he chose to give up life in the palace to be with his people. He gave up short-term pleasure, understanding it was not worth the long-term pain.



Living in America allows you to have access to lots of really good food; however, in the midst of plenty, we must decide if the pleasure is worth the pain? Your health is a very valuable thing and if you take care of it, you will be able to experience some special things. Are you losing these opportunities by thinking like Esau or will you gain by thinking like Moses?