If you know me or you have read some of my past posts, then you know that I have often referred to the life of staying fit to the life of being a Christian. By that I mean the discipline, dedication and ability to look ahead knowing your reward may not be "right now". If you live to stay fit, or your preparing to compete in some kind of fitness event, then you know the things you must stay away from to be all that you can be. But you also have to know that the daily choices you make won't give you instant results. It doesn't work like, if I don't eat the Big Mac today then I will have abs tonight. But it is like, if I don't eat that Big Mac day after day after day and I keep doing what I need to be doing, then yes, I will have what I am working toward....in this case abs. Much like the life of a Christian. There are daily choices we must make that get us to where God wants us to get to...and then there is also our long term goal of spending eternity with Him. No, if you abstain from things today you won't be exactly where God desires you to be tomorrow....but if you keep abstaining and listen to Him you will get there.
Once again today though, God brought an idea to my head that I have used to help people many times and showed me how to put it into my relationship with Him. So I want to share that now and hope that it challenges you like it did me.
When someone asks me for diet help I often will have them do a food journal before we even talk about any food changes. The point of this is take a week and just eat anything and everything they would normally eat. Not trying to do anything different than normal, but documenting every single thing they ate and when. The point of this is get a good look at what areas may really need work. Maybe they snack way to much. Maybe they eat way to late at night. Maybe they really do just eat bad food. But the best way to find out is not by asking them and having them sit and think about all they ate, but by documenting it and then looking back on the week. It is a true picture of the problem areas. And today God said to me what if you did a journal like this about your life with Me? What if you were completely honest about what you spent your time doing this week, what temptations you had, what temptations you fell to, what temptations you beat, what had your thoughts the most this week and what had your attention? If we could really and honestly journal our life for a week or even a month and then go back and look at it, how much would we really be convicted to change our lives? Satan wants the things we do against God to be subtle. He wants them to not seem like a big deal. He wants them to just leave our mind after we've done them. When we can blow them off like that we won't realize the impact they are really having on us. Then once he has convinced us to do enough, he will pour on the guilt and shame and all of the sudden one day you will realize the distance these actions have created between you and God. Just like a diet...nobody eats a doughnut late one night and wakes up 50 lbs over weight the next day. We do this little by little...satisfying those little desires again and again....and then over time, we become 50 lbs overweight. And also just like with our physical health, where we begin to have the defeated attitude of "well, I'm never going to be back to that weight again, so why even try"....we also can get that attitude with our relationship with Jesus...."well, I've done to much and I have to much shame to be what God 'was calling' me to be, so why even try". Both are very dangerous ways of thinking. One for your physical health...and one for your spiritual health!
I won't write out all of Romans 8, but I would highly suggest going and reading it. However I do want to point out verses 5-8, which says "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." So would your journal show that you spend more time in the spirit trying to please God, or more time in the flesh being 'carnally minded'?
When I ask someone about their food journal sometimes they are as surprised at what they ate that week because they have never stopped and looked that closely at it. If you did a "life journal" for a week, two weeks or even a month....would you be surprised at the things you spent your time, your thoughts and your energy on. And would you be willing to make the changes needed so God could get you to the place he desires for you to be?
God, open our eyes up to the things you want us to see. Help us not walk blindly through life ignoring the little things that are causing spiritual unhealthiness for us. Move through our hearts to transform our minds into thinking upon eternal things, and not getting so caught up in the here and now that we lose sight of who you have called us to be...and for what purpose you created us. In Jesus name, Amen
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