James 4:7-10
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I learned a valuable lesson when Timothy visited us last month. For him, chocolate and sugar are tools of the devil! They turn him into a “spinning top”… a whirling dervish who is cranky, irritable and erratic. The two times he was allowed to have a hefty snack of chocolate milk and chocolate cookies, we all paid the price! Once he “bottomed out” from his chocolate/sugar high, he slept… and slept… and slept for what became an almost three-hour nap!
It didn’t take me long to figure out that I needed to divert Timmy’s attention… to encourage him to put chocolate milk and cookies out of his mind and focus on something else… another food, a toy or game, or some other activity. More than once, there were tears and wails of “But I want chocolate! I need chocolate!” We had to get really serious about our efforts to resist this temptation.
This is an over-simplification of our own inner struggle… or maybe it’s not. So often, the first step in resisting the devil is to divert our focus. Sure, those cookies in the cabinet call our name. Yes, many of us want another cigarette or one more drink. Of course we miss our friends and the old “fun” we used to have. It’s hard to stop peppering our language with four-letter words after years of doing so… especially if “everyone else is doing it.” And the very thing you think will be hardest to hand over to God may be the easiest. The devil is incredibly crafty! It’s the littlest things that will trip you up! After all, one of the most difficult things for me to resist was sweet tea!
We all “play the field” in a variety of ways. God wants us to surrender to Him… to RUN to Him in everything from our diet and health to bad habits, gossip, lying, cheating, and illicit or immoral behaviors… and even the temptation to overindulge in chocolate milk and cookies! It won’t be easy. James tells us to cry our eyes out and be sad… mourn our old ways, if we have to. But in the end, we must give them to God.
As more time elapsed without chocolate, Timmy adjusted and quit asking for the milk and cookies. It helped that I put them away where he couldn’t see them. You may have to do this with your own temptations. Put them out of view… move away from the crowd who entices you to behave in a way that is harmful or sinful…divert your attention and focus on things that are Godly, healthy, and pure. Do what it takes to get serious… really serious! Concentrate on seeking God’s will… and finding it! Allow Him to work in and through you… to change you from the inside out.
I’m not saying that our cravings for the things that are bad for us will ever completely disappear. In fact, I’m pretty sure they won’t, because Satan is never going away. But neither is God… and I know WHO ultimately wins! Are you ready to fall to your knees and hit “rock bottom” so that you can be set upright on your feet? It’s time to get serious… to leave the devil in the dust and whisper God’s name… to call on Him to draw near and work His will. We all must renew our resolve to operate in the serious surety of a life in Christ… instead of the fun and games uncertainty the devil offers. I’m ready to do this. Are you?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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