Why wasn’t there a machine gun nest near the tree? Seriously! If there was, when Eve approached and a line of bullets cut into the ground in front of her, warning her to back off, she wouldn’t have eaten the forbidden fruit.
That’s how I feel on my diet. If only there was a machine gun nest. . .
I pray, “Lord, stop me from overeating,” as if I want Him to create an electrified refrigerator door handle that would zap me whenever I touched it. “Lord, give me the strength to get up and exercise,” as if I’m a robot that God simply moves around; bending my arms and legs, kind of like Gumby. Remember those little toy Gumbies? You could move their arms and legs; that is, until the wire in the inside broke. Then they kind of flopped around. Sometimes I feel like my prayers are Gumby-ish. “Lord, stop me from sinning. Stop me from overeating.”
Let’s look at the truth of the matter. Just like Joshua exhorted the nation of Israel – “Choose you this day who you will serve. . .”, God says the same thing to me. Only it’s “Choose you this day what you will eat. . .”
When I pray, “God, help me! Be with me. Lord give me strength,” He answers with an already given (and constantly being fulfilled) promise, “Lo, I am with you always!”
Hey! I’m not saying God doesn’t answer prayers. He does. However, for any of us to act like a Gumby and expect God to stop us from sinning, to want a heavenly electric shock collar, it’s not the way it works.
God didn’t put a machine gun nest in the garden. He didn’t put a electric fence around the tree. Adam and Eve made choices. God is with me while I am on this weight loss journey, but He’s not Gumby-ing me. My choices got me into this mess. It’s gotta be my choices that get me out. Every day it’s, “Choose you this day. . .”
Another six pounds down. Hurray!
He did put some angels around the Garden after the sin. It is all about our choices, however, there are many times we would hope He would make some for us. Great blog!
You are right Reg, great post Jeremiah, and yes I do have a few choices I wish He would make for me.
I love reading your blogs. Sadly, I generally don’t like to read much at all but when I do, there are times I feel blessed to have taken the moment to do so. Other times I feel like I was just robbed of time I will never get back. I can honestly say this, your Ramblings and Reflections, are time well spent. Congratulations on the victory brother! I am so proud of you. It is not an easy thing to do. The past two weeks, OK three weeks, are reminding me what it feels like to want to do better but I find I seem to be back in all too familiar territory where the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Keep at it my friend. It does not take very much lost to feel worlds better and once you start feeling better, that will drive you to go further. Praying for success through discipline by the power of God for you. Please pray for me. Peace, Jonathan
Thanks Jonathan. Remember, there’s power in prayer. I pray for you every day!