Not Mastered By Anything

I have achieved victory over  my addiction to diet soda!

For me, this is huge.

I had heard all the adverse health issues that diet soda could cause but I felt helpless against the urge to indulge in an icy cold glass. The caffeine gave me  the kick I needed to get through my day and helped me wake up in the morning.

The truth is that I am not “helpless” against any temptation.

I make the choice every time: yes or no?

In one of her Bible studies, Beth Moore once said, “At the end of the day, each of us has done exactly what we wanted to do.”  That is so true.

When my doctor told me on Monday that caffeine aggravates high blood pressure and I had to give it up since my numbers were so high, that was that. Over and done.

If it is a choice between my immediate health and my habit, my health will win every time.

That can of soda has absolutely no power over me anymore.  It never did. It’s just a can of soda.

The only power it held was what I gave it

The same is true of food. I used to be an emotional eater. If I was upset, I would reach for something sweet or salty to make me feel better. Realizing that this was an issue, I began to pray, “Lord, take away my emotional attachment to food.”

Then one day I read Chantel Hobbs’ book, Never Say Diet. She described “food as fuel.”

That really resonated with me.

You don’t put junk gas in your car, why would you put junk fuel in your body?

The question was no longer “What will make me feel better?” I started to ask, “What food would be the best fuel for my body?” and that’s what I ate.

Asking that question put me in the driver’s seat. I was no longer at the mercy of my emotions where food was concerned.

I could say no! Such freedom!

And I made a most amazing discovery—there are SO many other pleasures to experience in this life other than food!

There is nothing wrong with enjoying a delicious meal or a rich dessert.  But food can be enjoyed as a part of our lives without being the main thing we think about all day long.

Food is just food. It has no power to comfort us…that is just something we ascribe to it.

The apostle Paul said, “…I will not be mastered by anything.” (I Corinthians 6:12)

Through Christ’s power, we can all say the same thing.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of every believer. (Ephesians 1:18-20).

Just think about that fact for a moment…and then realize how impossible it is to be mastered by anything. 

As a Christian, you are never at the mercy of your circumstances. You can choose to believe what God’s Word says or you can allow your emotions and negative thoughts to dominate.

Let this be the year that you live  in the freedom of  your God-given victory.

Nothing—no food, no fear, no habit, no addiction— can master you without your consent.

So stop giving it.