My friend texted me in a panic one morning. She was asking for prayer as she had drunk some rancid cream. She followed that text up with another that said, “Of course, to make sure my original assessment was correct, I took a second sip! That’s what I’m worried about!”

The consequences from the second, sometimes fatal, sip.

I think it funny sometimes how we think we know so much. We feel we have so much control. We dabble in things that we know in the back of our mind are not good for us.

But nowadays, it seems like there is no litmus test. Everything goes. It goes back to my youth and that famous Life cereal commercial and Mikey. “Try the cereal, Mikey! You’ll like it!” I don’t know who the other kids were, but today we might be able to safely say that they bullied Mikey into eating that cereal. There definitely was peer pressure.

There has to be a line, a foundation, from which we base our morality. Everything most certainly cannot go! Some of these things we’re being pressured to do lead to death, or poor health, at best.

What is my monkey on my back? I would have to say, for long term problems, it is my desire to not become morbidly obese and suffer the way my mother does.

For as long as I can remember, my mother struggled with her weight. As a child, I recall her always being “on a diet”. Yet, she loved to make meals with pasta! I suppose that was budget-friendly, as we did not have a lot, and there where five people to feed.

This childhood of mine left me confused about right eating, unaware of the danger of processed foods, and with very little cooking skills.

But I slipped through my 20’s and early 30’s on shear energy. I ate what I wanted when I wanted. No one was going to tell me differently!

Don’t get me wrong! I can cook! I am not brilliant every single day like some of my “Martha Stewart” friends, but I can hold my own. When we invite people over for dinner, they don’t usually make apologies to not come…

I have learned much from research, and–most likely because of my mom’s poor track record–I don’t diet. I really do try to exercise at my level of ability. I consciously “get up and move”, even if I don’t feel like it. I have two dogs; they sure guilt you if you don’t take them on walks! I know how to eat right.

But of course I do not always do it, and I fall off the veggie wagon face first into a hot fudge sundae. Yikes!

And the weight gain inevitably follows..the scale does not lie. But it seemed so subtle! I was thinking the entire time I was indulging, “This little bit cannot possibly hurt!” But the scale does not lie (especially if it is a Weightwatchers scale…thank the hubby for that Christmas gift). And then it’s a boatload of work to reverse the damage I caused myself!

What are some of our other traps? Is it pornography? Substance abuse? Always engaging in toxic relationships? Gambling? Cheating? Hoarding/compulsive shopping? Gaming? Competing? Netflix binge watching? Are you trapped in your oppressive thoughts?

What stumbles us into these destructive behaviors? What is the trigger point? Immaturity, anger issues, voices in your head, lack of self esteem, our health? Moment of honesty here. Do you ever think, “I deserve this, since I’m probably going to die from this cancer or something else that is worse, so it doesn’t matter anymore!” or we think, “I can handle this, I won’t let this get out of control.”

The excuses abound!

New Testament Apostle Paul cries out (as I believe we should): “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24

If you have stopped reading this post because you do not want help or you are really struggling, I am praying for you! But if you keep reading, I provide HOPE. Better than a vaccine, or a garden salad with fat-free dressing, or anti-craving medication…

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:25

We are confused, conflicted, compromising…

WE ARE, AFTER ALL, HUMAN

There are so many things that can go wrong when we step off the threshold of rationality. When we sip backwards, step by step. Relationships fade, jobs are lost, associations kick you to the curb…some people reading know what it feels like to be “shunned”. The activity was all fine and good until you got that into that drunk driving accident, and someone died.

When all else fails, and believe me, it will, there is the anti-virus: from Romans 8:1 & 2, which says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

We are free in Christ Jesus. Such a relief! Such a simple concept! And the intriguing part is that our God is so patient and merciful in that He wants us to come to Him as hurting child who was just stung by the world and is hurting, bruised, and disoriented. He will brush the gravel out of your bleeding knees, bind up your wounds, and replace your anxiety with peace that passes all understanding. You just need to go to Him. And if you cannot walk due to the consequences of poor choices, then just say, “Help me, Lord.” and He will come to you!

God always gives us more than one chance. He is not your bankruptcy, your failed marriage, your addiction, your poisoning, your obesity. He is your number one advocate and you can find restoration when you “sip and fall”. Find the answers you are seeking in the Bible. Talk to someone you trust about what you are going through. As always, please send us an email if you have questions or just want to talk about things. embassyofchristbiblechurch@gmail.com.