Let His Spirit move us. Fresh, Flowing, Bubbling. (Photo by Stephen Moldenhauer)

Good ole Eve. She didn’t consider the choice or the consequences in that famous story of taking the forbidden fruit. The serpent tempted her. “She saw it. She wanted it. She bought the lie. She took it. And she suffered for it.”*

Sounds all too familiar.

But the enemy tried the same tactics on Jesus, and He walked away victorious.

We, like Eve, are imperfect beings. We know what it means to give into temptation. But here’s the deal. As believers in Jesus we also have the Spirit living inside us. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, the same power that gave Him the ability to overcome temptation, dwells in US!

A while back my youngest took driver’s ed. The last day the kids did a driving exhibition. Before they began the teachers gave the parents a bit of driving instruction. It was about focus. They told us they teach the kids to keep their eyes focused on where they want to go, even if they are in a skid, because if they are looking toward where they should be, the car will follow automatically.

My mind turned to food. And then to life. The application was clear. Where I want to be is where Jesus is. Where I want to be is where He wants me to be. I want to keep my focus on where I want to go–intimacy with Christ, being transformed inside and outside to be like Him, following HIS Spirit and direction . . . and specific to this journey, becoming the size He created me to be.

But I go where my focus is. For Eve it was fruit. For me the other day it was a cherry chocolate.

If I’m focused on that cherry chocolate on the table (like I was the other day) and I’m fueled by my worries, (like that day), I’m going to eat the cherry chocolate, (like I did that day). But if I had slowed down and considered the choices and consequences, if I’d looked to Jesus to take care of the worries that had me in turmoil, I may or may not have eaten that chocolate.

If I did, it would have been a choice made with peace. Instead it was a choice made with rebellion. I pushed away any chance of conviction or refocus and just saw, wanted, and ate. If I do that too many more times I’m going to be pretty disappointed because it will start affecting my goals and my hard earned weight loss. Too much more, and it will affect my health.

But beyond all that, I will also miss the opportunity for deeper communion with Jesus. I will miss peace and joy of enjoying a cherry chocolate because I have His blessing–or the victory of walking away from it because He empowered me and surrendering to His prompting was more important than eating that candy.

Jesus,
We need help with our focus. Please help us to keep our eyes on YOU, to want what YOU want, to stop, consider, and dialogue with You in all of our lives, including this crazy journey to the healthier, trimmer selves you created us to be.

What about you?

What’s your take on this? Do you think we’re overspiritualizing to talk about craving Jesus instead of food? Do you think He cares about your journey to a healthier, trimmer self? What do you think of the car analogy? If you focus differently how will that affect your choices?

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It’s about the focus

*From The Made to Crave Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst

Tagged: focus, overcoming temptation, victory, weight loss devotional