People who battle with gluttony often write or tell me that they are tired of the struggle.
If it were up to us we would script a struggle-free life. Our God is powerful enough to create a struggle-free life, but the ways of God in the lives of His loved children always include a fair measure of struggle. The Bible continually compares our earthly lives with warfare.
As long as we are in this body and on this earth we will struggle. But we will not struggle alone. The intensity of the struggle will vary. But we don’t struggle alone or without the weapons we need for victory. We are never attacked without a way of escape. It helps to see that the struggle is an important part of God’s program for us. The struggle is one of the “all things” that work together for the good of those that love Him and are the called according to His purpose. His purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son and the struggle contributes to that purpose. It is in the struggle that we are strengthened with might by his power in our inner man. It is in the struggle that we clearly see that we are dependent on God to do for us what only He can do. It is the struggle that keeps us crying out to God.
As Godly habits of self-control displace long ingrained sinful habits, eating the right foods in the right amounts will get easier, but the struggle will always be a part of our lives. So “…let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)
Anything that increases our awareness of our total and continual dependence on God is a good thing, so the struggle is a good thing. While we struggle forward let remember that even while we are considered sheep for the slaughter, we are more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you. Send me mail at [email protected].
