“Put your desires to death”

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5

Verse reflections:  I love the idea of taking a big butcher knife to my “evil desire” for sweets, processed carbs, alcohol and all the other processed foods that create passion, impurity and idolatry in me. I need to put my desires on the butcher block and stab them over and over and over again. Now, just when I think they are dead and I make some prolonged progress they come back from the dead and convince me that a week of splurging will make me happy.  And then months’ worth of discipline disappears literally overnight (okay seven overnights).  If you are reading this and it feels like I am exaggerating, then you do not experience the battles I face inside.  I feel impure when I indulge at the levels I eat at.  I feel my desires are evil not because of the desires themselves but because of the unhappiness they create afterwards and the separation I feel from godliness.  I covet a great body to the point that I am depressed when I look in the mirror or try on clothes.  I sometimes make food my “idol” even the god I choose to spend more time with than the God who loves me beyond compare.  I feel immoral, impure when I fail to be disciplined.  I feel depressed, like a failure when I let my passion for food overtake my day.  I am not tempted by sexual immorality, I am tempted by food immorality.  I do not deal with drug abuse, I deal with food abuse.  I am not addicted to cigarettes, I am addicted to sugar and carbs.  I do not have a problem because I am overweight, I have a problem because of the unhealthy emotional results.  Some people have a problem because they are unhealthy emotionally and physically.  We have to do what this verse commands of us.  We have to put to death our desires.

Prayer:  Father, I need Your help to put to death my earthly desires.  I have impure, passionate, even evil desires for food.  I even spend more time with food or thinking about foods than I do with You at times.  I am so sorry I fail at this over and over and over again.  I love You Father, more than You could ever know.  I realize that I do not show You because I let my earthly desires take over even when I know I have to have strength from above to overcome.  I can’t just get through day by day.  I have to KNOW that I have put these desires to death.  I have to KNOW that I will live the rest of my life having put to death the cravings.  I have to know I can eat two cookies, not fifteen.  I have to live today and tomorrow without a question mark.  I have to put an exclamation mark beside my choices.  It is interested that You command US to put the desires to death.  Okay, I am ready.  Let’s stab this baby to death now and insert cravings for pure, God foods.