Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

When I open my eyes in the morning, my brain turns on, and I am not flooded with thoughts of things to do, people to see, or places to be, but rather ravenous hunger. I am like a bear crawling out of a cave after hibernating all winter, ready to devour something. Now, as

of late, I have fallen off the “healthy diet” wagon. Admittedly, I have not been a frequent rider of said wagon. For roughly three months now, I have been smitten with Hostess’s glazed blueberry jumbo donettes. I can tell you every gas station in Purvis, MS that carries them and what their inventory is looking like. Inevitably, I will have to join a 12-step program to relinquish the grip these things have on my life. I tell you this because while their taste is divine, their fulfillment is lacking. I can eat both donettes at 7:01 am, and by 8:01 am, I will likely be hungry again. The flip side of this equation is, if I get up and cook some eggs and sausage with a glass of red cap whole milk, my hunger will be satisfied to the point that I can successfully make it to lunch with little to no hunger pains. So why do I do this to myself?

Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” Faith is not content with fleeting pleasures; rather, it is ravenous for joy. Joy that lasts forever. Psalm 16:11 says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The role of God’s Word is to feed faith’s appetite for God. By doing this, it weans my heart off the deceptive taste of lust. Don’t fall for the fear of missing out on some great satisfaction provided by the fleeting lusts of this world. Cling to the path of purity and obedience to God’s Word and use the sword of the Spirit to begin the fight. Get that skillet out in the morning and fry those eggs. Get that Holy Bible out and expose the lies of worldly fulfillment, while feeding your joy to the max.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Take a few moments to read these scriptures to fuel your fight against temptation for fleeting moments of pleasure:
  • Matthew 5:29
  • Philippians 4:8-9
  • Romans 8:6
  • 1 Peter 2:11
  • Luke 8:14
  • Psalm 84:11
  • Matthew 5:8
• Prayer: God, let our faith be satisfied with Your life and peace. Help us to use Your Word as a sword to carve the sugarcoating off of the poison of lust and see it for what it is. By Your grace, let us break the alluring power of immediate satisfaction from the pleasures of this world. We love You. Amen.

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.