We know one rotting fruit can destroy an entire bag. The decay leaps to the good oranges, and one by one they succumb to the devastation.
If we don’t remove the rotten part, soon everything will become refuse, good for nothing except the trash can.
It’s like playing with fire. We let the flame burn, reaching out to its perceived beauty, not realizing how close we are to getting scorched.
We do this with our bodies all the time.
The fact is, we are chemically orchestrated. That’s science, and it’s irrefutable. Yet, we also have minds, and we can exert control over the chemical impulses that pervade us almost every minute of the day.
We can step away from the flames.
Are we an overeater? It’s more than an impulse choice. Chemical signals inside our bodies drive us to consume more than is good for us. It’s our minds that tell us we’re playing with fire, and our health will suffer if we give in.
Gambling is an impulse control issue. Yet, what really goes on is an adrenalin spike and an endorphin high in the brain. The only way to put it aside is to take mental control of our actions. It sounds easy only if it’s not happening to us.
Alcohol…some people are predisposed to addiction. When it hits, it’s a fist of need. We can’t simply walk way. The chemical signals within us scream for relief every moment of every day. It’s only through our minds that we control the impulses that threaten to overwhelm us.
Here’s the big one for most people: attraction to the opposite gender. One look, and something inside our body calls out in need. We want that demand to be satisfied, no matter the high cost of our pleasure. We have to use our minds to decide that right behavior is the better way.
How can we not see that in our personal lives? We attend church, speak kind words to our children, and manage our money wisely. When the pastor calls for volunteers to mow the church lawn, we’re there. We give up our vacations for missions trips, and we read the Bible through at least once a year.
All the while, the fire simmers at the edge of our thoughts; it only takes a small amount, and all the good we do goes up in flames.
Proverbs 6:27 tells us:
“Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?”
That pie might turn into only a small bulge around our waistline at first, but after ten years, how hard will it be to take off? Gambling steals our finances, and we can no longer provide for our families. Drunk driving. We know the consequences there. Desire? Whole families are ruined when our indiscretions come to light.
The chemical signals in our bodies burn bright and hot, telling us to do what we often don’t want to do. If we give them control, one rotting fruit will destroy the entire bag.
Our lives will become good for nothing except the trash can.
Where do we find the help to control that which might very well destroy us? In the Word of God, and in the salvation of Christ shown unto us on the cross of Calvary. Only through his power can we set aside that which drives us, and become better than we were made to be.
Christ is our redeemer, and in him, there is no defeat to be found.
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Code: FGO.F.13.15.vp.kjv