Finding Solutions To Our Sins

It always amazes me how foolish people can be. Oh, I count myself included. I woke up this morning with a headache. After I took a couple of allergy pills, let the dogs out, grabbed a little breakfast, and had my morning cup of coffee I sat to ponder my day. How I wished I could be like the character in the TV show Bewitched today. Then it would not matter if I had a headache, I could just wiggle my nose and I would take care of everything. I could wiggle my nose and my laundry would be done, my house would be clean, bills would be paid etc. How great that would be right? Well I tried it and it didn't work, not that I really expected it to. Yet, we all would like to find the quick fix and the easy answers to our problems wouldn't we? The problem with the quick answer is that usually the underlying problems would still be there and just get worse. If we don't take care of the problems and just look for quick solutions to the effects we are still left with the problems and they will just surface again and again. What it all comes down to is us making the hard choice to discipline ourselves if we want to solve them. The longer we live with the problems and in sin, the longer and harder it is to brake bad habits and achieve solutions to our problems.

If we are going to successfully deal with any problem we must first stop avoiding it or trying to find the simple painless solutions to solving it. A good example of this is the very GROWING problem America is having with being overweight and under fit. Again, I have to count myself included. Now for some of us there can be medical problems that are part of the root problem. This is true in my case. After I had my second child I had to have a hysterectomy. Since that time I have battled weight problems due to hormone problems. Saying that I will also tell you that I have not always done a good job at attacking the problem and staying in control of it. Things go well for awhile and then I get busy and backslide until I again have no choice but to face the problem. By current statistics I know that I am not alone. Now, I am not saying we all should look like the body builders or the twig looking models. Weight control should be looked at as health maintenance. What I am saying is that we would have far less medical problems if we would tackle our obese problems head on. We would not have them at all if we would tackle the problem while it is still a small problem. What is even sadder is to see the statistics of our youth that are facing major health problems because of early obesity.

Do we face our weight problems and tackle them head on smartly? Well some do but most aren't. We ignore the problem, look for miracle cures in a bottle of pills, try the latest diet fad, make short lived resolutions to change, talk a lot about it, and in some cases wait until the problem is so bad that we are willing to risk our lives to find a cure.

Still Gluttony is a sin that Christians often seem to try to ignore. We find it very common to hear sermons or messages given on the evils of smoking and drinking as sins, but gluttony seems to be one of those sins that offends people to talk about it, so few like to preach on it. It becomes one of our "tolerated" sins. The Bible makes it very clear however what God thinks of gluttony. Proverbs 23:20-21 warns us, "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags." It also speaks of gluttony in Proverbs 28:7 when is says, "He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father." Proverbs 23:2 tells us, "put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony."

Gluttony is a sin just like any other sin and God hates sin. When it all comes down to basics, all sin revolves around the root problem of our ability to control ourselves and not give in to temptations. If we are unable to control our habits of what we eat, we are letting our eating control us. If we are not showing self-control here we are also probably allowing lack of control into other areas of our lives too. Just like those pounds that can creep up on us so easily if we do not have a good plan of defense against them, other sins in our lives can do the same thing too.

God is a gracious and loving God who blesses us by providing for us the things that we NEED on this earth. We need to honor God by not letting the sins of greed, temptation, and lack of self-control get the better of us. 2 Peter 1:3-9 tells us, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."

How do we honor God by not letting the sins of greed, temptation, and lack of self-control get the better of us? The answer to tackling any problem must first start with God. A good way to start would be facing your sin head on as Psalm 51:1-4 says, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge." It is though the strength God can give us by our faith and trust in Him that we can tackle our sins and develop the strength of self-control to resist the temptations that would have us backslide. It is not really self-control as much as it is faith-control. The more we turn control of our lives over to God the stronger our faith-control becomes.

We don't need to look for miracle cures or quick fixes. Our cure is through faith in God alone. We need to make sure that with any plan we are making to handle a problem we are having in our lives, that we include God in our solution if we want to guarantee success. Remember just as it is easy to let our weight slide on the scale without being active and proactive in controlling it with the proper ways of eating and good old fashioned exercise, it is also just as easy to let our faith slide if we to not take active and proactive steps to include it in our lives too. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Strive to honor God mentally, physically, emotionally, and faithfully in all you say and do. It is through faith-control that we grow closer to God.

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FaithfulToOne©2007


Solutions

I keep looking for solutions
I know the quick fix I'll never find
It is only through faith-control
I'll find my peace of mind

Some days it's one step forward
Other days it's two steps back
Forgive me when I backslide
And the faith that I still lack

When temptations overwhelm me
And in strength I grow weak
Lord let me feel your presence
It's courage though You that I seek

God I seek your guidance for my sin
For answers I'll search Heaven above
I know my solution will be found
Surrounded in God's gracious love

FaithfulToOne©2007