Working The Word (Walking Away From Addiction Into The Sweet Arms of Jesus) Do You Want To Make Jesus Sad?

By: Hanny Lynn Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.

“Multiplying God’s Word Around the Globe”

October 24, 2016

Do You Want to Make Jesus Sad?

Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Today we are looking at a personal journal I did back in May of this year. It was written after I had gone to church. That morning I had opened up to this verse in Matthew about watching and praying. Please join me…

When I got to church and Sister Phyllis (Pastor) came out to greet us, these were the first things out of her mouth. The Lord was speaking to a lot of folks, and He was certainly speaking to me. She said this:

“It was on her heart while she was sitting there, “The Lord was sad because there were people that were just right on the brink of what He had for them and they would go right up to it over and over again and then they would stop and go right back into their old ways. Then they would go up to it again and stop and go back into their old ways again. Jesus told us to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. Jude said pray in the Holy Ghost to build ourselves up. If you will just take that extra step and draw a line in the sand and make it a point not to go backwards there’s gonna be some breakthroughs. Say no, I have it. I am not going to look back. I am going forward. The joy of the Lord will be your strength. Breakthroughs are about to happen!”

My heart was broken because I knew I had made Him sad. I was so close to my goal and then I slid backwards! But I am going to make it! I am an overcomer! I am more than a conqueror! I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. He always causes me to triumph! He gives me the victory through Christ Jesus our Lord. Focus on His power in me. On the way home He said, “Hanny, you have made this whole eating thing bigger than it is. A mountain out of a molehill. One day you will look back and see how small it really is. This weekend you just went off the deep end with too much for breakfast and then all that pizza. You can do it. I will help you!”

Friends, I am called of the Lord to share this personal testimony with you because I am not the only one doing this. He is watching His children eat themselves into an early grave – using food as their god in place of Him. It makes Him sad. He has so much He wants to do in and through us. This sin of eating addiction (or any other addiction) is blocking the blessings that He deeply desires to give to us.

For me, that day was a major turning point. It really hurt me to think I was breaking my Savior’s heart after all He has done for me. I took the devotional I had written that day and taped it on the pantry door in our kitchen. I don’t even have to read it. When I would look at it, I knew exactly what it said. Since that day I have made tremendous progress. The devil has not been happy with me. Let me tell you the attacks have been very intense of late but I ignore Him and take authority over Him and move on. I am almost to my final goal – give God all the glory for that! Hallelujah!

Just this weekend, I have heard the enemy place thoughts in my mind about making some pie for Thanksgiving and maybe some other food – even though we are planning to go out to eat for that day. The thoughts of this pie thing kept coming to me. I knew it had to be the enemy. The Lord certainly would not be bringing thoughts of eating something like that to me. As I spent time with the Lord this weekend, He confirmed what I was already sensing from Him in the Spirit. The enemy was trying to get me to think about this enough before Thanksgiving arrives so I would go ahead and do it.

I have been working very hard to reach my goals. I am eating right and exercising one day at a time. On Thanksgiving, I will get to go have my big (probably won’t be able to eat much) holiday meal and then come home and have whatever we have in the house for dinner. The next day I will be right back to my normal calorie counting. But the enemy my friends, wants to get people with addiction issues, either now or in the future to think about the thing they have been addicted to – not Jesus.

If he can get our focus off of the Lord and onto the food for example, then he has already won the battle. This weekend we had a big fall social outdoors at our church. It is an annual thing. Everyone brings a lot of desserts. Unfortunately, many of God’s people are still filling up on very unhealthy foods. It made Him sad to see people who had been trying to lose weight go over and eat the stuff they know they should avoid. I did not partake of any food there – even the hot dogs, hamburgers and baked beans or chips. I ate before I went. And I had a healthy meal when I went home.

If we can remember to focus on Him and the word, and say it out loud, and watch and pray before we walk into these tempting situations, we can walk away with a clear conscience and a healthier body – fully pleasing to the Lord. Remember my friends, we have to work the word and we need to pray before we give in to the temptation. Food is not our god! Do you want to make Jesus sad? Or, would you like to make Him glad?