Mathew 4:2-3
²And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungred.³And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Not every suggestive thing is good! When Jesus was in the wilderness, it is written that He was hungered, the same word figuratively is used to mean a deep craving for something. The tempter cloaked in false compassion and provocation urging him to turn the stones into bread but regardless of the intensity of His hunger, He declines!
In desperation for strength, even bitter food would taste nice, even the smallest comfort like a touch of honey feels like renewal.
1 Corinthians 6:12
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Not all that appears nourishing truly feeds the soul, there are suggestions that may appeal to our appetites but beneath the surface bring erosion spiritual erosion rather than growth.
The suggestion seemed pleasant and good but the intent wasn’t. Apostle Paul twice says: Anything is lawful/ permissible but not all things are helpful ( expedient), we are not called to be slaves of anything!!
If we are free and free indeed, that implies that we can master anything and bring it into subjection. Freedom doesn’t mean that we indulge in every whim, we must engage in self discipline. Just because the body wants it doesn’t mean you should go for it.
Ever tried to diet, it is a hard thing to maintain and keep yet once you master and continue in it, target results are inevitably visible. Once we master our bodies and put them into subjection, our spiritual health is spontaneously ignited. Ap Paul further states;
1 Corinthians 9:27
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
In this we notice that there is what you ought to do in order to avoid spiritual erosion. Your body is that perfect sacrifice that you subject to the will of God through Gods prescribed methods ( fasting, word study and prayer).
Our flesh craves based on appetites, only you yield to what is beneficial spiritually lest we fall short.
Adam and Eve were cast away because they yearned for more , Cain was cast away because he failed to master the anger but Jesus remained because He mastered the flesh and attained the prize at the right hand of the father and achieved redemption for the whole world.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The kingdom of God is far beyond physical things, beyond what we eat or drink. Amidst everything, your spirituality should be a priority , you don’t eat everything, only swine do that, you must have self control, it’s a gift of self denial yet beneficial in the end. Paul says, he keeps his body under subjection lest by any means he should be castaway.
The desire within you gets stronger than once fed, a temporary satisfaction gotten yet in the end it breeds bitterness, pain, loss. Wild appetites inflect purpose.
Luke 9:23
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
To follow Christ and carry your cross DAILY is to embrace a continuous, intentional discipline, not once or seasonally but DAILY, a relentless commitment to self-denial. Daily each trial becomes a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. Amidst trials, He stood stabilized by the word in Him. Amidst mockery, scorn and shame, He carried His cross. Amidst fear and desire , He took on the assignment and walked in the father’s will. Daily we face trials, suggestive temptations but daily we need to walk the walk as He walked! Carry the cross; Whatever people suggest to you or even your own mind, stand to walk the path that will lift your spirit. We have freedom but we have limits!
Prophetic Utterance:
I strive for an incorruptible crown, I run with certainty, I finish because He finished. I am not tossed by any wind rather I follow the will of my Father, I conquer, I am victorious.
Guiding Text:
1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV)
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”