Guarding Our Lives

"May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

This week in the Bible study I'm doing, we've been looking at guarding ourselves against the destruction of the enemy. I can honestly say that I've had the most struggle this past week with eating temptations than I've had for over a year. I've been struggling. And I mean REALLY struggling (to the tune of gaining seven pounds!!!) And, I have no one and nothing to blame but me! I need to "seduce-proof" my life with God's Word. So, I will share the lesson with you, giving credit to Beth Moore (2003) and her study on "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things." I wholeheartedly see overeating as an "ungodly thing" that godly people are doing, myself included.

First, we backed up a bit to start with my very favorite Bible verses (1 Thess. 5:16-18) and continued on from there to the verses listed above. I'll write them out here for you:

"Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophesies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it. Brothers, pray for us." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-25

Next, we went point by point to look at what Christians who are guarded against both the enemy and his trap of seduction to do ungodly things look like. The profile is broken down as follows (only I put my list in order of the Scripture appearance, which was not the case in the workbook - FYI):

1. She is joyful always (1 Thess. 5:16). Be happy in your faith! So many times people think of Christianity as a drag when in reality it is the best way to experience true joy. Beth Moore likens it to people thinking it's good for us like bran when we really want it to be a chocolate malt. Sooo funny that food comes up over and over again as I study. A relationship with God is good-for-you chocolate that I just know exists in heaven!!!
2. She prays continuously (1 Thess. 5:17).  Beth Moore notes "a pray-without-ceasing relationship with God keeps communication lines open" and she also cautions that "loneliness and insecurity open a soul to seduction." We need to be constantly talking with God, listening to Him, thinking of Him, etc.
3. She gives thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18). Live 'active gratitude' since "dissatisfaction is a stronghold waiting to happen." We live in such an overindulgent society that we think we always need more, more, more. Have you lost any weight so far? Thank God for it! I've found myself constantly sorry that another pound isn't gone when I haven't been overly gracious for the ones He's taken away. List 10 things in your mind that you are thankful for and go ahead and give God thanks right now!
4. She doesn't put out the Spirit's fire (1 Thess. 5:19). Beth Moore says, "Nothing will be more important to us in seduce-proofing our lives than practicing the Holy Spirit-filled or controlled life." Don't quench the Spirit's fire, which is refining you and making your faith pure. You'll need to listen to the Holy Spirit and heed the warnings to overcome this battle!
5. She doesn't despise instruction, exhortation or warning (1 Thess. 5:20). I thought it was amusing that she noted that sometimes instructions we need don't always come from a source that we like.  But, we need to be "desperate for humility to receive instruction." This is an area where I fall short and need God's grace. We need godly counsel, and we need to listen to it if it lines up with God's Word.
6. She tests all things, holding on to what is good (1 Thess 5:21). We need to recognize what is good by testing and proving it. The only way I personally know how to test whether or not something is good is by aligning it with God's Word. Does it contradict what God specifically says or does it go along with Scripture? What do your godly counselors say, etc? Beth Moore says that in most people, this is an area where the muscles of us Christians tend to be weak and that God will probably fortify them through exercise and repetition. For me personally, my area of weakness is separating feelings from the true 'facts' in testing all things and holding onto what is good.
7. She stays away from every form of evil (1 Thess 5:22). We're reminded that God's promises are Yes and Amen (2 Cor 1:18-20) and that God has a purpose for our lives (1 Corinthians 2:9). We don't need to indulge in evil to get the most out of life; in fact, the opposite is true. We need to rejoice in our Savior on this earth and enjoy the good things He has in store for us by abstaining from sin.
8. She allows God Himself to sanctify her (1 Thess 5:23). This is allowing God access to all parts of us with nothing off-limits. Everything - thoughts, emotions, bodies, every area of our lives - "surrendered and under the safekeeping of God's dominion. Safekeeping basically means set apart." 
9. Her whole spirit, soul and body are kept blameless (1 Thess 5:23). We can't be perfect in this life. But, we can keep our whole spirit, soul and body blameless. Psalm 19:13 says "Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression." Beth Moore writes "living out from under the dominion of willful sin is not only possible; it is our God-given right, our Holy Spirit-empowered reality, and the absolute will of our Father in heaven." Wow! This is another area that I need help in! I want to be blameless and not allow willful sin to rule over me!!!
10. She knows the One who called her is faithful and He will do it. (1 Thess. 5:24). I'll quote right from the workbook for this one: "The seduce-proofed woman has no confidence in her flesh. Nor does she dream that either checking off a list of characteristics or performing a catalog of spiritual disciplines has any power to protect her. She knows that God is faithful, and He will do it. The seduce-proofed believer simply realizes that obedience places her in a posture God delights to bless. Obedience invites Christ to show His incomparable strength in our mortal weakness." God is faithful! He will do it! He's the only One who can, and we just need to be obedient to Him. What a relief!
11. She knows she needs prayer (1 Thess. 5:25). We were asked to list prayer warriors who are interceding for us on a consistent basis. I confess, I couldn't write a single name down. Beth Moore noted that we need to be praying for each other and intercessing for one another with Scripture. She said that we need to enlist others to pray for us and then begin praying for them as well. This will be key in our battle. So, pray for one another. If you're on a team, pray for the other people consistently, using Scripture to strengthen the power of what you're saying. Pray for your family and friends and let them know that you are. And, please pray for me, too. I need it! I've really been struggling lately with losing weight, and I want to be obedient in the above list so that I can be 'blameless' before my God...which includes my body!!!

I know this is a longer post than normal, but I so enjoyed this devotion that I thought you might, too. Let's fortify ourselves against temptation and enemy seduction and live a pure life before our God. And, in the process may we become gorgeously thin and healthy!!!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing steps for us in this journey. God, I'm so grateful we don't just have to take a stab in the dark at the enemy but instead You empower us to live godly lives. Please help every person reading (or writing!) this to be joyful always, pray continuously, give thanks in ALL circumstances, fan the flames of the Spirit's refining fire, test everything and hold onto the good, stay away from EVERY form of evil including overeating or indulging in the wrong types of foods, allow You to sanctify Her through and through and keep her entire soul, spirit and body blameless through not allowing willful sin to rule over her life. Father, we thank You that You are faithful and You are able to do it. You are the only One who can save us and make us healthy and thin. Please help us enlist prayer warriors for this cause. We love You and want to be obedient to Your Word, Lord. Your love is better than life. In Jesus' name, AMEN!