Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
This passage of scripture shows us how Christ gained the victory over food and appetite in our behalf, thus setting the example for us to follow when faced with similar circumstances. At this time Jesus was at His lowest point, as far as the natural cravings go, for He had just finished fasting for forty days and nights in the wilderness, having no food whatsoever. The devil usually tries to overthrow our faith at our weakest point, and therefore when our backs are up against a wall, we need to be most vigilant and dependent on the grace and power of Christ to see us through. In this instance, Christ refused to go outside of His Father's will by working a miracle to deliver Himself from the brute force of the temptation set before Him. and by so doing He teaches us that in all circumstances, we should live in obedience to the word of God, or die trying, for it is better to be a dead saint than a living sinner, separated from God. Let's read:
Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
In our own personal battles with food we sometimes come up against fierce temptations to depart from the straight and narrow way that leads to life eternal, and many of us succumb to temptation by reasoning that we had no choice because we were in dire straits. But it's usually when we are in great difficulty that our faith is tested, which then reveals the strength of our determination to live by the word of God alone, and faith that is not tested cannot be trusted. Before a bridge is declared safe and fit for public use, it must undergo a series of extensive tests in which it's tensile strength is put under maximum load and pressure to ascertain whether or not it can be trusted to handle the daily traffic and wear and tear that it must of necessity be subject to.
The same is true of the Christian's battle with appetite, and the various severe temptations we must endure in order to gain the mastery over food. Those Twinkies that keep beckoning to us from the store shelves, and those crunchy potato chips that keep staring longingly at us as we pass up and down the isles, should be given a resolute "No" every time the temptation comes to us to indulge a little bit. One of the times when we are most vulnerable on the issue of appetite is when the holidays come around, and friends and families gather together for celebrations. For instance at Christmas time, there is a tendency to throw caution to the wind, and we often indulge appetite without restraint, only to pay a heavy price in the gym come January.
Then again, Valentines day is just around the corner, and those Hershey's and chocolate bars that are overloaded with calories and fats will be passed around the office, and some will be sent directly to us with many hugs and kisses, with the hope that in the spirit of the season we will bite into one of those mouth-watering bars. But if something is not good for us, it really does not matter if the intention in others giving it to us is from a sincere and loving heart. The principle which should always govern our eating habits is to dispense with everything that is harmful, and use judiciously only such thing as will be of benefit.
One day as I was working out in the hot sun on a person's vehicle, the man saw that I was thirsty, and in sincerity and kindness, he brought out a cold bud light and offered it to me, to which I responded that I could not partake of it for any reason, for doing so would be contrary to sound scriptural doctrine. But the man insisted that I accept of his kindness by drinking the alcoholic beverage, and left the cold beer on a platter for me. As I looked on it briefly as it was sweating in the sun, I thought of my options in the matter, and then decided that if the bud light was all that was available then I would have to suffer my thirst until such time that I would be able to satisfy my craving in a godly, scriptural manner.
Today, millions of people will be watching the Super Bowl, and buckets of cold beer, chicken wings and many snacks that we know are not good for us will be served, and in the spirit of the games we will be tempted to diverge from the path of strict integrity. But like Jesus, we should be willing to say no where appropriate, even though it may put us at odds with our friends and our own carnal cravings, because if by the grace of God we were to gain the victory over appetite, we will be victorious in every other temptation that chances to come our way, for it all began with food, and it will end with food.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us the sacred duty of standing resolutely for principle, in the midst of an evil world that is given over to indulgences of all sorts, for we are pilgrims journeying to a better world, and as such should ever keep our eyes on the prize. Let's read:
1st John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!