Made to Crave - Chapter 17: The Very Next Choice We Make

 ~ I'm sharing the high points that I found in each chapter and then I answer the questions at the end of each chapter with my honest feelings. I'm reading the book on my Kindle, so I don't have page numbers for any of the thoughts I have taken from the book. This has been a journey that has spanned at least a decade for me. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm farther along than I used to be. Walk with me and feel free to share your thoughts. Be kind. Be blessed.

• Sacrificing for a season is not fun, but it is doable. It introduces us to the benefits of discipline and feels achievable for a short while. But sacrificing until we no longer desire what has been given up? Well, that just takes discipline to a whole new level. A level where some will take a brief vacation but very few put down permanent roots.
• It is good for God’s people to be put in a place of longing so they feel a slight desperation. Only then can we empty enough and open enough to discover the holiness we were made for. When we are stuffed full of other things and never allow ourselves to be in a place of longing, we don’t recognize the deeper spiritual battle going on.
• Holiness doesn’t just deal with my spiritual life; it very much deals with my physical life as well. This is a truth the apostle Paul affirmed when he wrote, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
• We are “Taught, with regard to [our] former way of life, to put off [our] old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of [our] minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).
• We were created to be God’s representatives as we live out loud the message of God in our daily lives.
• But victory isn’t a place we arrive at and then relax. Victory is when we pick something healthy over something not beneficial for us. And we maintain our victories with each next choice.
• Here’s a biblical perspective from the apostle Paul: “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:19). You see, the very next choice we make isn’t really about the food and the weight and the negative feelings we carry around when we’re choosing poorly. It’s about whether or not we’re positioning ourselves to live the kind of God-honoring lives in which, by God’s strength, sustained discipline is possible.
• Crave means to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly. Pursuing holiness means God is the only One we should long for; want greatly’ desire eagerly. The only One worthy of worship.
• Psalm 78
• God did miracles – verse 12
• He divided the sea and led the people through it – verse 13
• He guided them – verse 14
• He brought water out of dry places – verse 15-16
• He gave the Israelites everything, but they forgot.

They continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved… When the LORD heard them, he was very angry. (Verses 17-18, 21)

• And so I’ve made the choice to step into a place of intentional sacrifice. A place where my strength would fail, should fail, but hasn’t. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26)
• “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you not your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
• One wise choice can lead to two, can lead to three, can lead to a thousand, can lead to the sweet place of utter dependence on God and lasting discipline.

Personal Reflection

1. If you had been in the room with the three pastors Lysa describes at the beginning of the chapter, how would you have answered the question, “Is discipline really sustainable?” I would say it is sustainable. It’s a matter of becoming disciplined. Having an addiction is something you can sustain – so why can’t you be addicted to God and healthy living? It’s about making healthy choices a habit. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
2. Lysa points out the crucial connection between holiness – being set aside for a noble use – and daily disciplines with food. How do you understand the relationship between your food choices and your ability to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24)? My new self chooses the healthier choice, the better portions. My new self eats when I’m hungry and stops when I’m full. My new self doesn’t stuff my emotions with food but instead turns to Christ. I am choosing obedience to God in all areas.
3. “The very next choice we make isn’t really about the food… It’s about whether or not we’re positioning ourselves to live the kind of God-honoring lives in which, by God’s strength, sustained discipline is possible”. Does this idea encourage you or frighten you? Why? It’s encouraging. I have wanted to work on my relationship with Christ for a while, but haven’t been willing to give up self. Now I’m ready to give up self and instead of finding myself empty, I’m finding joy and fullness in Christ. Honoring God is exciting!
4. Take a moment to reread Lysa’s “Unsettle Me” prayer. Is it a prayer you feel you are ready to pray for yourself? It’s scary to pray a prayer like that, but my heart is needing to change. What fears would you have about praying this prayer? Change is hard. Giving up the lifestyle I’m used to and starting over is scary at any age. I don’t want to lose my self and not find Christ there to fill me back up. What excites you about the possibilities of this prayer for your life? Finally being free of this physical weight on my body and this heaviness in my spirit. I’ve had depression for many years and this year (Since mid December 2013 to now) I’ve had rare days of depression instead of frequent ones. What has changed is my relationship with Christ and my relationship with food. I am truly starting to find freedom!
5. “One wise choice can lead to two, can lead to three, can lead to a thousand, can lead to the sweet place of utter dependence on God and lasting discipline”. Do you esteem your small, daily food choices or do you tend to feel they don’t really matter all that much? I’m learning that they matter. Every time I make the “better choice”, the next time I’m faced with making a choice, it is so much easier.  How might your life be different if you could achieve utter dependence on God and lasting discipline? I think of the joy I would feel. The freedom. And what an example I would be to my kids! They are at an age where it’s good to start making better decisions.  What benefits would you most enjoy experiencing? Being healthier mental, physically and spiritually. It has been so long since I haven’t been bogged down by depression or extra pounds. It’s been so long since I’ve felt Christ near me. I look forward to growing closer to him and being able to really find joy in my life.