Deny Yourself

 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16

Self control is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not. – Elbert Hubbard

Eating healthy through the holidays can be a challenge with all the delicious looking pictures of Holiday treats flooding social media, not to mention the tables full of tempting options that are available at each event we attend.

We know what we should do, but do we do it? Do we pass on the extra helpings of our favorite holiday dishes or skip the desserts that are in abundance at this time of year? All of these temptations are opportunities to put into practice the godly character of self-control.

Self-control is hard because we don’t like to deny ourselves. We easily can make excuses for what we want, justify our choices and then……we’re left with the consequences. This is true about all our choices, not just food.

So how do we overcome? How do we exercise self-control? The answer is by walking in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit means to live with a willingness to walk away when the Holy Spirit nudges us. God’s Word tells us that, when tempted, He provides a way of escape if we are willing to take it. Sometimes that way of escape is to say, “no.” Other times it may require us to remove ourselves from the situation, even flee from it, in order to experience the victory that He has made available if we choose to deny ourselves.

This is a daily practice. Jesus said, ““Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” And if He said it, then it is possible to do.