Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

I’m writing this before Christmas for you to read after Christmas. My mind is filled with all kinds of plans and emotions and memories. I envy children young enough to still be innocent and believe in the magic of Christmas! They are infectiously exciting to be around!

But instead of bubbling with anticipation of Santa’s visit, I’m sitting here with a headache because I haven’t had breakfast yet. I can’t eat until after I have my blood drawn for a fasting blood test And I’m making my headache worse by worrying about whether or not my plans for all the holiday parties, gifts, and travel are going to work out. I’m letting my mind spend too much time on earthly things and that will get me into trouble.

It’s time for my quarterly check-up at my cardiologist. In my younger days, I took advantage of being healthy, not realizing I was carrying a time bomb in my body (a family history of heart disease). Just like the cliché says, “if I’d known I was going to live this long I would’ve taken better care of myself.” I have poor eating and exercise habits I’ve been practicing for 50 years that really have me in shackles now. Ever since my blood pressure went through the roof several years ago, it’s been an endless series of doctor’s visits, medical tests, new symptoms and prescription drugs.

I wonder why I bother going to doctors when it’s my poor lifestyle habits that are causing my health problems. I don’t need a doctor to tell me what I need to do because I already know. Maybe I’m hoping one of my doctors will say something that will motivate me to change? Not likely; I know it’s up to me to change and I need self-control.

It’s in Galatians 5:23 that Paul says that self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Most of the time, in most things, I have plenty of self-control and don’t have any problem doing the right thing. Paul goes on to say in verse 24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” There you go: I haven’t crucified my flesh.

I have a life-long habit of abusing food, and even if you don’t have an issue with food, maybe you can relate to my struggle with lack of self-discipline in another area. I belong to Christ but my flesh still desires too much harmful food and not enough exercise. It seems to me that I have failed to take that next step and surrender all my fleshly desires; specifically I’m holding on to foods that comfort me and help me tolerate stressful and anxious times.

When I pray earnestly for the self-control and discipline to stop overeating and start intentionally moving every day, it works. When I pray like that, the Holy Spirit kicks in and I start feeling better and start losing weight. When I focus my mind and make the commitment to accept the power that Jesus provides through the Holy Spirit, I have the discipline to eat less and move more. But so far, it’s not been permanent.

My sinful nature is still inside me and just waiting for me to slip up. In over 45 years of trying (and 40 of those as a Christ-follower) I have not been able to put together more than 3 to 4 consecutive years of healthy eating and exercising.

All it takes is a short interruption in my routine. Like right now, the place I normally exercise is closed for the holidays. That’s just enough excuse for me to quit. And it happens every year at this time. Even when I plan ahead and purchase a short-term membership at another facility, I don’t easily transition to the new place without a lot of anxiety first.

And this time of year when everyone is baking special treats, sharing meals and celebrating with food, I’m really stretching my self-control to its limit. When I don’t have the structured routine of going to my job every week day for work, I’m in danger of following my fleshly desires to lie on the couch, watch TV and snack on potato chips.

I read in 2 Peter 1:3 that “God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” so we can “escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Peter 1:4) I know as long as I stay aware that Jesus is the Lord of my life, I am headed in the right direction. Someday the disciplined life I want to live may get easier, but today it’s really a hard struggle, and I have to lean heavily on my Lord Jesus to keep from completely giving in to my human desires.