Last night Tim and I enjoyed dinner at the Village Seafood Buffet at the Rio, the top rated sea food bar in the United States. I’m not fond of “all you can eat” establishments because I generally overindulge and I did. Rather than eating what I knew my body needed for nutrition, I ate what my eyes and taste buds wanted. I wanted more; I didn’t need more.

Overindulgence in Vegas can be found everywhere! People (I) flee the discipline of the routine of everyday life into a world of illusion – the great lie – if we fill this need for what we want, just for a time, we will attain satisfaction. This “thinking and doing” wages war against our souls, and discipline exhausts us. We want, we strive, we act, we perceive and we suffer. We repent, we receive mercy, we go forward into the same thinking and doing and we suffer. There must be more!

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ¹¹Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:9-11

The basic needs of life can so easily become the avenue for overindulgence. We live in an overindulgent world thanks to Adam and Eve who thought they could add to the perfection God had created for them. We need food. Rather than eating what we need, we eat what we want or we don’t eat enough to sustain our lives – waging war on the soul. We need drink. Rather than consuming what we need, we drink what we want – waging war on the soul. We are sexual beings. Rather than fixing our eyes on our spouse, we seek to overindulge or abstain when we are called to a holy, beautiful relationship – waging war on the soul. We are sexual beings. Rather than abstaining when we are not married, we want what is not ours to have – waging war on the soul. We need rest. Rather than resting for the time our bodies need, we either rest too much or too little – waging war on the soul. The list goes on and on!

Our hearts and souls are weary from the warfare, but we haven’t recognized IT! and called IT! by name. God’s word calls us to identify that which keeps us from a healthy relationship with one another and with him. God’s word calls us to NEWK-IT!, that is, explode out of our lives whatever IT! is that is waging war on our souls. Food is not IT! God created us with a need for food to sustain our lives, mirroring his sustaining food – we need the Bread of Life. Drink is not IT! God created us with a need for drink – we need the Living Water. We need rest – He is our Rest.

The warfare that is waged can be minimized/exploded by the Word of God. Living in this world is God’s gift; learning to live in the beauty of his creation, enjoying his great gift of freedom in our callings is God’s desire for us. God has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light! He calls us to live in the Light, the body of Christ, expressing ourselves beautifully in this world to be a light – authentic people of God.

May God grant us courage to name the war and call his word into the battle. May God grant us boldness to cry out to him for balance and mercy. May God grant us boldness to speak mercy in this world. May his peace guard our heart and soul. Blessings IN Christ, Cindy

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