Be careful not to allow your desires to control you. Let God be at the helm, guiding the way. As you exercise self-control, by the grace of God, you will increase in godliness.
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and you're listening to Joni and Friends.
For some reason, I have been reading an awful lot in the book of Philippians lately. I just love that book. Nowhere in the New Testament is joy mentioned so many times in the span of so few chapters. Philippians is, as you know, a very short book, but, oh, it is full of such great stuff. In fact, I was reading the third chapter the other day, and I came across the 19th verse where it talks about people who claim Christ but actually live as enemies of the cross. Man, that's unnerving; ’cause you don’t want to do that, right? And it says of these people, “Their god is their stomach and their destiny is destruction.”
Now you are going to think this is odd, but when I read that verse over a few times – you know, the thing about their God is their stomach – I got this picture; I got this image of a big steamship slicing through the water, and men with big shovels pushing coal into the belly, the stomach, of the ship's furnace. Hotter and hotter, faster and faster – a steamship moving full-speed ahead – with no one at the helm; no one at the wheel. To me, that’s the perfect image of what Paul is trying to get across in Philippians 3:19. Because when we make a God of our appetites; when we let our desires have their way – when we flirt with that person we shouldn’t, or open that refrigerator door one too many times, or watch that TV show about which your conscience is troubled, or when you max out your credit card, yes, even especially at Christmas, right? – when you let your appetites rule and say things you shouldn’t or reach for things you mustn’t, those appetites are gonna grab hold of you and take charge; they’re gonna shove your conscience aside and take control; and they will start shoveling fuel on the fire of your longings, like stoking the belly of a steamship – with no one at the helm, only yourself. And that is something to be nervous about, friend! It’s “full-steam ahead,” but where are you heading? Where is all this self-satisfaction going to get you? Your destiny is destruction. Surely that ship is gonna crash and sink on rocks dead ahead.
But here is the really neat thing. Later on in Philippians, it talks about setting your focus on things above where our citizenship is in heaven. I love it that God is ready at any moment to take over the wheel and convert all that fuel into a passion that pleases him. How does he do that? Well, God gives us appetites – he gives us wants and desires – so that we might learn how to rule them, and subdue them, and restrain and control and conquer them. For when we do, we’re no longer are living as an enemy of the cross. We have God at the helm, guiding the way, and your destiny is safe in his hands.
We’re coming up soon on a New Year soon, and I’m thinking I really need to control my appetites. Second Peter 1 says that“[God] has given us his very great and precious promises… [so] make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to that self-control add perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness.” Friend, when you persevere in exercising self-control, when you learn to successfully rein in your desires by the grace of God, it leads to godliness. And I know you want to join me in wanting more of that, right? More of his godliness in your character as we approach a New Year. If you need help, if you need prayer in this, please post your prayer requests at jonradio.org. Keep God at the helm always; it’s something to remember today if you feel hungry for something you shouldn’t have.
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