Day 9: Fighting the Nibbles

Scripture: Psalm 103

Today's menu:

Black beans and brown rice with tequila lime salsa (no tequila used) with baked Tostitoes (YUM!)

Spinach sauteed with olive oil and garlic, seasoned to taste

Spaghetti squash with marinara sauce (sauteed mushrooms in olive oil and garlic and added to sauce), topped with peas

Pomegranate apple sauce

Fighting the Nibbles

It is barely 10am and I am already a bit stressed.  There is so much to do and so little time to do it.  And when I am stressed, I want to eat.  I just finished the black beans, rice, salsa and tostitoes but it was breakfast and I was hungry so I am safe on that one.  However, last night, I saw my stronghold clearly.  

I had come in from prayer meeting and stopped at the grocery store in search of a Boca burger and a few odds and ends.  I found it and began to read the label getting VERY excited until I saw "yeast extract".  Hoping to find a loophole, I called Rev to make ABSOLUTELY sure we could not have the yeast.  You know the answer....I am almost hung up on him.  This fast was now playing with my emotions!!  I was tired, hungry for something more filling and satisfying than these vegetables, fruit, and rice and left disappointed.  Once home, I began to cook for today and enjoyed myself because I actually love to cook.  And then I saw that emails had come through for the anniversary. Now it was great that people were responding with ads, but everything in me was screaming--do I EVER get some time off? I knew I had to take care of it then because today would be jammed pack. In that moment, with the thoughts traveling through my mind at warp speed of all I had to do before Sunday, I started looking around for something to put in my mouth. I needed a snack.  The nibbles were attacking!

During this fast I have clearly seen that the nibbles attack when I am stressed and tired.  I instinctively reach for something to eat.  I have to remind myself that just because I am snacking on fruit or a vegetable, it is still the nibbles if I am not hungry.  The nibbles are a stronghold.  Rev once defined a stronghold as a fortress of the mind, this intricate weaving of thoughts that produce an automatic behavioral response.  We know we are dealing with a stronghold when something happens and we respond in some negative way without even thinking.  Like Pavlov's dog, we drool simply because the bell has been rung.  In my case, if I were a robot and you pressed my stressed or tired button, my hand would reach for a snack.  

The Bible says that "We are not ignorant of Satan's device" (II Cor. 2:11). I am clearly seeing his subtle attack through the nibbles--the nibbles are to keep me from relying on God for my strength and comfort.  My instinct is to reach for food, not God.  The nibbles are blockers, trying to intercept a God opportunity in my life.  

So last night as I clicked on my gmail account to review the emails, I pulled up a chair, sat down with a sigh and a simple prayer, "Lord Jesus, PLEASE help me." Did what I had to do and went to bed--no snack needed.  Score: 1 for St. Clair  0 for the Nibbles.  

I am fighting the nibbles and you? What are you fighting?