That is precisely how sin works in our life. The first practice of sin may not immediately enslave us, or create a dependence or habitual action, but over time and practice, the power it yields over us increases. Jesus warned people of sin's power in John 8:34, "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin."
Unfortunately, sin once committed often calls to you again. The first time, perhaps it whispers, then the volume increases, and the struggle intensifies. And each time you listen and follow through with action, the power it yields over you will grow. Before you know it, you have become a slave to that sin. The type of sin that enslaves you may not have any power over me. I personally have never been tempted by tobacco or alcohol but my temptation was food.
If you are fighting an addiction to alcohol, a community of support is a great place to start--meeting with people who have become sober and who can help you navigate recovery and teach you how to stay there. Community support and mentorship is so key when you are trying to break free from any form of addiction. And in my journey toward health, mentorship was also instrumental in helping support my efforts.
The Israelites, also had a mentor and guide who led them out of slavery into the Promised Land. His name was Moses. He walked every step of the way with them through the desert. The interesting thing is that the trip should not have taken 40 years. According to Deuteronomy 1:2, the journey should have taken 11 days--that's quite a detour!
I once heard a speaker talk about his journey toward a healthy weight. For him it eventually took 6 months. And he could not believe that he had procrastinated decades to lose weight, when all he needed was 6 months. Sounds like the Israelites: taking a doosy of a detour!
In his book Win the Day, Mark Batterson talks about the difficulty of changing an enslaved mindset:
[T]he entire journey from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land was supposed to take eleven days (Deut. 1:2)...they traveled for forty years: That's 14,589 days longer than their original ETA. Getting Israel out of Egypt was easy, relatively speaking. Getting Egypt out of Israel was a different story altogether, and I mean that literally. It took one day to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. (Batterson, 2020, p.22; emphasis mine)
So even though the Israelites were no longer under the power of Pharoah, and should have been grateful for their freedom, their minds were still enslaved. They romanticized about their time in Egypt thinking about how well fed they were (but they were enslaved!). They had places to sleep (but they were enslaved!). They didn't have to walk in the desert (but they were enslaved!).
I had someone ask me, "How long will you have to eat like this?" The short answer is that the nutritional support from my program is just a tool I am using for a short time to facilitate the weight loss phase. It gives me time to create new healthy habits that I will continue using for the rest of my life. Sort of like training wheels on a bicycle--they are there to add extra support while you learn to balance. Eventually, the training wheels come off, but successful bike riders still have to balance on their bike every time they ride.
I will always need to make healthy choices in order to remain in the "Promised Land" of health. I will always have to balance what I take into my body and what I put out through activity. I must not romanticize the days in Egypt. The object is not to lose the weight and then go back to gluttony and enslavement. Will Egypt try to call me back? Of course! This past summer, when I was within 6 pounds of a healthy weight, I failed to stay consistent. It started with just little slips here and there (one bite of this won't matter, a tad of that is no biggie). Well that pretty much ground my journey to a halt. And I had to ask myself if it was worth giving up 11 months of success to satisfy a few fleeting moments of pleasure? Was a bite of dessert really worth keeping me from the land of health? The summer detour ended up adding time to my journey. I had created my own detour.
That's when I found a secondary tool to help me stay consistent. The app, "75 Hard" involves following a healthy food plan (whatever one you choose), reading non-fiction daily (strengthening your mind), staying hydrated, and working out consistently (strengthening your body). I didn't want to be guilty of dropping out of the race within yards of my finish line.
The late Keith Green wrote a humorous song about the Israelites wanting to return to the land of their enslavement. It's called So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt. It's so easy to read the story of their wandering in the desert and fail to see the parallels in our own life. I wandered for 50 years before leaving the bondage of food. And now I'm working on breaking the bonds of other habits that have held power over me for too long.
Take a look at the excuses you have been using for holding onto that habitual sin. Consider that the longer you wait to address it, the more powerful it becomes. It's like wrapping another cord around you that will eventually imprison you. Sin can shape our appetites which may later require much more drastic measures to change.
Moses--who could have lived in comfort in Pharoah's palace--chose to help lead his people out of slavery. I could get to a healthy weight and just sit back and enjoy having "arrived" and be grateful for making it into a physical "Promised Land." Or I could be like Moses and try to help others escape their own slavery.
Harriet Tubman is one of the greatest examples of someone who was committed to helping others escape slavery. After making her way to freedom (even leaving behind her husband), she did not forget all those who were still enslaved, but instead worked the rest of her life trying to help as many others as possible escape the same bondage she had known. As a health coach, I want to get others started on their own journey to freedom. It won't be easy, but every step will be worth it. And every person who I can help reach freedom helps redeem the years of my own bondage. And maybe some of those newly freed will go on to help others and so on and so on. What could our world look like if the chains of obesity were finally broken?
How might that change the course of your life? The course of your spouse's life? The course of your children's and grandchildren's lives? Sin will always cry out and you have a choice whether you will listen to its voice or listen to the voice of the loving shepherd who wants to give you freedom, not slavery.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 (ESV)
Moses was never a slave but he laid down his life to guide his people to the Promised Land. And Jesus Christ, willingly humbled Himself so that he could be a guide to lead people to a Promised Heaven to live forever with Him there. With His death, he broke the power of sin and death. Believer, if you have received Him as your Savior, why do you continue to live as though a slave to sin?
Christ purchased your freedom! Do you value it so little that you would be drawn so easily back under sin's power? Or will you surrender your will, your appetites, your desires to a Savior who wants you to walk in freedom? Drown out those calls from Egypt by listening more closely to your Loving Master's voice.
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