No Temptation. Really?

GIVEAWAY NOTE: Please plan on joining us Friday for a fun and practical giveaway. I’ll have an Encouragement for Today devotion running  at Proverbs 31 and on Crosswalk.com on the topic of using our time wisely and how to decide when (and when NOT) to multi-task. The giveaway includes a copy of my book The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized and some organizational and “office-y” items. Plan to hop on and leave a comment!

Well, my calendar tells me it is Weight Loss Wednesday again! (If you haven’t joined our little cyber group of girlfriends, don’t fret! Newcomers are always welcome. You can get caught up by clicking on Weight Loss Wednesdays in the side bar.)

How was your week?

Mine was kinda/sorta hard.

I gave up dark chocolate last week. Not forever, just until Valentines Day. I don’t eat a lot of it, just 2-3 small squares a day in the late afternoon as a treat and reward for sticking to my eating plan (and finishing school with the boys for the day–always a good feeling!) The total calories of my little, habitual treat only comes to 80-120 per day but it gives me a delicious (though not overly sweet) treat to look forward to and savor. And, it even is rich in anti-oxidents and contains some good fat too.

And it is ESPECAILLY scrumptious when it is the dark chocolate/pomegranate type.

Uh……that would be the type that our little town’s grocery store had marked down this week from $4.00 per bag to a little over $1.00 per bag.

Yep, six bags of my favorite chocolate in the world beckoned my name when I got groceries last week, just after I’d told all of you I’d given up dark chocolate for a while.

All six bags chanted in unison “Buy me, buy me!!!” Oh, and they had to throw in the fact that they were now less than half the normal price. That appealed to my innate, frugal nature.

I decided to be brave and just walk on by. However, my frugal side argued with my “Be brave and avoid the temptation” side. It just had to look at the out date. If they outdated in the next 2 weeks or so, I shouldn’t buy them because I wasn’t supposed to be eating them.

However, (that frugal inner voice reasoned), if they outdated later, then I should buy them due to the savings I’d enjoy.

Bossy Miss Frugal won out.

They don’t out-date until July. So, I purchased them and had a family member stash them away somewhere I will not find them. Now, you all just pray I stay true to my plan and don’t go rummaging around before Valentines Day looking for them! I’ll let you know how that goes!

My dark chocolate dance and giving up of the treat got me thinking this week about temptation.

Food temptations.

The I-crave-it-so-much-I-can-hardly-stand-it kind of food temptations.

Mine come mostly in the form of salty fat (a plate of Hint of Lime tortilla chips smothered in melted, sharp, shredded cheddar cheese) or sweet dairy fat (ice cream, chocolate malts, full-fat mocha lattes, cheesecake, …you get the picture!)

However, God encourages us, promising to help us fight temptation (and win!). One of the verses I clung to when I lost over  100 pounds a few years back was I Corinthians 10:13.

I love me some I Corinthians 10:13.

I memorized sweet I Corinthians 10:13.

I plastered up several sticky notes around my house sporting I Corinthians 10:13. (Mostly in the kitchen on the fridge and pantry)

Perhaps you’d care to do the same thing. It goes…..

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

That is from the English Standard Version of the Bible, the one I am currently studying. I love this version because it is the latest word-for-word translation of the Bible (as opposed to phrase-for-phrase translations) and it is written with the English language in mind, unlike older word-for-word translations that read rather choppy. However, perhaps you are a contemporary language gal. If so, here is the verse in The Message version of the Bible:

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”

For those who love to dive into the original Greek or Hebrew meanings of words from the Bible, here is another one of my favortie translations that does just that: the Amplified Version.

“For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.”

Slightly wordy, but oh, so rich!

I began quoting this powerful, promise-packed verse to myself again whenever I was tempted to give in to an unhealthy craving last week, sweetly reminding God He promised me a way of escape…a landing place.

He never failed.

Sometimes the way out was a bowl of slightly thawed, frozen blueberries or blackberries sprinkled with stevia.

Some days it was a steaming cup of orange or apple or passionfruit herb tea, also sweetened with stevia.

Those were on my ‘sweet fat’ craving days.

On my ‘salty fat’ craving days, often it was some soy crisps (like mini-rice cakes) dipped in salsa. Or some air-popped popcorn misted with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

And sometimes, the way of escape had nothing to do with food.

It was to escape to my bedroom, fling myself on my bed and open my Bible or pour out my heart to God about how tempted I was. About how much I didn’t want to give in and how I loved Him so much more than food, but right now the food was chasing and tormenting me and would He, could He, please help me to stand up under it?

He never failed.

My challenge for you this week is to memorize this verse, in whatever translation you’d like. (You can find more translations at www.biblegateway.com) I’ll even give a prize away next week to one gal who does so.

Oh, and the temptation avoidance worked. The scale went down a little more this week. Three fourths of a pound is all. But hey, I’m not gonna fret. That is like losing three sticks of butter–solid fat! (Because, as my Weight Watchers leader use to always say, “If the scale goes down, you lost solid fat. If it spikes up a bit, you are retaining water! ;-))

Now, how was your week? And will you commit to memorizing this amazing verse?

Temptation Escaping Blessings,

35 Comments

  1. Hi Everyone,
    Congratulation to all of you who lost. Congratulations Kimberlee, babies are such a blessing. I was down a half a pound this week. I am dealing with a knee injury and it’s hard to exercise but I have exercised 5 days this week just at a really low intensity.

    I am in on memorizing the scripture that you gave us Karen. I have been memorizing other scripture passages. It really helps me throughout my day.

    I hope everyone has a good week.

  2. Susan, that’s sooo cool you are doing this with your daughters! I love seeing the family involved when I watch the Biggest Loser.
    Crystal, I am 6 weeks! I will definitely be showing up with a list of questions for my OB! Thanks for your help and guidelines!!

  3. Hey everyone, congrats to those who are feeling good after this past week, hang in there to those who struggled!!! We can do this!!!
    I had my most successful week-down 3.6 pounds since last Saturday (finally!). Biggest change-writing EVERTHING down and really working on resisting temptations. I went to the doctor on Friday-dealing with ridiculously high cholesterol. He would like me to lose 30 pounds in the next 4 months, then we’ll do all the blood work again. Wish me luck.

    Crystal-I’m totally with you-I have two daughters and I work really hard to convey the right message to them. My youngest daughter has battled severe anxiety, various medicines that she was on caused her to gain a ton of weight. She is now off those and has lost at least 30 pounds-i’m thrilled for her! My oldest (age 17) has about 20 extra pounds that she would like to get rid of. She just found out that she has to wear a silver leotard (yes, skin tight leotard) in the high school spring musical (she’s a fork in Beauty and the Beast)-talk about motivation! We are going to work really hard over the next 2 months together to eat healthy and exercise!

  4. I weighed myself yesterday instead of today because it was more convenient in my schedule to do so – and I think I’m at least another 1/2 pound down, according to “crazy scale.” (Maybe I should name it – lol). This surprised me because I felt as if I had eaten too much last Friday – nothing too horrible, just dinner food, but I was so hungry and it tasted so good, and I know I ate twice what I should have. In addition, I only exercised five times instead of my typical six times last week. So…does anyone know the answer to how long it takes to show up on the scale when we’ve misbehaved? So that is the bad news. But the good news is that I didn’t beat myself up over it. I just said, in the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “well, tomorrow is another day,” and got right back on the horse on Saturday. And the other good news is that I have not had even one cookie since committing to no cookies till Valentine’s Day. EVEN THOUGH my oldest child was home from college for an overnight and found a package of oreos that she and little sisters opened right in front of me. Let me tell you, that felt like a HUGE victory. :)
    Someone once asked about my daughters’ weights – I was concerned about giving them the wrong impression on body image. My oldest daughter and my youngest daughter are slim, but normal weight. My middle daughter is extremely tiny – so much so that we spent several years seeing every possible pediatric medical specialist to discover why she was such a lightweight. The girl was not even ON the growth chart, but inches underneath the bottom line for weight. Finally, they decided that this is her normal pattern, because her growth line parallels the bottom of the growth chart.
    Kimberlee – talk with your doctor about your exercise intensity. See if he/she can give you some guidelines for heart rate, temperature, and length of time exercising. Developing babies do not like to be overheated, which is why going in the hot tub is a no-no for pregnant women. I would think that if you exercise moderately about four days a week or more, and eat sensibly (healthy choices and stay away from junk food and empty beverage calories) that your weight gain will be a healthy amount. Keep weighing weekly, or even twice a week. Also, talk to your doctor about a weight gain goal. Weight gain goal for pregnancy depends a lot on your pre-pregnancy weight. Also – it depends on how many babies you are growing. You would want to gain more with twins, for example. (Are you carrying a single baby as far as you know?) Someone who is underweight prior to pregnancy should gain up to 40 pounds to be healthy, someone who is average weight would want to gain 25 to 35, and someone who is overweight up to 20 or 25; and possibly quite a bit less if very overweight, but only your doctor knows all of your details and can make that determination. I have known cases where women who are watching their weight have their urine checked for ketones to help determine if their weight program is safe for baby. How many weeks along are you?

  5. Hi Everyone,

    It’s great to hear that so many are down. Way to go! I am finally down 2.5 this week too. It was a struggle though. I did fine not eating chocolate but didn’t realize how often I ate it! Almost everyday there has been something that I have had to say no to. I won’t go into details but I found myself making other treats that didn’t have chocolate so that I could have something and was really frustrated and wanting to quit the whole eating healthy thing by Sunday. Long story short, I didn’t quit and did lose this week so am more motivated to keep going. It also is getting easier to say no to chocolate, for now anyway. I will be posting the verse around my house and memorizing it this week. Thanks for everyone’s encouraging words!

  6. Hello Ladies!!

    Congrats Kimberlee!! Babies are such a gift :) I will be praying that you will find a healthy balance in diet and exercise during your pregnancy and that you will instill a value of health in your little one’s life :)

    This week has been encouraging :) God is good, it seems like most of us are doing well. PTL!

    I still have not managed to give up Starbucks. While I have managed to switch to the skinny vanilla latte as opposed to the white chocolate mocha, I have not been sleeping well so my body really wants that extra energy boost :( I think I need to just try tea instead. I caved on my sweet craving problem. Cheesecake Factory is dangerous. Luckily I will not be eating out the rest of the month :) But still despite the cravings and piece of cheesecake I had I lost 2#’s. (I am attributing it to the many workouts).

    I am going to memorize the scripture and use it both for eating at working out. The enemy loves to try to convince me that _____ is better than going to the gym. When in reality he is trying to tempt me to lose the fight.

    Keep it up ladies! You are all inspiring :)

  7. Hi ladies! I am so happy for so many of you! You are so inspirational! I did good last week, but not great. I lost 2 pounds, which is great, but I didn’t give up my sweets like I had planned. I am looking forward to using this scripture to help me avoid my temptations this week!
    Many blessings to everyone in the week ahead!

  8. Hi Ladies,
    I so look forward to WLW to see how we are all going. It sounds like most of us have had a good week! Thats awesome! I lost 1.2 kg. I’m so pleased that the scale is going down now rather than up like it had been. Not sure what the difference is except that I have got back to exercising… so maybe that’s it. I have already memorized the verse but need to meditate on it! I find that even though it is going over in my head as I reach for the brownie, I’m not really trusting God, or putting the effort in myself!!!
    Have a great week.

  9. Hi everyone!

    Congratulations Kimberlee and good luck. Keep your mind on eating healthy and you should succeed. You have such an amazing attitude.

    YEAH! to Donna.

    THeresa, how exciting. 50 pounds is such a huge amount and to be almosst there. I am happy for you.

    OK, i was supposed to stay away from chips, but was not successful. But I did not eat as many and it was with a meal instead of with a snack. I am down 3 pounds finally so it must have helped some. I know I used to eat way to many.

    I will post 1 cor.10:13 and work on memorizing. I think that will help.

    Good luck to all this week and keep up the good work.

  10. Danielle,
    I have in the past had a lot of trouble with water retention. I am watching the sodium for the first time in my life, due to my dh heart diet. It has been incredible. I have not noticed any big fluctuations like I have seen in the past, idk if it is it or not, but the dr. told us that most people consume 8000 or more mg of sodium a day, and told us to stay around 500 mg per meal. The dr. said that the sodium grabs water and hangs on to it, so if you consume a lot of sodium, you can retain lots of water. idk, just a thought.

  11. This is such an encouraging group of ladies. I will memorize that scripture along with the verse from last week in 1 Cor 10. I am 1 pound away from losing 50lbs. It has been a struggle the last few days. I want it GONE. I will honor God each day with my thoughts and my actions. He will give me the strength to continue and perserver.
    Keep up the great work Karen, you are a wonderful inspiration to all of us.

  12. Congrtulations to everyone. I was very busy last week and didn’t post but did check in. It’s funny when the Lord shows you you need to do something He makes it clear! Last Tuesday I was thinking I needed to cut out the sugar and treats from my diet and I was praying about it when I checked on the website and my oh my what was there but Lisa’s U-tube video. Well I’ve been off the sugar and treats for a week and the scale finally went down 3 pounds. I’m not sure how long I will be off the sugar, chocolate and treats but I know it’s what I’m suppose to be doing. I also have found Beth Moore’s book Praying God’s Word to be extremely helpful in overcoming strongholds. I will keep praying and I’m in to memorize the verse. It is extremely helpful to be able to pull those out when you really need them.

  13. Congrats on the loses, ladies! PTL!! And congrats to you too Kimberlee! Another precious one! *sigh* I need to go borrow someone’s.lol

    I am up 2…I think. I’m retaining water badly right now. My rings are even harder to get off and that’s not normal. And this is not an excuse. :-) I’m going to give myself a few days and check again. There is no way with what I’ve been eating and how much I’m working out that I gained! Ack!

    I played Wallyball yesterday for the first time and let me tell you… OUCH! I am in pain. Well, maybe not pain, but I am so sore and stiff–I can’t wait to play again next Tuesday!

  14. Such great news from all! Way to go!
    I am confused this week. I have been staying steady for most weeks. I was hard on myself this past week because I fell off of the exercise wagon. Now I find myself down 3 pounds!! 3 Pounds!! Well, I guess now I get back to exercising to keep it off! Thanks to those who have prayed!

  15. ONealya—Yes! I discovered that tea before Christmas. Forgot that I have some in the cupboard. I may have to get out a cup today.

    Kimberlee congrats!!!! Our first WLW baby announcement. Praying that kiddo is the picture of health–like his/her helath seeking mom!

  16. PTL Ladies!!! I am so happy for all of you. I wasn’t sure about this week but I lost a 1/2 pound. I know that isn’t much but after losing nothing for the past couple of weeks I feel like my train is finally leaving the station.
    I broke my “you can’t make me attitude” of writing down what I eat and it really does make ALL the difference. I’m conscious now of what I am putting into my mouth.
    Karen thank you for this verse. I will be memorizing this and sharing it with my weight loss group.

    Blessings

  17. Way to go ladies!! GREAT JOB! Congrats Kimberlee on the new baby!! So exciting!! Well, I’m down 1 1/2. I was ridiculously busy last week and didn’t post, and was up 1 1/2 so really, I’m about the same. As I mentioned before I’m reading Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss and it has really changed my views on my eating. I’ve always thought it only effected me, but now am really seeing how it has affected my relationship with God, myself, my family and how totaly destructive this food “adiction” has been to it all. Funny, but I added 1-2 squares of dark chocolate this week as an attempt to keep me out of worse things! Count me in on the memorizing. Lately I’ve been convited to more scripture memorization and this is certainly one I would find helpful! Have a great week everyone. This journey is much more enjoyable with you guys!

  18. Great job everybody! Last week was challenging for me because I found myself tired and unmotivated to exercise most days. My husband has been ill for the last month and he’s still going through diagnostic tests and guinea pig prescriptions (translation – I’m not sure what’s wrong, but why don’t you try this?). It hurts my heart to see him in pain and discomfort. I prayed and read the Bible quite a bit over the past few days and I’ve found myself re-energized. The Lord is awesome! When I did weigh on Monday, I was thrilled to have lost 1.6lbs. I will definitely be posting 1 Cor 10:13 around my little world. Thanks Karen for keeping us motivated.

  19. Woo hoo, Donna! Gnzmom, hope everyone is feeling better soon! ONealya, so happy with you for all your weight loss! Kimberlee, congrats on your pregnancy! One thing that helped me to not gain too much in one of my pregnancies was just making sure that the calories I was putting into my body were healthy calories, not empty ones. Instead of chips, raw veggies with a little dip. Instead of soft drinks (or sweet iced tea in my case), lots of water. Be careful not to push too hard. A healthy baby is so much more important than slim hips. (Although I admit my need of reminding myself of that through pregnancies). :)

    I’m down another pound this week! That makes me down about 4 pounds. Still have 26 to go. I had made a habit of having a late night snack with my husband after the kids had gone to bed. This past week I cut out the snack entirely (except one day) and had a cup of hot tea sweetened with xylitol. That’s the temptation I most want to cave on. I like the late night snack. I realize though that it is unnecessary and even possibly harmful for me. So, out it goes! I have already memorized 1 Cor. 10:13, but I will make it a point to meditate on it and apply it directly to this aspect of my life. Thanks, Karen!

  20. ONealya!! That is awesome!! Congrats! And really, how cool to see the weight and the effects it had on you by carrying your child. Cool. Thanks for sharing that.

  21. LOL, Karen! Maybe I’m just retaining some water…yeah, right.
    Reading that sometimes you would run to the Bible when you were tempted made me realize my behavior when I am tempted, and I am going to change from running away to running to His Word.
    Yay, Donna!!
    Ok, so it is official, (Cheryl ;) ) I am pregnant, and like I said last week, I plan to stick with WLW because I refuse to gain 60# like I did in my pregnancies. :( I hate how I look after the baby pops out. I think losing baby weight is harder. So I want to keep track of my eating and my exercise.
    I gained a pound! :( Ugh, I know many days I didn’t even hit my caloric allowance, not by choice, just because I don’t feel as hungry. But then I realized I had cut back on the intensity of exercise because I get too hot. Will I be able to step up the intensity soon during this pregnancy? Should I turn the air conditioning on during the winter?? :P Have a fan blow directly on me?? It is too early to be gaining weight! Please pray for me! I don’t want to gain more than 25# this time. I realize I’m going the opposite direction on the scale over the next 9 months and will have a much different goal than all of you, but I am deadset on keeping this weight under control! With God’s help and prayer, I believe I can do it!

  22. I am down a total of 35 pounds since October 4th. Only 15 more pounds to go to my goal. This week was a week the scale went down 2 pounds!
    I too used tea when I was tempted this last week! Karen, have you tried Stash’s Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf tea? I found it at my Target. It has been the perfect late afternoon treat when my little ones are napping. That and Jesus Calling – a very sweet treat!
    I realized this week that my three year old weighs 34 pounds and is getting heavy to carry up the steps. Just 3 months ago I carried that weight everywhere I went. A sobering but victorious moment!
    And yes – I will join you in the challenge to memorize I Cor 10:13.

  23. Well, it was a bit of a stuggle this week with one kiddo sick with a very nasty cold and one being weened from his pacifier. I tend to be a busy body and so it has been tough for me to be at home all day and night for a few days. To get passed the mentality of I just want to sit and cuddle with my kids and I can’t do anything around here has been a challenge. Not to mention those temptations that Karen spoke of today. (especially out of boredom) Anyway, my dh took the kids for me last night and I have enrolled in a dance class at our local YMCA. It was just what I needed as I am down to the weight I was before the holiday season!!!!! PTL!!! I’m hoping that this week will be a bit more back to routine as my dd is starting to turn a corner and my ds is starting to get used to sleeping without the paci. I do sooooo much better with routine!

  24. Good morning all! I did hit my goal weight this week, with .4 to spare. I also managed to avoid chocolate this week which is maybe a greater surprise. I haven’t been at this weight in years. It feels great to go to my closet and get anything out I want to wear, because it all fits, in fact a couple of things are a little too loose. PTL! Keep up the fight everyone! I didn’t experience any big numbers on any week, usually just a pound at most, but it adds up every week. I am down almost 25 pounds from this time last year. I am healthier, I feel better, everything is more comfortable, even sitting! I’ll pray for all of you this week as we continue on!

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