It's 3:30 am and I am typing this blog.
Why? Because I drank a Pepsi before going to bed.
Dummy.
I KNOW that I can drink all the coffee all day long, on the condition -- NO Pepsi.
I KNOW that if I drink one Pepsi product, I will have Acid Reflux at 3:30 am.
This has been the rule for OVER 20 years. You would think that a pastor would be smart enough to play be the rules. You would think. Yea,... not so much.
However, it is inescapable that it is 3:30 am and I am typing this.
Revealing my.... some would call it "lack of good judgment", while others would call it "stupidity", I simply roll my eyes and say, "What was I thinking?"
I am sure that my faithful readers have never experienced a lapse in good judgment in something they understood would "bite them".
So here I am with that sour stomach sensation, the burning affect in the throat, and the sharp hacky cough. And the only diagnosis can be, "Knuckle-head".
I knew what was right and I chose NOT to do it. God has an opinion about this.
"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." James 4:17
So why would a reasonably intelligent person persist in choosing Acid Reflux over a good nights undisturbed sleep?
I convince myself that a little Pepsi won't hurt me.
I haven't experienced Acid Reflux for a long time so maybe it no longer is a problem.
An old pastor used to say, "A little poison always hurts".
I KNOW that if I drink Pepsi that I will lose a nights sleep with Acid Reflux. Yet, I chose to do it, knowing the consequences.
The question is, "What is your guilty pleasure? That thing you do, even when you know the consequences?"
"....then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23
There are 10,000 reasons why men make foolish choices.
Solomon said in Proverbs 21:2, "People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart."
I believe Solomon was saying that if we think about a sin long enough, we will justify it in our minds, but the good Lord knows the truth, at all times and in every situation.
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes..."
Proverbs 12:15
Face it, we can justify anything if we think about it long enough. Our minds have this ability to simply explain things away. Or twist things around until we convince ourself that it is ok -- just this once.
The spiritual take-away from this is, "What sin do you play with?"
"What sin do you attempt to explain away in your mind?"
"What personal weakness do you attempt to justify -- knowing that it is wrong?"
And obviously I have my own fair share of tasty morsels that fit into this category so KNOW THIS, I am not throwing rocks at anyone but myself.
So for a moment, sit quietly, pray, "Holy Spirit, reveal any wicked way in my life that needs to be addressed, confessed, and purged from my life".
For a moment, simply sit and wait for the Holy Spirit's nudge.
There, did you feel that?
The Holy Spirit just nudged your mind with something that you need to take care of.
And I suspect that it is something that you kinda like, something you are not sure you are ready to let go of.
This my friend, is God working in your life.
This lets you KNOW that you are God's child.
"the LORD corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights"
Proverbs 3:12
