A couple of evenings ago I would bet that almost every American was nearing a food coma, and all we wanted to do was lie down and sleep. NO MORE FOOD! We had satiated our appetites and were now paying the price.

Even yesterday morning we were probably still swearing off food or at least had rededicated ourselves to a diet. But as the Chad and Jeremy song goes … “that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.” Now we’re hungry again, and all our misery is gone and with it our resolve to do better.

Overindulging during the holidays is just the tip of the American “More is Better” iceberg. Many, if not most, of us have the “more is better” mentality, especially if we get a great savings on buying more, even if we don’t need more or won’t use more. Hence … the big box stores … where you can get a lot of everything.

But most of us don’t need a lot of everything … or anything.

Please note that I am a happy consumer of one of the most popular big box stores in the world, and I love my savings … and multiple pairs of shorts in every color … even the color that looks hideous on me (or I in it). BUT, I have also bought huge bags of salad mix that have gone bad, bags of potato chips that have gone stale before I could get through them (if you can imagine that), and boxes of cans of mushrooms for which I have no recipes (plus I don’t cook much), their sell by dates now years past.  I have more socks in my drawer than I could wear in a year, and just found ten reams of paper that have absorbed moisture because I had to store them in the garage … and then forgot they were there!

I was reading in a special edition of National Geographic  about the Blue Zones, those communities in the world that live the longest. It is a fantastic read, and the secrets are more than just dietary (there are nine primary factors) but one small dietary tidbit about the people of Okinawa, Japan, intrigued me.

Before they eat, they murmur three words ––“Hara hachi bu, a 2,500-year-old Confucian adage that reminds Okinawans to stop eating when their stomach is 80 percent full.” The logic is that it takes “20 minutes for the feeling of fullness to travel from your stomach to your brain” so it helps remind them to be aware of that growing feeling of fullness and stop early –– and let their brain catch up (page 48).

Perhaps we should apply this Okinawan practice of stopping at 80 percent in all the areas of our lives in which we tend to overindulge. Buy only four pairs of shorts instead of five.  Say only 80 percent of what we really want to say instead of letting it all out. And of course eating only 80 percent of what’s in front of us rather than the entire plate. How much healthier and wealthier might we be?

I don’t know about you, but I lack “won’t power.” If I want something, I have a very hard time telling myself no. That bowl of ice cream soon becomes half the container. Though I might feel full, if I am only halfway through a tub of popcorn, I soldier on until the entire thing is empty.

Ice cream and popcorn may reveal the gluttonous sin abiding in me, but trust me, I have a bevy of other temptations that are problematic as well. Self-discipline is easy (or at least easier) when it aligns with our own desires and even more so when it aligns with God’s Word. Then we know we are doing the right thing, and that provides us with an added boost of encouragement. However, when those desires fly in the face of God’s truth, now that’s a totally different story. Then we struggle––big time.

This battle of sin verse obedience is nothing new. Paul talked about it in Roman’s 7:15 when he said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

James states it quite frankly: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” (James 1:14)

All of us face temptations and at those times we must chose to obey or rebel. And as tough as it might be, God offers us two primary ways out of these situations and avoid sinning.

The first is to flee.

Whether it is the ice cream aisle at the store, the concession stand at the movies, or any situation that places us in a position of disobedience to God, our first option is to flee. Get out of there, just as Joseph fled the seduction of Potiphar’s wife. Look at the following three verses.

“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.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18

The second is to remove the cause.

 “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Matthew 5:29-30

That means throwing out that gallon of ice cream in our freezer or ridding our house or our lives of whatever causes us to stumble. It may not always easy, and sometimes it is extremely painful, but as Matthew says, better to lose one part of one’s body than all of one's body and soul.

Eleven months ago I began my search for the promises of God. Some of the promises I found were His promise of love, protection, provision, belonging, esteem, purpose, trouble, presence, and peace. Yes, there are more promises that I have yet to discover, but for the time being, I will bring my formal study to a close with a favorite song of mine by The Martins. It might not be familiar to you, but I think it captures God’s promises to us. I hope you enjoy it.

I really wanted to start here––with God’s promise of peace. I need it. Often. I may look calm on the outside (or maybe I don’t), but I am churning with emotions of the inside. My mind is often in overdrive and usually in the wrong direction, and my heart is along for the ride.

But it didn’t take me long to realize that I couldn’t start with this promise. Instead I had to know, understand, and accept all of God’s other promises (love, security, purpose, etc.) before I could truly understand and accept His promise of peace. So here I am, almost to the end of the year and finally able to see the true nature of this promise.

Peace is tough for us, for Satan wants to rob us of peace, and he knows each of our weaknesses. Right when we are feeling at peace about something or some relationship, he begins to poke old wounds, prod distant memories, or throw in an insecure thought. At other times he goes straight for the jugular, reminding us that we have been blindsided by lies, partial truths, or intentional omissions.

Then he urges us to take matters into our own hands and “investigate” and “fix" the problem, thereby encouraging us to expend even more energy into something that is beyond our control, and now peace seems even more elusive than ever. But actually, peace can be easily attained. it is threefold:

Obedience: “Oh that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river . . .” Isaiah 48:16.

Often our lack of peace is linked directly to our disobedience. We know we are wrong, and while we continue down the path of rebellion, peace is not possible.

Prayer: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Prayer releases our concerns to God so that He can now deal with them.

Trust: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Obey, pray, and trust. Then experience God’s perfect peace.