Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Take Control . . . One Day at a Time

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Yesterday, we saw that God made us emotional creatures with feelings, but these feelings must be controlled.

Let's relate this to food. Food is fuel. It's not your enemy; it's your friend. But food cannot be your best friend and, for sure, it must not be your god. Solomon minces no words when he addresses this subject. "Put a knife to your throat / If you are a man of great appetite" (Proverbs 23:2). That's an extreme way of saying, get control of yourself!

We are learning how to do that the longer we stay committed to a healthy lifestyle. It's a lot easier if we take it one day at a time. I've found that something as simple as prayer is a tremendous help. Here's one you might use before you begin your day:

Lord, thank you for giving me emotions. Without them, life would be awfully dry and barren. But because they are often strong and I'm not always able to say no to them when I should, I ask for Your strength. I invite You to step into my world and enable me to keep my feelings within proper boundaries. When I'm tempted to overeat, remind me that I need to hold back. When I try to rationalize around doing what I know is best, help me face the truth and not go there. And especially when I begin to lose heart and almost decide to give up, stop me. Get me back on track lest I fail to finish what I've started . . . and later regret it. I'm so thankful that You care about all this even more than I do, so keep me faithful and resolute. And please know how grateful I am for You—my Lord and Master and Friend. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.