Feelings are not Truth II

I keep wanting to say that I am not a feelings-oriented person, but I am! My good friend, Bert, always says "Belief causes behavior", but in my case I'm pretty sure that it's "Feelings cause behavior". (For more great info from Bert check out: http://www.bertsgoodstuff.com/)

I constantly kick myself for not being perfect (in my eyes) but the Truth of God is that He makes me perfect:

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

His power is complete (read: perfect) in me when I am at my weakest because my lack of self-will and pride allow Him to take me over completely. Every time I try to live the Christian life in my own power, I fail. That is a guarantee.

When my focus is on myself, my wants, my desires, I am spiritually impotent. The Lord can and does use believers even when we're loathsome, but how much more could the Lord do through me if I were always willing, available and focused on Truth?

Over these last few months of repenting (read: turn 180 degrees away) of gluttony I've found that my eyes and mind are also consuming unhealthy things. At times it has been a struggle against flesh to not read fashion/trendy/celebrity gossip articles. But, I know that it is totally necessary for me to abstain from these information sources. For one, they are full of lies. More importantly, they do not reflect God's character and my greatest spiritual desire is to reflect Him more and more.

So, when I abstain, I look for other ways to entertain myself. I've noticed that I'm watching more TV than before (another source of ungodly information). The Lord keeps calling me to spend more time in the Word and I procrastinate from it. How sad! As much as I say that I want to become more like Him, in act I am showing that I don't really want to change at all!

I have to make the purposeful decision to focus on Him and on His Truth rather than letting myself be carried by feelings, food, TV or gossip magazines (or pride! Part of me wants to delete the section where I admit to reading celebrity gossip mags, it makes me feel shallow and my pride doesn't want to publicize my shallowness or even admit that it exists).

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.