Article By Dianna Hobbs:: The New A-list Author
“Mom are you gonna taste it?” our daughters asked me.
Last evening, they made “Toffee Bark”—a recipe given to me by a dental assistant named Sherry at the pediatric orthodontics office our family goes to.
Last winter, during the holiday season, she told me to try her Christmas cookie recipe since it is a tradition in the Hobbs household to make and decorate them each year as a family.
When we made Sherry’s cookies, they were so delicious—something I discussed with her at a recent office visit, thus piquing the children’s interest in her other recipe.
I had forgotten to try it out, but Kyla and Kaiah insisted.
So I fished the white slip of paper out of my drawer that had the instructions and ingredients on it yesterday. The sweet treat, which contains saltine crackers, butter, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and heath (or Skor) bars, is a pretty decadent dessert.
Well, after the children teamed up and made it, they all indulged last evening.
I declined to join them.
But this afternoon, Kaiah offered me a taste.
I hesitated, then consented.
When I broke a small piece off and tasted that Toffee Bark on my tongue—Oh My!—it was close-your-eyes-and-groan good.
It tasted like an amazing candy bar. The saltiness and sweetness combined was just…
I don’t know.
It was just good.
Right then, I knew. I had to get away from that snack or I was about to commit all kinds of wrong gorging myself on it.
“That is just sinful,” I told the girls. “I am not eating that. The devil is a lie!” I laughed.
They giggled too.
At the moment Kaiah offered it to me, I was actually about to have a bowl of Bran Flakes.
As I fumbled to get the top back on the Tupperware Bowl in which that evil temptation was stored, I was determined not to eat another bite.
“Come and help me with this Kyla,” I told her, unable to seal it back shut. “I’ve gotta get away from this stuff.”
She chuckled some more and closed it up for me.
And you know what I did?
I dutifully poured that bowl of bland brand and ate it instead of that scrumptious Toffee Bark.
I do not intend to return to that container full of tantalizing bondage.
Chocolate is my weakness.
Chocolate and pizza.
Pizza Hut and a local spot called Leonardi’s.
And spaghetti.
Mounds of it.
And salt and vinegar potato chips.
Lay’s.
We all have vices—bad, unhealthy habits of some kind. Temptations are all around us, luring us away from what we know is right.
When we are on the right track, there is always something—an invitation, suggestion, or opportunity—lingering around the corner, cajoling us.
For some of us, our vice is our ex.
Sex.
And we don’t know how to kick the “habit.”
Sometimes, the best (and only) thing to do is get away from it completely.
In fact, when it comes to sexual morality, the Bible literally tells us to “flee” or run from it in 1 Corinthians 6:18.
A-listers, you are not superhuman. There are some temptations that are so strong, you cannot play around with them. You have to separate from some people. Cut ties. Change your activities.
Don’t play with fire.
You will get burned.
If you've read my book, The New A-list: Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, you remember the story I share from when I was dating my then-boyfriend, now husband of 16 years. Even though I was a virgin (He was not.), the deeper in love we grew, so did my desire to be intimate with him.
One day, I had to tell him to leave. We had been spending so much time together that I was feeling weak. I needed some time to get it together. I did not want to compromise my abstinence journey.
He understood.
Because of decisions like that, thankfully, I was able to remain a virgin until marriage.
That's why I'm telling you to respect your weakness and humanity.
You see, no matter how much you want to do right, you are living inside of flesh. And flesh always wants to please itself and do things outside of the will of God.
Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Again, the flesh is weak.
Honor the fact that you are a hot-blooded human being who has buttons that can be pushed, and triggers that can be activated.
And get away from the things and people who constantly tempt you to do wrong.
After all, there is no way you can ever expect to be strong if you consistently surround yourself with what makes you weak.
Amen?
Amen.
You will always be presented with the choice of Toffee Bark (unhealthy indulgence) or Bran (Healthy abstinence).
Choose rightly.
Your Abstinence Coach,
Dianna Hobbs
To learn how to better value yourself, uphold your standards and resist sexual compromise, get your copy of Dianna Hobbs' best-selling book The New A-list: Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, now available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Booksamllion.com.
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