I scoured the pantry for the chocolate chips, my go-to stash when there’s no other chocolate in the house. The search wasn’t quite frantic, but it was certainly urgent as I sought what my appetite craved.
When I finally conceded to myself that the hunt was in vain, I’m pretty sure my shoulders slumped a little.
I wasn’t going to get my fix.
Not this time.
As I pondered these events during a few quiet moments the next morning, I cried out to the Lord.
“Why, God? Why is eating such a struggle for me? Why do I always give in to my appetites? Why can’t I conquer this monster that has plagued me for so many years?”
I don’t think I really expected Him to answer. Even though it’s not unusual to receive a reply from Him, I still somehow forget to expect it.
But I didn’t have to wait even five seconds before His Spirit spoke to my heart:
“I am your Savior.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that right away. I’ve been a Christian for years – of course I know that God is my Savior!
The thoughts that followed were snippets of Scriptures – verses I had heard but not quite memorized, teasing the edges of my mind, luring me into a different – and better – search.
“Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
“And there is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:21b-22).
As I’ve been pondering these passages since the Lord so kindly brought them to my attention, two important truths stand out.
1.)God is my Savior. It’s what He whispered to my heart in answer to my desperate pleas that morning, and He has gone on to teach me through these passages that He is my only Savior.
So many temptations we struggle with and sins we toy with are a direct result of our unbelief in God as our only Savior.
We think lies can save us from accountability and that pornography can save us from our insecurity.
We think an illicit relationship can save us from our discontentment and that gossip can save us from our identity crisis.
And sometimes we’re even crazy enough to think chocolate can save us from feeling the stress of a day that’s a little too long and too full of demands.
The thing is, we’re wrong every single time.
Any other savior we try to claim for ourselves will be wholly insufficient.
This is true one hundred percent of the time; it must be true, because God said so.
To try to pretend that it isn’t true by erecting other saviors for ourselves is to call God a liar.
We will only begin to lay aside every weight and the sins that so easily ensnare us when we allow God to emblazon on our hearts that He is our Savior. Our only Savior.
2.)God’s salvation is utmost. It is highest. It is greatest. It is entire and it is supreme.
Claiming God’s salvation from the penalty of sin in eternity without claiming it from the power of sin right now is a failure to believe God’s ability to save me to the uttermost. Believing in His ability to save me from hell should be just the beginning of a lifetime of believing in His ability to save me, again and again…and again.
He saves us from fear, from doubt, from worry. He saves us from discouragement, from stress, from anger. He saves us from lust, from greed, from hatred. He saves us from lying, from pornography, from addiction.
He saves us once and for all, and He saves us moment-by-moment every single day.
He saves us once and for all, and He saves us moment-by-moment every single day.He does this because He can’t not do it, because He is our Savior – our only Savior, and one who saves us to the uttermost.
By God’s grace, claiming these truths by faith is revolutionizing the way I respond to my appetites, for food and otherwise. When it comes down to choosing between erecting a false savior that is powerless to save and believing in the true Savior who is mighty to save to the uttermost…
well, He wins every time.
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