It was one of those times where I had eaten the kind of food that makes me sick. Coughing, stuffy nose, bloated stomach. Sometimes I coughed so much it made me vomit and this night was one of those times. Only this time it was different in that as I was bent over getting sick, I heard “as a dog returns to its vomit” in my spirit. It was a very somber moment because I knew who was speaking to me, and I knew it was His discipline knocking on the door of my heart.

To see this scripture in its entirety, you can read Proverbs 26. It’s an exhortation not to be a fool. Specifically, the scripture the Holy Spirit was illuminating to my heart that night was Proverbs 26:11 which says, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly”. It was a painful thing to hear, and it was a painful thing to face. But it was true. I had continued to abuse my body by eating foods I had a sensitivity to and was suffering the consequences of my choices. But why? Why did I do it?

                                         Was it a lack of willpower?
                                         Was it a lack of discipline?
                                         Was it apathy or compromise?
                                         Was it spiritual warfare?

All these things could be components of why I was making these choices, but at the deepest level, at the core of my being, it was a much deeper issue. At the root of my poor relationship with food was that feeling of unworthiness I had carried with me for a very long time. It was a story, a comfortable lie that I had been telling myself (and the enemy of my soul was capitalizing on) for so long it affected my behavior and created the habits that caused me to make these types of food choices.

Was God being cruel when He whispered that portion of scripture to my heart? Let’s think about that question considering another scripture, Hebrews 12:11-13:

“Now all discipline seems to be more pain than pleasure at the time, yet later it will produce a transformation of character, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who yield to it.
So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be divinely healed.”

If the result of God’s discipline is a harvest of righteousness and peace, I say yield to it!

Where is God disciplining you? What words of “tough love” is He speaking to you?

Strengthen your weak knees, lift your hands in worship and prayer even when you don’t feel like it, and let God’s discipline bring waves of righteousness and peace into your life as you yield to it. Remember, God disciplines those whom He loves. It’s love calling you upward, into your high calling. Yield, and say yes!

Yours in radiant health,