Whose stomach is growling?

August 20, 2007

By William E. Richardson

“We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic” (Numbers 11:5, NKJV).

Every time someone says a prayer for salvation, the blood of Jesus covers all past sin. God forgives it, erases all record of it, and cancels the penalty for it. But the follower of Christ still deals with memories of the pre-Christian life. Like a jilted lover refusing to be rejected, those memories return, intruding, seeking attention, and demanding a response. Unless rejected, such memories can blind a Christian to God’s best blessings.

Thoughts of the former life returned to the Israelites in the wilderness in an unprotected moment of anger. Rather than disown the thoughts, they embraced them. They reflected fondly on the past. They wanted to go back. They verbally grumbled. Their stomachs growled. They recalled the diet of their bondage, forgetting the bondage. Egypt had given them “lives bitter with hard bondage” (Exodus 1:14). They had cried out to God for help (Exodus 2:23). He delivered them. How easily they forgot.

So, en route to a land “flowing with milk and honey,” they craved leeks and onions. While enriched by daily miracles, they longed for their former subhuman existence. They hungered for the former diets and became angry at God. When they didn’t protect their minds, memories of old appetites flooded in, demanding satisfaction. Their mouths watered, their taste buds lusted, their stomachs growled.

Past appetites can visit us while sitting in church, but it’s easier to think them (and rethink them) when not praising God. It’s no coincidence they seem to sneak up on us when we engage our eyes and ears in areas that aren’t God-honoring.

A door we open triggers the memory of the once-pleasant sight, sound, touch, taste or smell. It wafts into our minds, wooing us. Without a plan in place to reject the attention-seeking memory, it will grow.

Whether invited or not, memory flashes from our slave years will return. Knowing they will, we can protect our minds. We can counteract the old memories with other memories. Two distinct memories should help you regain perspective when presalvation memories come knocking.

Reflect on the chains of bondage of your slave appetites, the misery they caused you and the sorrow they caused others through you. Then remember the forgiveness, the cleanness, the newness you felt the day you prayed for salvation. No other pleasure can compare to that.

The very best defense? Don’t open a door that may invite a former appetite. When memories from your slave years do return, don’t follow the footsteps and mindset of the wandering Israelites. Stand against the thoughts and actions you left in your “Egypt.”

Remember, “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you” (Galatians 5:1, The Message).

William E. Richardson is senior pastor of Afton (Iowa) Assembly of God.