Broken Idols Build The Temple

37 days.  That's 7 times 5 plus an additional 2.  I'm a little over 1/3 of the way through my 100 Day Sugar Fast.  It's crazy how time flies, when I first began it seemed as though one day lasted a week.  While it's been easier with each day that passes, it's also presented some challenges along the way.  It's unlike any fast I've done before in this; it's not about weight loss, but it's about addiction.  The truth is I had a problem with sugar, I was addicted...and so began my journey.  It's the broken idols that build the temple.

Cakes and cookies have wafted through the office in glorious decadence, the scent too much at times.   It's a constant battle, a redirecting of the mind.  Who knew that sugar could look so pretty?  Who knew that simple, everyday choices could amount to something unbearable?  I didn't.  But because it's about breaking addiction, I have to also be careful in my substitutions.  Am I finding myself addicted to sugar-free substitutes?  For the first time, I can say no.  It's the broken idols that build the temple.

One of my favorite stories of the Bible is found in 1 Samuel 5.  The Philistines had this false god, this idol, that they worshiped and revered.  His name was Dagon and he was the fish-god.  They set this idol up in front of the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the presence of God.  The next morning they wake up and come in to find the idol flat on it's face before the Ark.  They set it back up again, and lo and behold, the next morning they come in to find the idol flat on it's face and this time with both hands broken off.  The takeaway?  There is nothing, no idol, no addiction, no earthly power, that can set itself up against God and win.  Simple.  It's the broken idols that build the temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and because I was bought with such a high price I should honor God in my body.  Sugar was once an idol, addiction has always been a real struggle for me.  But because of the power of Christ within me, and because of the presence of God that I carry, that idol had to fall and break-just like Dagon.  But it's the broken idols that build the temple, because Christ is rebuilding me the way it was meant to be all along...and I've never been more grateful to be under construction.