What is "Not on Your List?"

A while back my family went on a very structured diet.  During the strictest phase you eat only foods from a very specific list.  As we started, the nurse who coached us, encouraged my son, who was 20 at the time, to use the phrase, “It’s not on the list.”  This would help with the social pressures, when sharing a meal with friends.  I found myself using that phrase frequently.  "It is not on the list!" became my response not only for the diet, but also became a guard over my spiritual life. 

The foods not on the “list” fall into three categories.  Some of the foods are simply not good for you.  No matter how healthy you become, they will always be detrimental to continued health.  Refined or artificial sugars, refined flours and chemically or genetically altered foods will always have ill effects.  Others are perfectly healthy food items. They are simply not for eating right now. I entered the eating plan kicking, screaming and pouting. "What is wrong with cauliflower, zucchini and mushrooms?  They don't have any calories."  Alas, they were not on the list.  And the third category of ‘not on the list’ foods will not be good for an individual.  . I have some food allergies/sensitivities.  Some foods that are perfectly healthy for most people have disastrous effects for me.  My personal choices must include avoiding apples and oranges, although these may be very wise food choices for others. 

The same can be said for a spiritual food list.  When we first come to the Lord, many of our former activities are taken from the list of things that are good for developing a relationship with the Lord. “So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor,” (2 Corinthians 6:17 AMP)   Some of these will stay off the list forever, others return and some are altered or replaced.

Just as some foods will never go on our good list, some things that we have left behind to follow Jesus will never be good to pick again.  These include bitterness, unforgiveness and judgmental-ism. They have never been good and we don't truly see how harmful they are, until we live free of them. Though they move into the permissible category, because all things are permissible, they will never become profitable to you. “All things are legitimate [permissible—and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].” (1 Corinthians 10:23AMP)  You won’t cease to be a child of God, but you will miss the benefits of spiritual health.  True peace and joy far surpass anything we thought we wanted to hold onto. The physical and spiritual benefits of healthy eating outweigh any “lust of the eye, lust of the nose or vain imaginings of our taste buds."

We are also to avoid circumstances and situations that place us into overwhelming temptation.  Although the activity or locale itself may not be inherently sinful, they place the believer is in a spot where wrong choices are very likely to occur.  We are instructed, “…strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1AMP)   As we grow in the Lord, some of these things that had previously tied us to bad habits may again become acceptable. These had a “not now” status.   As we grow, poor behavior patterns are replaced by new desires to live according to God’s principles.  Certain friends or places may return to your life without causing you to stumble into sin. Activities once tied to bad thoughts or behavior may now be enjoyed without negative effects. 

Like my food sensitivities, a calling or purpose from God may cause one to avoid some things that others are allowed. It may be a single event you don’t attend or a lifelong choice.  You may also be asked to do things that others are not.  God has created us each as unique individuals.  We must learn to both eat and act according to His plan.
Ignorance to these principles can be very dangerous.  For years I was unaware that many of my health problems were caused or drastically exaggerated by poor food choices.  Compared to many, I ate somewhat healthy.  It wasn’t until this very small list of “clean” foods became my diet, that I gained hope of living pain and asthma free. Sure, I knew I drank too much diet soda, but did not realize the extent of the damage it was causing.  And now I actually love water.  I wonder what things I have consumed that caused spiritual sickness I wasn’t aware of.  All I know is that now I want only what God wants.  I strive to let go of things He tells me to let go of.  This is not always easy, but definitely worth it.  And I love the Word of God.
I have been able to live healthy now for well over a year.  I have added many healthy foods to that original list.  I will not eat items containing gluten, dairy or sugars/artificial sweeteners.  A food allergy that had not been a problem for years has returned.  I’ve adjusted my eating plan again to avoid this food.  We’ve changed how we prepare food.  I make my own BBQ sauce and my brownies start with black beans.  My husband grills our meats and I chop vegetables.  Many of the old favorite foods are still around, but in an alternate form.  My whole family benefits by eating and feeling better. 
So what changes are you willing to make?  What will you be willing to take off your list of ‘profitable’ life practices.  Don’t feel like you will starve.  The scripture gives us a great list of items that will keep you spiritually nourished.  “For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. (Philippians4:8AMP)

Create s list for your life. Eat!  Eat Well! And, when temptation comes, your reply can be, “It is not on the list!”