I am Filled... by Susan L.

...with the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23
  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law!" NKJV
  "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" JCB

  I don't know about anyone else, but if someone tells me I can't have a chocolate chip cookie, it quickly becomes an obsession, something I absolutely have to have! Daydreams fill my mind about the cookie. My taste buds yearn for the crunchy sweetness. I imagine the chocolate chips melting in my mouth. The cupboards get searched even though I know there are no cookies hidden in some forgotten corner. There's only about four corners in my tiny kitchen so the search doesn't take too long. Opening and closing the cupboard door doesn't make cookies magically appear either! Darn it!
  The next time a trip to the grocery store becomes a necessity, I stand in the cookie section, practically drooling over the gourmet chocolate chip cookies. Especially over the ones with added roasted pecans. Yummy!
  I reach for the bag...(If the blog had a sound track, I'd add the scary, shark theme from Jaws here.)
  I pick it up, studying the picture, weighing my allotted grocery allowance against the ridiculous cost of a dozen cookies.
  Then I think about all the weight I've lost.
  Nope. Better stick to fruit. There were ripe pears, peaches, new apples, and strawberries in the produce section at a fraction of the price of a skimpy bag of cookies. Sprinkling cut up fruit with cinnamon makes for a fool-the-mind-there's-sugar-here treat.
  And I am rewarded by achieving victory. Peace fills my heart the moment the cookie bag is returned to the shelf. The cravings slink back into the shadows from where they came. In its place, my body longs for good and wholesome foods.
  There isn't a law against cookies. It was fully my choice to indulge or not. Sin is a choice.
 
  (Long pause.)

  Sigh. Sometimes the cookies win. That's okay. The Lord helps me start over again in my ongoing fight against sugary treats.
  Lord, let me recognize the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life. Fill me with patience and kindness when the cookies prevail and I come down hard on myself for failing. Show me how to be more patient and kind with the people who are in my life. Give me life speaking words. Help me be more like You. In Jesus' name I pray. AMEN!