27. Heavenly Father, today the Holy Spirit has impressed upon my spirit to stay in prayer and to be alert concerning my eating habits, less I should take You for granted throughout this deliverance process. I have been feeling stronger, and yet I must not say it is willpower, but You alone who guides and strengthens me each day. I thank You for never failing or forsaking me. I thank You for teaching me Your ways. I thank You that by Your grace my eating habits are becoming portioned and normal. Keep me strong, O Lord and keep me honoring You for this victory, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Day 31 Scripture: Romans 12: 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Application: When I entered into my weight loss journey, I was transformed by the renewing of my mind. I cannot put it any simpler stated than what this Scripture states. I first felt conviction (along with annoyance and shame) as to how I let my body go. I would read the Bible and passages would leap out at me encouraging me it was time for action. It was stepping out in faith when I first enrolled at eDiets.com It provided anonymity for me, but gave me the tools I needed to transform my mindset. God can use any environment to renew your mind. eDiets is a commercial, secular site, and yet, after being there and learning so much about dieting, within a month’s time they added a message Board for Christian dieters to support each other on a journey of health. Coincidence? No, not in God’s Kingdom. It is what I called a Godincidence. I began doing a Bible study on dieting and freely I needed to share the Word with others. They did not exactly flock to the study to receive conviction, but once genuine cleansing and healing started to occur for the dieter, people came and went on for a total of 3 times to with just one study in the book of Proverbs alone. These studies are free and available at http://www.geocities.com/editor992000/dietarchive.html God gave freely to me, and I must freely pass onto you the Word that sent me along my journey. I am now approving what is God’s will for me according to Scripture, and the results I have received by following His way and will for me is something I can see in my body. You can do it too, and you can have everlasting success this time. This is not a gimmick or a quick fix by any means. This is transformation by the renewing (from God’s Word) of your mind to be in His highest will for you. Step out in faith and claim the new creature in Christ He desires to make you.

Prayer: Lord God, we can test and prove what Your will is by applying Scriptures and examining ourselves. Where we lack, we pray that You transform us by the renewing of our minds against the light of the Word. Help us to change our mindset and ways so that we may please You in our walk. In Jesus’ name. Amen

My Commitment Today:

26. Almighty God, to Thee do I call for help with my food bondage. I have been blessed by You and I am being set free. It is easier to say no to temptations and I thank You forshowing me the way out of my addicition. I sometimes struggle in my thoughts with ideas of returning to my poor habits, but then You gently speak within my spirit and assure me that You have set me free and there is no good reason to return to bondage again. Keep me honest with You, Lord and remind me often in my hour of temptation to call upon Your mighty name. Amen

Day 30 Scripture: John 16: 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Application: Jesus here tells us that you should have peace in Him because He has overcome the world. Think about what He overcame. He conquered sin and death, and we fear that through Him we can’t conquer a few pounds of extra weight on the body? Not so, He tells us to take heart, or it might be read, “Take this to heart”. Just as you feel you cannot stay on a diet for another moment, or when you are rounding up close to your goal weight, and you truly believe you are never going to make it, take heart, for if He has overcome the world, He has already overcome a few pounds of weight on your body. He holds a victory already in store for you. Like salvation, it has to be claimed by you. If you truly desire it the victory has already been won. We need to think of ourselves as winners, not losers. There is no obstacle in life that can prevent us from receiving the victory that He holds in store for us and is ready to pass on to us. He says, “I have told you these things”. If He has told us, how can we still have room for doubt. Scripture tells us He is not a man that He can lie. If He said it and has done it, all you can add to it is an Amen. Start walking sporting a new attitude today. Not about how you have failed in the past before through dieting efforts, but how this time around you have assurance and peace from Christ that He has already conquered this former area of defeat in your stead, and He now proclaims you to be victors in Him.

Prayer: Lord God, I thank You for the encouragement and light You always impart to me. I thank You for the peace and victory You bring with You when I turn to Your Word for comfort. I thank You also, Lord, that this time I will face the enemy of discouragement with the knowledge that no enemy can withstand You, and now me that I am walking in Your stead. Thank You for safeguarding this victory for me, as I am now willing to claim it and receive it. Amen

My Commitment Today:

25. You alone are God and I praise Your Holy Name. You are guiding and instructing me and teaching me how to overcome my propensity to overeat. You are pouring out Your grace upon me and leading me on a path of obedience and self-control. O Lord, I thank You for Your patience with me. I delight in You and I thank You for this second chance of returning my body to a healthy and normal weight. Help me this day to eat my share of nourishment and no more than that. As I grocery shop today, be with me as I choose foods that are wholesome. Keep me in Your will, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Day 29 Scripture: Phillipians 4: 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Application: What a blessing we would have if we could say with Paul, “I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.” Are you content with your diet? With the portion which you must have to lose weight? Are you content munching on fruit and vegetables rather than chips and sweets? Are you content with water instead of colas? Well, you get the idea. It is a matter of learning to be content with the lot in life that God hand delivers to you. We once were not content with a normal portion of food, why else would we be overweight? Like I always said, “No one held a gun to my head and made me eat that way.” I was discontent about a lot of areas in my life and I let it express itself in the area of overeating. Once again, I have made my peace with God about the things He has chosen for me, and along with that this area of dieting. I am truly content at 1200 calories a day, especially when I know that God has little ones throughout the world that would be willing to have a smaller allotment than that just so they did not starve to death. If you can learn to be content with the dieting that you are doing now, you will find the discovery of having peace available to you whenever you desire. “Be content, in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Prayer: Teach me how to give You praise and thanks in all things. Teach me, Lord, the truth of contentment and how by being so I can rid myself of many emotional baggage’s that I carry with me. Teach me how not to look at others with envy, for I know not the struggles that they may have had to endure to find contentment in their lives. Free me from discontent, as you create a new and grateful heart within me. Amen

My Commitment Today:

24. Lord God, I am dwelling more in Your Presence now that I am not obsessing about my food addiction. I had wasted countless hours of my life in thought of food, rather than in praise of You. You have wiped my sin slate free. You are transforming me day by day into a new creature–one who is not bound by food addiciton. I thank You, my Lord. You are teaching me and guiding me while setting me free. My hope is in You and not in dieting techniques. Your path is pure and simple and I am grateful for each day’s obedience which leads to victory. I thank You in the name of Jesus, and to His glory. Amen

Day 28 Scripture: Hebrews 10: 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Application: Shrinking back to what we once were is something we want our bodies to do, not our spirits. A marvelous thing happens as your body begins to shrink back to normal size. You begin to feel a whole lot better about yourself in many areas. Spiritually we find ourselves thrilled because we are back in God’s will, and we are once more developing the fruit of the Holy Spirit self-control. We are learning discipline once more, which has always been a mark of a disciple of Christ’s. We begin to feel the benefit of energy, lower blood pressure, or blood sugar readings, the possibilities are endless. We believe that these things are occurring to us even though other than physical appearance we can’t see them, but instead feel the benefits. We don’t want to shrink back from our new life. Living again in the spirit of Christ and fullness of life is now our desire. We no longer want to destroy our temples with obesity and the diseases that occur with it. We are truly more than conqueror’s in Christ again, when we begin to follow Christ and not shrink back from His commands. Hey, there is the light that He brings that enlightens us and brings us out of darkness.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord for shining brightly in my life as I begin to let you have control again over so many things that I thought I was hiding in the darkness. Thank You for granting me victory in more than the physical aspects, but in the spiritual realm too as I discover how truly good and merciful You are. I won’t shrink back, give up or sit down until I am restored in Your image of me. Amen

My Commitment Today:

23. Gracious God, it is becoming easier to turn from temptation to overeat. I am finding my delight and comfort in You rather than in food. I thank You for blessing me and strengthening me to resist the temptations that are hurled at me. I find that when I do struggle, You remind me to turn to You for a blessing instead. I refuse to let food be my idol and a curse. I choose to seek refuge in You. Help me this day to remain focused and strong. Draw me to You often. I will praise You for the wonderful work You are doing in me, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Day 27 Scripture: James 3: 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

Application: Have you considered how minuscule the tastebuds are, and how much trouble they have gotten you into? They can’t even be seen with the human eye, but they are there desiring to take tastes of everything, easily excited, tempted, and prone to overindulge. They are but a small spark and your body is a great forest waiting to be destroyed by something as pleasant as a tastebud. It is told dieter’s that if you have a craving for something, allow yourself a small taste of it so you won’t feel denied. Yet, what is a small taste? A small taste to a tastebud would be about the size of a pinhead, and who is that disciplined? Not me, for sure. You have to do what works for you individually, but bingeing and not knowing when to quit was my downfall. In my vocabulary there is no such thing as a small taste. We must learn our pitfalls and not walk away from temptation–we must run away from it. If endless tastes of food during the day has gotten you into this dilemma, then it’s time for you to take control of your tastebuds and be master over them, not vice versa. After all, this is a lifestyle change, and the habit of taste must be overcome by the habit of desiring to put only healthy foods into our body’s when we are hungry. Let’s face it, what we once got away with is no longer doable. We must become different than what are habits were. A habit can be broken, with the help of God.

Prayer: Lord, how wonderful and detailed you have made each one of us, and yet when it comes to the tastebud’s, one of the least in size of any organ and nerve, I indulge it beyond what is necessary. Help me to realize that my spirit, which can not be seen by human eye is far more important than a tastebud. I want my spirit to be strong in You that I may overcome the temptations to revert to old habits. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

My Commitment Today:

Day 26 Scripture: James 5:13a Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.

Application: The five top ways a dieter gets into trouble are these: (1) Give Yourself a Break–Don’t believe that you alone can handle this day after day, week after week and month after month without having failures. Don’t be overly hard on yourself when you do; you are human. Return quickly to the Lord, confessing to Him your actions, and begin anew as quickly as possible. (2) You Have the Power; don’t be powerless– Jesus said, “All power and authority is given me on earth and in heaven.” If you are walking in Christ, as a heir to His Kingdom you can draw on His power whenever you need it. He desires you to walk in victory, not defeat. (3) Find a Diet Buddy–We’ve discussed the importance of this one. Proverbs even advises us that “Two are better than one, for if one fall down the other is there to lift him up again.” Find a trusted Christian who understands this very same battle of the flesh that is going on with you. Remember the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (4) Expect a Few Bad Days–Not everyday will be perfect for eating and exercise. It’s not what you eat wrong on any given day, but what you eat wrong over several weeks. If you lose your resolve, then find out where you lost it, and pick it up again. Recall that you have made a commitment to God, and he hasn’t forgotten, why then have you? Say once more, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” (5) Do Something!–The best way to fight discouragement is to take action! Don’t be a victim. Don’t be passive, and don’t start to whine, “I knew this was going to happen.” Learn all you can about dieting, keep your spirit well fed in the Word of God, and begin to step out in faith with memorizing positive action Scriptures like the ones that we have been studying through this series. Talk to God, and ask Him to renew your resolve. Don’t just sit there and cry over spilled milk. Clean it up and move on.

Prayer: Lord, help me to commit to these principles. There will be days when I will feel sorry for myself, but allow me to recognize it the enemy’s way to get me to throw the towel in. Strengthen me when I fall into the trap of old behavior patterns, and create in me the desire to be victorious through Christ Jesus. Amen

My Commitment Today:

22. Almighty God, You have strengthened me to resist the pattern of my food bondage. You have made me to stand tall as I call upon Your name each day. I feel hope well up into my spirit that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I feel hope that I can entirely put this bondage behind me and have a new life in Christ. I struggled at first, but by continually coming before You, it has been easier to obey You daily rather than to sin and binge. And Your ways are not difficult, O Lord. I thank You for Your patience with me and for Your guidance leading me to the promised land of recovery. Amen

Day 25 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10: 12-13 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Application: Stand firm, but be careful that you don’t fall. How wise is this advice. Ever have a great weigh-in day scoring a huge loss for the week, and you think that you can slack off and celebrate a little with a food reward? Be overly cautious instead, when we seem to be on a roll, temptations will rear its ugly head. We must not forget that it is the grace of God within us that is making our dieting efforts possible. You turned this problem area over to Him, and you must not belittle God now to think it is 100% your own effort. God will not be robbed of any glory that belongs to Him. If He were to remove His grace for a few moments time, all of our bad habits through the years of eating would come right back to us. It is by His grace that we have the written Word to guide us, comfort us, and give us our strength needed for the day to keep on keeping on. He provides you with a way out of a temptation and that avenue is called prayer. Jesus said, “You have not because you ask not.” If we forget to ask, God will not hit you over the head with a hammer to show you the way of escape; instead He will be strangely quiet just like you are being to Him. “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, and knock and it will be open to you.” If you want that escape route, remember the One who gives it.

Prayer: Father forgive me for the times I am silent toward you and the times when I fail to ask You what Your answer and solution would be. I know that You are willing to guide me in all things. Help my reluctance to trouble You with such minute detail, when I realize that You desire the communication lines to be open at all times. Forgive me when I flee to the comforts of food, rather than run to the sweet fellowship that I can have with You whenever I desire. Help me to see clearly the way out of my temptations, and help me, Lord, to keep from falling. In Jesus’ name. Amen

My Commitment Today:

21. O God, I call upon You with gratitude that You have forgiven me and have set me free from bondage of food. I am still tempted, that is expected, but now I recall You and Your mercy and I desire to follow You and be obedient. I do not regret this journey, for I know You are with me and lovingly guiding me. I thank You for this victory. I rejoice in the opportunity to glorify You today. As I sit down to eat I ask that You fellowship with me. I ask for awareness that I am not alone and that I cannot conceal my sin from You. I ask for normalcy today at mealtimes, and a spirit of rejoicing throughout the day, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Day 24 Scripture: Matthew 6:16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Application: Some very good dieting advice comes from this Scripture alone. Some people believe that announcing they are going on a diet will strengthen their commitment to do just that. Others, like myself, don’t like to draw attention to it if we might be setting ourselves up for failure or intentional or unintentional sabotage. Others will say, even if they know you are dieting, “You’re doing great so this little piece of dessert won’t hurt you.” Or, “At least try one helping because this is your favorite dish.” Jesus said when we fast, don’t look all stoic and announce your intentions. He said this for a reason. Just as fasting is a private matter between Your God who strengthens you and yourself, so should it be your commitment to Him first when you diet. If you are dieting because you are convicted about the way you have let your body go, God should be the first one that you talk this area over with. God doesn’t take your failures laying down. We are told that Jesus sits in the heavens on the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. Who better to help but the One who pulled a 40 day fast complete with Satan tempting Him at His weakest moment. Your friend, spouse, or parent may just know you so well by now that they know you won’t go all the way; but God knows you will if you have committed this area to His will. Yes, eventually your body will reveal to others that you have lost weight, and the compliments are a source of joy, but you are not tooting your own horn, others are, and what a wonderful testimony you will have in revealing to others what God has done in your life. Just as Jesus is able to understand our weaknesses and infirmities, so it is a must that we find dieting buddies in the same fix we are in and allow them to support us and vice versa. They can sympathize on a bad day, and rejoice on a good day. Someone who has never had a weight problem before can not give you much empathy. Keep it between God and you for awhile, and a few friends that are doing the same, and then you shall have the reward that it is due to you in due season from God the Father which sees in secret, but rewards openly.

Prayer: Father God, teach me how to be humble that I might not announce my intentions every chance I get, but allow others to see Your wondrous works in me so that others may have the joy of discovering the better side of me, Christ dwelling within me. Give me the strength to fast from those foods which caused me to become unhealthy, and give me the desire to overcome the obstacles that I will surely face along this journey. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our High Priest who intercedes for us. Amen

My Commitment Today:

20. Lord God, I thank You for forgiveness of sins. This is a fresh start for me. A new beginning. A second chance. I thank You that You do not lord my sin of gluttony over me. I thank You that You convicted me before my health gave way. I know that with Your help I can return to a normal weight, and I can eat as a normal person eats once more. I thank You that no matter what our sin is, Christ has taken our place on the cross that we might have forgiveness. I praise You for Your faithfulness and promises. Help me today to glorify you in the actions that I choose. Amen

Day 23 Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Application: Can you, off the top of your head, name a sin that has absolutely no consequence? You cannot because God’s Word speaks that in eternity is where you will get your just reward if you are not in Christ while upon this earth. You will the be reaping the wages of sin in eternity. For every action there is a reaction. The Bible states, “The wages of sin is death.” Can you apply this to eating unhealthy, overeating, weight gain and the maladies of diseases that rush in with obesity. Say it again, “The wages of sin is death.” What were we possibly thinking by overeating? Was it self-punishment or a death wish? I don’t know for sure, but it does seem to point at dissatisfaction at life, rather than joy. But you say, “I enjoyed every moment I was pigging out.” Did you really, or was that feeling unquenchable? Could it ever be satisfied? Sometimes I have been so full of joy, and love and peace from God that I thought I would burst with happiness if things got any better, and believe me, I never rushed to fill up any hole with a piece of pie. That satisfaction at life and its turns came from deep within me, and not from the outward stimuli of dessert. The promise after meeting a condition of suffering for awhile is this in this Scripture, “(God) will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” A little pun on this passage if you will bear with me, but I long to be strong and firm and fit again in my physical body. And yes, it will take a little while, a time of effort, a lot of exercising , water and eating the right things, but I will not add insult to injury as I grow older to learn to live with a body that I am putting into an early grave. Just as smokers can overturn the damage given to their lungs in seven years time, I am determined to spend the next years before I turn 60 to restoring the strength I had a decade or two back. Sound like a pipe dream? It isn’t. Moses lived to be 120, but the key to his leading the Israelites out of Egypt for that last 40 years of his life was in that he ate God’s food, did God’s will, and spent each day exercising! They marched through the desert, and the least I can do is take a hike every day to improve my physical stamina. Be blessed and do not grumble as you set your goals once more to be restored, strong, firm and steadfast.

Prayer: Lord God, I thank You this very day that You are a God of second chances, and I ask for that second chance to rid my body of this excess and become healthy again. I will put forth effort each day, Lord as You bless and multiply it. Thank You, Lord for knowing what my body and spirit truly desires even when I wasn’t able to define it. Blessed be Your name and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling and working within us. Amen

My Commitment Today:

19. Shepherd of my soul, I thank You for leading me out of the valley where I have been dwelling with my bondage of the flesh and the false comforts of food. Now it is You that prepares my table for me. Now it is You that I dine with. Now it is You that I receive my comfort from. And You shall never fail or forsake me. Help me today to put the valley past me and continue to strive for the mountaintops where I will be free from my food addicition. Help me to see plainly the joys and rewards that caring for my body properly will bring. Thank You, Shepherd of my soul for watching over me and for guiding me. Amen

Day 22 Scripture: 1 Peter 4:1-2 1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

Application: Suffer in the body means being done with sin? Yes, we are feeling a tad bit of discomfort with our diet attempts so that we can cease from the sin of gluttony. Suffering in the body may be stretching it. There are ways far worse than dieting that is suffering. Pain is one of them, and I’ll take the discomfort and inconvenience of dieting any day. Another way of suffering in the body would to do a strictly water fast for 40 days as Jesus and other patriarchs in the Bible did. I would call all denial of food suffering in the body with a purpose: spiritual growth. If we look at dieting as a realm of spiritual growth and obedience it can be a time of opportunity and understanding to the why and how’s of how we got here in the first place. Do you see the relief that is provided for the one who is done with this sin? Scripture says they do not live the rest of their life for evil earthly desires. Praying and having our daily bread is what we are commanded to do, and yet desiring and partaking of more than our share of daily bread to sustain us results in the body rebelling against us in weight gain, fat accumulation and a general don’t feel good body and about ourselves on top of it to boot. When we diet or fast we certainly must fill up that time with other pursuits, and Scripture here tells us it is in seeking and doing the will of God. What a change off here; I desire the will of God in my life rather than the “pleasure” of an old stand-by favorite slice of German Chocolate cake. Turns out that I had a slice a few months back and it actually resulted in my being sick to my stomach. Could it be that when we are out of the will of God, we are so caught up into sensual pleasure that we forget the sweetness of His fellowship. Dieters beware of the old adage with a new twist, “If it tastes too good to be true, it is.”

Prayer: Father God, I am astounded at the way You have changed my thinking and make me now to care for the temple I dwell in. I don’t expect to live forever, but through Your grace and mercy I expect to have a better chance at quality life. I even am starting to enjoy the new me You are creating, and the lesson’s I am learning with the fruit of self-control. Sustain me on this path, Lord, and let my body correct me when I wander from what is good, healthy and appropriate portions for it. In Jesus’ name. Amen

My Commitment Today: