36. Lord God, You have said when we delight ourselves in You, You will give us the desires of our heart. It has been my desire to overcome my gluttony. You are giving me the victory. I am conscious of Your ever present help. I am not drawn by the lure of overating as I was. I feel hope arise each and every day. And it all started with a prayer and seeking You in this area daily. Thank You for caring for all of the things that trouble us. Thank You for setting us free from ingrained habit and willful sin. Be our guest at meal times today. Deliver us from temptation. Amen

Day 42 Scripture: Colossians 1:10 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

Application: That we might please Him in every way! That includes whether we eat or drink, doing all for the honor and glory of Christ. It is not pleasing to Him to see us with ill effects of weight gain or obesity. It says so little of Christ when we know there are the homeless and the hungry and we continue to overfeed ourselves. Did you ever really stop to wonder if your eating habits were pleasing to Christ? My problem was that I was an overeater. Once I started, I could not stop. I only ate one meal a day, but it was a constant binge. One meal a day would be all right if I were fasting, but I wasn’t. Plain and simple I was bingeing. Do you know how to stop once you have had your appropriate portion, or do you tend to go overboard, and not quit when you’ve had enough? Here is a passage from Proverbs. Proverbs 25:16 “If you find honey, eat just enough — too much of it, and you will vomit.” Read the following statements taken from The Big Book of Health Tips to see if you are a compulsive overeater undermining your diet. If you think about food most of the time and find it difficult to stop eating once you start, you might be a compulsive overeater. It’s not what compulsive eaters consume that’s their biggest problem. Rather, it’s the emotional problems behind their food obsession. If you are a compulsive eater, here are five ways that you can develop a healthy relationship with food and regain control over your eating: 1. Learn to love and accept yourself. Make a list of your good qualities and then read that list over often. 2. Find a group of people, such as a network of friends or a support group led by a person trained in eating disorders, where you will be accepted while you work on your eating problem. 3. Don’t try to be “cured” by a strict diet. Nerve chemicals and hormones go wildly out of whack during quick weight-loss diets. The result is more cravings and binge eating. Have several small meals a day, balanced with carbohydrates, protein and fat, instead of a couple of huge ones. You’ll keep your blood sugar and brain chemicals stable, as you help curb your overeating. 4. Learn to recognize your trigger foods. If you find potato chips irresistible, don’t buy them. Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. 5. Get in touch with your feelings. Is your stomach hungry or is it really your heart? What emotional traumas do you need to deal with? Get these issues out in the open and deal with them. Most important of all, confess it to God and seek His healing touch through the Bible and repentance through sensible dieting.

Prayer: Father, You know that I have caused my own problems with my weight gain issues, but now that I know the truth, I believe You have set me free for life. Keep me in Your Word and will that whatsoever I do I may glorify and honor Christ Jesus, even in my eating habits. Amen

My Commitment Today: