If there are problems in your life that you have been working hard to change or others have told you that you need to address, I propose that they are the result of your enslavement to your flesh. As I have been on my “weight reduction journey,” it has been eye opening to me to realize that most of our problems result from a lack of spiritual health.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT FOR TOTAL HEALTH

A spiritually healthy person knows the importance of self-control and moderation. A spiritually healthy person embraces the concept of discipline. She recognizes that sacrifices are important for maintenance of a healthy body and financial portfolio. A spiritually healthy person recognizes that temptation comes in many forms and is prepared with a healthy response nine times out of ten.

When you are spiritually healthy, you understand that your body is a gift from God, and you have been chosen to be the steward of that body. More important, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and it behooves you to take proper C.A.R.E. of your body. We forget that we were not created to indulge ourselves in everything our hearts desire; yet that is what so many of us do. I am just as guilty as I have indulged to my heart’s content in highly processed carbohydrates over the years. Then we wonder why we run into spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and financial problems.

WHATEVER WE LOVE MOST CONTROLS US

EXAMINE YOUR STORY and notice where you are ALLOWING yourself to be controlled. For those of us struggling to reduce our weight or keep the weight off, the answer is “food.”  As usual, I want you to ask yourself a question: “Why am I allowing myself to be controlled by food?” Check for the negative belief that you are holding on to.

As Christians we are commanded not to have any idols but God. Our first love should ALWAYS be God, our second and third loves should be self and others. When we love people, places, and things MORE than Jesus Christ, they control us. We become enslaved to those people, places, and things. Note healthy love is never controlling, rather it is EMPOWERING.

We profess to want freedom, yet we have freely used our will to CHOOSE to be enslaved. Pause for a moment and see how it feels to sit with the realization that you are a slave to food. Put another way, you have allowed FOOD to control your life. It does not make you feel good, does it? So, what are you going to do differently going forward?

DON’T MAKE A RASH AND UNREALISTIC PLAN

The problem for so many people struggling to reduce their weight and get rid of the extra body fat is that they often WANT or DESIRE instant results. You did not gain weight overnight, so be realistic and patient. Go back to basics, if may seem strange, but eating only when physiologically hungry should be a non-negotiable for everyone trying to reduce their weight. If you are not physiologically hungry and have the urge to put something in your mouth, drink water or a cup of plain green tea. Of course, it is equally important what and how much you eat. Then we must add in some movement. A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for weight gain and shortened life expectancy.