www.gracetoday.com

Manna 2

Mark 14:38 " Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Jesus commanded us to watch and to pray, both active verbs. He called us to action, not inaction. Did we watch as our weight slowly escalated month by month and spring into action immediately? And did we pray? We needed to do both!

Jesus always shot straight from the hip. He tells us things that are necessary and important to us and to His Kingdom. He knew that we would indeed fall into temptation, and yet He tells us to watch and pray. For dieters, these may be key words in understanding our path to freedom from obesity. Watch in this sense means the act of keeping awake to guard or protect. I remember using this sentence on many occasions when I did begin to do something about my weight problem. "I watched helplessly as I put on 85 pounds in 4 1/2 years." Notice I said watched and not watch. If I had been watching in the sense of this word, so that I would not have fallen into temptation-- the food could not have charmed me!

Are you charmed by food right now? Does it whisper your name, oh so sweetly? Did you know that God speaks, but with gentler sounds, so that we must strain our ears to hear Him? We need now to search for the anecdote to falling asleep on the job. We are plainly told that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We want to lose weight. We want our health problems from obesity to go away. We want to feel good about the body God has given us. We can no longer watch helplessly and sleep through our body's signals that it is time to do something about this persistent problem. It is not just going to go away. We must spring into action, but where do we start?

I believe that it starts with confession to God. After all, the gift of life is precious, and we have chosen to dishonor this gift. We have not carefully cultivated good eating habits, self-control and a vigilance over the types of food that we allow to pass through our lips. Oh, this sounds like work, but it also sounds like action. Time to take the bull by the horn, get honest and right with God, and cry out for His help.

Weight loss doesn't just happen unless we are very ill and that is not the means by what we desire to lose weight by. Confession, we are told, begins with the mouth (yes, that very same body part that lusted and got us into this predicament.) When I began dieting, I actually could only envision myself doing it for 2-3 weeks because of the self-discipline and restrictions it brought about. I really believed that this was about all my weak flesh would allow me to tolerate. I lost 5 pounds the first week, and I found myself ecstatic. Maybe, just maybe I thought this might be something doable. I learned the first week that much of the weight loss is water, but who cared. Maybe I could lose 10 pounds. I had read that just by losing 10 or 20 pounds, we could improve the health factor. Around that second or third week of loss, something marvelous happened. I was on a roll, on the mountain top and feeling good, and it dawned on me, why not share this wonderful experience with Jesus. I did know that I could talk to Him about anything, but I had never realized that I could talk to Him about something so personal as my body and the disgust I felt toward it now, and feel "comfortable" about it. I didn't know how to mention that my flesh had won out over my spiritual desires; I was ashamed. And yet, Jesus foretold us that the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. I was not telling Him anything new, was I?

And I have good news for you: Jesus Christ knows all about your problem and wants to lead you safely through them---day by day. The way I always initiate conversation with Him, is to open my Bible and find a passage that we could reason together and digest. There it was! Found in Proverbs 1:31 "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices". That was my first confession. I ate the "fruit" of my own way, and was now stuck with the results. This is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which one is self-control. I had lost that fruit and had chosen one of my own. I was inspired to read a chapter a day in Proverbs, looking for a verse that I could find that addressed my weight problem. And God was favorable. Each day, each chapter, I found one. I would research it in Matthew Henry's commentary, look at different translations, and jot down comments about how the passage spoke about my neglect to care for the temple of my body. It was healing. It gave me courage. It challenged me to perseverance. And most importantly, I was able to post what I received to others that they too might find the strength from God to overcome their addiction to food. I no longer watched helplessly as the pounds piled on. Now I was watching as the pounds shed, and as I prayed. "Watch and pray", is what Jesus tells us to do.

Have you reached this point? Do you know that what troubles you, troubles Him? Have you been to the cross with your weight problem, confessing the responsibility on your part that caused it, and asked for His help? Do you believe that Jesus has a remedy for you? This isn't about how I lost weight and kept it off. It is about a permanent solution to your weight problem. It is about deliverance from bondage, freedom from this area of weakness, and obedience to God. The light came on for me with just one Scripture. Yes, it was a year long experience, where I had to look for my Scripture blessing each day, and relearn some life-long poor eating patterns, but God was faithful.

1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Try it today, if you haven't already. Reason with God, as He invites you to examine how and why you have lost control in this area. Ask Him to forgive your weakness and to cleanse you from the propensity to choose foods that are not nourishing. There is a whole new world out there waiting for you. One of health and contentment if you turn it over to the Lord and let Him share this burden and solution with you. And remember, ideas without action are worthless. He will give you the ideas, and out of obedience to Him you will find yourself springing into action and losing the weight that you desire.

Lord God, I desire freedom from my past eating habits. I desire to repair the temple of my body. At Your touch, I will be delivered. I pray now for the strength to leap to action and claim Your help. Teach me to be faithful and obedient in this area, and grant me victory that I might glorify You before others. Amen

______________________

~~footnote1: Read Proverbs study here: http://www.geocities.com/editor992000/newproverb1.txt part 1

http://www.geocities.com/editor992000/newestprov2.txt part 2

~~footnote2: As many of you know I regained the weight. A great lesson on the fine art of eating humble pie. God is faithful, true and just and I am on my journey again with His forgiveness and blessing. ©2003-2007