The world tells us the need to lose weight, but only God’s Word can give us the power to lose weight!
With all the information floating throughout social media, TV and the Internet about the dangers of being overweight, why is it so hard to lose weight? No one wants to slowly kill themselves eating the wrong food and not taking care of their body.
How did we gain all the weight? This is not something that happens overnight! What is the underlying cause? Why have we allowed food to become our emotional crutch?
Obesity is a lifestyle disease; it is a preventable disease linked to our daily living patterns. Obesity is fast overtaking smoking as the No. 1 preventable disease causing death! This should get our attention!
A study in 2006 found that church members are likely to be overweight or obese more than the general public and by far the heaviest of all religious groups. A 2001 Pulpit and Pew study of 2,500 clergy found that 76 percent were overweight or obese compared to 61 percent of the general population at the time of the study. Unfortunately, I was one of those statistics!
How had I fallen into this trap? Weight had been a struggle for me since childhood. I brought into my adult life bad eating habits. I’m not blaming anyone else, but I never took the time to study nutrition and did very little exercise. I was busy in the ministry traveling to the nations and just didn’t have the time.
One day my world changed by five words that I read: “The devil wants you fat!” These words pierced my heart! I hate the devil. I knew John 10:10: “The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” At that time about the only thing I had an abundance of was fat cells!
At the moment I saw the words, “the devil wants you fat,” I had an immediate burning desire in my heart to change! It was a moment that brought repentance and an awareness that I was responsible and accountable for the care of my body.
When we have an issue in our life which we cannot control, it is a spiritual problem. As I said, the world can tell us all sorts of reasons that we need to change, but only God’s Word can give us the power to change. I had tried all the gimmicks of the world for a quick fix, but not only did I lose finances, I lost hope, dignity and peace.
What brings change? We have to be willing to admit that we are wrong and that we need help. The words that I read brought repentance and an awareness that I had a problem and I needed to change.
What is the key to weight loss? Repentance! Repentance is sincere regret or remorse according to the dictionary. Sincere regret. If you truly regret something, your behavior is going to change. You will want to change and make things better.
True repentance is believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth (Rom. 10:9).
“Therefore repent and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
When I repented and submitted my weight issues to the Lord, He gave me a battle plan that worked from the inside out, taking 90 pounds from my body. It is a daily walk. My testimony is in my book, Why Diets Don’t Work – Food Is Not the Problem. This book, and a workbook that goes with it, can be found on my website, whydiets.com. It is not another diet plan; it is a battle plan! {eoa}
Joyce Tilney is an author and conference speaker. Her ministry, Women of God, teaching women of today from women of yesterday, has taken her around the world. She finds women are the same all over the world; they need to be loved and to love, understanding their uniqueness as a woman of God. Visit her websites: wogministries and whydiets.com
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
