Job 42:1-2
Then Job answered the Lord, and said, 'I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.'
Blessed assurance. Why do some people seem to have it while others don't? It stems from a very slight difference. Some people know God, and some just believe in Him. Knowing is belief be-yond doubt. True confidence in the Lord comes to those who have moved beyond their doubts. When we defeat doubt, then we can enter into a whole new relationship with God and a whole new life. God is greater than any problem we have. If we want to lose weight and want God to help us, we need to know beyond a doubt that He will truly help us. Like Job, we need to confess regularly our belief that God can do everything.
Today's thought: If God could create mountains, then He can remove a pound of flesh from me!
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord they God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Toni had a dream that she was entering a room where God was. She couldn't really see Him, but she knew He was there. For some reason, He was very happy with her. He was making her feel very good, and she could tell she had done something to please Him a lot. When she gathered up her nerve, Toni asked God what she had done to make Him so happy. 'Lose weight,' was the reply. When she awakened, she felt the greatest joy she had ever known. She had really wanted to lose weight for herself, but to think that God was pleased with what she had done made the victory twice as sweet.
Today's thought: I will rejoice with God as the pounds come off!
Acts 2:21
'And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Barbara was so thankful. She had come so far, but lately the stress had been overwhelming. When she was under stress, she liked to eat. She was so afraid of blowing her diet that it just added to the stress. She was nervous and on edge all the time. One evening, while she had some time alone, she settled down to read her Bible and pray. It was one of the most peaceful experiences she had had in weeks. She felt renewed and strengthened by the experience; so much so that she made it a nightly routine. It got her through the stress, and it kept her on her diet. By God's graces he triumphed.
Today's thought: I admit I need help, but it's good to know that God offers all the help I can handle!
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Joan's doctor had told her to make a list of what was really important to her. Her husband and children headed the list. Her health was next, then her pets. She also wrote down her mother's ring and some furniture that her father had made when he was a young man. Her doctor asked her if she wanted to lose all that was on the list, and she told him 'Of course not!' He told her that she had to lose weight or she wouldn't be around long to enjoy the things she truly loved. If those things were really more important to her than food, then she was going to have to prove it. She asked God for help and then set her mind toward losing weight.
Today's thought: Compared to the truly important things in life, food is pretty pathetic!
John 3:21
'But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.'
Jack was so proud to show off his wife, Eileen, when they went home for the holidays. Over the summer and fall, she had lost sixty-five pounds. She looked great, and Jack was proud of her. She had worked so hard, and he felt she deserved some credit. It made Eileen feel good to know it meant so much to Jack. God had been good to them both. He had given them patience to deal with each other, and had blessed them both with strength and encouragement. It was true that when a person worked to do what the Lord wanted her to do, He crowned her in victory and allowed her to bask in the limelight for awhile!
Today's thought: I don't care if I come into the limelight, as long as I become light!
Matthew 5:8
'Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.'
Denise wanted to do what was right. She was a good person, and it never occurred to her that her weight problem might be displeasing to God. Her friend tried to tell her that it didn't mean God didn't love her. What she meant was that God likes it best when we take the best care of ourselves possible, and that extra weight wasn't doing that. Denise pondered what her friend said to her for a long while, then resolved to try her best to lose weight. Apologetically, she prayed to God and asked Him to help her as she tried to set things right. The prayer of a person pure in heart and full of kindness speaks loudest into the ear of the Lord.
Today's thought: I wish my heart could teach my mouth to say 'no'!
Revelations 2:7
'He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.'
Beth and David made a deal that they would diet through the week but treat themselves to a night out each week at one of their favorite restaurants. Restaurant night became the best night of the week. Both Beth and David agreed that they had never enjoyed their food so much as when they only splurged one time a week. They grew to appreciate how good it really was. It helped to make even ordinary meals special and delicious. God has offered us special things to eat. He has created so much to make our lives interesting and varied. We must enjoy these things discreetly and unselfishly. If we will enjoy them within God's plan, then He will reward us with fruit from the tree of life, which will be the finest food we could ever want.
Today's thought: God's food is eternal, and it isn't fattening!
Hebrews 10:36
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Paula woke up in pain. Her stomach was cramping, and she felt ill. It must have been the diet pills. Her friend had told her they were safe and they'd help take off weight three times as fast as normal. Why had she listened to her? She knew pills weren't the answer, but she wanted to lose weight fast. She never had been very good on patience. Her mother told her to pray for patience, but no, Paula thought she had a better idea. The truth was, there was only one way she was going to lose weight, and that was through perseverance and patience. Her mother was right. If God would give her a second chance, maybe together they could make it work.
Today's thought: Nothing takes off weight faster than devotion and commitment!
Luke 1:49
'For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.'
Carolyn felt good about herself. She was in her own apartment, working full-time at a job she loved, and she was looking better than ever before. God had been so good to her. She was afraid when she first set out on her own, but she knew He was looking after her. With God on her side, she felt she could accomplish anything. God had set her feet on a good road, and she was going to try her hardest to stick to it. She wanted everyone to know what God had done for her, and she planned to do nothing that would allow anyone to doubt. The power of God shone brightly through her life, and she was glad.
Today's thought: I want my diet to be a sign of God's grace!
Psalms 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Doris stood at the window, watching the first heavy snow cover everything outside with a blanket of white. She sipped a cup of tea and reflected on the year quickly fleeting. So many good things had happened. Certainly there had been bad, too, but mostly it was good. She couldn't imagine why she was so blessed as to have so many things going her way. The Lord had looked kindly on her this year. She had never felt so healthy and good. The year had seen weight loss every month. She finally was beginning to look like she'd always dreamed she could. The Lord could take credit for that, too. There was no way Doris could have done so well if God hadn't strengthened her.
Today's thought: I gladly receive all the benefits the Lord has to give, as long as they're not fattening!
1 Corinthians 9:24
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
Todd wasn't getting anywhere with his diet. It was on and off, at best. He just couldn't stick to it. He'd never been good at discipline and conditioning. How many times had he been kicked off high school teams for not practicing? He just didn't have the killer instinct. He didn't want to win badly enough. We'll have difficulty losing weight if our heart isn't really in it. If we're going to run the race for weight loss, then we need to be serious about winning it. Pray that God will strengthen both your heart and body, so that when the race is finished, you'll receive the prize.
Today's thought: Help me remember that I'm not just running away from fat, but that I'm running toward God's design of who I should be!
Matthew 6:21
'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.'
Grady thought he was pretty smart, hiding the chocolate bars be-side his bed. He would do well on his diet during the day, but at night he would go wild eating chocolate. Every day he would talk a good game, saying how much he really wanted to be thinner, but when the lights went out at night, he would undo all his fine talk by sneaky, fattening action. When he was caught, Grady merely shrugged it off, saying he wouldn't do it again. The next night, Grady fell asleep with chocolate thick on his breath. Actions often do speak louder than words. Where our treasure is-that is, what's really important to us-there will our hearts and actions be, also.
Today's thought: Make my diet important enough to me to keep me from temptation!
Hebrews 12:11
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Jeremy was good for Lisa. Whenever she did something she shouldn't or ate something that wasn't on her diet, he was quick to chastise her for it. She hated when he did it, but that made it all the more effective. There were times she wanted to throttle him, but most of the time she wanted to kiss him. He was the reason her dieting was working, and though sometimes it was annoying, she wouldn't change it for anything. God will help keep us in line, if we let Him. We need someone to watch over us; to keep us out of mischief. God will make sure we last until we triumph, if we will allow Him to do so.
Today's thought: The call of fattening food is not as loud as the call of God to do what's right!
Revelation 3:21
'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.'
Gramps promised Kathy that if she would lose forty pounds by Christmas, he would take her to Bermuda with him. Kathy could hardly wait for Gramps to see her. She'd topped out at fifty-three pounds lost, and had a note from her doctor as documented proof. At first, she never thought she'd make it, but a lot of prayers, sweat, tears, and sacrifice had made it come true. She had never worked so hard for anything in her life. Even without the trip, she felt she'd received reward enough, but she planned to hold Gramps to his promise, anyway.
Today's thought: I'd rather be overjoyed than overweight!
2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
Rose was hoping for some miracle to appear in her Christmas stocking. Another year was almost gone, and she hadn't lost any weight. Each year she swore things would be different, but nothing ever changed. Rose just didn't have any commitment at all. She knew no one would lose the weight for her, but she kept hoping it would melt away on its own. Dreaming won't make our weight disappear. We need to take positive steps on our own. However, we have God to help us. He will carry us when we are too weak to continue, and He will encourage us when we feel depressed and hopeless. God offers us victory in the face of failure. Accept God's help, and a miracle will indeed happen.
Today's thought: I know what I need to do to lose weight, and with God's help I will do it!
