Copied from Crosswalk Devotions for Dieters
August 16
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Joining the group was the best move she ever made. Fay had struggled alone through a dozen diets with no real success. Then she saw the notice on the church bulletin board about the group that dieted and exercised together. She was a little hesitant at first, but finally she decided to give it a try. What a difference it made! Dieting with a group was much better than dieting alone. Fay felt that God had really led her to this group. She gained so much strength from her new friends, and she was amazed at how much she was able to help others.
Psalm 121:4-5 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The Hebrew people had great confidence in God. They believed His promises to them, and they lived their lives accordingly. No matter how difficult their situation got, the children of Israel held onto their faith. Through that faith, they were able to do amazing things. The God of Abraham and Isaac is also the God of Jesus Christ. If we will put our faith in Him, He will enable us to do amazing things. He will allow us to lose the weight we need to lose, and He will comfort us when our diets get particularly tough. Trust in the Lord. He is watching over you.
Today's thought: I'd better watch what I eat as closely as God watches me!
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August 18
Matthew 10:29-31 'Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.'
Jeff was suspicious. He couldn't figure out why his friends were trying to be so helpful with his diet. What could they possibly get out of it? Whenever he was with them, they avoided talking about food, and they ate salads and cottage cheese instead of normal food. They wouldn't even have dessert. It made Jeff feel a little awkward and guilty. He couldn't believe his friends would go to so much trouble to help him out. Some people wonder whether or not God really cares about their diet problems. The fact is, He cares about everything that is important to us. Take comfort in the fact that God cares deeply, and He will do everything He can to help you.
Today's thought: God thinks I'm great, with or without weight!
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August 19
John 3:17 'For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.'
Guilt. Every time Liz slipped, she felt guilty. Her husband gave her such disapproving looks. She wanted to stick to her diet, but it was hard. Then, when people made her feel guilty, she got depressed, which only made her want to eat more. The more she ate, the guiltier she felt; the guiltier she felt, the more she ate. It was a vicious cycle. She wished people would be more understanding. She honestly believed that would make all the difference. We don't need pressure put on us by those who condemn us for not being perfect. That's why God is the perfect diet mate. He supports without condemning, and He loves us even when we fail.
Today's thought: I can do wonderful things with God's support!
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August 20
Luke 10:41-42 And Jesus answered and said unto her, 'Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
'Angie brought home a new diet book each week. She had a closet full of exercisers guaranteed to take off pounds and inches. She had a cabinet full of pills, powders, and liquids bearing promises of miraculous weight loss. Cindy just shook her head. Why go to all the trouble? Losing weight wasn't going to come from anywhere except from inside the person who wanted to lose it. Desire was the main ingredient. It was too easy to get caught up in fads and fancy claims. A quiet determination to lose weight was what was really important. Angie lost a few pounds, while Cindy lost many.
Today's thought: It's hard to lose weight when you have a fat head!
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August 21
2 Timothy 2:21
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Gary couldn't believe what he was hearing. He hadn't been selected for the mission because he was just a few pounds overweight. Harrison was trimmer, but that didn't mean he was any better as a pilot. How could they turn him down because of a few pounds? Often being fit is determined by how trim and slim we are. It may not be fair, but it shows the value that is put on keeping in shape. God wants us to be in shape so we can enjoy this life we have been given to the fullest. He intends that we should always be ready to experience all that life has to offer. We can only do that when we take proper care of ourselves.
Copied from Crosswalk Devotions for Dieters
August 22
Titus 3:4-5
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
It was a miraculous metamorphosis. Darleen had lost one hundred pounds. Though everyone encouraged her as much as possible, no one really believed she could do it. The proof was before their eyes: Darleen looked great. Someone asked her how she had done it, and she told them that a crisis in her life had made her realize she didn't just need to lose weight, she needed to be saved from her own body. She fell in her kitchen and had not been able to get up again. Through her pain and frustration, she believed she was being taught a valuable lesson. She thanked God that He had gotten through to her before it was too late.
Today's thought: Save me from being a prisoner to obesity!
Romans 8:35-37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.Christ makes us conquerors.
He offers us unimaginable power through the Holy Spirit. Nothing can separate us from that love and power. That power enabled Jesus Christ to conquer death. It allowed the apostle Paul to conquer his afflictions. It allowed Peter to overcome his doubts and fears. If the Holy Spirit could do that for those great men, then why shouldn't we be able to believe that the Spirit will help us lose weight? Indeed, we can even conquer obesity through the divine power of God. Nothing can stop us from achieving our goal, because the power of God is with us.
Today's thought: I will burn up calories in the fire of the Holy Spirit!
Philemon 1:7
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Phil had a lousy self-image. He felt unwanted and unloved. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw an enormous slob. No one could love that. Dieting didn't even make sense. It was useless. Nothing would ever change. Poor Phil honestly believed he was unloved. He had no reason to change because he saw no hope for his future. How sad that Phil didn't know the love of God. We can proceed with our diets knowing that we are loved and that we are lovable. Just knowing that makes it all worthwhile. We draw strength from the comfort that comes from being loved. That strength ensures that we can lose the weight we want to lose.
Today's thought: Special people can do anything they set their mind to, and I am a special person!
Luke 6:37
'Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.
'Kelly was unbearable. She had lost thirty pounds with relative ease, so she ridiculed anyone who couldn't do it as easily as she had. Kelly wasn't being fair. Every person is different. It didn't mean that others weren't as committed or as dedicated as Kelly had been. It was frustrating to try so hard and then have Kelly make fun of you for it. Why couldn't she have a little compassion? After all, she had been obese once! After losing weight, we should be more compassionate than anyone else. It is important to remember how hard losing weight really is. We have a wonderful opportunity to help others when we keep in mind what we've come through.
Today's thought: I hope I can lose my weight without losing my sensitivity toward others!
2 Timothy 4:18
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Wes looked at the sign on the refrigerator door: God is watching! What a thought! Everything he did was under God's watchful eye. A slight groan escaped his lips as he thought of the times he'd cheated through the week. He hoped it was worth it. Actually, Wes kind of liked the sign. It made him think, and once he got to thinking, his diet wasn't so bad. God had helped him avoid a lot of unnecessary snacks. There were worse things to have happen to you than to have God watching every move you made. Wes felt pretty confident. With God's help, he was really going to make it through this thing!
Today's thought: God's steering me clear of the fat traps!
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August 27
Ephesians 2:14-15 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.
As wrong as it was, Rachel had to admit that being thin helped her fit in. She really wasn't a different person now that she was thin, but people sure treated her that way. It was unbelievable that people were so biased against those who were fat. Rachel sighed a prayer of thankfulness to God that He had helped her lose weight. It was hard, being on the outside. Nobody likes being ostracized. She also prayed that God might make people see how unfair it was to judge others based on their appearance. If God could help Rachel lose weight, perhaps He could change the bigotry of some concerning obesity.
Today's thought: Fat or skinny, I'm the same person inside!
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August 28
Jeremiah 30:22 'And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
'The covenant that God made was quite simple: He would be God to a group of people who would accept Him and honor Him. God's promises are always simple and straight-forward. There are never strings attached. God will do everything He can to help us deal with this life. He wants to see His children happy and fulfilled. That is why He will help us when we need His comforting strength. Alone, we just don't have what it takes to make it. With God, however, there is no force on Earth great enough to keep us from our goal. Remember God, and truly He will remember you in time of need.
Today's thought: My willpower comes from the strongest power source around!
Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.
Herm couldn't figure out why he wasn't losing weight. He knew he wasn't eating as much as he had before he retired. When he was on the road, he ate like a horse. Now that he was home around the house all the time, he ate a lot less. Something definitely wasn't right. Losing weight requires much more than just changing our eating habits. We need to change our whole outlook on things. Sometimes we need to cut back on food while increasing the amount of exercise we get. Other times we need to give up certain foods altogether. We need to evaluate deep inside how we live out our lives, and make adjustments necessary to succeed in losing weight.
Today's thought: Dieting doesn't happen on its own. It takes a conscious effort!
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. Another diet. Carla had tried so many times, and she had never come close to succeeding. She wasn't even sure why she was trying again. She knew it would be good for her to lose weight, but she felt beaten before she even began. What would make this time any different from the rest? What makes one attempt different from others is this: confidence. We really have to believe that we can do it. It should help us immensely to know that God believes in us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He has equipped us with everything we need to succeed. All we have to do is learn to believe.
Today's thought: What I lack in confidence, I make up for with faith!
