Stop Obeying the Lust of the Flesh

​The Bible says if you walk in the Spirit, you won't obey the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).  The obesity epidemic is the perfect illustration of humanity's failure to obey the command in this Scripture.  The astounding number of overweight people in the United States alone forces us to face the fact that our society gratifies the flesh instead of walking in the Spirit.  Consequently, we are disobeying God's command to eat for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31) and to maintain the temple of His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) to our detriment. Afterwards, we learn too late that once a person has been ensnared by the trap and becomes entangled with the sin of gluttony, it is impossible to get free in his or her own strength.
 
That’s because food is not just sustenance for our bodies.  It also has a spiritual component.  Otherwise, God would not have created it for the perfect spiritual beings living in the Garden of Eden, namely Adam and Eve.  Furthermore, He would not have predicated the downfall or elevation of mankind on whether or not Adam and Eve obeyed His commands about which trees they could and could not eat from, specifically, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.  God continued to link food with mankind's spiritual relationship with Him throughout the Bible.  The best example of this is the food restrictions given to Israel as part of its covenant relationship with the Lord.  Today we are faced with a similar choice as our spiritual forefathers.  We can choose to eat foods which are healthy, resulting in the blessing of an extended life, or we can continue to make unhealthy food choices, thereby bringing about the curse of compromising our health and cutting our lives short.  Which will you choose?
 
Jesus said, "Man doesn't live by bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  Jesus also told the disciples, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work" (John 4:34).  To successfully lose weight AND keep it off for life, you must first change your mind about food and adopt God's perspective about your issue with weight.  Specifically, Romans 12:2 says that we are changed by renewing our minds after we stop conforming to the world’s way of doing things.  Then we will be able to discern God's will.  Accordingly, you must obey His commands in faith and love for Him.  Over time, as you walk in faithful obedience to Your Lord, "all these other things," meaning your weight loss goals, "will be added unto you."  When you stop making an idol of your stomach and turn to the One True God with all of your heart, soul, body, and mind, you will taste and see that the Lord's Word and His will for your life is good!  It will be sustenance for your soul and your flesh by producing the characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit that you are lacking in regard to food, self-control.  
 
Now that God has shined the light of His word on your sin, you should confess it and repent.  Then the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what you have been unable to do for yourself, that is, succeed where so many others have failed.  If you’re ready to walk in the Spirit and stop obeying the lusts of your flesh, then order your copy of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition today!  In the book, you will learn the Biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the glory of God.  The EAW Teacher’s Edition is for either individual or group study, so you don’t have to be a teacher or spiritual leader.  On the contrary, the book is for anyone who is ready to begin his or her spiritual weight loss journey.  The book is available in softcover or as an ebook on Amazon.com.  After ordering the Eating as an Act of Work Teacher’s Edition, tune in to the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Radio Show every Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. CST.  To listen to the show, download IMG2 (Android) or IMG 2 (Apple) from your App Store, or you can livestream the show at www.studiow.buzz.  

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