​Jesus said, "No man can serve two (2) masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  Therefore, I say unto you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink, nor for your body as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing" (Matthew 6:24-25)?  According to the Books of Matthew and 1 Corinthians, the answer to both of the Lord's rhetorical questions is yes.
 
Jesus explains to us that we should not worry about food for sustenance because God knows what we need, so He will provide the food and beverages necessary to sustain us just as He provides for the birds and flowers (Matthew 6:26-34).  He further explained that our spiritual relationship with Him was much more important.  Specifically, Jesus said that, "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  Likewise, the Bible teaches us that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and commands us to honor God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
 
Nevertheless, our society proves that people in this country are more concerned about food and their bodies than they are about their spiritual relationship with God, but not because they are afraid of starving.  Philippians 3:18-19 best illustrates the problem.  It says, "Many live as enemies of the Cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is set on earthly things."
 
In other words, we live in a society that is so obsessed with food, over one-third (1/3) of Americans are not only entangled with the sin of gluttony, but many more are also diagnosed with eating disorders and suffering from obesity related illnesses.  Moreover, they have also committed the sin of idolatry by giving in to every craving of their stomachs and elevating food from the status of sustenance to their comforter.
 
Neither your body nor food was not meant to be served as a false god.  On the contrary, your body was meant to be a spiritual house for the One True Living God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Peter 2:4).  Food was meant to keep you alive and healthy.  I encourage you today to lay aside every weight and repent of the sins of gluttony and idolatry that have easily beset you (Hebrews 12:1).  Renounce the idols you have made of your stomach, food, and beverages, then return wholeheartedly to the One True Living God!  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, choose this day whom you will serve..., but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)."  
 
If you’re truly ready to stop half-heartedly trying and to finally give your all to God regarding your health and fitness, sign up for the Eating as an Act of Worship Health and Fitness Class TODAY!  During the 12-week course, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The classes are FREE!  There are NO REGISTRATION FEES or MEMBERSHIP FEES!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook, which can be ordered online at Amazon.com. 
 
Classes are available ONLINE via Periscope, a FREE APP for your phone or tablet, and IN PERSON at New Calvary Temple COGIC located at 1120 Bishop Lindsey Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas!  The EAW Adult Course begins on MONDAY, AUGUST 20TH at 6:00 p.m. CST.  The EAW Kidz Initiative Health and Fitness Course begins on TUESDAY, AUGUST 21ST at 6:00 p.m. CST!  If you’re unable to take the classes or you don’t want to wait to get started, then  ORDER YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  Don’t procrastinate!  Order your copy at Amazon.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits, TODAY!

Often in life, we do not try new things because we are afraid to fail.  Many who do try something new do so half-heartedly.  They expect failure, blame other people or circumstances for being unsuccessful, then surrender in defeat with an "at least I tried" attitude.  This is frequently the case when it comes to health and fitness, but the truth is if you did not give 100%, you did not really try.
 
I know we live in a world of instant gratification.  However, the truth is true change takes time.  Your backyard does not turn into a beautiful garden the next day because you planted one seed.  You must cultivate the garden and over time, you will see the expected harvest.  It is the same in terms of adopting a healthy lifestyle which includes eating healthy foods and exercising.  One workout will not reverse years of unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle.  You will have to put some effort into it in order to reap the harvest of healthy and fit for life.  “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation” (James 1:12).
 
God has given you the spiritual mandate in His Word to eat and drink for His glory and to take care of His temple, which is your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:31).  You are obligated to obey Him!  God does not tempt us or set us up to fail (James 1:13).  If He gives you a command, He promises not to allow more temptation than you can bear and to always provide a way of escape from any temptation to disobey Him (1Corinthians 10:13).  In other words, He is obligated to make you succeed!  Since God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of a man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19).  There is no failure in Him!
 
That means there is no failure in you because the Holy Spirit lives in every believer!  Therefore, like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, you will bring forth leaves of righteousness, even in regard to health and fitness, in due season, and whatever you do shall prosper (Psalm 1:3)!  I encourage you today not to grow weary in the well-doing of eating, drinking, and exercising for the glory of God in order to honor Him with your body and spirit.  Instead, trust God and believe that you will reap the harvest of being healthy and fit for life if you don't give up (Galatians 6:9)!
   
If you’re ready and willing to be honest with yourself about the root of your health and fitness issues, sign up for the Eating as an Act of Worship Health and Fitness Class TODAY!  During the 12-week course, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The classes are FREE!  There are NO REGISTRATION FEES or MEMBERSHIP FEES!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook, which can be ordered online at Amazon.com. 
 
Classes are available ONLINE via Periscope, a FREE APP for your phone or tablet, and IN PERSON at New Calvary Temple COGIC located at 1120 Bishop Lindsey Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas!  The EAW Adult Course begins on MONDAY, AUGUST 20TH at 6:00 p.m. CST.  The EAW Kidz Initiative Health and Fitness Course begins on TUESDAY, AUGUST 21ST at 6:00 p.m. CST!  If you’re unable to take the classes or you don’t want to wait to get started, then ORDER YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  Don’t procrastinate!  Order your copy at Amazon.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits, TODAY!

Our God is a Strategic Planner.  Before He laid the foundation of the universe, He knew what would transpire from beginning to end.  He made us in His image and gave those who believe in Jesus the mind of Christ.  Jesus has and continues to faithfully and methodically fulfill God's plan.  The Bible commands us to, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)."
 
God's plan for you is to bless you to live long, healthy, abundant lives as you faithfully obey Him by reflecting His holiness in every area of your life, including how you eat and drink.  Adopting and maintaining healthy eating habits may seem impossible, improbable, or simply unappealing to you, but God's commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).  On the contrary, God promises, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). The KJV translates it, "to bring you to an expected end."
 
This is important to note because like Christ, you should endeavor to do your part to fulfill God's plan for your life by humbly obeying the Father's commands. That means your plans for each day should line up with the Father's ultimate plan.  You should plan your meals in advance, take an emergency pack of food that's on your health and fitness plan for unforeseen circumstances, and do prep work ahead of time, such as weekends, to prevent the temptation not to cook your own meals due to time constraints and/or fatigue.  God has given you the ability to think strategically in every aspect of your life, including your personal health and fitness.  Use this gift from God to finally succeed!  
 
Yes, it's true that only God is in complete control, so you may have to make allowances for interruptions, detours, and even rethinking your plans.  However, reworking a plan is better than not having a plan at all because either you will control the day, or it will control you.  If you submit to God’s Will, His Direction, His Strategic Plan for your life even in regard to eating and drinking, God promises to deliver you to the expected end of being healthy and fit for life!
 
If you’re ready to adopt God’s plan of action for your health and fitness,  REGISTER TODAY for the EAW Health and Fitness Course at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!  Our classes are FREE!  There are NO REGISTRATION FEES OR MEMBERSHIP FEES!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook, which can be PURCHASED ONLINE at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Classes will be held ONLINE on Periscope at www.Periscope.tv/eatactworship and IN PERSON at New Calvary Temple COGIC located at 1120 Bishop Lindsey Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  ADULT CLASSES begin on MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2018, at 6:00 pm CST. The EAW Kidz Initiative Health and Fitness Course begins on TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2018, at 6:00 p.m.

We don't like to admit it, but depression, low self-esteem, guilt, shame, and feeling worthless plague the members of the Body of Christ as well as unbelievers in the world at large.  Often people self-medicate with drugs, alcohol, and even food.  I, myself, am guilty of using food in the past for those reasons, but like the alcoholics and the drug addicts, I learned the hard way that food doesn't resolve those issues.  It adds to them, and your crutch to get through the mental anguish and scars soon cripples you.
 
There is a cure for the disease, a wonder drug that the world cannot obtain.  His Name is Jesus, the Balm of Gilead!  "He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.  The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes, we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).  It's hard to believe, but Jesus considered us worth the pain and suffering He endured to redeem us and heal us from every affliction.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
 
Jesus not only died for you and me, but He's also fighting our enemies on our behalf even now!  1 Corinthians 3:17 says, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."  Did you hear that?  God says your body is His temple, which means you are His "house" or "dwelling place" (Haggai 1:8, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Peter 2:4-5).  Therefore, you are holy and sacred in His sight, and He loves you so much He fights for you, died for you, and lives in you!  His Holy Spirit empowers you first by changing your rebellious way of thinking.  Once you agree with God’s perspective and standards for your life, then He also empowers you to conquer every enemy, including obesity and eating disorders. 
 
Stop listening to the lies of the evil spirit of fear!   You are blessed and dearly beloved by the Master!  Stop running to the dead idol you have made of your stomach, food, and beverages.  Stop bingeing and purging, starving your body, and being so obsessed with food perfection that you can no longer lead a normal life!  Instead, eat and drink for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) and cling to the God Who is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), run to the God Who is your Comforter (John 14:16), and cry out for the Lord Who renews your strength (Isaiah 40:31).  Cast all of your cares on Him!  I encourage you to wait upon the One True Living God, trust in His love, and when He delivers your mind from its mental turmoil, accept your deliverance with joy and gladness!  In other words, believe you’re worth it!
 
If you want to break the cycle of mental anguish, obesity, and eating disorders, God stands ready to give you a sound mind and safely usher you into the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life!  REGISTER TODAY for the EAW Health and Fitness Course at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!  Our classes are FREE! There are NO REGISTRATION FEES OR MEMBERSHIP FEES!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook, which can be PURCHASED ONLINE at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Classes will be held ONLINE on Periscope at www.Periscope.tv/eatactworship and IN PERSON at New Calvary Temple COGIC located at 1120 Bishop Lindsey Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  ADULT CLASSES begin on MONDAY, August 20, 2018, at 6:00 pm CST.  The EAW Kidz Initiative class begins on TUESDAY, August 21, 2018, at 6:00 pm CST!

Fall is the season when the weather changes in ways many of us don’t like.  It gets colder.  The leaves fall off the trees, and the barren landscape they leave behind has been shown to make some people enter a mental state called seasonal depression.  I used to be one of those people who disliked the fall, but now I accept it as a necessary part of life.  I’ve also come to see the good side of it and embrace the good in order to keep my spirit uplifted until the spring comes.  For example, I have discovered and come to enjoy the wonderful fall produce that I didn’t eat or even know existed in some cases.  Case in point, my oldest son was recently sick, but he wouldn’t eat the soup my husband prepared while at home with our son.  The Lord directed me to make a different type of soup out of fall veggies that have a sweet taste.  My youngest son, who is a very picky eater, ate all of his soup before AJ.  That is rare!
 
How does that relate to your health and fitness journey?  Right now some of you may feel like its fall in regard to your journey.  I know it's difficult to go to another therapy session regarding anorexia or bulimia nervosa, and it’s hard to remain on the health and fitness battlefield when your flesh urges you to give up and stop believing you can be victorious through Christ.  You feel the pull of fatigue because of your busy schedule.  Sore muscles tell you to rest.  Personal issues distract you and demand to be given priority over your health and fitness routine.  However, you should be able to see behind the veil of these lies by now and embrace the positive side of what you have been and will experience in the future.  The Bible says, “I reckon the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed within us” (Romans 8:23).  The gains you have made, even if you’ve only just begun, far outweigh the struggle because you’re worth the fight for deliverance!
 
No, it’s not easy to break free of the cycle of obesity and eating disorders, but the Bible says, "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  God says your season of entanglement with the sin of gluttony has ended!  Your sin of failing to take care of your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, by eating and drinking for the glory of God has passed (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:31)!  It's time to renounce the false gods you have made of your stomach, your ideal body, food, and even beverages and return to the One True Living God!  Then sow the seeds of change in your life by eating for God's glory and repairing the damage you've done to the temple of the Holy Spirit!  God promises that in due season you will reap the harvest of health and fitness for life if you don't quit (Galatians 6:9).
 
Instead of listening to the whining voice of fatigue, declare that the joy of the Lord is your strength as you continue to eat, drink, and exercise for His glory (Nehemiah 8:10).  When pride tells you that you've earned a day of rest, remember that you must work while it is day, for the night of obesity, anorexia, bulimia, and orthorexia related sickness, disease, and premature death is coming when no man can work (John 9:4).  When negative circumstances arise to deflect your attention from the task at hand, like Nehemiah you must defiantly declare that I am doing a great work for the Lord (Nehemiah 6:3), and I will not come down and cause the work of rebuilding the temple of the Holy Spirit and the protective walls of my mind through Christ to cease!  I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, to stay the course.  Put one foot in front of the other and press on!  You are not on the battlefield alone!
 
If you're ready to embrace your season of health, fitness, and weight loss success, then REGISTER TODAY for the EAW Health and Fitness Course at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!  Our classes are FREE!  There are NO REGISTRATION FEES or MEMBERSHIP FEES!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook, which can be PURCHASED ONLINE at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Classes will be held ONLINE on Periscope at www.Periscope.tv/eatactworship and IN PERSON at New Calvary Temple COGIC located at 1120 Bishop Lindsey Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  ADULT CLASSES begin on MONDAY, August 20, 2018, at 6:00 pm CST.  The EAW Kidz Initiative class begins on TUESDAY, August 21, 2018, at 6:00 pm CST!