​As crazy as it may seem, for many people, fear is the primary deterrent to starting a health and fitness plan.  It presents itself in many forms, but the most prominent and most effective types of fear in regard to health and fitness are the fear of failure and the fear of success.  While it may be understandable that people are afraid to fail, especially when they have a history of failing on diets or treatment plans for eating disorder in the past, being afraid to succeed directly contradicts common sense and reason.  After all, isn't achieving a healthy weight and living a healthy lifestyle what you want?
 
If you are truly honest with yourself, you'll admit the answer to that question is, "No."  That's why you're afraid to succeed.  For example, successfully losing weight and keeping it off means saying goodbye to cheeseburgers, fries, Philly cheesesteaks, funnel cakes, macaroni and cheese, and chocolate cake, to name a few.  It means eating kale, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, baked fish, grilled pork, rotisserie chicken, fruit and drinking lots and lots of and water for the rest of your life.  It's a complete overhaul of your current existence.  It's change!  And most people don't like change.  Change is particularly difficult when you like things exactly the way they are.
 
For instance, hiking up a mountain may not be your idea of fun, neither is using a treadmill or enrolling in a Zumba class.  Moreover, your taste buds might actually recoil at the mere mention of cauliflower, beets, or star fruit.  Yet you're well aware that the end result of your current lifestyle is an early, and often long, torturous death.  That should be even more frightening than the idea of changing for the better!  So why is it that the vast majority of people continue on the road of obesity and eating disorders?  That has a lot to do with the fear of failure.
 
The fear of failure says you won't succeed before you even begin.  After you begin, fear insists that you won't last much longer, so you may as well quit now.  When you achieve health and fitness milestones, fear switches gears and says you're just going to gain it all back or insists that you’ll start to binge and purge again.  Once your fitness goals are attained, fear still insists that the clock is ticking on when you will slide backwards into your old habits.  For many people, this constant barrage of attacks is enough to make them give up before beginning, acquiesce to defeat shortly after starting, or slip one unhealthy meal at a time back into old habits they were conquering or had successfully conquered.
 
Don't let fear defeat you again!  The lifestyle you're desperately holding on to isn't worth comparing to the glory which will be revealed in you if you don’t quit (Romans 8:18).  Furthermore, God promises to give you victory over your enemies, including the evil spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).  "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).  You are going to get to the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life.  Although fear may be one of the giants dwelling in the land, it's already defeated in the Name of Jesus if you will "be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God goes with you.  He will not fail you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
 
If you are ready to face and overcome your health and fitness fears through Christ and finally obtain permanent and sustained victory over obesity and eating disorders, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​Each day of your health and fitness journey is a new day of testing.  There is the test of your will, meaning do you have the resolve to stay the course regardless of the circumstances and opposition that rise against you?  There is the test of your faith.  Do you truly believe that you can successfully lose the weight and be free of the eating disorder you are entangled with, or have you been filled with doubt from the start?  The test of discipline.  Can you bring your body under subjection, or will you give in to its cravings?  Finally, there is the test of consistency.  After you have achieved your health and fitness goals, will you continue to live a healthy lifestyle, or will you return to the sinful behavior that caused you to become overweight or suffer from an eating disorder?
 
The truth is most of us do not like to take tests.  We do everything in our power to avoid testing.  However, we fall to realize that each day's journey through life is filled with tests, and God knows whether or not you passed.  For example, did you lose your temper and curse at the person who cut you off in traffic, nearly causing an accident, or did you obey God's commands to be slow to anger (James 1:19) and to forgive every trespass against you (Matthew 6:12-14).  When your child interrupted you while you were obviously very busy, did you snap at him, or did you stop to patiently explain you will help him once you have completed your task (1 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 5:22-23)?
 
It is the same in terms of health and fitness.  Whether you are currently on a diet and exercise plan or complacently traveling in circles in the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders, you are taking a test.  The days you take proper care of the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is your body, you are passing the test.  The days you do not, you are failing it.  So how can you finally and consistently pass the tests you are given on a daily basis, especially the ones pertaining to weight loss and eating disorders?
 
The difference between success and failure is the blood of Jesus Christ, your past successes through Him, and your faith.  Revelation 12:11 teaches that we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimonies.  Likewise, 1 John 5:4 says, "For everyone born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith." In other words, the first thing you must do to successfully and permanently lose weight and overcome your eating disorder is wholeheartedly repent from the sins of gluttony, failing to eat and drink for God’s glory, and making idols of food and your stomach.
 
Second, obey God's command to eat and drink for His glory and honor Him with your body by repairing the damage you have done to the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:31).  Each day of success is a testimony of victory through Christ which builds upon itself, increasing your faith that you can achieve your health and fitness goals through Him.  Consequently, you will be graced with the mind of Christ concerning food and beverages.  Then you will also understand the Scripture that says your food is to do the will of God (John 4:34), which will enable you to stay the course.
 
You will start to believe you can succeed because you will understand that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).  Furthermore, you will be able to discipline your body and bring it under subjection (1 Corinthians 9:27) instead of giving in to your cravings.  Lastly, you will live a healthy lifestyle for the remainder of your life because whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36), and your love for Christ will cause you to obey His command not to become entangled with the yoke of bondage again (Galatians 5:1).  Over time, you will come to realize that today’s health and fitness test is tomorrow’s testimony of victory through Christ!
 
If you are ready to become equipped to pass every health and fitness test and finally obtain permanent and sustained victory over obesity and eating disorders by the Blood of the Lamb, the word of your testimony, and your faith, then PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​I am willing to bet that your weight loss and eating disorder goals are not being achieved as quickly as you would like.  I know what it is like to have a vision of the healthy and fit version of yourself in your head only to be confronted by the realities of your overweight condition or lingering eating disorder every time you look in the mirror.  Even if you are on track to attain your health and fitness goals right now, there will eventually come a plateau or some other issue that slows things down to a snail’s pace.  It is discouraging, to say the least.  However, that is the point.  The enemy intentionally sends the opposition to discourage you from continuing.
He wants to use your negative feelings as a means to drag you back into your old eating habits.  Do not let him win again!  Remember that weight loss is the reversal of the weight gain process.  You did not get fat overnight, and you are not going to lose the weight overnight.  It is the same with eating disorders.  Just like you learned to starve yourself, you now have to learn to take one bite of food at a time to nourish your body.  Be patient with yourself!  Contrary to the lies of the enemy, it actually is working!  And it will continue to work if you do not quit! Instead, be grateful for how far God has brought you even if you have only lost one (1) pound so far.  It is the first step in the right direction.  Therefore, I encourage you to keep your faith and trust in God that He is the Alpha and Omega of every season of your life, and He even puts a time limit on your weight loss plateaus and eating disorder setbacks.
No matter what form the opposition to your weight loss or freedom from eating disorders takes, your days of being overweight, starving yourself, and bingeing and purging WILL END!  Your season of living an unhealthy lifestyle is FINITE!  When it is over, you will hardly be able to believe your eyes, and you will have to repeat it over and over again so that your ears will believe what you have heard.  God will not only restore the years the locusts have eaten away through eating disorders and obesity (Joel 2:25), but He also promises in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that His blessings for your obedience will exceed your expectations.  Specifically, God’s Word says, “Eyes haven’t seen, ears haven’t heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things God has in store for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
 
If you are ready for God to exceed your health and fitness expectations, then PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​Christians and unbelievers alike often ask why bad things happen to people, especially when the bad things are happening in their own lives.  Those who are overweight, suffering from obesity related diseases, or eating disorders like bulimia are among those who sometimes wonder, "Why is this happening to me?"
Many will tell you that it's a part of the curse on mankind which occurred due to Adam and Eve's disobedience.  Others argue exercising free will gives us the freedom to make poor choices which result in unintended, negative consequences.  Another school of thought maintains that it's just the way life goes.  Eventually, something bad happens to everyone even if the only bad thing that ever happens is your inevitable death.
 
There's truth in all of the explanations, but none of them fits every scenario.  Yes, Adam and Eve's fall from grace negatively affected every human being born since that day, but it's still hard to reconcile with why babies are born with life threatening birth defects or innocent bystanders are killed during a fight that had nothing to do with them.  Although we know people make poor choices, such as using drugs or alcohol during pregnancy, our hearts still go out to the children who suffer from developmental disabilities due to circumstances beyond their control.
 
In regard to the third point, it's a fact as well as a biblical principle that man's days are short and full of trouble (Job 14:1), but you can't help but notice that some seem to have more trouble than others.  As with everything, the answer to the question is found in Christ.  In John 9, Jesus was asked whether a man who had been blind since birth was blind due to the man's sins or due to the sin of his parents.  Jesus replied, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John 9:3). Glory! Hallelujah!
 
Even if you have NEVER known a skinny day in all of your life, it's not because you have bad genes. It's not because you were meant to be fat, and it's not because it was bound to happen to somebody and that somebody just happened to be you.  Jesus said it happened so that God will be glorified IN YOU and THROUGH YOU!
 
It's true that unlike the blind man's illness, obesity is usually the direct result of entanglement with the sin of gluttony, and the enemy often ensnares those prone to it as children.  Nevertheless, EVERY human being who ever walked this earth EXCEPT for Jesus has sinned, and it's no less a miracle to be set free from a sin that's plagued you your entire life, particularly when you saw no hope of being free of it.  In other words, whether you've been fat all of your days, a few decades, or a few months, the Lord will set you free from the bondage of sin so that you will be a walking, talking, breathing testament that He is still the God who heals you (Exodus 15:26).
 
If you are ready for God to heal you and be glorified by setting you free of your health and fitness problem, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​The Bible teaches us that, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  However, not everyone responds well to the discipline provided in God's Word.  Instead of allowing the truth of His Word to convict them of their sins and produce godly wisdom which leads to salvation, they take offense and rebel.  Unfortunately, this also occurs when you tell unbelievers and Christians alike that God's Word is the solution to their health and fitness problem.
 
Nevertheless, we are still commissioned to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world, including those entangled with the sins of gluttony, making idols of their stomachs and food, and failing to otherwise take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit by eating and drinking for the glory of God because those sins result in a person spending eternity in hell just as any other unrepented sin does.  That means you will, at some point, share your belief, or at least attempt to, that Christ is the only way to salvation and the only way to permanently lose weight and be free of eating disorders with a person who does not want to hear it.  This happens not only to evangelism teams who knock on doors early in the morning and missionaries in foreign countries, but also to the church member who shares his faith with a neighbor or a colleague at work.
 
Nonetheless, you must remember that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 1:25).  When your act of Christian love is met with hostility and contempt, it is difficult not to take it personally.  However, when Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus, He asked Saul, "Why are you persecuting Me" (Acts 9:4)?  Although we are the ones the hateful words and actions are hurled at, it is Christ who is actually being persecuted because they are rebelling against Him not us.  Consequently, you should not argue with or retaliate against them.  Remember the Bible states, “Do not correct a fool, for he will hate you.  Correct a wise man, for he will appreciate you” (Proverbs 9:8).  On the contrary, understand that you have completed your assignment and peaceably move on.  The conviction work in their lives is the Holy Spirit's job not yours.
 
If you are ready to stop acting foolishly and accept that Christ is the answer to your health and fitness problem, REGISTER TODAY for the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness Course!  The classes are FREE!  There are NO REGISTRATION FEES or MEMBERSHIIP FEES!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook.  Classes are held ONLINE via Periscope and IN PERSON at NuLife Christian Fellowship located at 3 Lakeshore Drive in Little Rock, Arkansas. 
 
If you’re unable to attend the class, study on your own or with a group.  PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​Changing your perspective about health and fitness requires you to see the problem from God's point of view in every respect.  That includes how you go about resolving your issues with weight and eating disorders.  For example, what have you done in the past to get the weight off?  Have you had lap band surgery?  Did you take Fen-phen diet pills?  Have you taken diet supplements which promised to help you lose weight?  Did you join a weight loss program and buy their expensive meal replacements?  In terms of overcoming your eating disorders, have you followed the treatment plan that you have been given?
 
I will be honest.  I was desperate to lose the weight, so I tried a lot of crazy things. For instance, I went to a hypnotist to be hypnotized into making healthy decisions regarding food.  It did not work.  On the contrary, I gained even more weight.  I also visited a chiropractor to have my ears punctured.  That dulled my appetite for about two (2) weeks, then it returned with a vengeance, and those are just a couple of examples of the extremes I took to get the weight off.
 
It was often expensive and time consuming, but most importantly, it always proved to be a wasted effort.  The world's way of doing things always is.  Why is that?  The answer is that the world's system is designed to keep you ensnared in bondage not set you free from it.  The enemy's strategy is to keep you running around in circles from one diet gimmick to the next until you finally give up in defeat and die in the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders as the Israelites died during their wilderness wanderings because they did not trust God to help them possess the land He promised them.
 
God promises not only to guide you to the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life, but also to make you more than able to defeat the enemies you must face there.  However, the battle must be fought and won His way.  For example, when Israel took the City of Jericho, they did not use battle strategies normally employed during that time.  Instead, they marched around the city for seven (7) days as God commanded.  On the seventh (7th) day, the walls of the city tumbled down at the sound of the trumpet after the people made seven (7) circuits around the city walls (Joshua 6:1-27).  Then the people rushed in and defeated the inhabitants.
 
The point I am making is that God's way of losing weight and setting you free of eating disorders directly contradicts the world's advice.  While the world arms you with ineffective carnal weapons of its making, God will arm you with His Spirit in Whom there is no failure.  If you want to finally be victorious and win the health and fitness war, seek the Lord's will and then obey His commands to eat and drink for His glory.  And pray as the psalmist did in Psalm 25:4-5 that God will, “Make me know Your ways, O Lord.  Teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.  For you I wait all the day.”
 
If you are want to know the ways of the Lord in regard to of your health and fitness, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​I know from experience that it is hard to make yourself go to the gym on Monday after a nice rest from working out on Sunday.  It is even harder to make yourself eat right and exercise again when you have had a scheduled break from dieting, or even worse, you cheated for a few days.  Neither your body, your mind, nor your emotions wants to cooperate with your spirit's desire to be obedient to the Lord's commands to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is your body.  How do you get your body to cooperate when it is in mutiny mode?
 
First, remember what the Word of God teaches, and use it as your sword to take back the ship before it sinks in the sea of gluttony.  God's Word is clear that we become entangled with sin due to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).  For example, your eyes work against you by initially coveting the cheesecake your co-worker brought for lunch.  Once you start to salivate and your stomach growls, your flesh craves a cheeseburger with fries to go along with the cheesecake.  Finally, the enemy will use your mind against you by getting pride to seal the deal.  Satan usually does this by making you logically conclude that you deserve another day off or that you can always stop your cycle of cheating on your health and fitness plan the following day.
 
We should respond to every form of temptation with the truth of God's Word just as Jesus demonstrated in the wilderness when He was tempted during His forty (40) day fast.  When your eyes covet food that is not on your daily health and fitness plan, remember that the Bible says to cut off the body parts that lead you into temptation.  Specifically, Matthew 5:29 says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away."  When you are confronted with food and beverage temptations, tear your eyes away from the sinful sight and replace the images with the Word of God or food you enjoy that is on your diet plan.
 
When your flesh insists that you eat what is prohibited, remind yourself just as Jesus did when He was tempted in that exact same manner, that "Man doesn't live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  When pride attempts to use reason to convince you that it is alright to disobey God's command to eat and drink for His glory, remind yourself that the Bible says, "The heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Finally, after using the Word as your sword, act on it in faith by obeying it, and constantly praying that the Lord will lead you to make health and fitness choices that bring Him glory and give you the abundant, healthy life that the Lord always intended for you to have.
 
If you are ready to regain control of your health and fitness ship and quell your body’s mutinous uprising, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​When you start to see your health and fitness issues from God's perspective, like Adam and Eve your eyes are opened to the enemy's deception, and you realize that something precious has been stolen from you (Genesis 3:7).  Suddenly, God's light illuminates the truth of the matter as if you had been standing in a darkened room.  You can see that the enemy has not only stolen your body's flattering physique, but he has also stolen your self-confidence, your self-esteem, and your positive self-image.  In many cases, he has cost you friends, romantic attachments, and taken your loved ones prematurely due to an obesity related illness or eating disorder.  In the worst cases, he has also stolen your health, and you are dependent upon drugs to extend your life, therapy to learn how to walk or talk again, or other people to help you perform even minor daily activities.
 
Unlike Adam and Eve, this revelation is not necessarily a fatal one for us.  In their case, disobedience meant immediate spiritual death and physical death later.  It is actually the opposite for us.  In terms of health and fitness and every other sin, the revelation brings about spiritual life when we repent through Christ and an extended physical life as we turn from our sin and obediently eat and drink for His glory!  That is, it will if we do not wait until it is too late.  Best of all, we get another benefit that was denied Adam and Eve in the natural.  They could never return to the Garden of Eden, but God says to you the same thing He said to David after the enemy stole from him.
 
Both of David's wives and the family members of his men had been kidnapped during a raid while David was away from home, and Ziklag was set on fire and burned.  However, David wisely asked God whether or not he should pursue the enemy before he took up his weapons to fight.  God’s answer was yes!  I exhort you today in the Name of Jesus that victory is yours just as it was granted to David!  You will lose the weight and keep it off for the rest of your days!  You will finally be free of your eating disorder, but you must first be willing to put your war clothes on, show up on the battlefield, and fight for what is rightfully yours!  Through Christ, take up your spiritual weapons and, "Pursue!  For thou shalt surely overtake them and without fail recover all" (1 Samuel 30:8)!
If you are ready to pursue the enemy, overtake him, and recover your health and fitness through Christ, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​I thank God for the privilege and blessing of moving mountains out of my way, but I also thank Him for carrying me over, taking me around, and even digging a tunnel through the ones He wanted me to conquer!  Losing weight was a mountain God ordained I had to conquer.  My desire to eat what I wanted whenever I wanted did not vanish overnight as I would have preferred.  As the weight came off, the temptation to eat junk food on a daily basis was not taken away in an instant, and I certainly did not lose 134 pounds in one night.
 
On the contrary, the Lord showed me the path which would take me over the mountain, through the valley, and into the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life.  No, it was not always an easy climb.  In fact, the path was rather steep in places, but the journey was a scenic one because I walked it with Jesus.  He pointed out one revelation after another as I held His hand and hiked with Him.
 Sometimes I was out of breath.  Other days I was too tired to move my feet.  At times, it seemed no progress was being made.  Nevertheless, I made it to the top, and the view was and still is quite spectacular and worth the trip.  I encourage you to come and see it for yourself.  I know taking in the full view of the mountain from its base can make you feel overwhelmed, but take heart.  You will get to the top the same way you get to the bathroom, to the mall, to work, and everywhere else you go, one step at a time.
 
I am not suggesting that you never ask God to move the mountains in your life, but I am encouraging you to have faith that if it is not His will to remove it, He has ordained that you will conquer it another way.  The mountain that is removed is taken away for your protection.  The mountain that remains is there for your growth, development, and prosperity.  Glory to God for knowing the difference between what would break me and what would make me!
 
If you refuse to become or remain broken and you are ready to conquer the mountains of obesity and eating disorders, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, diet and exercise tips.  Lastly, don’t forget to read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Just visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!

​Have you ever looked back over your life and realized that many of the problems that once seemed insurmountable actually turned out to be no big deal?  Afterwards, did you wonder why you were so worried about it at the time?  I have. The enemy is a lot like a wild animal who puffs himself and/or your circumstances up like a balloon in order to make them appear larger and scarier than they truly are. Just like prey in the wild, we react to the inflated scene playing out in our lives, often with worry, doubt, fear, and hopelessness.  After the storm is over, you realize the wind howled, the thunder roared, and the huge rain drops sounded like hail while hitting the windows, but it was only just a rain storm with only minor damage, if any.
 
You probably don't believe this right now, but the truth is it's the same thing in terms of health and fitness.  I know in your mind you think it can't be done.  From your perspective, losing weight is an impossible dream because you couldn't start, let alone stick with, a diet and exercise plan for the remainder of your life even if your life depended on it.  A lot of people have believed that inflated lie from the enemy and lost their lives when they had the power through Christ to be spared from a painful, unnecessary death!
 
From your perspective, your problem with your weight or eating disorder can't be conquered.  From God's perspective, it's already done!  Yes, it's a big problem, but it has a very workable solution when taken in small increments.  Contrary to the enemy's messages of defeat, God says you will be victorious!  All you have to do is believe the truth and act on it in faith.  Instead of magnifying your weight loss problem or the eating disorder, remember how big your God is!  He's the God of ALL creation, and there is NOTHING greater than HIM!  When you feel tempted to look at the size of the problem before you, remember all the times God has delivered you from the other huge problems of life.  Then follow Mary's example and declare, "My soul doth magnify the Lord" (Luke 1:46)!
 
If you’re ready to stop inflating your health and fitness problem and magnify the Lord instead, PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center located at 501 West 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  If you live outside of the Little Rock area, ORDER your copy at Barnes and Noble.com and start serving the One True Living God in every aspect of your life, including your eating habits TODAY!  You can also follow us daily on Facebook and Twitter for recipes, diet and exercise tips, and visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org.