​Romans 12:2 says, “Be ye changed by the renewing of your mind," and then you will know the perfect will of God.  In other words, change always starts within us.  That means we have to first choose to do something different, but humans often change their minds again and revert to their old habits.  This is probably the way it has been for you in terms of weight loss and eating disorders up to this point.  You make up your mind, or rather resolve, to start a new diet and exercise regimen, but your resolution falters shortly after you begin, if you ever truly get started at all.
 
God's Word says, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).  If you're honest with yourself, you can admit this is true in terms of your weight loss efforts and entanglement with eating disorders.  Not only do you constantly change your mind about starting a new diet or going to inpatient treatment for an eating disorder, but you also vacillate between sticking with the plan, following the advice of your therapist, giving in to your cravings to eat unhealthy foods, and making excuses not to exercise.  The instability is further evident by the excess weight you carry, changes in how you view yourself, how you relate to others, and how your health is, or eventually will be, affected.  Nevertheless, God can and will provide the stability you need in this area of your life when you change your mind and adopt His perspective of your issue with weight and eating disorders.
 
The choice is yours as to whether or not you trust God and obey His Will.  Jesus said, "He who loves Me obeys My commands" (John 14:21).  When you read and obey His Word as it pertains to the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body, you discover His good and pleasing will for your life in regard to food and beverages.  Then you have the right to ask for the Holy Spirit's empowerment to succeed where you previously and repeatedly failed in the past.  That is a request God can honor because seeking Him and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33) in all things proves you now have the correct motivation for losing weight and being free of eating disorders.  In other words, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
 
If you’re ready to finally win the weight loss and eating disorder war through Christ, 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 body for the glory of God!  As you apply the principles to your life, the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what you have been unable to do for yourself and succeed where so many others have failed!  Order your copy of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online NOW at Amazon.com. 

The Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is" (Proverbs 23:7).  It also teaches us, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be changed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).  In other words, God is saying that true change starts within when you decide to make a different choice, take a new path, form a new opinion, or try a different way of doing something.  However, you don't immediately become the "new you" the moment you decide to change.  Just as there is a process to change your mindset from your current way of thinking, there's also a process to turning your thoughts into reality.  You've gone through this process numerous times throughout your life without recognizing what was taking place.
 
For example, at some point in your life, you accepted, or rather chose to believe, the lies of the world regarding food and bought into the notion that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want or became entangled with an eating disorder.  Once you realized you were deceived, you probably tried to reorient your thinking, but you didn't think you could control your cravings or resist the temptation to change your unhealthy eating habits.  Many of you lost hope of being set free from eating disorders.  Others stopped trying to lose weight because your mind could only envision the overweight version of you and doubted you would ever successfully and permanently lose the weight you've gained over the years. 
 
If you continue to think that way, your situation will not change!  You will remain fat, and the inevitable results you fear will follow.  Namely, you will eventually need medication for high cholesterol, hypertension, or diabetes. You will need heart surgery.  Your leg will be amputated due diabetes.  You'll have to learn to walk and talk again after a stroke.  It’s the same for people dealing with anorexia and bulimia nervosa.  If you don’t see yourself eating healthy meals and living a balanced life on a regular basis, you’ll continue to see food and beverages as the enemy that must be avoided at all costs.  Ultimately, your jaded image of food will kill you.  Likewise, those suffering from bulimia must first envision a life without throwing up after every meal. 
 
From your perspective, being free of those dysfunctional and life-threatening eating habits probably seems impossible, but God says you can rewrite the story in your mind and think, "A thousand shall fall at my side, 10,000 at my right hand, but obesity, anorexia, and bulimia will NOT come near me" (Psalm 91:7).  "For I can do ALL things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13), including losing 50, 200, 400, or even 500 pounds of weight, eating healthy meals every day, and ending the trips to the bathroom to throw up food recently ingested!  Once you change your mind, act on your new beliefs.  Remember, faith without works is dead (James 2:20).  Your behavior is the proof that your mind has been changed.  The new you that emerges is evidence that you truly are the product of what you think.
 
If your heart cries out for change, order the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY!  In the book, you will learn the biblical principles about the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God!  The 12 concepts will help you renew your mind to God’s perspective of your body and equip you to stop conforming to the pattern of this world when it comes to health and fitness.  ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY on Amazon.

​From the beginning, God ordained a spiritual connection between food and man's positive or negative relationship with Him. For example, Adam and Eve would have been taken to the next spiritual level had they chosen to eat from the Tree of Life instead of from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Jesus is the Tree of Life and the True Vine who gives us, and would have given them, eternal life (Revelation 2:7; 22:1-2, 14-15) as well as the true spiritual wisdom they desired when they ate the forbidden fruit.
 
Likewise, the Israelites were Egyptian slaves, but after God miraculously set them free from bondage, He elevated them by making them a nation. Then He transformed the Levites into priests and instituted the Jews' new method of worship to include eating for His glory (see Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14). 
God specifically stated the food restrictions imposed on the Israelites were made so they would "be holy because I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44-45).
 
Again, God changed the way mankind worshipped and ate when He removed us from the curse of the law and saved Jews and Gentiles alike by grace through faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.  The disciples were elevated to apostles, and God's Holy Spirit was, and still is, poured out on all flesh who believe in Jesus.  It was at this point the Lord told Peter that all foods were declared clean, giving us the spiritual freedom to eat what we want.  However, the commandment to eat in a way that reflects His holiness remains.  Specifically, 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
 
These examples teach us that eating for God's glory instead of solely for our physical pleasure is a sign of spiritual maturity.  Like children in the natural, you should eventually graduate from spiritual milk to solid food in Christ (1 Peter 2:2, 1 Corinthians 3:2) as your relationship with God deepens and matures. Consequently, it's time to put away the childish things of pizza, fried foods, burgers and fries, cobbler, ice cream and cookies in spiritual obedience to honor God with your body by taking care of the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
 
If you’re ready to finally mature in Christ and worship God even in the way that you eat, 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 body for the glory of God!  As you apply the principles to your life, the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what you have been unable to do for yourself and succeed where so many others have failed!  Order your copy of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online NOW at Amazon.com.   

​God promised Abraham and his descendants, the Children of Israel, that He would GIVE them the Promised Land which flowed with milk and honey.  The only problem is that the land was inhabited by the Canaanites who lived in fortified cities with seasoned armies and by the giants who lived in the mountainous regions of Canaan.  Consequently, the Israelites were afraid of what they saw even though God had just miraculously delivered them from enslavement by the Egyptians.
 
We hypocritically criticize them harshly for their lack of faith, but we are guilty of doing the very same thing in our own lives, even when it comes to being set free from obesity and eating disorders.  Like the Israelites, many of you focus on what it will take to succeed instead of on the promise of success through Christ!  You see the number of pounds you have to lose, recall how difficult it has been to resist the temptation to eat what you crave, and doubt that you can ever successfully climb your way out of the mountain of weight you have put on.  Likewise, those suffering from eating disorders cannot imagine eating three (3) meals per day instead of starving themselves today, or they see no end to the cycle of bingeing and purging that has a devastating grip on their lives.
 
God's GIFT to you is the same as it was to the Israelites, Moses, Joshua, Caleb and David.  The gift is the victory that is assured through Christ not the avoidance of the battle!  God is your secret weapon!  You will not be on the battlefield alone. On the contrary, what you will discover is He will fight for you, for the battle is not yours, it's the Lord's (2 Chronicles 20:15).
 
Nevertheless, you must show up on the battlefield with healthy meals, by exercising on your dusty treadmill, by resisting cravings, and refusing to give in to the temptation to return to your old eating habits.  You must not yield to fatigue or be intimidated by how many pounds you must lose to achieve your goal.  You must continue to consume healthy foods and beverages when you do not want another carrot or a bottle of water and even if Satan is trying to convince you that food is your enemy and should be abstained from.  When there seems to be a stalemate, meaning a plateau, trust God to turn the tide of the battle in your favor.  In the end, your testimony will be that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you (Romans 8:37) enough to bless you with the laurels of success when the battle is over just as an athlete receives a medal for winning a race after months and years of training. 
 
If you are ready to finally win the health and fitness war through Christ and take possession of the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life, 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 body for the glory of God!  As you apply the principles to your life, the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what you have been unable to do for yourself and succeed where so many others have failed!  Order your copy of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online NOW at Amazon.com

It's almost that time of year again.  You know what I mean.  We're at that season where people pig out for a month and a half during holidays, at office parties, and other feasts, then make resolutions to make major changes in their lives come January 1st.  Promises that are rarely kept and that are very easily broken.
 
People make all sorts of declarations to end bad habits ranging from people pleasing, drug addiction, and anger management to weight loss and eating disorders.  They begin their internal dialogue to convince themselves to turn over a new leaf in the upcoming year just as fall changes the color of the actual leaves on the trees.  But they never stop to ask themselves a very simple question: "What's wrong with starting today?"  Why wait a couple of more months to face a dilemma that needs to be addressed right now?
 
The answer reveals itself in the first few days, weeks, and in rare cases, months following the New Year as resolutions fall like dominoes by the wayside only to be dug up again in the fall and reaffirmed at the beginning of the next year.  It's a mind game you have been conditioned to play with yourself.  The problem is you're losing, and so are millions of other people just like you.  But God can break the cycle of failure in your life.
 
It's not His will for you to procrastinate and delay the blessings He has in store for you.  On the contrary, His Word specifically commands you to work while it is day, for the night comes when no man can work (John 9:4).  Today while you're sober minded and healthy enough to work, commit to eating and drinking for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) in order to honor Him with your body by taking care of it because it's the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and He commands you to do so!  If you learn to number your days (Psalm 90:12), wisdom will tell you that January 1st may mark the long night of heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, stroke, or some other obesity related disease which can prohibit the work of becoming healthy and fit.  It’s the same with health complications due to eating disorders.  Therefore, I encourage you to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16) you have been given because tomorrow is not promised.
 
If you’re ready to make today your season of new beginnings, then sign up now for the Eating as an Act of Worship Health and Fitness Course!  The next 12-week class begins on Monday, January 4, 2021, at 6:00 pm CST!  The class is FREE!  There are no registration fees or membership fees!  Participants are only responsible for the cost of the EAW Workbook which can be purchased online at Barnes and Noble.  Classes can be taken online via Periscope.  To register, visit our website at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!
 
If you’re unable to take the course, purchase 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 body for the glory of God! 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 don't know about you, but very often, the first thing I do when I get home from work is change out of my work clothes into something more comfortable.  I kick off my heels and put on warm cozy socks, then exchange my professional-looking slacks and blouse for leisure wear unless I have somewhere to go, I’m expecting company, I have something important to do around the house, or I'm so tired that I know I won't be able to make myself be productive anymore that day if I get comfortable.
 
Have you ever had days like that? All you want to do is rest, but the circumstances in your life won't allow it.  Consequently, you must find a way to press on, but it's hard because you seem to sabotage yourself as you try to push through.  For example, you were already tired to begin with, but your body suddenly began to feel as though it weighed a ton when you recalled you still have to cook dinner when you get home.  Likewise, your mind starts to spit out a thousand reasons why you should have a seat on the sofa and watch the news for "a few minutes" in order to relax, but you know you fall asleep every time that happens.
 
It's even worse, it seems, when the things we have to do are exercise and prepare healthy meals.  As if it's not bad enough that you have to contend with outside temptations attempting to convince you to give up, your own flesh is also an enemy that must be conquered.  It's easy to return to your old habits, grab a bag of chips to eat as you watch the news, then try to coax yourself into going to work out to minimize the damage you've done.  However, you've been there and done that.  You know you'll never make it to the treadmill in the other room, let alone to the gym for weight training and cardio.
 
If you truly want to lose weight and become free of an eating disorder, you must accept the fact that you will have to endure a season of discomfort.  Eating healthy foods and beverages and exercising is obviously not your comfort zone, or you wouldn't be overweight or entangled with an eating disorder.  To have the healthy and fit body you long for in addition to the longer lifespan, which is a byproduct of it, you must obey God's commands to honor Him with your body by eating and drinking for His glory (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:31).  I'm a witness that as you adopt a healthy lifestyle for God's glory, a wonderful thing happens.  He not only gives you the desires of your heart as a result of seeking His kingdom and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33), but He also makes what used to be uncomfortable your new comfort zone.  Therefore, I encourage you to keep your work clothes on, ignore the fatigue, and use your spiritual earbuds to drown out the lies of pride and so-called logical reasoning telling you to take a break.  This is the season of the ant not of the sloth (Proverbs 6:6).  God will give you rest at His appointed time.  Until then, work while it is day, for the night comes when no man can work (John 9:4).
 
If you’re to make the journey to your new health and fitness comfort zone, 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!

People have a lot of unorthodox views when it comes to losing weight.  I've met people who believe they will permanently lose weight if they could only convince themselves to eat one meal per day.  I also know people who bought into the lie that a person can eat whatever he wants as long as he works out.  You can imagine the surprise, disappointment, and feelings of failure that occur when an individual starts to GAIN WEIGHT instead after spending hours at the gym. Perhaps the strangest ideas come from those who fall for every new diet gimmick even though the last twelve (12) they tried didn't work.  It's almost comical.  No matter how obvious it is that the diet won't work, they pay for it anyway and swear they are getting results that no one can see but them.
 
Conventional, practical, albeit worldly wisdom, says that a real diet plan will require you to eat real, healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and moderately exercise several times per week in order to lose weight.  Nevertheless, people have been rejecting this very simple, straightforward notion for years. Consequently, instead of becoming healthier, over 1/3 of Americans are overweight, and many of the affluent nations of the world are also dealing with an obesity epidemic.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that those who are overweight, diagnosed with obesity related diseases, or eating disorders don't want to listen when they are told the solution to their health and fitness problem is Jesus Christ either.
 
People are looking for shortcuts and easy ways out of the messes they make of their lives.  That's true in weight loss and every other aspect of life.  Anything that requires a person to take responsibility for their actions and to put forth a modicum of effort to change their lives is summarily dismissed, but that doesn't mean you stop telling people the truth in favor of what they want to hear.
 
The truth is repenting from the sin of gluttony and otherwise taking care of your body because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit is itself an unorthodox method of weight loss, but it's the only way for a glutton to permanently and successfully lose weight.   Likewise, helping a person suffering from an eating disorder learn to eat and drink for the glory of God instead of abusing his or her body by starving or bingeing and purging is just as unpopular.  However, as people don't accept the worldly, conventional wisdom, they often reject the truth of God's Word, too.  In fact, the Bible teaches us that only a remnant whose hearts God moved returned to repair the damaged temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5).  Your body was designed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, but He will not take up residence where He is not wanted.  
 
Although you invite Him in when you accept Christ as your Savior, even believers who have spent years in the family of faith refuse to yield parts of their sinful lives to the Holy Spirit.  While it is His right to possess His entire temple, the Holy Spirit will only occupy the space you willingly provide.  Like the Israelites, the hearts of modern-day Christians are hardened against repairing the damage they have done to the temple of the Holy Spirit.  As a result, they too, choose to remain in bondage and die captive to a sin God would gladly set them free of.  Will you choose the diet gimmicks or the conventional wisdom of the world, or will you allow the Lord to change your heart so that you'll not only accept His unconventional approach to health and fitness, but also act upon it in faith in order to finally lose the weight and be free of the eating disorder that’s a stronghold in your life?
 
If your heart is moved to repair and rebuild the temple of the Holy Spirit, 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!

​We have all heard the saying, "mind over matter," on more than one occasion.  Consequently, people use different strategies to mentally prepare for a given task.  For instance, some celebrities admit they employ an "alter ego" technique to get over stage fright.  Other people give themselves "pep talks" to reinforce the belief that they can accomplish a goal.  Then there are those who use meditation or other relaxation techniques prior to undertaking an important assignment.
 
People psyche themselves out to eat right and exercise, too.  Some rely on other people.  For example, making a commitment to be a workout buddy gives them a feeling of responsibility and accountability.  Others join weight loss programs because they need a structured environment to succeed.  Some people hire personal trainers to keep them motivated and to push them in ways they cannot push themselves.
 
We use these and other strategies for many reasons.  On the one hand, it is hard to make yourself exercise.  Likewise, it is difficult to find the time to prepare meals for yourself and your family for the whole week.  And honestly, the last thing you want to do after a long day is cook when it is so much easier to place an order to be picked up on your way home from work.
 
It is not that your body can't stand the discomfort associated with a workout.  It is not that your teeth are not capable of chewing vegetables, legumes, or baked fish.  On the contrary, you can not only swallow eggplant, but your body can also digest it.  The problem is that you do not want to do it even though you know intellectually it is what is best for you.
 
As you have learned from previous experience, the mental tricks only work for so long.  Until you truly change your mind, none of the mind games will work long-term.  A made-up mind is a determined one that will not be changed because of a little physical discomfort due to a workout or the inconvenience of having to alter your lifestyle in order to conform to a health and fitness plan.  It is a permanent change because it is a part of who you are.  It is also much easier to do when it is a gift from God instead of the result of a daily, internal war between your cravings and your feeble will.  If you are willing to submit to God's will to eat and drink for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), then He will give you the gift of grace to be changed from the inside out by renewing your mind (Romans 12:2).
 
If you are ready to stop playing mind games and let God permanently change your health and fitness mindset 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!

​People often watch or participate in sporting events.  At times, the players can be so determined to win that losing is a painful experience which brings tears to their eyes.  Even if we are not active participants, we can still be very competitive about our favorite teams.  More than one friendship has ended because of an argument about who is the best basketball player or football player.  Likewise, many parents set horrible examples for their children by becoming belligerent with referees or other parents during a child's game.
 
Sporting events are not the only areas where we compete against each other.  We do it at work by comparing ourselves and our salaries to a colleague's.  We do it at church by comparing our spiritual gifts and the number of lives we impact with a fellow church member's gifts and impact.  Moreover, we compete with others in terms of our physical appearance.  Women are especially adept at making a head-to-toe comparison of another woman in contrast to themselves, especially when we go to the gym.
 
In fact, competition is so common place in our society that we hardly realize we are doing it.  We compare things as quickly and easily as we do people, and often our snap judgments are dead wrong.  Nevertheless, we continue to do it, and more often than not, the person who does not measure up to our standards is none other than ourselves.  For example, the woman who rolls her eyes and says about another woman, "She thinks she's cute," does so because she feels inferior to the woman she referred to.  She has no idea that the woman in question is also insecure, comparing herself to the other women in the room, and secretly afraid that everyone will stare at her.
 
This mentality touches every part of a person's life and hinders success, especially when it comes to health and fitness.  Many people will not go to the gym or to the neighborhood track because they do not believe they look as good as someone else in workout clothes.  Others will not go because they are afraid of being stared at and talked about by the skinny, healthy looking people.  However, they do not realize the enemy will continue to use this strategy against them in order to keep them overweight and on their way to contracting an obesity related disease.
 
The truth is the only person who matters is you!  Have you ever been a healthy body size and weight?  Do you want to become free of an eating disorder and be healthy again?  If you have never known a skinny day, would you like to finally experience it?  Then get tunnel vision and forget about what everyone around you looks like.  Very often what you perceive as health and fitness is merely a façade.  Instead, focus on the image of you that you want to become and trust God to help you achieve your goal!
 
If you are willing to stop competing against others and focus on obtaining your health and fitness goals 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!