There Is No Easy Way Out

Fad diets and gimmicks are not new, but the latest craze, surprisingly, has people consuming a drug meant to treat those suffering from Type II diabetes. Consumer demand for the drug is so high, it is negatively impacting those who need the medicine. Never mind the fact that this is a brand new drug whose long-term effects are unknown. The current trend is proof positive that people want to take the easy way out to losing weight and becoming free of eating disorders.  Unfortunately, this is not anything new.

People have a lot of unorthodox views when it comes health and fitness. I have 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 did not work. It is almost comical. No matter how obvious it is that the diet will not 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 a third 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 do not want to listen when they are told Jesus Christ is the solution to their health and fitness problem.
 
People search for shortcuts and easy ways out of the messes they make of their lives. That is true in weight loss, eating disorders, and every other aspect of life. Anything that requires individuals to take responsibility for their actions and to put forth a modicum of effort to change their lives is summarily dismissed, but that does not 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 failing to take care of your body because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is itself an unorthodox method of weight loss, but it is 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 do not 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 from captivity 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 will 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 is a stronghold in your life?
 
If your heart is moved to repair and rebuild the temple of the Holy Spirit, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com.  In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God.  Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ.  Follow us daily on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips.  Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify the DFW Den Radio Station, the StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends.  Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!