“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV)
“And I tell you this, you must give account on judgement day for every idle word you speak.” (Matthew 12:36 NLT)
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17 NKJV)
Yesterday we talked about recognizing, and taking control of, areas of weakness that have begun to rob us of the ability to complete the purposes and/or assignments in our lives. In my case, this has been an ongoing battle with weight. The Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” This advise from Paul is so powerful. In life, we are in a race. In order to win that race we need to identify whatever is slowing us down and “strip” it out of our lives. This whole issue of sin in the life of a follower of Jesus is not so much about “right” and “wrong,” or “good” and “bad,” as it is about putting ourselves in a position to experience the Lord’s best for our lives. It is all about winning in life. Enough said.
Today is about sharing how I have been able to “strip” 120 pounds from my body on my way to my goal of losing 200 pounds. I have learned the following simple, yet deeply profound, keys to winning at life. I am applying them to my personal area of weakness (weight), but they will work in whatever area in which you need change:
- Change my desire – I have found that I am going to either consciously, or in many cases subconsciously, do things that fill my greatest desires. For years I ate to satisfy my desire for comfort. I used food as a drug to ease my pain. When I faced the fact that eating was robbing me of my ability to enjoy life, and fulfill the things that I wanted to do (family, work, ministry, etc) I knew it was long past time for change. Today, my main desire for food is wrapped around the phrase, “food is fuel.” Most of the time I eat with the same motivation that I put gas in the gas tank of my car. It is to allow me to get where I want to go.
- Change the way I think – Changing my “desire” gives me the motivation to change, and gets God actively involved in this area of weakness. Changing the way I think sets me up to be able to change the way I act. If you simply go on a “diet,” without changing the way you think, you will be living by sheer will power and believe me, that will only go so far. I have filled my mind with whatever I have been able to find that will reprogram the computer between my ears. Minute by minute, I work to become conscious of every thought, and if it doesn’t line up with my desires and goals I take it captive. It takes work, but it is worth it!
- Change the way I talk – I am a huge advocate of positive “self talk” (the Bible calls it “confession”). I will have “what I say.” The way that you change thoughts are through words. I do not just say whatever I am thinking. I purposely speak what I desire. Words hold creative, or destructive, power. They are containers for faith or fear, and will over time shape every area of your life. The words that come out of your mouth hold the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).
- Change the way I act – This is where many people blow it when it comes to long term success. Most of us raised in today’s culture want instant results, and long term success with short term efforts. In the area of weight loss we typically select whatever “diet” or “program” that promises the greatest results in the shortest amount of time (and hopefully without changing our current lifestyle). We “diet,” lose some weight, then stop “dieting,” and put back on the weight we lost plus a few more pounds. This “yo – yo” lifestyle harms our body more than the original condition, and leaves us crushed as we once again experience the pain of “failing.” I had to find an approach to life that I could continue as a new “fitness lifestyle,” not a short term “weight loss.”
This is getting long, so let’s do part 3 tomorrow in…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 15: “Buffet” (exercise) or Buffet (all you can east), the choice is yours.” Part