I have read this article a few times since starting my diet. They say it takes 21 days to change a habit...well I must be more stubborn than the average person! But I am trying and I am applying some of Darlenes principals.
Single-Minded
Moderation
Darlene Schacht, November 2007
Perhaps you’re a size 16, and you’ve longed to be a few sizes smaller. You might even feel that being a little smaller would give you more energy, add to your health, and give your figure a more feminine appeal to both you and your spouse.
On the other hand you may ask yourself, is it really God’s will—or is it my own? Does God care if I lose weight?
Let me first say this, God loves you, sister—just the way you are, and there isn’t a single number on a scale that could change that. But let me also say that God designed the female body in a beautiful form—curvaceous, soft, and feminine. He understands the desire that we have for beauty; after all He created all things beautiful. He's given us the opportunity to improve our quality of life, but ultimately, you will have to make that choice. In making that choice, consider your lifestyle to determine whether it is led by the spirit or by the lust of the flesh.
Is it God’s desire that we care for our bodies? Since it is the temple of the Holy Ghost, I’d have to say, yes. Many health concerns are out of our hands, but in most cases, a healthy body reflects an inner life that is balanced, and one that has exercised self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the spirit, “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
So what exactly is it? Dictionary.com describes self-control this way (noun):
- The act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses
- The trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior
Without self-control our spirit, body and souls become slaves to the flesh—doing that which feels good, rather than that which we know to be good. It’s for this very reason that many marriages break up, as men and women follow the lust of their heart. In fact you've probably heard the familiar saying, "My head says one thing, but my heart says another."
It is our job as stewards of this human vessel to guide the heart and the flesh according to wisdom—according to truth.
Jeremiah 17:9 warns us, saying, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
The daily renewing of our minds by the Spirit of truth is key to gaining this wisdom. It’s the very thing that lays out our inner road map directing the paths by which we should go. Couple that with self-control that brings our body into subjection, and we’re on the right path.
“Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” Proverbs 23:19
Listen. Gain wisdom. Guide.
The way that we guide is by training our body and soul to yield to a spirit-focused mind, a mind that is daily renewed through scripture, meditation and prayer with our Lord. Lead your body to spiritual food, and let the desires of the world fade away.
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” ~ Psalm 119:103-105
The Bible also warns us against the sin of gluttony, but for many of us we aren’t sure where pleasure ends and gluttony begins. So, lets take a closer look at that here.
In several places, Proverbs speaks against a gluttonous lifestyle saying,
“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Proverbs 23:21
“He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” Proverbs 28:7
In the english language our word for “gluttony” is derived from the latin word gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow. The old testament often uses the Hebrew word, saba’ which when used in the negative sense is defined as: to have in excess. We find the masculine form of the word (sibah’) in Ezekial 16:49:
“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness (sibah’) of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”
The modern definition of the word gluttony is to habitually eat to excess. So what should we do about it? Proverbs 25:16 sums it up well by saying, “Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee.”
I say, “Found an awesome cheesecake? One little piece will do you, girl!”
Has it been too hard in the past to stop at one piece, to resist the temptations that plague your life, to live a life that you know to be good? Give it to God this time, sister. Let Him lighten the load and carry you through.
“Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
When you reach for food, ask yourself who's talking; Is it your heart or is it your head? If it is your heart alone, then pray that God will still this stirring of your heart, and leave that burden at His feet. The temptation to follow your heart will get easier day by day, as James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Enjoy the Lord and with single-minded moderation, all the goodness He holds for us. Until next month, ladies--Live Well!
©2007, Darlene Schacht
Related resources:
"Renewing our Mind" by Darlene Schacht
"Inertia" by Darlene Schacht
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