The Spiritual Component Of Weight Loss

     One of the largest reasons that we are not as successful as we would like to be is that we lack the spiritual component of weight loss. The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." There are no exceptions to the all things. As I have helped many people lose weight I have found it very interesting how many people pray to lose weight. There are very few people however, the ask God to reveal to them what they need to do to lose weight. I find that most people do not realize what a huge connection there is between our physical health and our spiritual health.

When we ask God to help us lose weight, we need to understand that He gives us a role to play. The truth is that we have developed physical addictions to many of the things that cause us to add weight. By the very definition of an addiction, it is something that we need help to overcome. It is many times surprising the things that we do not realize we are addicted to. The scientific community suggests that losing weight is as simple as taking in less calories than we need. This thinking seldom takes into account the mental, emotional, and social implications of weight gain. We also have the added problem today environmental issues that cause us to put on extra pounds.

There is no single bullet, or magic bullet when it comes to losing weight. There are typically many factors that works synergistically to cause weight gain. It is not simply a function of how much you eat. For example many of us consume a considerable amount of processed food, which has a high caloric density, but poor nutritional density. They often contain additives which enhance weight gain. Eating is also a very highly social activity. When we go out to eat many of the foods that we have to choose from are not conducive to weight loss. Even church potlucks tend to cause us to overeat. A component of obesity that we seldom hear talked about is what is called, fat bellied starvation. While our body craves certain nutrients we consume high caloric foods that have had much of their nutrition stripped away. After we are done eating these foods our bodies are still grieving the nutrients it needs.

As we put on extra pounds we find that it impacts our ability to do different things and affects our self-esteem. This many times affects our social interactions.

It is critically important to understand that God loves you just the way you are. It is equally important to understand that it is his will and desire that you should move to something better. Anything that is in harmony with His will He will empower you to accomplish!

I believe that exercise is part of God's plan for weight loss. This does not mean that you have to go out and jog and beat your joints to death. Simply taking a good walk is a great way to start. Before you launch into any exercise program it is important to you determine what level of training is safe for you. It is important that you exercise spiritually as well as physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thinking as you read the word of God and then meditate on what you read you will find this to be a great source of personal strength.

It is very very difficult to achieve goals and weight loss without some sort of support group. Do not for a minute underestimate the power of prayer. You'll find the person who prays with you and accepts to be much more effective than the person who simply encourages you and pats you on the back.

Copyright (c) 2013 Whole Life Ministry

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