I said in the last post that I was going to get pretty personal in this one. I am going to be very transparent here because if we are ever going to make progress and come in alignment with Biblical Minimalism, the first thing we are going to have to do is be honest. God already knows, right?
Hebrews 4:13 says, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."
So, I am going to come clean. Right here and right now. I need to lose 60 pounds. Yes, I said 60. God help and forgive me. Granted, I do suffer from a health condition that contributes to obesity, but in addition to that, I have allowed food to become a stronghold —let me just call it what it is —an addiction in my life.
Since my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I feel deeply convicted of carrying the excess weight that is contributing and adding to a multitude of health problems. I pray for physical healing, yet my heart, lungs, and other organs are having to work overtime to keep up with the excess 60 pounds I am carrying around. I am working against my own prayers.
Did you ever have something that God has plainly shown you needs adjustment in your life, and you see the issue and know you need to make necessary changes, but at the same time, you feel utterly powerless to do what needs to be done? If you have ever experienced this type of what I call behavior paralysis, you will understand where I am coming from. I see the weight, I know with all my heart that it is not pleasing to God, that it is adversely affecting my health, and I am the only one who can do anything about it. I hate the way I look and feel, but yet, I hardly know where to begin. It seems so daunting. When I think of the number 60 and how hard it is to lose one pound, I can very quickly talk myself out of trying to lose weight at all.
This is one of satan's tactics —to get us so discouraged with how far off track we are that we freeze in place and don't do anything about it all.
Remember, it takes a strong hand to undo a stronghold.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4
Only GOD can help us minimize and release certain addictions, habits, and unhealthy situations and patterns in our lives. After trying and failing at so many diets and weight loss tactics, it is plain for me to see that my excess physical body weight is most definitely one stronghold that carnal weapons are not going to be successful in pulling down. I think I am finally seeing the reason why.
Remember how I said we would view each of the eight slices of the Whole-Person Pie© through a spiritual lens? You can read about that HERE.
My obesity/excess body weight is stemming from a spiritual root. Food is an area of my life that is absolutely not in submission to the power of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in me, but I have not relinquished this part of me to Him. I see other types of sin for what they are, but for some reason, I manage to justify gluttony, lack of exercise, and the overriding of the condemnation I feel for contributing to my own health problems.
I have prayed much over this. Prayer is a two-way street. If we are going to talk to God, we must also be willing to listen to His end of the conversation. God is omniscient, and He knows if our prayers come from a place of wholeheartedness or if we would rather not hear what He has to say. I think I have finally reached a place of seeking Him with my whole heart, stopped making excuses and justifications for my obesity, and am willing to face the truth for what it is.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."
I am finally there. I want to hear what He has to say —regardless how it exposes the ugliness of my sin. Thankfully, God never reveals our problem areas without having the antidote readily available.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." I Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
I am very thankful that, by the grace of God only, I don't struggle with drug, alcohol, or nicotine addiction. But, how can I judge those who do struggle and consistently give in to temptation in these areas while I am guilty of the sin of gluttony?
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV)
Admitting the truth and calling sin by its real name is the first step to help. Once we have overcome this hurdle, successfully minimizing the excess body weight becomes a real possibility.
If you are struggling in this area, I want you to know that you are not alone. I am right there with you, struggling with all my might, and I would love for us to lock arms and walk this path together. This is why I am being so transparent here. Transparency creates a sense of accountability, and if we get really honest with one another, perhaps it will encourage us to try harder and overcome together.
So, I am now hoping you can imagine the sound of a drumroll —because I am getting ready to introduce something really exciting that God has placed upon my heart! Are you ready?
Here it is! (I am including a link below where you can click and go download your very own printable copy!)
The P.O.W.E.R. Tool© is a system that incorporates five basic components into your daily life.
P - Prayer
O - Outreach
W - Water
E - Exercise
R - Reading God's Word
What do prayer, Bible reading, and outreach remotely have to do with a "weight loss" plan? To me, they are vitally important because everything springs from the spiritual.
NOTE: Even if you do not struggle with obesity and have no need for minimizing in this area of life, the P.O.W.E.R. Tool© will remind you to do things on a daily basis that will benefit your physical health and draw you closer to God.
So, how do you use the P.O.W.E.R. Tool©?
Here are the steps:
place a check mark beside each category. Ideally, by the time you go to bed each night, you
Since my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I feel deeply convicted of carrying the excess weight that is contributing and adding to a multitude of health problems. I pray for physical healing, yet my heart, lungs, and other organs are having to work overtime to keep up with the excess 60 pounds I am carrying around. I am working against my own prayers.
Did you ever have something that God has plainly shown you needs adjustment in your life, and you see the issue and know you need to make necessary changes, but at the same time, you feel utterly powerless to do what needs to be done? If you have ever experienced this type of what I call behavior paralysis, you will understand where I am coming from. I see the weight, I know with all my heart that it is not pleasing to God, that it is adversely affecting my health, and I am the only one who can do anything about it. I hate the way I look and feel, but yet, I hardly know where to begin. It seems so daunting. When I think of the number 60 and how hard it is to lose one pound, I can very quickly talk myself out of trying to lose weight at all.
This is one of satan's tactics —to get us so discouraged with how far off track we are that we freeze in place and don't do anything about it all.
Remember, it takes a strong hand to undo a stronghold.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4
Only GOD can help us minimize and release certain addictions, habits, and unhealthy situations and patterns in our lives. After trying and failing at so many diets and weight loss tactics, it is plain for me to see that my excess physical body weight is most definitely one stronghold that carnal weapons are not going to be successful in pulling down. I think I am finally seeing the reason why.
Remember how I said we would view each of the eight slices of the Whole-Person Pie© through a spiritual lens? You can read about that HERE.
My obesity/excess body weight is stemming from a spiritual root. Food is an area of my life that is absolutely not in submission to the power of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in me, but I have not relinquished this part of me to Him. I see other types of sin for what they are, but for some reason, I manage to justify gluttony, lack of exercise, and the overriding of the condemnation I feel for contributing to my own health problems.
I have prayed much over this. Prayer is a two-way street. If we are going to talk to God, we must also be willing to listen to His end of the conversation. God is omniscient, and He knows if our prayers come from a place of wholeheartedness or if we would rather not hear what He has to say. I think I have finally reached a place of seeking Him with my whole heart, stopped making excuses and justifications for my obesity, and am willing to face the truth for what it is.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."
I am finally there. I want to hear what He has to say —regardless how it exposes the ugliness of my sin. Thankfully, God never reveals our problem areas without having the antidote readily available.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." I Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)
I am very thankful that, by the grace of God only, I don't struggle with drug, alcohol, or nicotine addiction. But, how can I judge those who do struggle and consistently give in to temptation in these areas while I am guilty of the sin of gluttony?
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV)
Admitting the truth and calling sin by its real name is the first step to help. Once we have overcome this hurdle, successfully minimizing the excess body weight becomes a real possibility.
If you are struggling in this area, I want you to know that you are not alone. I am right there with you, struggling with all my might, and I would love for us to lock arms and walk this path together. This is why I am being so transparent here. Transparency creates a sense of accountability, and if we get really honest with one another, perhaps it will encourage us to try harder and overcome together.
So, I am now hoping you can imagine the sound of a drumroll —because I am getting ready to introduce something really exciting that God has placed upon my heart! Are you ready?
Here it is! (I am including a link below where you can click and go download your very own printable copy!)
P - Prayer
O - Outreach
W - Water
E - Exercise
R - Reading God's Word
What do prayer, Bible reading, and outreach remotely have to do with a "weight loss" plan? To me, they are vitally important because everything springs from the spiritual.
NOTE: Even if you do not struggle with obesity and have no need for minimizing in this area of life, the P.O.W.E.R. Tool© will remind you to do things on a daily basis that will benefit your physical health and draw you closer to God.
So, how do you use the P.O.W.E.R. Tool©?
Here are the steps:
- First of all, you print out your very own copy by clicking HERE.
- Write tomorrow's date in the upper left corner.
- Weigh yourself first thing tomorrow morning.
- Record your weight under tomorrow's date.
- Set five basic goals.
- P - Prayer ~ How much time will you commit to spending in prayer each day? Don't place undue pressure on yourself. If goals are too lofty to be realistic, they set us up for failure. Start out with the minimal (get it? Minimal?😂) amount of time that you feel you can realistically devote to quiet, uninterrupted prayer time. No one will see this, except you. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, and He will show you what is right for you. This can always be changed, obviously, and if you are like me, you will find prayer time to be its own kind of "addictive." The more time you spend with God, the more you will long to be in His presence. When you feel tempted to eat something you know you shouldn't, find a place alone with God, and sit at His feet feasting on "Heavenly manna," instead.
- O - Outreach ~ This category is all about others. Set a goal as to a number of outreach efforts you hope to accomplish per day. Personalize this to make it fun. Think, first and foremost, of those who live under your roof. Commit to doing something kind for each one of them every day. (No need to overcomplicate. You're probably doing this anyway.) Then think of those who do not live with you, including strangers. There are innumerable ways you can reach out and show Jesus' love. Send an encouraging email or text, make a phone call, bake a cake, pay a compliment, buy a family's meal. Get creative. When you are tempted to have an in-between meal snack, fill it with your outreach goal instead.
- W - Water ~ Staying well-hydrated is vital and a very necessary component of good general health and weight loss success. Set a reasonable, doable goal that you can accomplish for each day. Sixty-four ounces a day is generally considered to be adequate. Replace high-calorie drinks with water. You will be amazed how many calories this alone will trim from your daily caloric intake. When you crave something sweet, drink an 8-ounce glass of water.
- E - Exercise ~ Set a specified number of minutes per day as your goal. Again, be realistic, because you want to succeed, and you want to do this for the long haul. As you become healthier, you can increase this as you go. Start out with what you can reasonably do. As your stamina increases, so will your self-esteem. When you are tempted to eat more than you should, push your plate away, and go take a walk instead.
- R - Read your Bible ~ Decide if you want to set your goal based on time or chapters/verses. If you are only able to give one verse your full, undivided attention, then set your daily Bible reading goal at one verse. It is better to really absorb what you are reading than to skim over the "meat" just so you can say you met your goal for the day. When you are struggling with the urge to munch on something, open your Bible and become engrossed in God's Word.
place a check mark beside each category. Ideally, by the time you go to bed each night, you
will have prayed, reached out to others, drank a sufficient amount of water, exercised, and read
your Bible.
7. Each P.O.W.E.R. Tool© sheet will last for four weeks. At the end of the four weeks,
record the date and your ending weight. Print another sheet, and keep going!
Some things to think about and remember —
record the date and your ending weight. Print another sheet, and keep going!
Some things to think about and remember —
- The P.O.W.E.R. Tool© will not work unless you pick it up and use it.
- Keep your sheet near the place that you spend the biggest part of your day so you will be reminded often.
- The goal, of course, is to have five check marks at the end of each day. You won't always meet your goal. Don't get discouraged. Don't beat yourself up. NO judgment here. Tomorrow is another day. Start over, and try to do better.
- Be aware of empty spaces with no check marks. Learn from them. For example, ask yourself why you weren't able to work your exercise into your day yesterday? Try to avoid the same pitfall today.
- The P.O.W.E.R. Tool© is designed as a means to help you achieve success in several "slices" of the Whole-Person Pie© —the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional will all benefit from forming a habit in doing all five of these things each day and will often spill over into the choices you make in the other four slices, also —the relational, occupational, obligational, and financial.
- If followed diligently, weight-loss should, hopefully, be a pleasant side-effect of the time you spend in prayer, reaching out to others, drinking water, exercising, and reading your Bible.
- This is not really about calories, carbs, measuring, or a list of rules. It is more about developing these five daily habits and seeking God concerning the rest. His Spirit is faithful and will direct food choices if we will just listen.
- You can jump on board any day of the week. There's no time like the present. Start tomorrow!
PLEASE let me know if you decide to make the commitment to pick up the P.O.W.E.R. Tool©, by leaving a comment and/or emailing me privately. I want to pray for and with you. We can encourage one another along this minimizing journey! I hope to hear from you!
