Diet Bible Study

Hi my name is Kelli, and I have been posting this diet Bible study on a thread in the Weight Loss section, but I think I will put it here also... It is a study you do five days a week for about 20 minutes a day... I have lost 50 pounds and it was so easy ( I know you have heard that before) Just try it who knows maybe it'll work...

“UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”. It’s what the lepers of Jesus’ time had to shout when they walked through the streets. “UNCLEAN!” They were the outcast of society, shunned and mocked by society. People thought God was punishing them, so they thought they would get a special blessing if they helped God by punishing them. They felt they deserved what they got. People shunned and mocked them, looking at them in disgust, thankful and self-righteous.

We, who are overweight in our society, are the lepers of our day. We don’t have to yell out unclean; our bodies do that for us. We are the repulsive joke in shows such as Good Luck Chuck (I didn’t see it, just the previews made me sick). I saw a news story the other day that illustrated one of the many ways we are treated, and it broke my heart. A Rapper was in concert, and he said “all the beautiful ladies in this audience, get up on the stage and dance with me”, so girls started dancing up on the stage. The rapper started to laugh, and said “look ladies, if you weigh 200 pounds get off my stage”.

It was appalling to see the smiles wiped off their beautiful young faces, as the girls tried as quickly as possible to get off stage. They had done such a brave thing in getting up there. They gambled on the risky prospect of human kindness and lost. Any self-respect they might have desperately gained up to that point was shattered, and I know the pain they suffered. You probably do too. We suffer with them, knowing the world thinks of us, that we are gross, stupid, fools with no feelings.

Just as it must have felt hopeless to the lepers in Jesus’ time, we feel doomed to failure. We have tried, and hoped, and hoped and tried. Maybe this one will work; maybe this will be the one. How can being overweight be our fault, when we have tried so hard?

I understand how bad you want to be slim and healthy, I know because the desire to be thin consumed me. I was so humiliated about my weight. I hated to leave the house. I dreaded social situations. Even though he never said a word about my weight, I thought my husband was ashamed of me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lose the weight. Just like you, I felt doomed to failure.

This Bible study will show you the more will power you use, and the harder you try to lose weight, the heaver you will be. Dieting creates two obsessions. One, you become fixated on food, and two, you become fixated on your weight.

Believe me when I tell you, you are strong! You, yes you! You can be the person you want to be. The person God made you to be. It’s not about changing the food you eat. It’s about understanding and fixing the reasons you overeat. It’s about changing your wrong thinking into right thinking.

You have a problem with your weight because you eat more than your body uses, and in truth the answer is, stop eating more than your body needs. Don’t you wish it were that simple?

Diets try to convince us that we need to change the food we eat. They over simplify, and, over complicate the whole process. Wouldn’t it be easy if we could all just decide which diet was best for us, and then do it? If it was that clear-cut, obesity wouldn’t be the second highest preventable cause of death in America. I knew all that, but I couldn’t stop myself from overeating. I needed to find the reason I was overeating and why I couldn’t stop, that’s why I started to write this study. I was desperate, I always felt like I was in trouble with God. Writing this study I have come to know the character of our loving father and through studying His word, I found God is not mad at me at all.

A definition of sin as an act that hurts you or someone else, Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Notice the prerequisite for loving your neighbor is to love yourself).

Before I knew Him, I thought God was up in heaven somewhere saying, “FOLLOW THESE RULES BECAUSE I SAID SO, AND I -AM –THE- BOSS.

God has a plan for your life, and that plan includes you being joyful, and successful. He understands our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15&16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God says gluttony is a sin (Proverbs 23:2) for good reason. Being overweight is a serious health condition that can lead to early death. People who are twenty percent heavier than their ideal weight are considered obese (determined by standard medical and insurance data). For example, the normal weight for woman who is 5’7" is 143 pounds, but they are considered obese if they weigh 189 pounds or above.

There are a so many medical problems associated with being overweight, including high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, and arthritis. These problems increase as your weight does. The heart of an obese person has to work harder causing congestive heart failure. Cardiovascular problems are common among obese people. High blood pressure can lead to the development of heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke.

God designed our bodies to need only so much food. Overeating puts too much sugar and fat in our system and our bodies can’t handle it, increasing the risk of developing type II diabetes.

My husband and I participated in a medical study at a University on how marriage affected blood pressure. They sent us to a lab for blood work. The lab was also conducting a five-year study on the morbidly obese. I had been on a diet and was almost at my goal weight (naturally, I gained it all back and more). The technician who was taking our health histories, said, “How refreshing, I’m used to patients having so many health issues because of their weight” she told me how much they suffer.

Hearing this broke my heart, because the memory how much it hurt being overweight was still fresh in my mind. How trapped and desperate I felt. How my ribs hurt how my knees and feet hurt. I was so tired and I hated myself, I knew the world thought I was just lazy and stupid.

I wanted to defend myself to everyone “I am trying to lose weight”, “the person inside here isn’t the person you see out there”, “and I’m trapped.” I felt like I wasn’t considered valuable. I felt useless and unloved, because I didn’t love myself. The world reserved its goodness for thin people, and the way most people treated me intensified my feelings, I felt people either dismissed me or patronized me. There were times I tried to dress up my fat and say I didn’t care. There were times I just gave up, and I would wear an old holey tee-shirt shirt and comfy bleach stained sweats everywhere. I hated how I looked, and felt, every moment of every single day.

God doesn’t see you that way, He sees the person He created in His image (Genesis 1:27). He sees the value of your eternal soul (Psalm 139: 1-18). You are important to God and He doesn’t want to see you live like this. It doesn’t make Him less of a God if you sin. If God didn’t love you, your pain wouldn’t hurt Him in the slightest. It’s your self-imposed suffering He labels as sin, God doesn’t condemn you, (John 3:17) All of us have sinned (Romans 3:23) He loves you.

Being overweight is not a sickness or an inherited problem. It’s the result of eating more than your body needs. You may say you have a slow metabolism, and it could be true, but it isn’t your get out of jail free card. It isn’t an excuse to eat more; it means your body doesn’t need as much food to maintain it.

I know the excuses from the medical world make us feel justified, but it doesn’t help our problem. If you think about it, and are honest with yourself those excuses dash all hope of ever being thin and healthy.

You are probably saying to yourself “I don’t need something else to make me feel guilty, I already feel Hopeless”, but I am here to declare to you that there is hope! You are going to tap into the power of the almighty God who created heaven and earth. The good news is because gluttony is a sin and not a defect; you have control of whether or not you participate in the sin. This Bible Study will help you understand the difference and apply the principles from the Bible to recognize and overcome Satan’s deception.

When I started writing this Bible Study I was well on my way to becoming another sad statistic. I weighed over two hundred pounds, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Food was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning and the last thing I thought of when I went to sleep. I desired it beyond reason. The yearning to chew was irresistible and I couldn’t control it, I didn’t want to. The more I ate the more I needed. My desire for food was voracious and no matter how much I ate, the empty longing was never satisfied. Then one day my beautiful teenage foster daughter Mylissa walked through the front door, upset, with tears streaming down her sweet face, she told me she was hurt and humiliated, because a group of teenage boys drove by and yelled something about her being overweight. This beautiful sweet young girl, who had overcome so much in her life, was so wounded by these foolish boys, who had no idea of who she was as a person. I could feel her hurt and I wanted so much to help her.

I found a book on using the Bible as a diet guide. We started to read it, and even though I found the diet to be quite sensible, I realized the religious part of it was based on works. I found myself trying to explain why so much of it wasn’t Biblical and we finally gave up. I thought, "Somebody needs to write a real born again, Spirit filled Diet Bible study". I decided to write one for Mylissa and myself

I pray it will help you to find the truth about the emptiness we try so desperately to fill.

You can’t understand the things of the spirit if you haven’t been born of the spirit, so having a relationship with Christ is a pre-requisite for this study.

I Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) says, 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I am not talking about religion; I mean having a relationship with Jesus Christ. God loves you so much He wants a relationship with you, and He has a plan for your life, but you need to be born of the Spirit. How do you become born of the spirit?

John 3:1-21 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Let’s take these verses one at a time. Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions, and at first Jesus, answers confused him. He asked, “How can a person be born again? Go back into his mother’s womb?” Jesus answer was “unless one is born of the water” (the womb) “and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Take note of verse nine, Nicodemus says, “How can these things be?” He wanted to know how to be born of the Spirit, And Jesus gives him the answer, gives all of us the answer in verse fifteen.

“Whoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life.” God tells us in His word, He wants us all to be with Him in heaven (II Peter 3:9), yet heaven is a perfect place. God won’t let it be corrupted by sin, any sin. (Revelation 21:27), So unless you are perfect, without sin you are not allowed in heaven. However, we are all sinners and separated from God, so now what do we do? Jesus is the perfect Son of God and He took the punishment paying the price for our sin, because we couldn’t afford it, we can’t be perfect. It’s important we realize our need for Christ and accept Him as your own savior. Confess your sin and need for him.

Romans 10: 8 & 9 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
It’s as simple as acknowledging you are a sinner and believe in your heart Jesus died on the cross for your sin.

II Peter 3:9 God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.

Pray a prayer like this, to Jesus, in your own words, and mean it with all your heart.
~Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I receive You as my Savior, and ask You to forgive my sins. I acknowledge You are the Lord of my life and I turn my life over to you, and ask you to help me turn from my sin and turn to You.
Thank you my Lord in Jesus name amen. ~

Now you have prayed this prayer and meant it, God will begin to change you from the inside out; He will change your desires. In fact, your desire will be for the things of God.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

By grace you are saved—a gift from your Lord!

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The cost of sinning (wages) is death (separation from God) but the Gift is eternal life. You can’t be good enough to get to heaven on your own. It’s a gift!

Isaiah 49:23b (NIV) Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

It had been a rough week for me. I was sitting in church and I was mad at God. I was mad at the world, and I most of all I was mad at myself, in fact I hated myself. I thought the reason I hated myself was that I was fat. It was sometime in the early 1990’s, I hadn’t been saved long, and all myself worth was centered on what I looked like.

As I sat there, I thought about how I had run into an old friend and the thought hurt because I still had his words ringing in my head. He had introduced me to a buddy of his, and his comment to his friend was “She used to be real good-looking until she had a kid and packed on forty pounds.” Apparently, he didn’t think that should hurt a fat girl.

I had met this old friend at a disco I worked at before I got married, and in that environment, around closing time, the compliments come in fast and furious. The only positive reinforcement I got was from men about my looks, and when they faded, as they always do, I was worthless in my own eyes. The sexual abuse I had endured as a child only reinforced my feelings. What made it worse was my highest level of education was seventh grade, so I knew I didn’t have a leg to stand on there.

Even though my husband constantly reassured me that he loved me, I was always afraid he would leave me. I didn’t believe he could still be in love with me He had married me when I was skinny. I was desperate to be thin again.

As I sat in church waiting for the service to begin, I thought back and remembered why I was mad at God. I decided I was going to pray and have faith God would do a miracle and make me skinny –down to a certain weight in exactly one month. I was used to getting on the scale every day, sometimes three or four times a day, but I decided for that month I would stay off them. I had a hard time waiting, so by the time the day came I was excited, I just knew God would do a miracle. I stepped up on the scale and… it hadn’t moved one millimeter. I was bitterly disappointed and furious with God. I was crying and praying, I opened the Bible and read,


Isaiah 49:23b (NIV) Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

I remember being enraged. I called God a liar. I was so mad.
I was disappointed; I felt He had let me down. I remember saying to Him, I did hope in you, this is your Word, and You promise we won’t be disappointed, You let me down!

I was still mad at God when the church service began. I couldn’t even get into the worship; usually the part I love the most. The Pastor started reading the text for the sermon that day, I was surprised because it was the same text I had been reading when I got so mad at God,


Isaiah 49:23b (NIV) Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

I was shocked when, in that church with over five-hundred people listening, the pastor said something along the lines of “somebody sitting here today, read that scripture this last week and was mad at God. It’s not acceptable to talk to God like that, you need to respect Him, but still, He wants you to know He will answer your prayer, not because of your righteousness, but for His Glory, and you will not be disappointed, but He will fulfill the promise in His time. Then he went on with his sermon, it was about trials and the blessings that come from trials.

The pastor related an incident in his life. He said he used to love to look at the fields out his back window. He loved to sit at his kitchen table and watch the wind make the stalks sway, so he was particularly disappointed when a contractor started building a subdivision right behind his house. Where lovely swaying grass once grew, was torn up, the ground full of pockmarks where foundations for new houses were being dug. He tried to give it to God, but the more he thought about it the angrier he got.

He knew it was silly to be so upset about an earthly thing, but he just couldn’t help it. He had enjoyed his view so much. He finally started becoming used to the idea, when his new neighbor moved in; he thought that maybe they could become friends.

Imagine his disappointment when the neighbor started building an ugly, Grey, ten foot, cinder-block wall. He built his wall so tall, my pastor could barley see the roof of this neighbor’s house. The pastor was ashamed to admit it, but he felt bitter against his neighbor every time he looked at the wall.

However, something started to happen over time, little flowers started peeking up over the wall, and then more flowers of different types and colors started to spill over. Slowly but surely the ugly wall became a mass of beautiful flowers. He said the effect was breathtaking and priceless. It was the focal point of his whole yard, and was so much better then the wheat grass that had him so enamored. He felt grateful to his neighbor for this wonderful gift.

He said sometimes God works like that, He may not take the problems away immediately, but like flowers over an ugly wall our problems can bloom and grow and fill us with joy. At the time, even though I knew God was talking to me, that sermon didn’t hit home. I thought Okay now I will be healed of my eating addiction because God spoke directly to me… but no I was still as addicted as ever.

Many years later when God did heal me, I recalled the sermon and gratitude overwhelmed me for the trial of being overweight. The flowers I have enjoyed through the years, searching for an answer to my problem, have filled my life with beauty. I am so grateful that God gave me the gift of being overweight. My weight problem brought me unimaginable joy, it brought me to my knees, It made me seek God, It made me see the beauty is my soul, the eternal part of me. The reason outer beauty is so important to the world is because Satan makes the least of us the most important part.

So here it is, I offer it to you, just as it is, seventh grade grammar problems and all. I would have been too embarrassed a few years ago to present such a deformed offering, but now I know God will use it, because in my weakness He is strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I struggled with my weight for seventeen years, I prayed every single day many times a day that God would help me lose weight. At times, I thought it was a test and in Gods time, He would make me thin, I thought it was God making me overweight. I would try to smile, and say, “I need to be happy with the way God made me.” The whole time feeling miserable, because the last thing I wanted was to be overweight for the rest of my life. This way of thinking also meant there was no hope of me ever being thin.

Almost every diet I tried started by telling me how their diet is different. I would always hope this one was different. I tried almost every diet on the market, praying that God would help me stay on them, and then I would fall short again. After so many failed attempts, I felt God was inaccessible because He wasn’t answering my prayers. I felt hopeless, like such a failure because nothing worked for me. I had a love hate relationship with food and was afraid of it, I would deny myself the foods I loved then “blow it” by binging.

Then at some stage during this confusion and sadness, I started realizing diets don’t work, because they don’t address the real problem they just cover it up. I had to figure out what my problem was. Why did I run to the refrigerator whenever I was bored, sad, tired, or when any other unpleasant emotion struck me?

I found that when I overate I was trying to dull pain. Food gave me temporary satisfaction. As I was swallowing massive amounts of food, I could zone out. I ran to food trying to fill a need, I found it didn’t work. The more I ate the hungrier I was. I found that running to anything other than God for fulfillment is spiritual Idolatry.

God created us with a need for a relationship with Him. We try to fill the God sized desire with food and it won’t satisfy our need, no matter how much we eat. Let me say that again, food will never satisfy that longing need, you can eat, and eat, and eat, and you can get fatter, and fatter, and fatter.

God created foods that taste good for our pleasure. However, He never intended for us to over indulge, lust, bow down, think about, and be greedy for food. Overeating will never satisfy and will lead to discontentment and hurt. That’s not God’s will for you.

The desire to be thin is not vanity. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit your good stewardship of it is as important as anything God has given you. God says in the Bible, gluttony is a sin. However, dieting only exacerbates the problem. Diets only work on changing what foods you eat. We have to change the content of our hearts. We need to find the reason we are overeating. God’s made our bodies with a perfect system for regulating how much we should eat and when we over do it, our stomachs become numb to being full and our hearts become hard and insensitive.

READ: Hebrews 3:12-15 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
It is hard to think you are sinning when you are so sad. You already feel condemned and I understand how bad you want to stop and so does God. You have had these habits for so long, they are so ingrained in your mind that you think it is something happening to you. How can it be a sin if you are a victim? Remember the definition of sin is an action that hurts you. We will use the Bible to understand and fix your compulsion to overeat.

This study will examine the Bible to find the answers to our dieting dilemma. The Study is designed to do five days a week, for about Thirty minutes a day. Don’t try to breeze through it quickly, it’s meant for study and contemplation.

Some of the points used in this study may seem redundant. I have found it easier to understand a concept if I hear it more than once.

At the end of each day’s lesson, there are three activities. I have a scripture passage that relates to the study. You should use your Bible and study it.

Then I’ll ask you to memorize one scripture a week. This is a very important step in your recovery because the Bible is the weapon you use to fight Satan and is the only thing that can break the bonds Satan has you tied with.

I have a difficult time memorizing anything so every day I’ll take out words. Try to fill in the blanks without looking at the scripture. I have found this is useful for me. If you are one of those blessed individuals who find it easy to memorize then use your own method, whatever is easier for you, do.

The next activity is to review the lesson pray, and ask God to show you one or more statements or Scriptures from the study He wants you to understand, learn, or practice. This is a personal question and applies only to you it has no right or wrong answer.

The last question is asks what steps of faith God wants you to take toward him today. Spend a little time praying; ask God how He may want you to respond to this question. Then I’ll also ask you to reword that statement or Scripture into an expression of faith. That simply means you affirm your belief that God will give you the strength and faith to take those steps. This should become a time of prayer and meditation each day as you ask God what He wants you to do in response to each days study. The following is an example of the way I might have responded to today’s study.

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart?God created food to taste good for our pleasure. However, God never intended for us to over indulge, lust, bow down, think about, and be greedy for food.

What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? He wants me stop thinking about, worshiping, and being greedy for food.

Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith: God thank you, for creating delicious food for me to enjoy. I believe you have given me self-control so I will not bow down and worship what you have created for my pleasure. I’ll only worship you.

God is brilliant, and His Bible is our Manual, by following God’s Holy Book, we find the answers for life’s problems.

We have to surrender our weight problem to God. When you stop running to the refrigerator for physical pleasure and comfort, you will start eating normal foods God created for you to enjoy. You will be eating only when you are actually hungry, you’ll be eating about half, or even less of what you have been, and you will lose weight.

Read Matthew: 6:31-34

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Memory Verse: Isaiah 55:9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Start now:
Romans 7:4-25 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Eat what you want:
The previous scriptures talk about how we are weak in our flesh, and how we try to make rules and follow them. We have diet and health rules, which seem to change daily. With this diet there are no rules, you can eat anything you want, if you want a candy bar for breakfast eat it! If you want another for lunch go ahead, if one for dinner, yes, go for it! I guarantee you won’t want another one for your next meal. This diet takes the attention off the food and places it on God. The more you focus on food the more you want it and it becomes an obsession.

God formed our bodies to know what they need. Because God created our taste buds, He knows our likes and dislikes, so don’t be afraid to have your favorites. Let the system God made for you take over. When I first started this program, I went crazy and had many small bites of everything I had denied myself for so long because I was so excited about my newfound freedom. You can eat anything you want! Jesus declared all foods clean!

READ: Mark 7: 18 –23 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” 20And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

See, Jesus said in the above scripture, don’t focus on the food, focus on your spiritual health.

Slow down:
It takes approximately twenty minutes for your brain to sense you are satisfied and your blood sugars are replenished. If you eat slower, you will be able to recognize Gods built it cues. The cues are easy to recognize if you are paying attention and know what to look for. You start to notice the food doesn’t tastes as good, and you are feeling satisfied, when you say to yourself, "I think I'm getting satisfied", STOP EATING! That is God’s prompting, it’s at this time you have satisfied your body’s need for fuel and it’s time to stop eating, now! Don’t worry; you’ll be hungry again in three to four hours. It used to be when I would begin to feel this way, I’d start eating faster so I could be sure to get it all stuffed in before I got too full, that habit was a huge factor in maintaining my plump figure.

Don’t worry if you accidentally eat more than you need, God knows your heart. He understands your weakness and loves you. When I would catch my toddlers misbehaving, I would give them to the count of three to stop. I would start counting “one” and usually they would begin to pull away from the misdeed and turn towards me. I would never have punished my child if they had already turned and started towards me accidentally fell and couldn’t make it by the count of three. God is so much more merciful than we are. He knows when we are trying to be obedient.

Only Eat What You REALLY Like: Don’t eat anything you don’t like, and make sure you eat what you like the most, first. You are probably doing just the opposite and saving the best for last! Think about it, that’s setting you up to fail. You will need to retrain yourself to do the exact opposite. You will eat the juicy, sweet, most yummy items first and save the dry things, you don’t like as much for last.

I even eat my dessert right along with my meal. That way I don’t have to worry about saving room for it. You can’t tell when you’re going to get full and it won’t be as hard to stop if the food left on your plate is your least favorite.

Have you ever tried to eat a donut without the frosting? It tastes like bad white bread. It’s no big deal to let that part go. You should even eat your favorite parts of food within the food. I like to eat the crunchy salty crust off a fat French-fry first, and leave the soft mushy grainy stuff on my plate! I know this sounds extreme, but the point is, you should only eat what you really like. Don’t worry so much about wasting food. Have you ever watched a toddler eat? They haven’t learned the clean plate rule yet. They pick the food to pieces, eating only what they like. Don’t ever teach your kids “the clean plate” rule or your setting them up for a lifetime of weight issues.

The Bible says in Romans 14:20a Don’t destroy the work of God for the sake of food.

Read what God told an Old Testament king when he was worried about wasting money.

II Chronicles 25:5-9 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8 But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.”
9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”

The food isn’t more valuable than your body. Look at what happed to the Israelites when they tried to save extra manna the manna turned to maggots!

Exodus 16:17-21 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. 19And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning.” 20Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

If you want to eat desert first, go ahead! I usually eat my desert with my meal, that way I know I can be sure I won’t be too full by the time I get to it. It’s ok to be excited about this newfound freedom. God designed your body to crave what it needs, that’s why you don’t like to eat leftovers three days in a row.

Trust God and soon you will learn how much food you should take, so you won’t waste as much. Don’t worry God doesn’t mind if you waste a little until you learn how much it takes to satisfy you. I know this because there are many instances in the Bible where God tells His children to destroy all the booty left after a battle. I am sure it seemed wasteful to them but was necessary to preserve the purity of Gods children, it’s the same with us. It’s more important we keep ourselves from the destruction of our bodies.

Beverages:
The only thing I would caution you on is sugary drinks. You should be careful about drinking them between meals, because they don’t really satisfy your hunger, yet are so high in calories. Between meals, you can drink diet soda, black coffee, tea, and if you like your tea and coffee sweetened, you can use one of the artificial sweeteners on the market, or you can drink a nice cold glass of ice water. Feel free to have sugar in your coffee with breakfast just don’t drink it all day. You should always consider sugary drinks part of the meal.

It’s hard to remember to drink at eight glasses of water a day, but it’s good for you. I have worked at Boy Scout camp for a number of summers, and you must stay hydrated. It is the difference between feeling lousy or feeling energized and good. I tend to mistake being thirsty or tired for being hungry. However don’t overdo it; drinking too much water can be bad for you as well, do all things in moderation.

Just a little practical advice, when I first started eating less food, I felt hungry all the time. Kind of a burning in my Stomach and sometimes I got a headaches. I figured out the stomach problems were excess acid. My stomach was used to more food, so it produced more acid and made me feel hungry all the time. My body took about two weeks to regulate the acid and I don't have that problem anymore. I figured out the reason I was getting headaches was because I wasn't drinking enough water. We get a fair portion of the water our bodies need from the food we eat so when you are eating half or a forth of what you were used to, you need to drink more water.

Trust God, The Bible lets us know, our bodies “are fearfully and wonderfully made,” don’t make it too hard. There are no set rules, you are an individual and God will have a separate plan for each of us. Remember you are learning and God knows your heart.

Read Isaiah 55

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Scripture to memorize this week

Isaiah 55:9 For as the _________ are higher than the ______, so are My _____ higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We have a tendency to rely on the so-called dieting experts, and God is the last place we go for diet advice. We pray and ask God for help in following the diet of the week, but why? If you think about it, God is the one who formed our bodies, and spoke the world into existence. Don’t you think it’s time we discover what the only true authority has to say about it?

Read Hebrews 13:8-9 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.
Answer the following questions:

• Who is the same yesterday, today, and always? __________

• What do you think established by grace means? ______________________________

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The dictionary defines establish as 1: to institute permanently, 2: to put upon a firm basis.
Grace is defined as 1: unmerited help given to people by God (as in overcoming temptation) 2: freedom from sin by divine Grace.

Remember in the last study we read, Mark 7: 18 –23 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” 20And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

• Do you think if God was going to change the food and make certain foods like fat, sugar, and breads unclean for the modern world, He would have left it out of the Bible? _________

Remember God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.



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Do you remember each of these diets and their premise? Was it a counting calories, food exchanges, eating more fat, eating less fat, eating more carbohydrates or eating less? Was it eating a little or eating a lot? Was it eating only certain foods at certain times of the day? Drinking a lot of water with your food, or don’t drink water with your food, eat all protein. No! That will make you sick and you could die, but he was a doctor!?

It’s exhausting, each of these experts claimed to have the truth and the only truth. Most of them claiming the reason all the others had failed was because you were not counting calories or you needed food exchanges or you needed to eat more carbohydrates, or you’re eating too many carbohydrates and not enough fat, and so on and so on…

Read the previous scripture again: Hebrews 13:8-9 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

Doctrine simply means "Something that is taught". When you think about your dieting history, does it seem as if you were being carried away by strange doctrines? _____________

Most diets focus on food; this creates a strong love and desire for it because it’s the focal point. The Bible says, “We do not profit by being occupied with foods, but it’s good for the heart to be established by grace.” By focusing on God and His love, we are established by grace, not what we can or cannot eat.

We have been working on the wrong problem when we diet, because we are trying to change the food we normally eat. We go to a whole lot of trouble, making ourselves different meals than our families, weighing it and counting the calories, etc. The whole time we are focusing on the food. We need to recognize the real problem. The food can’t be responsible for your weight. We don’t need to change the food we need change our hearts, our attitude.

Let’s say you do lose weight on one of these methods, you will still have the anxiety you have always had about your weight, but instead of worrying about being overweight, you will be anxious about gaining it back. Your thoughts will still be obsessed with food, fat, calories, etc. Being thin will not make you happy, you will still yearn for and desire food.

Start concentrating on your relationship with God and not the substance of the food. Pray and ask God to help you become established by grace, and to help you to focus on Him, by the truth of His word.

God will deliver you from the bondage of food, it’s up to you how long it takes, it can take four months, or forty years. You can wander in the desert with half a commitment or you choose today to go straight to the Promised Land, by faith.

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Do you think God is able to help you lose weight? _________________________________
Why do you feel that way? ____________________________________________________
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READ: Matthew. 7:7-12

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Isaiah 55:9 Isaiah 55:9 For as the _________ are [wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth]_______ than the ______, so are My _____ higher than _______ ways, And My ________ than your thoughts.

Do you want to be healed? It’s a simple question, and the one Jesus asked of almost every person He healed. So I am asking you to carefully consider this question, DO— YOU—WANT—TO—BE—HEALED? Yes or No

If your answer is no, read through this day then I’ll ask again. If your answer is yes, you need to make the commitment right now, not the commitment to go on another diet, but to change the way you have been thinking for years.

I want to tell you a story that may help you understand why you need to make this commitment. It is a true story about a dear friend of mine. I love my friend but at a young age, she started an unhealthy relationship with an abuser. This abuser was a bully and had no mercy; she would put her down at every turn. The bully would say, “You are stupid you only have a seventh grade education, you’re a loser, you will never lose weight, and you have tried dieting so many times and have never been successful. Your fine for two or three weeks, then you run out of gas, what makes you think this time is different”?

She would make rude comments on the way my friend looked. She would say, “You have huge pores in your nose and a big white, blubbery, pasty, stomach.” She would constantly tell her she was ugly, every single time she caught sight of her she would tell her she was repulsive. It was brutal, and constant, every time my friend had a success the bully would knock her down. Every time my friend was in a social situation, the bully would point out all her faults. She would tell the other people at the party that my friend was fat.

I think the bully in her own sick way was trying to protect my friend, because she would tell my friend “they won’t accept you if you don’t show them you know your not as good as they are, If I build them up by putting you down they might like you.” Then when my friend and the bully were alone, she would berate her for all the stupid things she said at the party.

People who were close to my friend would try to tell her the bully was wrong, but my friend didn’t believe anything good about herself. She had listened to the bully too long. The bully drove her to the brink of suicide. She tried to kill herself three times but thank God, she wasn’t successful.

Do you think my friend could ever be successful as long as she continued the relationship with the bully? ________Why or why not ______________________________
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No matter how much self-esteem you have if you are constantly told you are bad, you start to believe it. What do you think happened to my friend in the end? ______________________
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If you haven’t already guessed, I am my friend and I was alsothe bully. The way I used to talk to myself was horrifying. You cannot succeed; let me say that again YOU ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT SUCCEED UNTIL YOU GET OUT OF THE HABIT OF VERBAL SELF ABUSE. You may as well quit now if you can’t make the commitment to break this habit. Would you talk to your child the way you talk to yourself? It’s time to stop this destructive habit. I can’t stress how important it is for you to end this.

You’re probably thinking, “I can’t stop, I have been doing it too long.” If you try, God will bless it I promise. This is how you do it, you look at yourself in the mirror and if your alone say it out loud, if not, in your mind, “God made me beautiful, I am beautifully and wonderfully made, I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, my steps are ordered by God. God only sees the good in me. I am well able to fulfill the destiny God has planned for my life, look at how good I look, the best is yet to come, look at me, you good looking thing you. God is pleased with me. I am a good friend; I am a wonderful Christian because if not, God would not have chosen me. I try my hardest all the time. God is perfecting me every day. He is well able to give me all I can ask or imagine because He loves me. Everything that God allows in my life is good”… I mean you need to go on and on.

Everyone has a conversation going on in his or her heads at all times (your internal dialog). Your subconscious mind records everything people say to you and what you say to yourself, literally, and records it for later use. If you don't get anything else from this study, take this truth. It is so important.

What are some of the things you say to yourself that are not productive? ________________
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Okay, I hope you got that out of your system, because that is the last time you will ever, ever, ever, say those things to yourself.

It’s dark and sad and no place for a Christian, It’s not arrogant to talk to you in a nice way. Is it a sin to abuse your child verbally? ___________________ is it a sin to verbally abuse your spouse? ____________ You know it’s a sin and a crime to abuse another person verbally. What makes you think God says it’s OK to abuse yourself? You listen to your internal dialog more than you listen to anybody else. You take yourself everywhere you go. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I’m not talking about being egotistical, I’m not talking to the person who thinks they are better than others are, that is a whole other issue, and I am not telling you, you are better than others I am telling you, you are just as wonderful, special and blessed as anyone.
Read I Corinthians 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Some of the definitions of Defile are: To profane or sully, to demean the pureness or excellence.

What are you doing to the temple God gave you when you abuse yourself? ______________
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I was demeaning the beautiful gift God made for me with His own hands. I was so ungrateful. Finish the blanks from the scripture above

I Corinthians 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, _____________________________
For the temple of God is holy, which temple ____________________.

We are not immune to Gods discipline, no wonder my body was falling apart, I was treating it with such distain. Look through all the red text in your New Testament; did Jesus ever, ever put Himself down?

You need to be a caregiver to yourself, not a bully. You need to make the commitment to changing the way you talk to yourself, and how you treat yourself. Nurture yourself; look at yourself the way God looks at you. Nurture yourself with Gods words of love to you.

Read Song of Solomon 2:8-14The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, Gazing through the lattice. 10 My beloved spoke, and said to me:

“ Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away. 11 For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!
14 “ O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.”

When you get a chance, read the Song of Solomon, It's a beautiful love song to us from God. It illustrates how God sees us, and how much He loves us, His bride. I was saved for thirty years before I could read this book, because I just couldn’t see myself the way God sees me.
Now I am going to ask you again, the question I asked before…

If your answer is no, don’t give up, please… just try telling yourself your wonderful. You may feel like you’re lying to yourself, but you’re not, you’re telling yourself the truth. Pray that God will show you the truth. I admit it was hard to look at myself in the mirror at first. It was even hard look at myself in the eyes, I felt humiliated and weird. For so long I believed I was inferior, it was the place I fit into the world, and it was my identity. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was how I manipulated people into liking me. It was a very unhappy place to be.

Just try it! You will be so surprised at how fast this habit goes away. At first, it is uncomfortable, but after you are finished encouraging yourself in the mirror you feel wonderful, happy, and light, you will be amazed. It only took two or three days for me to stop putting myself down. I had always known it was bad to put myself down, I was always going to stop the self-abuse, but I didn’t know how to do it. I always failed because I didn’t realize how destructive it was, but now I understand, you cannot succeed if you don’t stop self-abusing and start encouraging.

If your answer is yes! Hallelujah! Praise God lets go… Don’t be resistant to the mirror exercise and commit yourself to the healing.

Read Psalm 8
In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Isaiah 55:9 For as the _________ are [wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth]_______ than the ______, so are My _____ _______ than _______ ways, _____ My ________ than your __________.

On day two, we learned it does not profit us to be occupied by food. The reason we are overweight is that we have become too focused on the food and berating yourself when you can’t control how much you eat. Dieting has not made us less focused but more. We are infatuated with the latest diet fad, and this takes our focus off God the one who truly deserves our devotion.

Read I Timothy 4:1-8 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

According to the passage, should we abstain from certain foods such as carbohydrates, meat, and fat? __________________________

God created all foods and we can eat with thanksgiving. God is the same yesterday today and always. I have heard Christians say you should be a vegetarian, because Daniel abstained from the Kings food and only ate grains and veggies. He did that because of Jewish laws, but we are under the new covenant and this passage proves it. The Bible says ALL creatures, which means ALL creatures!

According to I Timothy 4:3 above, how are we to receive the gift of food God has provided? ___________________________________________________________________________

When you run to the food for comfort and you’re not hungry, you gain weight. What kind of spirits does the Bible say you are listening to when you abstain from certain foods God gave you to enjoy? (Verse 1) _______________________________________________________

Look at the line that says nourished in the words of faith. The word nourished is defined as; to promote the growth and development of... Has the circumstance of your being overweight made you feel nourished?

List some of the reasons you turn to food when you’re not hungry.


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We run to food because it gives us a feeling of being nurtured and nourished. We think it gives us comfort and love. How do you feel after going on an eating binge? _______
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Does it feel you have promoted the growth and development of your life in any way? _______ It depresses you and makes you feel ashamed, heartbroken and tired all the time. It makes you down on yourself and gives you a reason for self-abuse. You are going to learn, you’re not a slave to your sin. You have been listening to the greatest liar ever. Satan is the father of all lies.

Once your body stops growing its surprising how little food we need to sustain us. You’ve probably been eating at least twice as much as you need, maybe more.

As mentioned earlier, the dictionary defines nourished as; to promote the growth and development of... the dictionary leaves it blank, so you can fill it in. I always thought nourished had something to do with food. I associated food with comfort. I think we all do.

Review, I Timothy 4:1-8, the Bible says to promote and develop the growth of the spirit by the words of faith. Think about the previous diets you’ve been on; was the focal point what you look like? We have been trying to fix the wrong problem, being preoccupied with how we look. We’ve put the solution to our weight problem on the back burner. The answer is to develop our spirit before anything else, then all else will right itself. Luke 11:9-13 says, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

Every time Jesus healed someone, He was always more concerned about their spiritual condition. Read the following passage.

Mark 2:1-12 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk'? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic, 11 "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus took care of the paralyzed man’s spiritual need before healing the physical by saying “your sins are forgiven.” Physical healing is important to Jesus but it was secondary to spiritual healing.

Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

When we think of the word peace, we think of peace of mind. The word Shalom, is the Hebrew word for Peace, but it means much more. It means completeness, it means salvation. It means a restored relationship.

Remember we can only nourish our spirit by things of the Spirit. Nourishing our spirit is critical. When our spirit is well nourished, we won’t need to try to fill it with food that doesn’t satisfy.

I Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things.

The Dictionary defines godliness as being devoted to God. God will be taking the pounds off while the spirit’s being filled. The weight will naturally decrease.

If you don’t exercise you will still lose weight, although you may come to a point where you want to, because it will make you feel better but remember it only profits a little so don’t put exercise over your daily devotion.

According to the Word of God what is more profitable physical exercise or spiritual exercise? __________________________________________________________________

Write I Timothy 4:8 ___________________________________________________
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The first day of this diet, we're reminded Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. In the same scripture it says do not be occupied with foods. Today we found spiritual well-being is more important than our physical well-being. Do you think you have the confidence in God, the creator and ruler of the universe to know what our bodies need? If you believe, you need to stop doing weird diets, which make you count calories, or have only certain foods in certain combinations at certain times of the day. Trust Jesus He declared all foods clean.

Read the following scriptures, use your own Bible to fill in the blanks.
Mark 7: 14-20 when He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a manfrom outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 “Are you thus without understanding also? 19&20 ______________________________________________________
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_______________ 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts. Adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
The need or desire is not generated from the food. We don’t need to overeat; it’s the desire from within. The problem with being so preoccupied with how we look, and being obsessed with the physical is, it creates the obsession for dieting and food.

READ: Psalm 1 and 118:8-9

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Isaiah 55:9 _________________________________________________________________
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Even though I had been a Christian a long time, and reading my Bible almost everyday. I never thought to go to the Bible to resolve my weight problem. I didn’t consider it a diet guide. I would pray, asking God to help me with a particular diet, but I never thought of the Bible as the starting place. However, the more I read the Bible the more I realized it is a rich source of knowledge and insight for every known problem. The word is our guide for living every aspect or our life. This ancient document is just as practical today as it was six thousand years ago, Solomon wrote:

Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us.

Read Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man, 9It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.

Who should you put your confidence about losing weight in? ______ Read Colossians 2: 20-23 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

This scripture nails it; it’s exactly what we have been doing with our frantic dieting. Why are we living as if we don’t have all this knowledge and wisdom at our fingertips?

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Tayler/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.gif[/IMG] It’s not a food issue; it’s a head and heart problem. If there weren’t a consequence for overeating, we wouldn’t have difficulty in resisting it, because it wouldn’t be forbidden. An addict is someone who can’t get enough; they want more, and more. How many people do you know who are addicted to water? We are rebellious. I don’t have a problem with praying to God for help finding my keys, yet somehow I always conveniently forget to pray for help in resisting the temptation to eat the last of my Mucho Grande Over Stuffed Big Fat Burrito.

In a recent study done in Switzerland. The participants were blindfolded while eating. They ate less and felt just as full. It was determined; when they couldn’t see what they were eating, they paid more attention to their inner cues.

The desire for forbidden fruit is our real problem. I read a story in my little daily devotional, “Our Daily Bread.” The title was forbidden fruit. It was about a resort hotel in Texas, they had a sign in each room saying “No fishing off the balcony.” Yet every day the hotel guests would throw their line into the water. When the management decided to just give up and remove the signs, the fishing stopped. We are a defiant people and need to have a heart transformation, if we are ever going to be successful at losing weight and the only way to have a heart or thought transformation is through the power of the most High God.
Let me ask you a question. Have you felt any of the diets you’ve tried before with all their rules and regulation worked on changing your heart?

Do you think your problem could be you have been trying to change the food and not your mind/heart? _________________

In other words none of these diets did anything to help you battle against the indulgences of the flesh.

The way to change your mind is easy. You are in the habit of thinking negatively and you need to break that habit. You have to get up every morning and say I am a beautiful creation of the almighty God. Look at yourself in the mirror and say I'm beautiful, thank you God for giving me such a fine-looking body. Every part of my body works so well.

If you are going to be successful with this or any other part of your life, you have to be nice to yourself. Even if you don’t feel like you are beautiful, DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO THINK THAT! You must, must get rid of all negative thoughts, start getting in the habit of complimenting yourself. You take yourself everywhere you go; you might as well enjoy it. Read Philemon 1:6 That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Rewrite the previous scripture in your own words. _________________________________
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The verse says, "Every good thing in you is in Christ.” God does not want you walking around thinking negatively about yourself. You can’t share your faith effectively, unless you acknowledge God has created you for good things, that you are good in Christ. You can’t be effective in sharing your faith if you have not acknowledged how wonderful God has made you!

Read, II Corinthians: 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

When you turned your heart over to Jesus and gave him lordship of your heart, you died to your will and the world’s rules and became a new creation in Christ.

Read Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

I used to read this scripture and think, I have joy, peace, longsuffering… but when I came to the self-control fruit, I would think, Someday God would give me that gift. I believed a deception, and one day it dawned on me. I already have all the fruits of the Spirit. I received them when I asked God into my heart. We automatically get the fruits when we are saved, its part of the package. I realized I had been listening to that bully Satan. You have to understand that Satan is a liar. He is the accuser of the brethren

Read Revelation 12:10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Read about what Jesus said about Satan when the Pharisees were trying to trip Him up with lies. John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Satan lies to you and tries to make you feel condemned, don’t receive the accusations. Say, a scripture like “I am the righteousness of God” You will make mistakes, allow yourself that.

Read Romans 7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

God opened my eyes to this passage one day, I had read it many times in the past and even heard it used in sermons, and they were all about condemning the sinful divorcé, but that is not what this scripture is telling us. It is using the adulteress and widow as an illustration of our death to the law. The Law no longer binds us; in fact, the law is what creates the desire to sin.

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