I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction

“healthy eating go-to scripts God has given me power over my food choices. I’m supposed to consume food. Food isn’t supposed to consume me. He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10) I was made for more than to be stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat. You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north. (Deuteronomy 2:3 NASB) When I’m considering a compromise, I will think past this moment and ask myself, How will I feel about this choice tomorrow morning? Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20) When tempted, I either remove the temptation or remove myself from the situation. If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee. (1 Corinthians 10:12–14) When there’s a special event, I can find other ways to celebrate rather than blowing my healthy eating plan. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. (Revelation 3:8) Struggling with my weight isn’t God’s mean curse on me, but an outside indication that internal changes are needed for me to function and feel well. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! . . . I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18–19) I have these boundaries in place not for restriction but to define the parameters of my freedom. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. (Romans 6:19)”

“away from things that aren’t beneficial for me.”

“God, I recognize I am made for more than the vicious cycle of being ruled by food. I need to eat to live, not live to eat. So, I keep asking for Your wisdom to know what to eat and Your indwelling power to walk”

“Everything is permissible’—but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 10:23).”

“Define your week by obedience, not by a number on the scale. . . .”

“pray this prayer: “I need wisdom to make wise choices. I need insight to remember the words I’ve read in Scripture. I need power beyond what I can find on my own.”

“Dare to set your toes firmly on the pathway of victory you are meant to be on. Whether we're on the path toward victory or defeat is determined by the very next choice we make. Not the choices from yesterday. Not the choices made five minutes ago. The next choice. Our very next choice. May it be that of an overcomer. An overcomer made to crave God alone.”

“Yes, I've lost pounds and inches. But not being weighted down mentally and spiritually by the constant feeling of defeat is the real victory.”

“Dear Jesus, I have finally found the courage to admit I've craved food more than You. I have wept over giving up food while hardly giving a thought to You giving Your life for my freedom. I've been bound up by feelings of helplessness. I've been angry that I have to deal with this weight issue and have been mad at You for allowing this to be on of my lots in life. I've made excuses. I've pointed fingers. I've relied on food for things it could never give me. I've lied to myself about the realities of why I gain weight. I've settled and excused and justified my issues. I've been enthralled by buttered bread while yawning through Your daily bread. For all that, I am so sorry. These are not just little issues. These for me are suns -- missing the mark of your best for my life. With my whole heart, mind, and soul, I repent. I turn from the dieting mindset I turn from what I must give up and weep no more. I remove my toe keeping open the door to my old habits, my old mindset, my old go--to scripts. I choose freedom. I choose victory. I choose courage. And above all else, I choose You. Amen.”

“Whether we are at the beginning of our journey, in the middle, or in the danger zone of having just reached our weight-loss goals, focusing only on what we're giving up will make us feel constantly deprived. And deprivation leads to desperation, frustration, and failure. Instead, we have to focus on everything we're gaining through this process. And see the gains as more valuable than the losses.”

“Deciding ahead of time what I will and will not eat is a crucial part of this journey.”

“So I'm not on a diet. I'm on a journey with Jesus to learn the fine art of self-discipline for the purpose of holiness. And today I'd decided ahead of time I would have apple slices for a snack.”

“I have these boundaries in place not for restriction but to define the parameters of my freedom. My brokenness can't handle more freedom than this right now. And I'm good with that.”

“Struggling with my weight isn't God's mean curse on me. Being overweight is an outside indication that internal changes are needed for my body to function properly and for me to feel well.”

“When a special occasion rolls around, I can find ways to celebrate that don't involve blowing my healthy eating plan.”

“If I'm in a situation where the temptation is overwhelming, I will have to choose to either remove the temptation or remove myself from the situation.”

“When I am struggling and considering a compromise, I will force myself to think past this moment and ask myself, How will I feel about this choice tomorrow morning?”

“I was made for more than being stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat. I was not made to be a victim of my poor choices. I was made to be a victorious child of God.”

“God has given me power over my food. I hold the power -- not the food. If I'm not supposed to eat it, I won't put it in my mouth.”

“We must embrace the boundaries of the healthy eating plan we choose. And we must affirm these boundaries as gifts from a God who cares about our health, not restrictive fences meant to keep us from enjoying life. Vulnerable, broken taste buds can't handle certain kinds of freedom. Boundaries keep us safe, not restricted.”

“It's so easy to park our minds in bad spots. But this is where pity parties are held, and we all know pity parties demand an abundance of high calorie delights. Pity parties are also a cruel way to entertain, for they leave behind a deeper emptiness than we started with.”

“Each day God can be the perfect portion of everything we need -- every longing we have, every desperate desire our souls cry out for. God will be our portion.”

“That's how God created us -- with a longing to be filled. It's a longing God instilled to draw us into deep intimacy with Him.”

“On the surface, it appears that all we're talking about is food and the amount we consume. In reality, there is a more serious issue at the root. Overstuffing ourselves with food or drink or getting wrapped up in the affections of an inappropriate relationship are all desperate attempts to silence the cries of a hungry soul.”

“I have to attach my happy to the only eternal stability there is and remain there. Oh, the prayers i have prayed over and over for God to help me, stabilize me, and tie my happiness to Him.”

“As I sat in silence, the spirit interceded with perfect prayers on my behalf”

“He knew even before I was born that i could easily allow food to be an idol in my life, that I would go to food, instead of to Him, to fulfill my needs”

“God, I am at the end of my strength here. The Bible says Your powe ris made perfect in weakness. This woudl be a really good time for that truth to be my reality. Help me see something else besides this temptation looming so large in front of me”

“When it comes to my body, I can 't live with divided loyalties. I can either be loyal to honoring the Lord or loyal to my cravings, desires, and many excuses for not exercising”

“Run until you can't take another step. Do it not in your strength but in Mine.”