How to Defeat Harmful Habits (Counseling Through the Bible Series) (42 page)

Mandisa
doesn’t
want to become fixated on reaching a certain weight, but she
does
want to run a 10-minute mile.
³⁸

While dropping six dress sizes in nine months, Mandisa learned a lot about the do’s and don’ts of weight loss. In the past she had been on countless diets that helped her lose weight, but she always put the pounds back on again as soon as she stopped dieting. But after Mandisa progressed from dieting to a dramatic lifestyle change, she realized for herself these basic principles: Don’t eat at random. Do measure proper serving sizes. Don’t eat large meals. Do eat six mini-meals (three small meals and three snacks) filled with fiber each day.
³⁹

For anyone willing to incorporate serious exercise into their lifestyle, the general principle is this: Don’t exercise only occasionally. Rather, commit to doing a 30-to 45-minute workout three to five days a week.
⁴⁰

Mandisa is not obsessed with attaining an ideal weight. Rather, she is focusing on being healthy and fit. And she knows who will help her accomplish all the do’s and avoid all the don’ts:

“It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect”

(P
SALM
18:32).

•
Don’t
say, “I am dieting.”

–
Do
say, “I’m eating healthy foods.”

•
Don’t
start a new eating plan during a crisis, illness, holiday, or high-stress situation.

–
Do
consult a doctor before beginning any new eating plan.

•
Don’t
adopt a plan just because it worked for someone else.

–
Do
adopt a personalized plan that will work for your individual lifestyle.

•
Don’t
fail to set goals.

–
Do
set realistic, short-term, incremental goals.

•
Don’t
weigh yourself every day.

–
Do
record your weight once a week.

•
Don’t
keep unhealthy food around you.

–
Do
keep healthy food prepared for snacks.

•
Don’t
shop for groceries on impulse or when you are hungry.

–
Do
shop with a prepared list.

•
Don’t
buy packaged food without reading the labels.

–
Do
notice the first ingredients listed; these make up the highest percentage of what’s in the food.

•
Don’t
eat fast!

–
Do
chew slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register “I’m full.”

•
Don’t
keep your new plan a secret.

–
Do
share your plan with your friends and ask for their support.

•
Don’t
get caught off guard by temptation.

–
Do
have an alternate plan for when temptation comes (call a friend, memorize Scripture, take a walk, enjoy a hobby).

•
Don’t
reward yourself with food.

–
Do
focus on the rewards of self-control and a new, healthy lifestyle.

Remember:

“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge
,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it”

(P
ROVERBS
22:3).

Jesus was preoccupied with food—but not the kind that lines cabinets and fills refrigerators. What consumed Him, what filled and satisfied Him far more than the choicest meats and grains, pertained to matters of the kingdom—namely, pleasing His Father above. “‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’” (John 4:34).

Let’s follow Jesus’ example and focus on pleasing our heavenly Father, rather than our own desire for overeating. Let’s discover God’s will for our lives and carry out the work He has called us to do—
to completion
. When these are operating in sync—pleasing our heavenly Father and carrying out the work we’re called to do—there is no greater satisfaction on earth! Scripture reminds us of our very special calling:

“We are God’s workmanship
,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works
,
which God prepared in advance for us to do”

(E
PHESIANS
2:10).

Think of yourself as the person God created you to be
.

• God has given me a new nature in Jesus Christ.

• God has given me all I need to live a self-controlled life.

• God has given me an escape from ungodly eating desires.

“He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and
escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”

(2 P
ETER
1:4).

Have the correct motive for losing weight
.

• I want to take good care of my physical body, the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

• I want to be free from the bondage of self-indulgence.

• I want to be healthy and live the life God has planned for me.

“We make it our goal to please him, whether we
are at home in the body or away from it”

(2 C
ORINTHIANS
5:9).

Identify the real reasons you overeat
.
⁴¹

• Am I responding to a lack of love because of ________________?

• Am I responding to feelings of insignificance because of _______?

• Am I fearful and insecure because of _______________________?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts”

(P
SALM
139:23).

Make a personal commitment to obey God
.

• Acknowledge your need for change.

• Acknowledge that you are powerless to change.

• Acknowledge God’s power in you to change.

• Acknowledge His constant presence within you.

“Those who obey his commands live in him, and
he in them. And this is how we know that he lives
in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us”

(1 J
OHN
3:24).

Know how to listen to the Lord
.

• Listen to God through His written Word.

• Listen for His leading through the Holy Spirit.

• Learn to identify Satan’s lies.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you”

(P
SALM
32:8).

Develop an exercise plan that will increase your metabolism. Vary the plan
.

• Walk or ride a bicycle for 30-45 minutes a day three to five times a week.

• Do aerobics for 30-45 minutes a day three to five days a week.

• Walk up the stairs instead of using an elevator.

• Make a commitment to join in athletic activities with friends.

“He who ignores discipline despises himself
,
but whoever heeds correction gains understanding”

(P
ROVERBS
15:32).

Eat only when you are hungry, and only foods you should eat
.

• Develop a knowledge of good nutrition.

• Choose to eat healthy foods.

• Don’t give up if you blow it.

“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat
anything that causes someone else to stumble”

(R
OMANS
14:20).

Allow for flexibility and include some pleasure foods in your diet
.

• Recognize the value of variety and of occasionally having a special treat.

• Realize the legitimate God-given enjoyment of tasty foods.

• Resist the urge to binge.

“Delight yourself in the L
ORD
and he will
give you the desires of your heart”

(P
SALM
37:4).

Let the Holy Spirit direct your plans and provide needed self control
.

• Pray throughout the day that your choices will reflect the self-control of Christ.

• Meditate on specific scriptures (especially those about self-control).

• Ask God to remind you of His protection and power over temptation.

“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have said to you”

(J
OHN
14:26).

Focus to the healthy foods you need to eat
.

• Keep a small notebook with you.

• Write down when and what you eat, along with its caloric or fat value.

• Record your thoughts and feelings.

• Choose a scripture to think about and memorize daily or weekly.

“A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an upright man gives thought to his ways”

(P
ROVERBS
21:29).

Have a thankful heart
.

• Thank God for His faithfulness to you.

• Thank God for the unique person you are, including your body shape and size.

•Know that God never gives up on you. If you blow it, start again—God is faithful!

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”

(P
HILIPPIANS
1:6).

It’s been said that nothing quenches the thirst better than a glass of water.

Water is free of calories and additives and has a host of health benefits. It delivers nutrients and oxygen to cells, regulates body temperature, removes toxins from organs, cushions the joints, and maintains moisture in the skin.
⁴²

The cleansing benefits of water are best illustrated in the ceremonial cleansing of the priestly tribe of Levi, when the Lord tells Moses,

“Make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their
whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves”

(N
UMBERS
8:6-7).

•
Drink
water, water, water.

–
Avoid
carbonated beverages that have no nutritional value.

•
Drink
100 percent natural fruit juices.

–
Avoid juices
with added sugar and corn syrup. Many healthy juices are made from grapes, oranges, grapefruit, blueberries, and cranberries.

•
Drink
skim or 1 percent milk.

–
Avoid
whole milk, which is high in fat and is never necessary for adults and teenagers.