You Can Lose Weight and Maintain Weight Loss with God’s Help

Losing Weight, Proper Sleep, Sufficient Amounts of Water,nPraying and Memorizing Scripture are Strategies that Lead to a Healthier Body, Soul & Spirit.nnChapter three of the Gospel of John records the account of Nicodemus and his private meeting with Jesus. Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus addressed Jesus as Rabbi and acknowledged that the signs and miracles that Jesus performed evidenced that God was with Jesus. nnIn reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." nn"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Although Nicodemus was a spiritual leader in Israel, he did not understand God's plan of salvation.nnJesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'nnJesus explained that our physical life is the result of a physical birth. But for a mortal human to be received into heaven, that person must be born again. To have spiritual life we need to be birthed by the Spirit of God. Jesus likened the Holy Spirit to the wind. Since Nicodemus still didn't understand, Jesus went on to explain:nnJust as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.nnThe Israelites rebelled against God during their wilderness wanderings and murmured against his provision of manna. nnNumbers 21:4-9nThey traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.n nThe LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.nnPeople who sin are in rebellion against God. The wages of sin is death. The snakes that bit the Israelites symbolize the sting of death that is inflicted by the great ancient serpent -Satan. But he who knew no sin, Jesus Christ the Righteous, became sin for us and was crucified - which is symbolized by the bronze snake on the pole, so that we may become the righteous of God in Him and receive eternal life. nnFor God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. John 3:17-19nnThere is no middle ground or compromise in obtaining eternal life. No one can serve two masters. You cannot receive eternal life if you desire to remain in the darkness. If you do not recognize that you are a sinner then you will not seek the Savior.n nJohn 3:25-30nAn argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan-the one you testified about-well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."n nTo this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.nnJohn was sent ahead to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John preached a baptism of repentance. John's calling and ministry was to declare to the masses their need to turn from their sins. Those who came under conviction of their sins were baptized in an act of obedience and made a public declaration of their need of a savior by the ritual of immersion. After Jesus was revealed as the Lamb of God, the ministry of Jesus increased while John's ministry decreased. John declared, “He must become greater; I must become less.” Each person who has placed their trust in the finished work of atonement that Jesus accomplished on the cross must die to self so that the work of Jesus can increase in their life. nnAlthough God had sent a redeemer and freed the Hebrew slaves from their cruel bondage in Egypt, many perished in the wilderness from a severe plague and others died from the bites of venomous snakes because they were ruled by their stomachs. God has sent us the Redeemer who was dead and lives forever more to free us from the cruel bondage of sin and from the carnal desires of this world. Yet many blood-bought Christians are prematurely perishing because they are not honoring God by taking proper care of their bodies.nn1 Corinthians 6:19-20nDo you not know that your body is a temple 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 body.nnObesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. One in three Americans is obese. Obesity is also increasing rapidly throughout the world. Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration; it is a dire health dilemma directly harmful to one's health. Obesity also increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including:nn• Insulin Resistance n• Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes n• High blood pressure (hypertension) n• High cholesterol n• Stroke n• Heart attackn• Congestive heart failure n• Cancer n• Gout and gouty arthritis n• Osteoarthritis nnPhilippians 3:18-20nFor, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.nnThe children of light are not to live as the unsaved do. Their destiny is destruction and their god is their stomach. We were purchased by the precious blood of the Lamb of God and we are to honor God with our bodies. That is just what several members of my congregation have purposed to do by participating in a weekly WORD meeting on Thursday evenings.nnThey meet as a group for accountability. They share their lives. They talk about their trials and their successes for that week. The sharing of their strengths and weaknesses, helps direct the group in praying for the individual, but also gives insight in how they may apply different techniques to their own individual situations. Sharing is followed with a dieter's devotional, a review of their progress for the week, some nutritional information and a study on emotional wholeness.nnTheir goal is wholeness, to be their best for the Lord... mind, body and spirit. They work this out by applying the principles the Lord has given them through the acronym: WORD - Winning thru Obedience, Repentance and Deliverance. Their success is directly connected to their obedience to the Lord and his call for excellence in their lives.nnThey use a work sheet and a point system. For those who need to lose weight for a healthier lifestyle, weight loss plays a heavy portion in the point system, 50 points. All other areas account for 10 points apiece, the goal is to get 100 points. Losing weight, getting enough sleep, drinking sufficient amounts of water, being faithful to pray for the group and memorizing and applying Scripture verses all are strategies that lead to a healthier body, soul and spirit.