It’s right after the Thanksgiving glut, and many people are contemplating making yet another resolution to lose weight. Usually, folks will start a new diet program at the beginning of the year but unfortunately they will fail by March if not sooner.
I don’t think it has anything to do with lack of motivation, budget concerns, or time constraints.
I believe the reason folks fail is because they fail to clean up their minds and spirits first.
Many times, the only reason a person will eat in excess is because they are trying to fill up an emptiness of some sort. There are certainly foods that are addictive, but even those foods are easier to resist if a person is satisfied in the other areas in their life that matter.
Negative spiritual weight occurs when a persistent sin (stronghold) has a person bound up in a bad habit, an inappropriate behavior, or a desire to associate with people, places, or things that encourage the bad behaviors. It is also the spiritual state of unforgiveness, anger, fear, or distrust.
At first, these seem more of an emotional disconnect than a spiritual one. But a person’s emotional state is profoundly influenced by the spiritual.
There is a way to begin to let go of negative spiritual weight so that you can begin to become more physically healthy.
Trust.
Not trust in man, but trust in God. This is not to be simplistic. And it is not meant to condescend. I am completely aware of deep emotional issues that stem from abuse and tragedy. I have experienced deep emotional trauma in my life, and these traumas are hard to overcome.
The start of my healing came from learning that I cannot control what happens to me, but I can control how I respond to it.
I can trust that when no one else has my back, the Heavenly Father does. I can let go of having to depend on others for my happiness, or covet someone else’s success. I don’t have to hate or fear someone who is different from me if I understand that as a believer, I am profoundly different than anyone else, but even so I am accepted just as I am.
You don’t have to look at yourself as “less than” but “greater than” because greater is He who is in you, then he who is in the world.
You don’t have to see yourself as weak because you can do all things through Him who strengthens you.
You don’t have to feel rejected because God so loved the world (and that includes you) that He gave His only Son.
You don’t need to feel lonely because He will never leave you nor forsake you.
But there is an element that many people sometimes forget.
People.
One of the reasons that people fail in their weight loss effort is that they shut themselves off from other people. They want to keep the journey to themselves. However, many times, the way God shows Himself to us is through other people.
If you want to lose negative spiritual weight, you need to find an accountability partner. You may not know anyone right now, but someone will come into your mind if you ask God to reveal them to you. It may be someone unexpected. That’s how He works sometimes. Seek to find someone to discuss those areas in your life that are keeping you from finding yourself. It can be a trusted friend, a clergy member, or a counselor.
You may need to make your primary goal to clean up your spirit in the coming year. The physical weight will be much easier to lose, once the spirit and the mind are clean.
Faithfully Fit 