As I looked out over the landscape of my life, I saw that I was falling to the enemy in two main areas:
I was turning to food and overeating when I got discouraged and needed comfort, when I wanted some excitement or a thrill, or when weighed down by guilt and condemnation.
I was not exercising as I should.
It was as if I had no power over these temptations. I repeatedly gave in to these same temptations and then lived in shame for long periods afterward. Do you identify with this?
Question 4. Please consider your own life and sin struggles. Where have you been falling? Why have you been turning to food? Please be as specific as possible in your answer:
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As I sought the Lord for freedom from overeating, He led me to Romans 8, telling me to put to death the misdeeds of my body, especially concerning using food for comfort, a thrill, and to deal with guilt and condemnation. I had to fight it to the death. Victory doesn’t happen by accident but by planning and careful and prayerful execution of the plan God gives.
Here is the overall battle plan the Lord gave me initially:
I searched the Bible for every place the word “comfort” appears and determined to read these passages when feeling dejected and in need of comfort. I spent hours praying these verses back to God, asking Him to comfort my heart, instead of turning to food for comfort.
When I felt “bored,” I would do some form of exercise to increase my heart rate because God designed my body to work.
I became determined to take every condemning thought to the cross, and see how Jesus was condemned in my place. It took practice but has yielded the best results of any part of the plan God gave me. I show you specifically and exactly how to do this in the remainder of this course.
I got an audio Bible and began “binging” on God’s Word, listening to it for hours on end, rejoicing to hear God’s still small voice in His Word.
The above was the “overall plan," the big picture.
Next, God has taught me to seek Him daily for a plan for eating and exercising. Usually, I do this prayerful meditation the night before, asking God to show me a plan that will fit with my schedule for the next day. This has now become part of my daily routine, seeking the Lord for a specific plan daily, how I might eat and exercise to His glory.
In tomorrow's lesson, I will encourage you to state your own plan for that specific day, so you might be seeking the Lord now for tomorrow's plan.
I use the plan God gives me to go to war: “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). I was now beginning to practice, walking by the Spirit. Your plan may look different than mine, and it will look different every day, but that’s good, as you have to have a plan that God gives you for defeating the flesh.
The above was just a start, but it was a good start. There was no compromise, my gluttony had to die, and I believed that God had given me a plan, personal to me, that would lead to victory at the cross! “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
The cross puts the world to death with all its allurements, and it puts us to death to those things that used to entice us. The cross is a double death, which is actually a double victory for us who believe.
Friend, this is just a start today. There is much more that needs to be addressed and discussed, but it’s a start.
Right now, I want to leave space for you to consult the Lord about killing your lusts. I hope you can see how different this is from listening to the world telling you what to eat or not eat or following somebody else’s plan and rules. You need your own, and you need to seek God to give you a plan. If He works in your heart and gives you a battle strategy specific to your situation, He will also enable you to follow it. “...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
In developing your plan to win, consider the areas you’ve been falling to as listed in your answer to question 4, and pray and ask God how to put to death those areas. Wait on the Lord to answer you, as He will give you very clear plans and ways for you to overcome these things through dying to them and living in a new way. These plans need to be both specific and sustainable. Then, when ready, please answer the following question:
Question 5. What is your overall battle plan to crucify your own lusts and to overcome your flesh in the area of food and exercise? Be specific; it’s life or death!
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There are two practical suggestions I have for you in developing your plan:
First, incorporate some form of extended fasting such as 16/8 or another time frame that fits your daily schedule, or waiting to eat until you have received hunger pangs. Our digestive systems need rest, and during the rest, all kinds of good things happen, such as the cleansing of our cells and the burning of excess fat. Please consult your doctor before fasting for any length of time to ensure that it is safe for you, and examine our Weight Loss Resource Page for more information. Second, I would encourage you to put away your scale. You will undoubtedly agree with how elated we feel when we weigh and discover we've lost a pound or two, and how discouraged and defeated we feel when we see we haven't lost weight or find we've gained weight. We do not need these extra emotional highs and lows. You can lose all the weight you need to by seeking the Lord for a plan and adjusting it as He leads you. We are told to "fix your eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 12:2). Fix our eyes on Jesus, not the scale.
What you are doing in this exercise, of seeking the Lord for a personalized plan, is putting off your former way of eating, being made new in your mind, and putting on the new way of eating and exercising. This method is stated in Ephesians 4:22-24:
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).
The plan you wrote out above may evolve, as you may find it lacks in certain areas, certain defenses need to be shored up, the devil changes his tactics, etc. But if you have sought the Lord for change, and have developed a plan to deal with overeating and laziness, and are willing to adjust the strategy over time, you will find success.
In the next lesson, you will write out the plan God gives you for that day, so be praying and thinking about it right now. Then we want to see what part washing at the cross plays in our battle plan.