Many in the world will try to assure you that you can lose all the weight you want and never experience a hunger pang. It is a lie! Don't believe it for a minute, as that type of thinking will keep you enslaved. Instead, look at the cross, hear the invitation of Jesus, prepare for, and learn to embrace the suffering.
Definition of success: one thing to keep in mind while losing weight and getting our bodies into a healthy condition is that success is living today for God's glory. That has nothing to do with a weight scale, but rather following our God-given plan to exercise and eat healthily. If we do that, today, we are successful, and God is pleased that we are living according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Don't look at the amount of weight you have to lose or whether the scale moves in the direction you'd like or not; do away with all that. Just ask if you are suffering in your body today, and if so, be assured that you are no longer living for human desires, but living for the will of God. That is all God asks of you today.
This understanding is why I no longer use a scale to weigh myself regularly. I'm no longer obsessing over a number on the scale or experiencing the emotional roller coaster of gain/loss. I'm free to follow the plan God has given me, and at the end of the day, I ask myself if I have suffered in my body by denying my fleshly lusts.
Question 5. Are you arming yourself with the same attitude of suffering that Jesus had when He went to the cross? Please explain.
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
Linda is evidencing real growth as she walks by the Spirit. In answer to the above question she writes, "Yes, I am arming myself to go straight into the suffering, embrace the hunger pains, embrace the empty stomach instead of embracing the greed of the food. Enjoying doing things throughout my day without eating while doing them."
And Rhonda evidences Holy Spirit power when she answers: "More than ever before!"
Finally, it is wonderful when we can begin looking at suffering the way God intended it to be, as a gift given by a loving God to His children:
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have" (Philippians 1:29-30).
Notice how it has been granted, or gifted, that we not only believe in Jesus but that we suffer for Him. We do this when we are persecuted for our faith, yes, but we also do it when we deny our flesh and die to sin. In dying to sin, we evidence that we receive and appreciate the gift!
Question 6. Why do you think it is important to suffer for Christ in order to be done with sin?
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
Again, Linda's answer to the above question is helpful and instructive for us: "Since Christ bore our sin on the cross, to truly understand it, I have to suffer for Christ when denying my sin. When I'm done with the sin of overeating, the sin of eating when I'm not hungry, it will cause suffering. I need to embrace that suffering because I'm experiencing the cross of Christ."
And Sarah's answer hits the bullseye: "We can’t live for our flesh and live for God. It’s one or the other. Jesus suffered when he lived for the will of God and he told us to expect the same in our lives, “for no servant is greater than his master.” Jesus suffered in order to be done with sin once and for all for me; therefore, if I am following in his steps, I will suffer as well in order to be done with sin."