Have you ever worked on your weight-loss plan, got on the scale and then discovered you haven’t lost anything … or worse, actually gained weight? Biblical words of encouragement can help.
During those times, you may think “What’s the use? I might as well eat what I want, because what I am doing is not making any difference.”
Hold on there! Don’t make the mistake of cursing your efforts to do good.
Before you quit, please take these words to heart. I have three reasons it is important that you resist the urge to quit. They all involve the power of time.
1. Bible encouragement for the past. You’ve probably tried dozens of diets. You stuck with your plan for a while, and then discouragement set in. What did you do in response? You quit before, right? The only reason you must work on this again now is because you quit before.
So you know where quitting leads you. Do you really want to go there again? Even if you did not get what you wanted in the time frame you set, at least you would be closer to your goal now if you had not quit. Learn to develop a “never surrender” attitude regarding weight loss.
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6:9).”
2. Bible encouragement for the present. If you keep going, at least you would have the satisfaction of forward motion. Even if you have to crawl toward your goal, do that until you have the strength to walk again.
One of my favorite quotes that states the benefits of endurance is by Eleanor Roosevelt:
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
I recommend you start tracking your food intake if you aren’t already. I know that is not fun to do, but from my experience, it is too easy to “forget” the amounts we eat. But your body never forgets. Here are some biblical words of encouragement regarding endurance:
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).
3. Bible encouragement for the future. If you make up your mind that you will not quit no matter what, imagine where you will be one year from now. You will be amazed at how far you’ve come. I gained 100 pounds after high school—all because I didn’t respect the power of time.
You see, I didn’t realize that just by over-eating 50 calories every day, I would gain five pounds every year. Those five pounds every year eventually added up to 100 pounds over 20 years. So believe me, even if you can only manage a little more self-control today than you had yesterday, exercise it!
I believe if I had used enough self-discipline to exercise off just those extra 50 calories per day, then that 100-pound weight gain would not have happened. Whatever you can do, do that. Here is some Bible encouragement about the future:
“Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace” (Psalm 37:37).
I pray many prayers to you on your weight-loss journey. Yes, it is a journey, because your responsibility to take care of your body will remain as long as you live. But it is a journey that is well worth taking for the quality of your life!
Once 240 pounds and a size 22, Kimberly Taylor can testify of God’s healing power to end binge eating. She is an author and the creator of the Christian weight loss website takebackyourtemple.com. Visit today for inspirational health and weight-loss tips.
For the original article, visit takebackyourtemple.com.
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