People are hesitant to talk about God. There are so many different religions and so many different gods that it’s hard to tell a story about GOD without offending someone.
The basic principle of my story, the key factor that finally made everything click and what absolutely saved my life, was God. Jesus. Abba Father. My story isn’t my story without Him and really, it doesn’t do much justice to tell it without giving credit where credit is due. My life completely and totally changed because God gave me just the right tools at just the right time to enable me to climb out of my pit of despair to find freedom and the self-respect I had been missing for so many years.
I had to travel a long path to come to a point where I trusted God enough to believe that He was the answer. I didn’t just decide one day to devote my whole life to this God that I had heard about and even learned about growing up. I did a lot of thinking, research and soul-searching. I have come to a place where I believe God is real. I believe the Bible is true and that Jesus is the Holy Son of God.
So what does this have to do with losing weight? I always knew what to do to lose weight, in some sense, we all do. I knew that I needed to get control of my eating and I needed to get out and exercise more. The problem was that I just didn’t feel I was important enough to do it. It was easier to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. It was just easier to be in denial and not think about it.
It was only when I started getting to know God better and trusting Him that I started to see the way He loved me. That was hard for me because I had “Dad” issues and didn’t know what to do with a “Father”. When I got that figured out (see Counseling) I was able to actually believe that I was valuable. Once I really believed that God created me for a specific purpose and that His heart was breaking because I was hurting, I learned to see my own worth through His eyes and it became easier for me to make better decisions.
This was an absolutely huge breaththrough for me and that simple change in thinking set me free. Do you know what the best part of this story is? God is available to do this kind of thing for all of us. He can change our thinking, give us perspective and completely turn our lives around.
Especially if you’re not familiar with God, I know that sounds weird, how can He be that for everyone? What does that look like and how can that happen? How can God bail me out if I don’t even know Him? Where do I even start?
Start small. Be open to the possibility that the way you’ve been doing it hasn’t been working and there must be another way. Admit that you’re up against something that’s bigger than you and that you need help to fight it. Consider that God might be that help.
Next, research the Bible. Find out for yourself if it’s true. Do a quick google search for “10 reasons to believe the Bible” and see what you find. What I discovered is that I honestly and truly believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that it applies to everyone that ever has been and everyone that ever will be. There is no other book in the history of mankind that can be compared.
Especially if you’re struggling with an addiction, do you feel powerless and lost? Do you feel like you’re alone and there’s no way out? Are you searching for an answer? Go to the Bible and see what it says. If you decide that the Bible is true and can be believed, then you also have to believe when Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” That means ALL of us. We can find REST. You, too!
2 Corinthians 12:9 says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That means that especially when we hurt, especially where we’re weak, God comes in and His power is made PERFECT. There is nothing His power can’t conquer and nothing that can stand against you; not even your addiction.
Matthew 17:20 says “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to a mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” My weight problem was a giant mountain. It was a huge obstacle that stood in my way from becoming a person of purpose and realizing my potential. I was stuck behind it and felt alone, hopeless and desperate. When I finally came to a point where I admitted I couldn’t do it on my own anymore, when God reached out to me and I reached back, I was able to tap into a power and soul-satisfying joy that I had never even known was possible. I was able to command the mountain of weight that had been holding me back to “move from here to there” and over time, it did. It wasn’t overnight and I wasn’t transformed in a day, but I WAS set on a path that has taken me to places that I never thought I would be. I took a chance to believe that God could save me and that He was more powerful than me.
Jeremiah 29:11 says “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” I took a chance believing that. Not just saying that I believed it but living my life like it was true. What happened 12 months later was so far beyond my wildest expectations that I’m not sure I would have believed it if it hadn’t happened to me.
God didn’t give me this story and equip me to tell it to the world for Him to say, “Look at what happened to Deanna, isn’t she great?” No! He’s saying, “Look what I did for Deanna. Now what can I do for you?”
Maybe this seems strange or maybe you’ve been hurt or are closed off from God and the whole religious scene, but I am offering my story and telling you that my secret, the way I was able to lose 185 pounds and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will NEVER gain it back is directly tied to God. I hope you’ll find yourself at a point where you’ll consider that maybe God can be your answer, too. If you haven’t been able to do it on your own, it’s time to try something else. Email me, ask your neighbor who goes to church, find an internet bulletin board; just be open for another way. Be open for God to speak to you because He can, He will, and He’ll change your life.
Can you lose weight without God? Maybe, but I don’t recommend it!
