Daily Devotional for Wednesday January 8, 2003

Losing Weight for Free!

(Luke 4:18)

Losing weight..for FREE!!!! This Devotional is worth thousands of dollars to many of you, and is FREE!!!! Today's verse is one that I take VERY seriously..and would NEVER claim or use unless it was 100% applicable. We are now 8 days into the new year. I am sure that many of you out there who made losing weight your New Years resolution, and are already off that plan. Over the past 40 months, I have many times spoken on how our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and how we should do all that we can to keep our temples in the best shape possible. I have spoken often about how it is our responsibility to be in the best physical shape possible to be able to serve God to our best ability for as long as we possibly can. Today, for FREE I am going to help you lose weight. MORE IMPORTANT..KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF, without spending thousands on joining a health club, buying machines, or becoming a slave to the latest pills or juices that will cost you $50 a month and NEVER do what they promise.

There are two elements required to lose weight. First is exercise. You MUST be on a routine exercise plan and being faithful to that routine to burn the calories necessary, not to mention the positive effects it has on your heart and muscles. Second is what you eat. There is NO way to lose weight, maintain your optimum weight unless you are watching what you eat and drink. Sweets, soft drinks, alcohol, snack foods all have tons of calories that will put pounds on you. If you are doing lots of exercise, you can get away with eating some things that are not the best for you to be eating, but you must be aware of all that you eat and drink. I hate to be over simplistic, but the fact is, if you are exercising regularly and watching what you eat, you can and WILL lose weight and MAINTAIN your ideal weight.

Please let me add this VERY IMPORTANT fact. Everyone has their own ideal weight. Genetics DO play a factor in this, and how God created our bodies is an issue. There are some people who simply will carry more weight than others. There is NOTHING wrong with being what some may consider overweight. Nobody can be the medias definition of perfect, nor should we try. We have to use common sense and accept the fact that some people are simply created to carry more weight than others. The key is, are you where YOU need to be at for YOUR body???

>From the amount of emails that I get every day, I know that this is a major issue for many of you. Here is the secret. It is a battle like any other battle you fight in life. It is first, a spiritual battle. The strength you get to stick to your exercise routine, the will power you get to eat the right things each day, do NOT come from a pill or from yourself, IT HAS TO COME FROM GOD!!! You need to take the time each morning and pray to God for the strength and diligence to stick to your exercise plan what you eat. IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. People fail in their sincere efforts in this area because they have left out the spiritual element to it. FORGET THE $50 A MONTH PILL OR JUICE AND REPLACE IT WITH PRAYER! All that pill or juice does is remind you that this is a commitment that you have made. Period. Prayer will not only remind you, but strengthen you to stick to it and see victory!!!

I love you and care about you so much. I will be praying for you today that if this is an issue in your life, God will inspire you today. You don't need the latest pill or juice to lose weight. You need to exercise, watch what you eat, and PRAY! That is the special element. God will give you the strength and motivation to get victory over this area of your life. He will help you. Like in all things, when we are serious and ask God to help us, HE WILL!!! You can not only lose the weight you desire, but keep it off as long as you are willing to exercise, watch what you eat, and pray about this daily!

Losing weight and maintaining a certain weight is like every other battle we face. We must have a battleplan that we work faithfully each day, and that plan must include accountability to others and God. We aren't strong enough to get and maintain victory on our own. We need to have others in our life to hold us accountable and to keep us where we need to be in our day to day actions. I realize that this is an issue with many who are reading this right now. Know today that there is hope, there is victory waiting you! Exercise, pay attention to what you eat, have people in your life who will hold you accountable to your exercise routine and what you eat, and pray daily for God to give you the strength and resolve to stick to the plan. This is an important issue because the better you feel, the better shape you are in, the more fit you are, the better you will be able to serve and glorify God with your life. After all, that is our ultimate purpose in this life.

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller