Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.   Galatians 6:7-9 HCSB

If we are totally honest with ourselves, we don’t like to sacrifice. We don’t like to give stuff up. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and I can tell you the worst part of weight loss is giving up foods that you love. I have tried many diets including Sugar Busters, Keto, Weight Watchers. I have tried intermittent fasting.

If you look at what all diets have in common, it’s simple. There is no diet that allows you to eat all you want to eat of all the foods you love to eat. There must be sacrifice. The rewards of that sacrifice include smaller sizes, being more comfortable in your clothes and your body, compliments when people start noticing, and of course feeling better about yourself and feeling healthier.

There is a choice to make. You can continue eating like a human garbage disposal or you can give some things up, be it certain foods or smaller portions. Either way, something’s gotta give, right? I always tell people; you have to have the right mindset when you are trying to lose weight. I know this from experience. You have to be determined. You have to be in it for the long haul.

You have to want weight loss and good health more than you want that whole pan of brownies, or that chocolate shake or that whole bag of Cheetos. Comfort food is an oxymoron. Overeating or eating the wrong things can’t bring us comfort. They may bring pleasure for a brief moment, but they will bring regret, added pain, and disappointment later.

Trusting in the Lord is a lot like weight loss. We must be willing to give up some things like those sinful little habits we like to hang onto even though we know they are bad for us. We must be willing to turn our lives over to God. We don’t have to come to him all cleaned up just as we don’t start a diet skinny and healthy. He will clean us up just as a good diet and exercise will get us in shape.

We must be willing to give up things like pride and vengeance. We must let go and let God take over.

If we are willing to humble ourselves before the Lord and confess our sins to Him, He is willing to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). When we truly turn our lives over to God, it feels good. I remember rededicating my life to the Lord after becoming backslidden. What a relief that was! The pure joy of just giving it all over to Him and trusting Him to take care of me no matter what came my way.

This motivates us to stay strong in the Lord, just as success with a diet motivates us to keep going forward with it. It becomes easier to give up those bad habits when they are replaced with good habits that yield good results.

Many of us suffer things like poor health, bankruptcy, failed relationships all because we are unwilling to give up certain things or behaviors that cause us trouble in our lives.

We think we know best. We have addictive personalities. We have a hard time letting go of things that have brought us comfort in the past. My friend, you can’t really know comfort until you surrender to Christ. You can’t know how good it can feel to give up the things that are causing you harm.

If we are only willing to sacrifice, we are able to reap the rewards. It won’t always be easy, but when the going gets tough, keep going, keep doing good.

Have a great day!