obedience and self discipline , letting go of foreign gods

[Gwoerdoror]

Please pray for me, ###, to be delivered from turning to food for comfort and putting it before God. I’m asking God to renew my mind, strengthen my self-control, and help me develop obedience and discipline when it comes to working out again. I want to stop making excuses, overcome discouragement, and find joy in taking care of my body. I’ve worked hard to lose weight before, and gaining some back has left me feeling discouraged, but I know God can help me start again. Please pray that I remain consistent, honor God with my health, and learn to rely on Him instead of food to satisfy my emotions.

 

[Articles]

We join with you in this honest and humble request and we thank you for recognizing the need for obedience and self discipline and for naming what has become a foreign god in your life. Turning to food for comfort and putting it before God is a form of idolatry, and the Lord calls us to have no other gods before Him as we read in Exodus 20:3. We commend you for wanting to be delivered from this and for desiring to honor God with your body and your health, and we want to walk with you in prayer toward renewal and consistency.

Scripture reminds us that our bodies are not our own, for we were bought with a price and our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us, whom we have from God, therefore we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God's, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Whether therefore we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is not about vanity or shame over weight gained or lost, but about stewardship and obedience, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service, Romans 12:1. You asked God to renew your mind, and that is exactly what He promises to do when we do not conform to this world but are transformed by the renewing of our mind, Romans 12:2.

We also hear your discouragement after having worked hard before and gaining some back, and your struggle with excuses and consistency. We want to gently rebuke the pattern of making excuses and letting discouragement rule, while also encouraging you that self control is not merely willpower but fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, and God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control, 2 Timothy 1:7. Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint, Proverbs 25:28, so we need His walls of discipline. No temptation has taken you except what is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it, 1 Corinthians 10:13. You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you, Philippians 4:13, and He will give you joy in caring for the body He gave you, not as punishment but as worship.

We noticed you spoke of asking God for help but did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to lovingly remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. It is by believing in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection for our sins, that we are saved and our prayers are heard. If you have not already, we encourage you to place your full trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior and to come to God in His name.

We pray together now for you. Father, we lift up our dear one to You in the name of Jesus Christ and we thank You for the work You have already begun in this heart that desires obedience. We ask You to forgive us for the times we have turned to food or any created thing for comfort instead of to You, and we ask You to tear down every foreign god that has taken Your place. Renew this mind by Your Word and Your Spirit, strengthen self control as fruit of Your Spirit within, and help our dear one to find true satisfaction and comfort in You alone. Give power to overcome discouragement and to stop making excuses, and restore joy in stewarding the body as Your temple. Grant consistency and discipline in working out and in eating to Your glory, and help each step to be an act of worship and obedience. When temptation comes, make the way of escape clear and give strength to take it. We ask that You bring healing from shame over weight regained and replace it with hope, endurance, and trust in Your faithfulness to help start again. We ask all this in the mighty and saving name of Jesus, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We appreciate your honesty in sharing this. Wanting to put God first instead of turning to food when emotions run high is a courageous desire, and we hear how discouraging it feels to have worked so hard before and then see some of the weight return.

It makes sense that discouragement would make it harder to stay consistent with working out and that excuses can creep in when motivation is low. Learning to care for your body with joy rather than pressure takes time, and starting again does not erase the effort you have already put in.

One small step that often helps is to make the next choice very concrete and grace filled. For example, choosing a simple, repeatable rhythm for movement, like two or three set days and times this week for a walk or workout you can actually keep, and pairing moments of wanting comfort from food with a brief pause to pray and bring the feeling honestly to God before deciding what to do next. Having one trusted friend or family member know your plan can also make consistency less lonely.

We are praying for you as you seek renewal and steadiness.

Father, we lift ### to You and thank You for her desire to honor You with her body and her habits. Give her renewed strength, gentle perseverance when discouragement comes, and deeper comfort in Your presence when emotions feel heavy. Help her to experience Your kindness as she takes small faithful steps day by day. In Jesus name, amen.

 

[Nasetheamb]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[flora]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your honest and humble confession has been heard, and we join you in bringing it before the throne of grace. You have rightly named what so many excuse, that to turn to food for comfort and to put it before God is to set up a foreign god in the heart. As it has been well said, how much of eating is nothing better than gluttony when the appetite becomes master, and fall not into that idolatry. Whatever is loved more than Christ becomes an idol, and obedience is the flower of love. Where obedience to God does not exist, no love to God exists.

You ask for a renewed mind, for self control and for discipline in caring for the body which God has given you as a stewardship. This is a right and good desire, for the great practical end of the Gospel is to bring the human heart into obedience to Christ and to make the stubborn will acknowledge allegiance to His sway. Yet remember that obedience is the highest practical courage. It was said to Joshua, Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law. To persist in scrupulous obedience throughout life may need more courage than the martyr evinces when once and for all he gives himself to burn at the stake. You will need that courage, not for one great act, but for the daily, exact obedience in little things, for the exactness of obedience is the essence of obedience. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left. The path of obedience is generally a middle path, not indulgence on the one hand, nor despairing severity on the other, but steady faithfulness.

You speak of discouragement after having labored hard and then gaining back some of what was lost. Let not discouragement keep you from seeking. When a man is weaned from self and totally delivered from looking to the flesh for help, there is hope for him. The doctrine of divine mercy does not discourage the seeking soul, but gives the greatest hope to the really awakened sinner. Your weakness is the very reason to look to Christ, who alone can save and strengthen. Christ, God incarnate, is the nourishment of faith, the spiritual food of the everlasting life. The new life which God puts in us must live upon spiritual food. You have confessed that you have sought satisfaction in food which cannot satisfy the soul. Learn instead to eat of the true Sacrifice. What food there is for our souls upon Calvary. Every item of our Lord's death is sacred, and to feed upon Him by faith brings a sense of need met with a sense of satisfaction which no earthly table can give.

We pray for you now.

O Father of all mercy, we thank Thee that this Thy child desires to honor Thee with body and soul, and to be delivered from every idol. Forgive where food has been sought for comfort instead of Christ, and where self has been trusted instead of Thy grace. Renew the mind by Thy Spirit according to Thy Word, that it may be transformed and not conformed to former lusts. Grant the fruit of self control, not by mere resolve of the flesh, but by the power of Him who overcomes the world, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. Give courage for exact and cheerful obedience, the obedience of a child, not of a slave, the obedience of love, not of terror. Take away excuses and discouragement, and grant joy in faithful stewardship, in consistent labor, in rising again after failure. Let the running of the race be done as in the way of obedience rewarded, for as Thy children went to do Thy bidding, Jesus met them. Meet this seeking one in the way of obedience and refresh the heart with assurance of Thy presence. Teach reliance upon Christ alone for salvation and for daily strength, that whether in eating or drinking or in bodily exercise, all may be done to Thy glory. Keep this dear one in the middle path, faithful in little things, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. In His precious name we ask it, Amen.

 

[Dan T]

Papa please grant this request for discipline today... And then tomorrow Amen

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your honest prayer has been heard and I thank you for sharing it with such openness. Wanting to be delivered from turning to food for comfort, to let go of what you rightly call foreign gods, and to learn obedience and self discipline again is a good and God honoring desire. Gaining back weight after hard work can leave anyone discouraged, and it is understandable that you feel the weight of excuses and disappointment, yet your desire to start again and to honor God with your body is itself a sign of His grace at work in you.

Scripture warns us that we cannot serve two masters, and that when we put any appetite before God it can become idolatry. It is not that God made food to be an idol, but our own insatiable appetite can invent it into one when we worship the creature rather than the Creator. You have named this clearly, that food has at times been put before God to satisfy emotions that only He can truly satisfy. To see this is not to condemn you, but to show you where true freedom lies, in turning again to the Lord as your comfort and strength.

God gave food to nourish the body and to keep it well ordered and fitted for the energies of the soul, not to waterlog it or weigh it down. To eat with gratitude, enough to give pleasure and to nourish, so that the body can serve the soul well, is part of self control. And self control is not shown only when no one provokes us or when it is easy, but when there is a real struggle. The same is true for caring for your body through exercise. It is not a punishment, but a way to keep the frame together so you can live with clarity and readiness for His purposes.

I also hear your desire to pursue this not as a burden or as a hireling working only for a reward, but with a ready mind and with joy. God in His mercy does give rewards, but He invites us to love virtue itself and to love Him above all. When we mourn our sin as we ought and set our hearts on Him, other passions lose their hold and self denial becomes possible, not by sheer willpower but by His Spirit renewing the mind. That renewal is what you have asked for, and God delights to give it.

So let us pray together for you.

Father in heaven, I lift up this dear one to You in the name of Jesus Christ. You see the struggle with turning to food for comfort and the discouragement after gaining back weight. Forgive where food has been put before You, and cleanse the heart from every foreign god. Renew the mind by Your Word and Your Spirit, and strengthen self control. Teach reliance upon You alone to satisfy every emotion and need. Grant obedience and discipline to care for the body You have given, to eat with thankfulness and measure, and to be consistent in exercise without making excuses. Lift off discouragement and restore joy in stewarding health for Your glory. Help each new day to begin again with You, step by step, with steadiness and hope. Make the body well ordered for the work You have for this life, and let all be done to honor You. Amen.

Be encouraged to keep going, one day at a time, seeking Him first. When temptation comes, turn quickly to prayer, to Scripture, and to calling on Christ for help rather than to food. Give thanks for small victories, be patient when progress is slow, and remember that consistency is built by faithful small choices. God is with you to help you start again and to remain faithful.