Silas
Beloved of All
I hear the urgency and the deep distress in your request. When our bodies feel like they are betraying us or tormenting us, it can consume every thought. The longing to be free from something that feels like a prison is real, and God cares about every part of your life, including your body. So let’s bring this to the Lord together, but let’s also let His word reshape how we see what we’re bringing.
You are asking for a physical change, for fat to dissolve and your metabolism to speed up. There is nothing wrong with bringing such a specific need to God. He invites you to cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. But notice something: the enemy wants you so focused on your body that it becomes your master. When your mind is constantly occupied with what you eat, what you weigh, and how you look, then your body is ruling you. That is the natural condition of a person apart from God, living for body appetites. But you have been bought with a price. Your body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in you. That means you are not your own. Your body is not yours to obsess over or to pity; it is the Lord’s, given to you to steward for His glory.
So instead of crying out only for the body to change, offer that very body to Him. He already knows its every weakness. He knows the fears and the shame. Say to Him, “Lord, here is my body. Take it. Use it for Your purposes. I yield my members as instruments of righteousness. I want Christ to be magnified in this body, whether it feels exactly as I wish or not.” When you do that, sin shall not have dominion over you, not even the sin of gluttony, not the sin of vanity, not the sin of anxiety over appearance. You are yielding to God, and He can set you free from the tyranny of these consuming thoughts.
Remember that this body is not the real you. You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. The body is like a tent, temporary, transient, and one day it will be folded up. It is in a constant state of decay. Those extra pounds are a symptom of a body that is groaning under the curse. But this corruption will one day put on incorruption. The Lord Jesus is going to change your vile body and fashion it like His own glorious body. That is your certain hope if you belong to Him. The breaking of His body on the cross purchased not only your spiritual healing but the new body you will wear forever. When you partake of communion, you discern the Lord’s body broken for you, and through that broken body we find ultimate healing. So do not let this present temporary weight carry more weight in your heart than the eternal glory that is coming.
Yet, while you remain in this tent, there is a discipline to keep the body under. The body enjoyed sitting on the throne; it does not like being brought into subjection. But you must rule it, not it you. Ask the Lord for wisdom about how to care for this temple through wise eating and activity, not from a spirit of fear or self-hatred, but because you want to honor Him with a vessel that is useful for His service. A mind set on the Spirit is life and peace; a mind set on the flesh brings death and torment. So shift your prayer: “Lord, let my metabolism work as You designed it, according to Your will. But far more, let my inner man be renewed day by day. Let me not live by bread alone, but by every word from God. I want to glorify You in my body. Whether I lose weight or not, make me a living sacrifice.”
And as you pray, do not forget you are part of Christ’s body, the church. You do not struggle alone. When one member hurts, the whole body hurts with her. Others are lifting you up right now. Let their prayers carry you, and let your focus shift from the mirror to the Lord Jesus. He is with you. He will never leave you. And one day, very soon, you will have a body that knows no struggle, no shame, and no death. Until then, live as one already clothed in His righteousness, offering this mortal frame to Him each day.
You are asking for a physical change, for fat to dissolve and your metabolism to speed up. There is nothing wrong with bringing such a specific need to God. He invites you to cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. But notice something: the enemy wants you so focused on your body that it becomes your master. When your mind is constantly occupied with what you eat, what you weigh, and how you look, then your body is ruling you. That is the natural condition of a person apart from God, living for body appetites. But you have been bought with a price. Your body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in you. That means you are not your own. Your body is not yours to obsess over or to pity; it is the Lord’s, given to you to steward for His glory.
So instead of crying out only for the body to change, offer that very body to Him. He already knows its every weakness. He knows the fears and the shame. Say to Him, “Lord, here is my body. Take it. Use it for Your purposes. I yield my members as instruments of righteousness. I want Christ to be magnified in this body, whether it feels exactly as I wish or not.” When you do that, sin shall not have dominion over you, not even the sin of gluttony, not the sin of vanity, not the sin of anxiety over appearance. You are yielding to God, and He can set you free from the tyranny of these consuming thoughts.
Remember that this body is not the real you. You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. The body is like a tent, temporary, transient, and one day it will be folded up. It is in a constant state of decay. Those extra pounds are a symptom of a body that is groaning under the curse. But this corruption will one day put on incorruption. The Lord Jesus is going to change your vile body and fashion it like His own glorious body. That is your certain hope if you belong to Him. The breaking of His body on the cross purchased not only your spiritual healing but the new body you will wear forever. When you partake of communion, you discern the Lord’s body broken for you, and through that broken body we find ultimate healing. So do not let this present temporary weight carry more weight in your heart than the eternal glory that is coming.
Yet, while you remain in this tent, there is a discipline to keep the body under. The body enjoyed sitting on the throne; it does not like being brought into subjection. But you must rule it, not it you. Ask the Lord for wisdom about how to care for this temple through wise eating and activity, not from a spirit of fear or self-hatred, but because you want to honor Him with a vessel that is useful for His service. A mind set on the Spirit is life and peace; a mind set on the flesh brings death and torment. So shift your prayer: “Lord, let my metabolism work as You designed it, according to Your will. But far more, let my inner man be renewed day by day. Let me not live by bread alone, but by every word from God. I want to glorify You in my body. Whether I lose weight or not, make me a living sacrifice.”
And as you pray, do not forget you are part of Christ’s body, the church. You do not struggle alone. When one member hurts, the whole body hurts with her. Others are lifting you up right now. Let their prayers carry you, and let your focus shift from the mirror to the Lord Jesus. He is with you. He will never leave you. And one day, very soon, you will have a body that knows no struggle, no shame, and no death. Until then, live as one already clothed in His righteousness, offering this mortal frame to Him each day.
