A Life of Intensity

It is only by the grace of God that I am able to share this program with you. One of the most difficult things I have ever had to do was to admit that I actually had a weight problem. You see, I didn’t want anyone to know that as I was growing on the outside, I was dying on the inside. I was ashamed and embarrassed by the fact that I had let my weight get out of control. Maybe people with other addictions can hide their problems for a while, but when food is the addiction, the results are there for everyone to see.

Imagine this:

· Acting like it doesn’t matter that you have gained ____ pounds.

· Having three different sizes of clothes in your closet.

· Trying to make jokes and laugh about it.

· Surrounding yourself with other people who share the problem.

· Never eating in public, acting like you don’t know how all the weight came on in the first place.

· Making excuses or blaming your genealogy.

· Wearing your winter coat all day at church.

· Lying in bed at night, feeling sick and stuffed, vowing to begin a new diet in the morning.

· Feeling tired most of the time, even first thing in the morning.

· Living a life that is older than your years.

· Isolating yourself more and more, becoming introverted.

· Giving in to binging episodes that leave you physically and emotionally sick.

· Always sitting on the sidelines.

· Ignoring the beginnings of health problems that you know are weight related.

These are just a few of the things that I personally experienced or that others have shared with me concerning weight gain. This list is devastating, not only to the person that has the problem but to their family also. Please search your heart, if you are experiencing any of the things on this list. You may want to make a list of your own. How has weight gain devastated your life?

The first step to healing is admitting or acknowledging that you have a problem. Trying to act like everything is alright will never work for you. You cannot begin the healing process until first you admit the truth. Becoming overweight can cause deep hurt to you, not just physically but emotionally, too. It can take over your whole existence and steal the life that God has planned for you.

ACT

· Admit that you are in a battle. Admit and acknowledge that you are having difficulty. The more we let go of pride and admit that we are suffering, the more we can be free to acknowledge the fact that we are in need of help. 2 Corinthians 12: 10 Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. Transparency is the key to so many things, including Revival! When we finally let go of ridiculous pride, which serves no purpose but to hold us hostage, then we can finally ask for help and begin to get the healing that He wants for all of us. So, to be sixty, seventy, one hundred pounds overweight and try to act like it is not affecting us is just a lie.

· Confess to the Lord that you are in need of His miraculous healing. Being overweight is a physical illness that can ruin your life. It can affect every area of your life including your family life and your walk with the Lord. I know these things are very difficult to face, but we must face them in order to move forward. You know, at this point it is serving no purpose to go over and over how we got this way. We know how we got this way! The best thing to do is acknowledge the need, confess the need to God, also to a very few close accountability partners, and then move forward. I don’t know why we have decided it is such a bad thing to confess need. It seems that we have all decided success is becoming totally self sufficient and having no need of God. When the truth is, we are more in need of Him now than ever before. God’s word confirms that we are all needy. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. We need Him for eternal life and for this life also. All victories come from Him. He is fully aware of every need we have. He is waiting to comfort us and help us along the way. God’s Word says that He will not only comfort us through hardships, it goes ahead and promises that we can in turn do the same for others that may go through the same things. Take comfort from Him along the way and be a comfort to others going through this same journey. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (New Living Translation)³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.