Devotional for Dieters

[Judy Harder]

March 12


2 Chronicles 15:2
'. . .The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.'


In this day and age, promises are made easily and just as easily broken. We promise ourselves that we are going to lose weight, then we turn around and cheat at every possible chance. For this reason, we ought to include God in our diets. Whereas we might break promises that we make to ourselves, we stand a much better chance of keeping the promises we make to God. When we break promises to ourselves, we have no one to answer to, but when we break our promises to God, He expects us to explain. Promising God that we will lose weight makes dieting much easier.

Today's thought: I will lose weight for God's sake!
 

[Judy Harder]

March 13

Proverbs 1:33
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Jesus faced many terrible experiences in His lifetime. The Bible tells of many incidents where crowds of people sought to kill our Lord. Whenever the pressures got too great, Jesus withdrew and spent time in prayer. That is an important lesson for us to learn. There will be times when the pressures build up while we try to lose weight. When the pressures get too much for us to handle, we should turn to the Lord in prayer. He will comfort us, strengthen us, and give us the courage we need to face every new day.

Today's thought: Jesus will take my mind off my diet!
 

[Judy Harder]

March 14


Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.


Will the diet ever end? That question gets asked an awful lot. What starts out as a good idea soon becomes torture. Giving up seems to be such a good idea. It's at those times that we need the most strength. We need something to pull us through the really tough times. The love of God is just what we need. God will give us strength and courage and will help us fight off the temptation to quit. Call upon the Lord, and He will uphold you, He will strengthen you, He will stay with you, no matter how tough the diet gets.

Today's thought: If I can make it through the tough times, I can make it through anything!
 

[Judy Harder]

March 15

2 Corinthians 5:6
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.


David had never been able to stick to a diet. He had tried a number of times, but nothing seemed to help him lose weight. Then he met Jennifer. She was cute, and friendly, and thin. David was suddenly more ashamed of the way he looked than he had ever been before. He began a new diet, and this one worked. David's whole personality changed. He gained a new confidence and strength of will. What we struggle with at one point becomes easy when we receive the right incentive. With God as our incentive, we can do wonders. Without God, we are helpless. With God, we can do all things.

Today's thought: I will make sure to keep God close by all day!

[Judy Harder]

March 16


Psalm 33:21
For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.


The Psalms are a wonderful example of what it means to put trust in the Lord. David shared both his trials and his triumphs with his God. In every situation, David turned to God for guidance and support. David was a spiritual giant because he recognized the source of all that he was and could ever hope to be. We can be like David. If we will turn to God for His strength and courage in the face of our trials, He will provide for our every need. When we diet, we can rejoice in the fact that God will honor and bless our trust in Him.

Today's thought: The diet I keep will bring me joy and fulfillment!

[Judy Harder]

March 17

Deuteronomy 32:10
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

It is vital that we remember how pleasing it is to God when we choose to lose weight. No matter how we look or act, God loves us, but just like earthly parents, when we do our best and look our best, we are most pleasing. God is proud of us when we sacrifice and learn self-discipline. He watches our every move, our every struggle, and He loves us. He will be with us continually. Let us follow His teachings and do all in our power to make Him proud of us; not only in our diets, but in every undertaking.

Today's thought: I am the nonfattening apple of God's eye!
 

[Judy Harder]

March 18


2 Timothy 1:12
. . .I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.


'You can't lose weight. You've never stuck with anything in your whole life.' Those words haunt me all the time-every time I slip and eat something I know I shouldn't. I hate it when people think I'm too weak to succeed in my diet. I hate it even more when I prove them right. Still, being ashamed of failing at my diet is often good for me. If I am ashamed enough, then it helps me stick with it the next time. God has helped me a lot to conquer negative shame. I have committed my diet to Him, and He is true to help me keep on track.

Today's thought: I'll prove to all my skeptical friends that I am capable of losing weight.
 

[Judy Harder]

March 19

Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Let's not call it our diet; let's call it God's diet. No, that doesn't mean God has to lose the weight. It means that we diet because it's what God wants of us. If it's God's diet, then God will help make sure that it goes well. He will bless those who diet in His name. It may sound silly to diet for God, but, as Christians, we are called to do everything in His name. When we live our lives as an offering to God, then we let the whole world know who gives us our strength and courage. If God is for us, then nothing can stand against us.

Today's thought: Dieting for God is a joy and a comfort!

[Judy Harder]

March 20


Psalm 55:16
As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.


We went around the circle, telling about the diet plans we had tried. Most of the people said they had no luck, no matter what they tried. I was the only one who had succeeded in losing a considerable amount of weight. Everyone looked expectantly toward me when my time came. I smiled shyly and said, 'The only thing that I did differently from any of you was to pray. I didn't trust any of the diet plans I saw, so I turned to God, instead. You all can try what you want to, but as for me, I'm going to keep putting my faith in God. He's why I'm thin now.'

Today's thought: When all else fails; try God!

[Judy Harder]

March 21


Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'


'I hate Sheila,' Karen said. 'Ever since she lost weight, she's been impossible to be around. She thinks she's so special.' Unfortunately, Karen suffered from a common problem. Sheila hadn't changed. Karen just felt guilty whenever Sheila came around, because she wasn't able to lose weight like Sheila had. Instead of sharing in Sheila's victory, Karen fell victim to jealousy and a bad conscience. Karen needs to understand that Sheila's victory is not her defeat. God will work with each of us where we are. It takes a brave person to celebrate when others succeed where we have not.

Today's thought: I will rejoice at the example of others who have lost weight!