I Resolve to Lose Weight, (NOT!)

Please Welcome Genikwa Williams back to the Cafe!!

It’s been years since I’ve “resolved” to do anything in the New Year. But when I did it in the past, getting in shape and losing weight always topped the list (even in those years when I was looking and feeling great).

So I ended the self-defeating practice of making resolutions—many of which often get tossed aside only a couple months into the year anyway. As for my health and fitness journey, I came to realize that I needed more than wishy-washy promises. I needed (need) God’s help.

Let’s face it. Getting healthy and fit is easier said than done. After spending years building a habit—especially a “bad” one—it’s unrealistic to think that you can undo its effects overnight or even in a couple of months. It often takes serious discipline—physical, emotional, and mental—a complete reeducation, and lots of prayer.

My love-hate relationship with food (and anything resembling a StairMaster) has been an on-again/off-again battle for years. I’ve fought and won…fought and lost. In the last few years, I’ve won more than I’ve lost, mainly because I’ve been learning and practicing how to discipline myself through prayer, fasting, and the study of God’s Word, which has a lot to say about the matter.

In 1 Corinthians 9:27 (AMP), the apostle Paul writes “But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].”

Paul is talking about the importance of learning to discipline or train our bodies, so that we are in control of them and not the other way around.

A servant or slave does not rule over his master (See Matt. 10:24; Titus 2:9). When this happens, the results are sure to be chaos and revolution. Such disorder leads to an ever-increasing desire by the servant to supplant the master and rule in his stead. A general tendency toward Godlessness.

Self-control (temperance)—whether it pertains to our eating habits, dealings with money, time, relationships, or any other aspect of life—is one of the indications that we are becoming spiritually mature (See Gal. 5:22).

As believers, we have to be in control of our flesh—what we think, say, and do—as the Holy Spirit leads us. God wants us to be masters over our bodies, as if they were servants in our employ, so that we can be fit for service in His Kingdom (See Rom. 6; 12:1-2).

As I dedicate this month to fasting, praying, and seeking God’s direction for the rest of the year, I won’t make any empty vows, but I will ask God to help me really get in shape—body, soul, and spirit—so that I can be fit for many more years of service in His Kingdom.

How about you?

Firmly In His Grip (and getting fit),

Genikwa

A South Jersey resident, Genikwa R. Williams is a born-again believer, worshiper, and a servant to God and His people. Professionally, Genikwa is a Christian freelance writer and a ministry communications professional. Her devotional and inspirational blog, Everyday Repartee, can be found at www.GenikwaWilliams.com.