For years, I have been on the yo-yo end of losing weight. You know, when you go on a diet, lose 15 pounds, and three months later gain 20. I started out at 135 pounds and ended up at 336. I have failed at about every diet known to man.

I had given my life to God, so why wasn’t I successful? I’d ask God to take my appetite away. Sometimes I’d say, “God, just fix my taste buds so they don’t like food.”

I was doing all the right things for God, like playing piano at church, teaching Bible studies, plus working 40-60 hours a week. However, physically and emotionally, I was exhausted. I couldn’t stand for a long period of time or do manual labor. My back and legs hurt.

A Glimmer of Hope

One day in March 2005, I turned to a channel where they were talking about losing weight. As I listened, tears welled up in my eyes. I felt an incredibly strong urge in my spirit that this was it. I ordered the program and waited for the package to arrive.

My daughter, Sandi, and I encouraged each other and prayed that this time would be different. The first week wasn’t too bad. But, by the second week I felt awful. I was truly going through food withdrawal. I desperately wanted to quit. We kept praying.

After six days of my new regime, I stepped on the scales. I had lost 5 pounds. After almost two weeks, a nine-pound weight loss. Along with everyone’s encouragement, I began to feel I could make it. I started bragging on God to my co-workers, giving Him the glory and credit.

The Next Step

I still had to go a step further. I was reading my Bible, the following verses in Romans 12 (The Message) seemed to jump right off the page. It says, “So, here’s what I want you to do, God’s helping you.” Notice, it says I have to do and God will help me.

“Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, EATING, going to work, and walking around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Fix your complete attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Recognize what He wants from you and quickly respond to it.”

Suddenly, I realized that I had never offered my eating habits and lack of self-discipline to God as an offering. In other words, I needed to eat properly in obedience to God. I needed to offer myself as an offering for Him. I finally “got it” and fell to my knees before God. I wept desperately and said, “God, I really am all Yours—take me and use me. I’ll do my best to be obedient to You in every way, including my eating.”

No More Dieting

I am no longer on a diet. I am just “being obedient to God.” Every week I see pounds continue to come off. So far I’ve lost 54 pounds.

Isn’t God absolutely amazing? He showed me there was another level of commitment to Him that I needed to achieve. Complete obedience!

Do you struggle like I have with weight loss or any other thing out of control in your life? We have a choice. We can either continue to live in failure and bondage to the “giant” in our lives, or we can obey God and live in freedom. Don’t kick and scream before obeying God. Instead, fix your attention on Him, chose to obey, and you’ll be changed from the inside out. Once you yield to God’s way and really understand what it means to be “totally His,” you’ll find you will want to tell everyone about His amazing love and power. As He helps you through it, you will find complete freedom.

Read More Life Stories

Share Your Story

Find a New Beginning