Who (Or What) Is the Lord of Your Life?

By Lori Ridder

I spent years in slavery to food, calories, and gluttony. At the time, I would never, ever have admitted that. But in retrospect, after 8 years into this journey toward health, I can adamantly say it is true. Oh, I was a solid follower of Jesus, yet I was still a slave to my desires.

In 2017, I was told that if I did not have bariatric surgery – gastric bypass – I would never successfully lose weight, and without the surgery, I would die. Those are literally the words the surgeon spoke to me. As ghastly as that is, he wasn’t wrong. I was on a trajectory toward multiple health system failures, and I was desperate.

I had multiple co-morbidities. Diabetes, high blood pressure, severe edema, diabetic neuropathy, asthma, high cholesterol, heart disease (congenital birth defect, valve disorder, but still a factor), and sleep apnea.

But those harsh and hurtful words – as true as they were- proved to be the impetus to the steps I needed to take, to finally be free from the bondage that my habits had engendered.

I had nowhere to turn. I was hopeless and helpless, so I fell on my knees before my God, and I cried out for mercy, because I did not want to die. But I also knew that I needed to recognize my wholesale dependence upon Him to be free.

I told Him I was broken, that my “full switch” wasn’t working, and I knew I was eating more than my body needed, and I asked Him to tell my brain when my stomach was full. AND. HE. DID!

What followed is a long and detailed journey into learning how to recognize healthy calories, acknowledging when I was “full” and incorporating significant changes into our diets and daily consumption. And God was the impetus and orchestrator of it all.

He led me to wisdom by showing me truth in the chemical makeup of food; He encouraged my heart. He continually showed me areas that I needed to explore, with gentleness and love.

As of today, I have lost 185 lbs. I started at 398 lbs., and I am now 213 lbs. I can walk 5 miles, and I joined a gym where I am strengthening this old body!

But more than anything, I have learned that God is faithful. He asks us to join Him in the plan He has for our lives. He will never coerce us. He will never force us. He will never shame us. He will invite us. It is our choice to join Him or not.

I chose to JOIN GOD – and I hope and pray that you will make that choice as well.

God tells us so many things about our self-care in His Word. But integral to our self-care is that it is ALL for His glory.

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (emphasis in italics is mine)

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 - For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.

As Charles Spurgeon said, “Without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind or chariots without steeds. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless. As an offering without the sacrificial flame, we are unaccepted.

The second part of this victory I have experienced through the power and presence of the Lord is Killing Sin. It was a bitter pill to swallow when I finally acknowledged that my weight issue was a direct result of my own sin.

I had overeaten and overindulged repeatedly. I used food as comfort and as a friend, and as a buffer. Food cannot fill ANY of those needs. Our souls long for comfort and friendship and a buffer from the storms of life, yes. But food is never the answer. The answer is our Lord and Savior. He, and only He, can be the comforter and sustainer of our souls. What may feel like a temporary balm to our souls is just that: temporary. Our ultimate healing and victory come only through conquering that which is killing us.

Beautiful Friends, as we enter this time of celebration and holiday, where food is often front and center, let’s consider what our bodies really need and can use.

We can enjoy the fellowship without all the food. Keep your hands full – hold a glass of water to offset the plate, look for fresh fruits and vegetables on that appetizer plateau, listen to your body, and don’t eat beyond what you need.

But utmost and highest – consider that your body is a temple unto the Lord Most High.

Join God in understanding that you do not wish to defile that which He has claimed as His own.

Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”

Romans 8:13 tells us, “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

BOTTOM LINE: Food is Fuel. It is given to us by our Creator to strengthen us and sustain us so that we can be about the business of His Kingdom.

The sustenance of your soul comes not from physical food but from the nourishment of His Holy Word.

Psalm 16:11 - “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Shalom ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Lori Ridder – Executive Assistant to Karl Clauson

Lori Ridder serves as the Executive Assistant to Karl Clauson and is a retired Associate Director of Risk Management at AT&T. She is the mother of four, grandmother of eight, and wife to one amazing man of God. A lover of dogs—especially her two rescue pups, Tucker the rescue hound and Callie the Golden Retriever—Lori is also a worship leader, gardener, amateur chef, devoted disciple of Christ, and a lover of God’s people.

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Before and After