Add, Don't Subtract

The other day, while pinteresting (the act, nay art, of perusing and re-pinning on pinterest), I stumbled across an article boasting "67 Ways to Lose Weight". Of course, I had to read it. The article basically consisted of a number of small changes that one could make to their diet that could aide in weight loss. While I scanned the article, picking and choosing which points to fully read, I came across one point that deserved my full attention. Number 45. "Add, Don't Subtract." I will let you read it for yourself...

45. Add, don’t subtract
Instead of fixating on cutting out cookies, cake, pizza, and all that heavy cream in your morning coffee, focus instead on adding healthy foods to your menu. Ditching all the “bad” stuff can be a daunting task, one that’s easier to stick to by focusing on one habit at a time (science says it takes anywhere from 18-254 days to form a habit). Add in as many healthy habits as you’d like — drink more water, stock up on fresh fruits and veggies — and slowly wean off of the not-so-good-for-you goodies

I liked this idea. Rather than focusing on cutting out "bad" habits, shift your focus to adding in more "good" habits. Instead of cutting out soda, chocolate, carbs and salt, opt for adding more water, veggies, protein and fiber. Eat more. I can do that!

The brilliance of this principle is that if you successfully add the right things; protein, water, fiber... they will fill you up. If you are adding protein and fiber to every meal, you won't be hungry again in an hour or so. If you are constantly drinking water, your craving for soda will diminish. If you are snacking on veggies throughout the day, you won't be snacking on chips or cookies. Adding "good" things will naturally begin to subtract the "bad" things. The more good things that you consume, the fewer "bad" things you will have room for. The more you allow yourself to be filled with healthy things, the less you desire to snack on the unhealthy things.

John 3:30 reads, "He must increase, I must decrease." As Jesus increases, I must decrease. It happens automatically. It is not possible to be completely filled by two different things. If one of the two is increasing, there is not enough room for other. It must decrease.

The more good things I fill up on, the less room I have for the bad things. The more I am filled with God's truth, the less room I have for the lies of this world. The more I am filled with biblical wisdom, the less room I have for worldly ignorance. The more I am filled with God's direction, the less room I have for selfish ambition. The more I am filled with godly fellowship, the less room I have for unhealthy, ungodly relationships. The more I am filled with Holy Spirit, the less room I have for my selfish, sinful, sorry, self.

Although I became a Christian at an early age, I did a pitiful job of truly living a life that was pleasing to God until I was about halfway through college. At this time, the Lord began changing my heart, stirring and prompting me to make changes... to ADD things to my daily life. He prompted me to begin attending a local church, to take part in a campus ministry, to join a Bible study, and to read scripture. He created in me a desire to add these things to my life. And I did.

The ironic part, however, was that there were many habits that I was still practicing that were far from godly. bad habits. bad choices. bad relationships. But at this point in time, I felt no conviction whatsoever to subtract any of these things from my daily life.

I think often times people feel that before they can be spiritually healthy, they must work on ridding themselves of all of their bad habits. We believe that we cannot attend church or bible study while we are still frequenting bars and clubs. We feel that we can't start studying scripture until we have stopped looking at pornography. We think that we cannot begin to fill ourselves with Christ until we have been completely purged of our sin. Well, guess what? we can.

It is not necessary, nor possible, to empty oneself of sin in order to make room to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In fact, it is quite the opposite. God seeks to pour His truth and life and power and love into us while we are still full of sin, so that as we begin to be filled by Him, our sinful desires are forced out. As He increases, we will decrease.

When Jesus got a hold of me, he did not prompt me to cut out all of the bad things in my life, He challenged me to add more good things. more godly things. God knows that as we fill up with His truth, His love, His purpose, we will soon be so full that we will not have the desire, nor the room, to fill up on the sinful things that we once did. And while it may have seemed odd, even wrong, to others who saw me leave a bar on Saturday night and enter a church on Sunday morning, it looked just right to God. He knew what he was doing. He still knows what He's doing. He knew that the more of Him I had, the less of everything else I would have room for. He knew that as He increased, I would decrease. And I did. I still am.



To read the full article mentioned above go to http://greatist.com/health/tips-lose-weight/