Dieter's Prayer Book: Spiritual Power and Daily Encouragement

Dieter's Prayer Book: Spiritual Power and Daily Encouragement

by Heather Kopp
Dieter's Prayer Book: Spiritual Power and Daily Encouragement

Dieter's Prayer Book: Spiritual Power and Daily Encouragement

by Heather Kopp

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Overview

Friendly Support.  Daily Encouragement.  Spiritual Empowerment.

Diets and diet books have never been more popular. At the same time, recent studies show that Americans have never been more overweight. It's no wonder, then, that women who are trying to lose weight--be it 10 or 100 pounds--are among the most frequently discouraged people around. Every day we are faced with fridge wars, bad mirror moments, diets that don't work, skinny friends who can eat whatever they like, and husbands who reminisce about the size 8 they married.

Yet victory can be yours. Increasingly, scientific studies are indicating that in health matters, prayer works--and in The Dieter's Prayer Book, you'll find that daily ounce of spiritual encouragement you need. Not tied to any one particular diet, The Dieter's Prayer Book can be used in conjunction with any healthy-eating program, or on its own. Each day, these upbeat prayers will remind you what really matters, make you feel less alone, and empower you to achieve your goal of healthful living.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780307551047
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Publication date: 01/16/2009
Sold by: Random House
Format: eBook
Pages: 224
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Heather Harpham Kopp is a freelance editor, author, and advertising copywriter. For four years, she wrote the popular column, "Out of the Ordinary," for Virtue magazine. She is the author of several books, including Praying the Bible for Your Baby and I Stole God from Goody-Two-Shoes. She has also co-authored numerous titles with her husband David Kopp, including Praying the Bible for Your Children and Praying the Bible for Your Marriage.

Read an Excerpt




Excerpt

1 | Is "Diet" a Dirty Word?


Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7


You might read the verse above: Some trust in diets, some trust in calorie counting, but I trust in God's plans.

    Many experts say that diets empower food, not people, because they're based on deprivation. And when we deprive ourselves of food we want, desperation takes over in time. We blow it. This is why the majority of books on weight control spend the first chapter declaring, "This is not a diet book!" (even if they use the word diet in the title).

    To those who have failed with diets repeatedly, Gwen Shamblin writes in The Weigh Down Diet, "God has never asked anyone to eat food off a list, to count fat exchanges, or to take an appetite suppressant. You have just been applying the wrong medicine to this condition."

    This isn't to say that all diets or weight-loss programs are bad. God can and does work in conjunction with these. What matters is that He is central to our plan. For the purpose of this book, let's redefine the word "diet" to mean:

• a Decision to change the way I eat and the way I approach food

• an Invitation to experience God's power and guidance

• an Educated plan for long-term health and happiness

• a Trust that God will never give up on me or love me less—no matterwhat.


Food for Thought
"Diet" doesn't have to mean deprivation.


A Prayer for Power


Dear God,
I admit that I have come to both love
and hate the word "diet."
On the one hand, it represents hope for change.
On the other hand, it's like a sign flashing "Failure ahead!"
I don't want to simply embark on another faulty plan, Lord.
I want to embark on a journey with You
that is led by You and depends on Your power.
I can do nothing on my own!
And I don't want to just punish and deprive myself.
You and I both know where that leads: to rebellion and failure.
Show me the right path that will enable me to change.
Show me, as only You, who know me so intimately, can,
what works for me, what is healthy for me.
I want to think of this venture in positive terms, Lord—
not that I am signing up to be miserable or in want.
I want to learn to redirect my thinking, to feed my body
what it truly needs when it truly needs it.
And to feed my soul with the Bread of Life—You!
Today I place my future, my failures, my setbacks,
all of my hopes and plans into Your hands.
There alone will I find meaning
and true success in my life.
Amen.


* * *


2 | New Beginnings


Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!

Isaiah 43:18-19


You are beginning a new journey of spirit and body. Larger spirit and smaller body, you hope! What a remarkable moment it is right now ... you are reading in trust, waiting in expectation, listening ...

    New beginnings take so much courage, mostly because we remember all those other times we began again ... and all the slips and fits and failures that happened next. How humbling to start over. Beginnings always call for bravery, became a beginning is a creative act. You want something to come into being that doesn't exist yet. Something new. Something better.

    Here is a grace note for your first day of beginning again: God does it too, all the time! Every day is a new start. Every season, every year, every miracle of conception in a woman's womb ... God reaches into the mysterious workings of earth almost as if to say, "I don't mind—I'll start again!"

    The German poet Goethe once advised: "Whatever you can do or think you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

    The very fact that you are beginning again is a validation of God's presence and handiwork in your life. He has invited you to this page. He knows you and loves you, and at this moment He is ready to begin again to create His own beauty in your life.


Food for Thought
I can begin again!


A Prayer for Power


Dear God,
thank You that You are a God of new beginnings!
You didn't stop creating on the sixth day
but continue to create and recreate this world
and this person that I am.
I confess that it is hard for me to begin again.
I'm afraid to try to change
because I've failed so many times before.
But this I know: You don't waste any pain or any failure.
And You never give up!
You never throw up Your hands, walk away, and say,
"That's it! You'll never change!"
Instead, You are wholly and happily ready
every day to begin all over again with me.
Just as the sun rises new each day,
so do my opportunities for new beginnings and totally fresh starts.
Help me to remember that as I take small steps toward You,
You are always reaching out to help me
and You are rejoicing in my progress.
Your focus is not on the distance gained or the final destination.
Let's begin again, God.
Right now.
Amen.


* * *


3 | You Are What You Pray


Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1


There's some truth to the old saying "you are what you eat." But you are also what you pray.

    Any change on the outside begins on the inside. "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7, KJV). Because the spirit and physical body are inseparably linked, the role of prayer in transformation can't be overemphasized.

    And neither can the role of faith. The apostle James tells us that if we doubt when we pray, we are like a ship tossed about on the sea. And how easy it is to doubt or become frustrated when you've been trying extra hard to eat right and exercise but aren't seeing the results you hoped for.

    Today and every day God is calling you to a life of faith—and to commitment to prayers that ring with certainty. No matter what you see happening, God is at work "So do not throw away your confidence," wrote the author of Hebrews, "it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Heb. 10:35-36).


Food for Thought
You are what you what eat, what you think, what you say, what you do,
and what you pray


A Prayer for Power

Dear God,
today I come to You in faith,
asking for what I fear I may lack—
great faith!
Help me, Lord, to understand
how I can stand firmly on shaky ground,
believe in what I can't see,
trust in what I can only hope for.
Bathe me in Your faithful love
that I might in turn love You more faithfully.
I surrender myself and my body to You right now,
along with all my expectations.
In exchange, may I receive from You
a confidence that can't be shaken.
Make me a woman of faith, Lord.
I am not strong enough to create all my own success,
but I believe that You will accomplish
all the good plans You have for me.
Amen.


* * *


4 | Five Pounds by Sunday


It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.

Proverbs 19:2


So. Your best friend's wedding, which you so wanted to look marvelous for, is just around the corner, but those unsightly five pounds you hoped to lose by then are still around your middle.

    It's tempting to panic at times like these, to have "zeal without knowledge"—as did the woman who prepared for a cruise by wrapping herself in cellophane and then jogging ten miles. She ended up in the hospital and missed the vacation.

    When you're feeling impatient with your weight-loss progress, don't panic and lose your head. Real change takes time, and shortcuts will likely lead you to "miss the way" altogether.

    When it comes to changing your eating and exercise habits, slow and steady is best. Most experts recommend that you lose no more than one to two pounds a week and consider a half-pound a week great progress.

    It helps to remember that your goal is bigger than inches or pounds can measure—and it's more important than any special occasion. Your goal is to become all that God created you to be—and to develop a patient spirit as part of the beautiful person you are.


Food for Thought
The fast track to lasting change is the slow one.


A Prayer for Power

Dear God,
thank You that even when I am impatient or foolish,
when I am so zealous to see results
that I rush things and miss the way altogether,
You forgive me and help me
to find the right path again.
Today I pray that You would grant me
the wisdom, will, and patience
to persevere in the process of change.
Help me to accept where I am right now.
With Your power at work within me,
I can keep my eyes on my true goal:
to become the best me I can be—for You!
Today I embrace Your loving intentions for me,
and I put all my hope in Your good and perfect timing
Amen.


* * *


5 | When God Looks at You


How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! ... like a lily among thorns.

Song of Songs 1:15; 2:2


What do you think God sees when He looks at you?

    Though some days you feel like a walking ruin, your loving God sees the real you—a work of art, a lily among thorns.

    If you find those words hard to take in, you're not alone. For many of us, the choice to accept approval and honest admiration requires enormous courage, especially if we usually spend our energy focusing on our shortcomings. Frances de Sales advised, "Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself, do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage."

    Today ask God for the courage to simply receive His loving gaze upon you without turning away or refusing His affections. He knows you completely, so there's no need to hide. And His heart toward you is passionate, constant, and tender. Hear His whisper in your ear all day long

"Oh, how beautiful you are!"


Food for Thought
The One who knows me absolutely
thinks I am absolutely beautiful.


A Prayer for Power


Dear God,
thank You that You see all the way through
to my very core
and You love every part of me.
Even when I am weak, selfish,
or unattractive in spirit,
You still call me Your beauty and beloved!
Because I know
I am already lovely in Your sight,
I can "work" on becoming even more so
with confidence and joy.
Because You have called me beautiful,
grant me the power and the courage today
to believe it
and to touch every person I meet
with grace and hope.
Amen.

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