Day 3 - The Sugar Challenge Lesson

Change Your Wanter

I know you thought this challenge was going to be all about sugar, but I promise you, the messages I'm sharing, and the daily questions I’ve included are crucial and relevant. They will help you make the changes you know you need to when it comes to reducing sugar.

It's easy to get caught up in seeking joy, acceptance, and approval from how people treat you or what they think of you. But I want you to know that your worth and value aren't determined by your appearance or others' approval. In a world that often equates our looks and fitness level with worth, it's so important to remember that your true worth comes from being a child of God. Romans 5:8 reminds us of God's unconditional love: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God's love for you isn't based on your looks or your ability to meet certain standards. It's unconditional and everlasting! When you embrace this truth, you will want to take care of your body out of gratitude and love for God, not because you want to seek approval from others – you will change your wanter.

I am fascinated to know that our bodies are described as temples of the Holy Spirit. When we take care of them, it is actually an act of worship to God. The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." This verse highlights the responsibility we have to care for our bodies in a way that honors Him.

I also want to emphasize that loving and respecting your body is incredibly important. There is nothing wrong with you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. When you love your body, you’re more likely to take care of it and make choices that keep you healthy. This isn't about being perfect or fitting a certain mold; it's about appreciating the incredible gift God gave you and treating it with the care it deserves.

Christian author C.S. Lewis said, "We are mirrors whose brightness, if we are bright, is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us." Our true beauty and worth come from reflecting God's love and light in our lives. By taking care of your body and having more strength and energy, you can better reflect God's love to those around you.

Cutting back on sugar is not about “going on a diet”. It's about finding joy in God’s love, honoring God with your body, understanding your true worth in Him, and reflecting His love and light.

Health Tip

As part of loving and taking care of the body God gave you, get at least 20 minutes of exercise each day. A recent study in the UK suggests that a short workout can, in fact, improve self-control and reduce sugar cravings. The role of endorphins in regulating appetite and controlling food intake is complicated. However, this study has proven that higher levels of endorphins regulate the appetite and control cravings.

Prayer

Lord, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that. Thank You so much that You declare I am enough. I’m so grateful that I belong to You and that You alone are the only one that I need to impress. Give me strength to love and fight for my body. Help me to want You more when I am looking for comfort or pleasure and not turn to sugar. Amen.

Challenge

1. Think about your “wanter” – ask God to help you want Him more when you look for comfort. When you change your “wanter,” it makes it easier to seek good health long-term. You’ll find it easier and easier to get off that sugar.
2. Take time each day to do some sort of exercise. It may be going for a walk, doing some gardening, or something more intense. Keep the body that God lovingly gave to you in shape and ready for what He has in store for you.

JAMES 4:3

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

EPHESIANS 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

PSALMS 37:4

Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Psalm 139:13-14

For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made.