How to Pray for Freedom in Your Weight Loss Journey

Use these 3 steps to invite God into your weight loss journey and pray for true freedom from overeating, emotional eating, insecurities, guilt and so much more.

I didn’t know it when I started, but the real goal of my 100-pound weight loss journey was finding freedom. Here are some prayers to help you find freedom in your weight loss, as well.

It’s the 4th of July today – the day we Americans throw parades, barbecues, and huge fireworks displays to celebrate our country’s freedom.

Freedom is a beautiful thing, especially after you’ve experienced what it’s like to live in bondage.

Thankfully, most of us have never had to experience slavery firsthand, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t living like a slave to certain things in our lives.

We talk about having financial freedom, freedom of religion, or freedom in education, but have you ever thought about what freedom would look like in your weight loss journey?

When you struggle with your weight, many times you’re living in bondage and don’t even know it.

To things like:

• insecurities (I’m not skinny enough, I’m not fast enough, I’m not pretty enough, I’m not good enough)
• food cravings (I need to have cake/cookies/chips/pizza/french fries right now)
• laziness (I’d rather stay on the couch, I’m too tired to go on a walk/run/bike ride/swim, my body aches so I need to sit more)

Missing a workout, having a negative thought about your body image, or indulging in a big slice of cake is not what I’m talking about here.

I’m talking about those things becoming ingrained patterns in your life, in your mind. You consistently trade in your workouts for Netflix binges. You give in to food cravings more often than not. You dwell on your shortcomings more often than not.

It becomes a lifestyle of slavery.

You let your insecurities, food cravings, and laziness make your choices for you.

• Instead of joining friends on a hike, you make up an excuse to stay home because you don’t think you can keep up.
• At night, when you know you’re not even hungry, you still reach for candy, chips, ice cream, and other junk food.
• You’re tired all the time and choose to watch endless hours of TV instead of getting up and moving because you just don’t feel like it.

And when you are eating lots of junk food, not moving very much, and thinking poorly of yourself, weight loss is the inevitable result.

So, we focus on the things we can do to lose weight:

• diet
• exercise

And those are great things! Those habits do need to change. But that’s just the surface level of the real problem.

Even more than changing your habits, you need to renew your mind, which happens in prayer.

Prayer not only helps you to have more clarity, motivation, and inspiration, but it also lifts the heavy burden from your shoulders and invites God’s power into your weight loss, which changes everything.

Here are 3 ways you can pray for freedom in your weight loss journey

#1 – Be Honest With God (And Yourself)

I mean, really honest. The most vibrant, meaningful prayers are raw, real, and authentic.

Often times, it’s easier to pretend like these issues don’t exist. It’s embarrassing to acknowledge you have a problem with food, your weight, and your body.

Sweeping those problems under the rug might make you feel better temporarily, but it’s sure not helping you deal with the problem.

Be self-aware. Take the time to really look into those hard, embarrassing areas of your life.

• Acknowledge them
• Take responsibility for them
• Confess them to God.

“God, I am 100 pounds overweight. I don’t even know how I got here. I’m sad, I’m angry, and I’m discouraged. I have a lot of weight to lose and I don’t know how I’ll be able to do it. I know I have not been taking good care of my body and I’m not even really sure how to anymore. I’ve been turning to food when I should have been turning to you and I’m frustrated with what I look like and what I feel like it. I don’t feel like I can even change at this point.”

#2 – Declare God’s Truth in Your Situation

As Christians, we know the Bible, the Word of God, is Truth. It’s easy to know the Word of God, but forget that it applies to any and every situation in our lives.

It’s alive and active, a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) that we can wield to cut through the chains of bondage in our life.

Make Scripture personal. 

Feeling hopeless or discouraged? There’s a verse for that.

Feeling like you’re a failure or a lost cause? Find verses that talk about your worth and identity in Him.

Feeling overwhelmed? Remind yourself that God takes on our heavy burden and makes our load easy and light (Matthew 11:28-30)

Come up with a few declarations from God’s Word to speak every morning.

#3 – Ask Questions

God is the ultimate source of wisdom. I don’t have a problem asking Him questions. I have journal after journal filled with questions I’ve asked of Him.

But you have to remember to listen for the answers.

Prayer is not a one-sided conversation. You shouldn’t just be talking at God. Talk to Him and with Him.

Ask Him questions and then let there be enough pause to wait for a response.

• When you’re overwhelmed, ask God to show you the first step you can take today.
• When you feel like you’ve tried everything and you just can’t lose the weight, ask God to give you wisdom in what else to try.
• When it comes to dealing with insecurities, the best question you can ask is, “How do you see me, God?” And make sure you’re listening to His voice that will always line up with His Word, not any lies that have crept into your thoughts over your lifetime.

Ask for help, wisdom, support, encouragement, or guidance – there is nothing too big or too small.

Inviting God into your weight loss journey is one of the most powerful things you can do.

He can change the entire way you think as you take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.

Your life, your habits, your body, your relationships, your mood and so much more can be completely transformed as you make these prayers a regular habit.

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