It’s a New Year, the Year 2019, and like many people I look at the scales and I realize I have a little “fluffy” that could stand to come off. Each year we are reminded of this fluffiness and people flock to gyms, trying once again to rid ourselves of this unnecessary extra.

We know it’s not healthy to eat junk, but when you go to a Mexican restaurant who can resist the complementary chips and salsa they place in front of you? And then you need that cold Coke or Pepsi to diminish the salt.

Or how about just being tired on your way home from work and the last thing you want to do is cook a big meal and be faced with a mountain of dishes. Isn’t it easier to grab something on the way home?

Whatever the “reason” it’s not long before our muffin grows around our middle and we without even realizing it are becoming more and more unhealthy. Sick actually. Just look around and you will see that many people are overweight and unhealthy. And it’s not always different for normal or underweight people because while some stay thin, their diet is deplorable.

Eat right and Exercise.

We all know it. Most of us only do this in spurts.

But without realizing it the same thing can happen to our minds. We can become “overweight” in our thinking. But the Scriptures say this:

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

When we think about other things, things that not pure, not lovely, not admirable, not noble, not excellent, not praiseworthy, it’s like eating junk food for our minds–easy, fast and makes us sick so slowly we don’t even realize it.

We in essence become “fat” in the spirit. Our minds are weighed down with that which is void of hope and joy. Our bad thinking can just as easily become an addiction.

Eat well and exercise.

I have been challenged to do just this in the area of my thinking. I feel the Lord leading me to be intentional about my thoughts. I feel I am to journal that which is good, lovely, right, excellent, and more…exercising my mind so that it will not be heavy and overweight. I will only trim my thinking with regular exercise that lasts more than 3 weeks. God help me because when I look in the mirror my mind is definitely overweight.