Delayed Obedience is Still Disobedience

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Here are a few steps you can take today:

STEP 1: ACT IMMEDIATELY - When you feel that nudge—move. Not later. Not eventually. Now. 

James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” 

STEP 2: LOWER THE BAR - You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a starting point.  5-minute walk -  One healthy choice -  One “no” to temptation. 5-4-3-2-1-GO! Make a healthy choice!

STEP 3: STOP OVERTHINKING - Overthinking delays action. Action creates clarity. 

STEP 4: BUILD TRUST WITH YOURSELF - Every time you follow through, you prove something: “I CAN do this.” “I keep my word.” 

Action Step for today is to ACT. Take ONE step. What is one thing you already know God is asking you to DO that you keep putting off in your health journey? Journal it and ask Him to help you take one step.

Father, I love You so much. Please Lord, forgive me for delaying what You’ve made clear. Give me courage to act today not tomorrow. I want what You want for my life Jesus, I know I have so much life to live. Help me to honor You with my actions, help me be a person of action Lord. Help me become someone who follows through with what You lead me to Lord. Show me how to do it. Amen. Amen. Amen

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and NOT losing weight?

Hey there friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late twenties and struggled for years to get it off. Seven years ago, I found a basic system that worked and has helped me lose 90 of those pounds. I’ve been working with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since to break chains of diet culture, embrace their bodies and fueling instead of dieting. 

 In this podcast, I'll teach you how to:

• • Lose Weight in a Way that honors God without obsessing about the scale
  • Meal Plan and Prep for Your Family
  • Follow a MACRO based plan that allows you to eat the foods you love.
  • Recognize and pray through triggers keeping you stuck.
  • I’ll help you Plan your week and schedule your self-care time.
  • Cultivate a spirit of self-discipline in your workouts you actually enjoy.
   
  It's time to give God your health journey and watch Him make you new, from the inside, OUT.

Join The Biblical Weight Loss Framework: https://www.herweightlossmindset.com/framework

Join my FREE Community: https://bit.ly/JoinTheChristianWeightLossCommunity

Join my Insiders List with weekly tips for weight loss for Christian women: http://herweightlossmindset.com/herweightlossmindsetinsiders

Transcript

I'll start tomorrow, I'll do better next week. You just need one more day. Have you said any of these?

We say it like it's harmless, but what if that one phrase is keeping you stuck? Listen, I've gotten to a great habit of exercise, it's my therapy, but man, I'm telling you, my food prep game has been a real struggle lately.

My baby is mama's stage five clingier, and I am struggling to find time to be in the kitchen, and she really isn't interested in helping me right now, so this struggle is real, like tracking macros, same thing.

I got out of the habit last fall, and not only have I gained weight, now I'm dealing with this stupid Hashimoto's thing, and I've made excuse after excuse to track. So what are you making excuses for? Let's see what God has to say.

Stick with me. Hey, friend. Welcome to the podcast where we talk about weight loss a little differently.

Not just calories and workouts, but the heart, the habits, and the beliefs behind it all. Because this isn't about just losing weight. It's about becoming the woman God is calling you to be.

So if you're tired of starting over, stuck in cycles with food and ready to invite God into this journey for real change, once and for all, you're in the right place. So let's get in to today's episode.

The Local Weight Loss Framework is waiting for you.

If you're ready to take a deep dive into Weight Loss God's Way, join this 90-day group coaching program, complete with video trainings, homework, tasks that are going to help you feel encouraged and really get down to the nitty gritty of the things

that are going on in your life, in your past, and the things that have shaped the excuses, the habits, and the struggles around your weight loss journey. If you are ready to finally heal this area of your life, go to

herweightlossmindset.com/framework and join us. So, I read this verse last week, but I really feel like it's vital for us to read it again. Joshua 24, 15.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourself the stay whom you will serve. Whether the gods of your ancestors serve beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. So I asked this question a couple weeks ago. Does serving the Lord seem undesirable to you?

Like we say no, right? Like we're like, no, I want to serve the Lord. Well, yeah, as long as it fits in your terms.

But what if God is calling you to something deeper and more intimate? A Holy Spirit discipline that you never knew you had. So this episode, I'm sure you saw by the title, this is going to be a tricky one.

When we delay what God has told us to do, we sin. Like, we take advantage of the idea that God is going to give us tomorrow. And what if he doesn't?

Delayed obedience can feel responsible. It's like, oh, well, I need to have a plan. I need to get everything laid out.

Like, it feels like you're getting ready. But it's actually your flesh that's keeping you from listening to what God wants for you. Procrastination is a tool of the devil.

And we can't always blame him. Sometimes we have to own up and take responsibility. But delayed disobedience is sin dressed up as excuses and planning.

Because if we're being honest, tomorrow gives us permission to stay the same today. And again, we're not promised tomorrow. You know what to do, right?

Like, the Lord has told you, God's Word has told you, I have told you, wake up early, pray, read your Bible, do a workout, eat a good breakfast, drink the water, go for a walk, stop late night snacking, stop scrolling on social media.

But instead of acting, you hit snooze. You scroll, you open your email, you read the news or latest devotional instead of opening your Bible. You run through the drive-thru on the way to work, you finish your show instead of walk.

You delay, you procrastinate, and the cycle continues. And here's the honest truth. Obedience isn't complicated, it's just uncomfortable.

Mostly because if we think if we do all the things and it takes time, we don't lose weight right away, like we quit or think it doesn't work or we're too tired or too old to change, or we just don't want to or have time, like yada, yada, yada, insert

your excuse here. But your body isn't yours, it's God's temple to live in and dwell in and work in, and it's time to give her the honor that she's do. Because when we live out obedience to the Holy Spirit, regardless of the outcome, we honor God.

Not because of what we want from him, or you know, that we're going to lose the weight, or do all the things, but because his word tells us simply to listen and obey.

So here are a few things that you can do today to walk towards obedience, all right? Step one, act immediately. When you feel the nudge, move.

Not later, not in 10 minutes, like now. James 1-22 says, do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Do you hear that? Don't listen to the word, and deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Anytime we read the word, and don't live it out, I feel like God's heart breaks just a little bit. Like he wants so much good for us, and we're our own worst enemies, and constantly disobey and make excuses.

So a couple many years ago, I read the Mel Robbins Five Second Rule. She's a secular author. It's highly worth the read.

Mel has an incredible transformation story. I actually got to meet her in New Orleans a few years back. And the basic premise of the book is that you basically have five seconds to act once your brain tells you to do something.

So five seconds doesn't seem like very long, and it isn't. But when you train your brain this way, you can literally change everything about your life. So get the book, read it, and live it.

After, of course, you wake up and give God your first fruits. Pray, read your Bible, get your journaling done, and then spend three to five minutes reading the five second rule. Step two, lower the bar.

Like stop trying to do everything perfectly or do all the things. You need a starting point. One thing, one five-minute walk, one healthy choice, one note of temptation.

So Mel talks about counting down from five. Five, four, three, two, one, go. Your body or your brain says get up and go food prep.

I say five, four, three, two, one, go out loud. And I get up before my body or my brain has time to psych me out. Like go make the healthy choice.

She has a TED talk. I think it's how to stop screwing yourself over. Highly recommend listening to that, but go get the book.

Step three, stop overthinking. Overthinking delays action. Procrastination, again, a tactic of the enemy.

Overthinking, a tactic of the enemy. Action creates clarity. Remember, we're picking one thing to start with if you're at the beginning of listening to this podcast.

One to three if you've been listening to me for a while and have a solid plan down. Stop overthinking. Do the next right thing.

Take one step, all right? And then step four is you have to build trust with yourself. Every time you follow through, you prove to yourself that you can do this.

You can keep your word. With God at your side, you can do anything. Because one win builds momentum.

And one win on top of that keeps building one step at a time. Slow and steady wins the race, my friend. You don't need more time.

You need to move. You need to take action. Because the longer you delay, the harder it becomes.

And God needs you to move, not for his sake, but for your own. So your action step for today is to act. Take one step.

Delayed obedience is disobedience and that is sin. Procrastination is sin. So what is one thing that you already know God is asking you to do that you keep putting off in your health journey?

Write it down, pray over it, and ask him to help you take one step. Father, I love you so much. Please Lord forgive me for delaying what you've made clear.

Give me courage to act today and not tomorrow. I want what you want for my life, Jesus. I know I have so much life to live.

Help me to honor you with my actions, Lord. Help me be a person of action. Help me become someone who follows through with what you lead me to, Jesus, and show me how to do it.

Amen, amen, amen. Beloved, this isn't about doing everything perfectly, okay? This is about becoming consistent in the things that actually matter.

Waking up, spending time with the Lord in prayer and in the Word. So don't just walk away from this episode inspired. Walk away making a decision to start every day with Jesus.

What is one thing that you're going to do differently today? Just start there. And if this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who needs it too, because you are not the only one who's walking through this.

And if you would, would you go to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review? It helps me to know that these messages are encouraging you. Please know that I am here cheering you on.

I am praying for you. And if you want to work with me one on one, just shoot me an email to info at herweightlossmindset.com. And let's talk about how we can work through your personal journey.

And I will see you back here for the next episode. God bless.