Diet Motivation: Tame the Tongue (and the Belly!)

“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23

Isn’t this verse the truth!! Of course it’s talking about our speech and the words we choose, but our tongue gets us in a lot more trouble than just our words. Our tongue leads us to tasty treats off our diet, overeating, unhealthy indulgences and the temptation of regular food and drink abuse.

Think about this. Have you ever had a cold so bad you couldn’t taste food. Were you hungry? Probably not. It’s hard to want to eat when nothing tastes good. Sadly, the opposite is true – but there are a lot of things that “feel” good that you don’t let your body convince you to do 5 times a day.

For instance, we like sleep but we know we shouldn’t sleep all day. We like to spend money and buy new things, but we know we can’t do it all the time either. There are restrictions on everything in life – even the stuff that’s not necessarily bad for us. My grandmother passed down a quote to me that said “Even something good can be bad if it keeps you from your best”. This could not be more true than with food. Food is good until it keeps you from your best.

“Even something good can be bad if it keeps you from your best”

Are you REALLY going to let something as small as a tongue tell you what to do? Are you really going to let it keep you from your goals and have control over you? Take control now! Tame your tongue like you tame your body, beating it under submission in the gym with every weight you lift and every drop of sweat you shed. If you can control all the other muscles in your body, surely you can control your tongue.

Of COURSE Satan doesn’t want you to control your tongue. He doesn’t want you to feel good and be happy and healthy. So next time you have a craving or feel like you may give in – don’t give him that pleasure! Take care of the body God gave you and whip that tongue into shape!!

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! James 3: 2-5