Inspirational Writings from Gwen Shamblin Lara
Give and Take
We read yesterday about the love God that is calling for from all of us.…Love is simply give and take. A relationship with God is reciprocal…or just give and take. “Sacrifice” is just another word for “give.” “Denial” is just another word for “give.” You deny (give) and God gives back (take). What do you take? You are taking God’s Holy Spirit, which gives you self-control, and self-control allows you to want less food. When you deny yourself (give), you will want less (take). To “want” less is simply super and supernatural—a true gift, especially in a world of greed. How ecstatic you are when you tap into this gift of the Holy Spirit, and so you actually want less food...
January 11, 2026
God is my morning and my night; He is my Alpha and Omega. He is the Beginning and the End. God is my everything and He is your everything, but you might not know that yet. There is nothing that He can't do, and He wants to show you if you would only give Him the floor for a few minutes. I learn something new every week. I am going to start a list of the things that He has been to me and for me, and you can add to it...
January 10, 2026
A major concern in starting WeighDown may be “How can this work for me?” because: 1) “I am not particularly religious anymore” and “I feel a distance between me and God because I have been told this is a chronic disease or genetic and I see no cure,” or 2) “I have tried every diet 10 times, every diet pill and exercise, and failed miserably—so how can this work?” What we are really asking is... “Am I a failure? Has God forgotten me?” Well, you are not a failure...
January 9, 2026
As we learned yesterday, we have been trying to feed our hurting, longing hearts with physical food and substances, but you can reverse this...
January 8, 2026
We have all been created with two empty, needing-to-be-fed holes in our body. One is the stomach, and the other is the heart...
January 7, 2026
Going back to eating the way the Creator wants is huge because it is deeper than just eating...it is going back and getting in touch with the guiding hand of God...
January 6, 2026
Diets are everywhere we look, and on every diet, the dieter is asked to think about food content, consider the fat gram count, examine food pictures, discuss food and recipes in support groups, depend upon the scales (a focus on body and self), and prepare special meals. This focus on food makes it irresistible, for you fall in love with what you focus on...
January 5, 2026
We’ve talked about some tips for getting through the sudden temptations, but are you experiencing daily challenges that sometimes seem almost insurmountable? You can make it! Just remember that God is personally attentive to your individual specific needs, so always pray! ...
January 4, 2026
Here are some more tips to help break your focus on the food – especially during this busy time of year. Do not eat in your car. Do not eat in your room. Do not keep a food drawer at work loaded with unnecessary snacks. Do not eat in front of the TV. You do not need to eat your way through the day! ...
January 3, 2026
As you have begun waiting for true hunger, God has shown you just how much of your heart has been devoted to your passion for food rather than to Him. But the fact is, you are now free from worrying about food, man-made food rules, and the control that food used to have over you. You are free to be fully devoted to HIM, while enjoying His wonderful foods when your body is hungry...[:es]It is a wonderful feeling to be devoted to God instead of food. Remember that prayer – constant communication with God – will keep you focused...