Self -Control Is Only Effective When We Are God-Controlled

Gal 5:22-23
I find it interesting that the parts of the Spirit that we are to emulate are called "fruits".  Each one is important in our spiritual growth, but the one that plays a huge role in our ability to keep food out of our mouths is self-control.
John MacArthur's study Bible refers to self-control as restraint over our passions and appetites. So very interesting.  We are never asked to live  the Christian life on our own; we are to allow the Holy Spirit to live through us.  We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit while living in the flesh.
I Corin. 9:24-27; 2 Pet 1: 5-9; Phil. 3: 13-21; Jere. 29:13-14; Prov. 25:28
I Corin. 9: 24-27 speaks of a runner who disciplines himself in preparation for a race.  Self-control is crucial to any victory.  If we are to have victory over sin (overeating or eating junk) we need self-control.  Discipline is also necessary to bring others to Christ, and it is hard to teach our children self-control if they see we have none.
Phil. 3:13-21 (especially 18 and 19) condemns those who claim to be Christians but have no fruit to show for it.  I pray that I do not live a life that someone could questions my heart.  When it talks about their "God is their belly" J. Vernon McGee states, "This means that they are led by their appetites."  This in our case can mean food, however it means anything that drives us and pulls us away from God.  Paul wants us to live lives that are so Christ-centered that our Faith is crystal clear to those around us without having to convince them of our belief in God.
Jeremiah 29: 13-14 is a promise from God to the Israelites that we can claim today.  Look for your God with all your heart and he will rebuild you and end your captivity with food or any other stronghold the enemy has on you.
Prov. 25:28 - Back before airplanes, missiles and tanks the best defense a city had against invaders was a huge wall around the city; without it or if it was broken it would leave the inhabitants of the city very vulnerable to any evil. The writer of Proverbs is telling us here that self-control can protect us the same way.  A lack of self-control in one area of our lives will grow and spill over into other areas.  We need to continually be on our knees asking God to live through us to control us because as 2 Corin 12:9 states "for my [God's] power is made perfect in weakness." 
My challenge to you this week is to literally pray before you put anything in you mouth.
1.  Thank Him for His guidance for without it we are weak.
2.  Ask if this is what He wants you to partake in.
3.  Praise Him for one of 2 things either the liberty He is giving you or the strength to abstain.
I am challenging each of us to ask God for a direct command to fast from something this week for just a short time (it could be just one meal or a snack) to use that time to worship and praise Him.
The final thing that is crucial is to decide if this weight-loss is a vow to God.  If the answer is YES we need to get on our knees and ask God to forgive us for cheating on Him with whatever food it is, because cheating with food is sin if you have vowed to God not to eat certain things.