Many have heard of, and some might have had experiences with Weight Watchers; a globally recognized weight management program.
Statistics show that more than 2.6 billion adults are bodily overweight, which is equivalent to 45% of the adult population worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 8 people are obese, 35 million children under the age of 5 are overweight.
As staggering as those figures are for natural weight issues, they pale in comparison to those who have emotional/Spiritual weight challenges, and yes that also includes our children.
Carrying excess weight is a major issue.
Some count calories, but God is watching the cares that we carry.
Natural weight is a concern, but Spiritual weight is equally vital.
Carrying excessive Spiritual weight has plagued mankind since Eden.
The word/term Obesity has been simplified to suggest fat, or overeating.
In Latin, obesitas, is derived from obedere, implying to gnaw away at.
Obedere has less to do with what you are putting in, and more to do with what resides within and is gnawing at Your Soul!
It has been scientifically proven that many natural weight issues stem from emotional/Spiritual unhealthiness.
Again, Obedere; to gnaw away at. Gnawing is mutilation.
Gnawing on something” means to bite or chew repeatedly and persistently, usually to wear it down, nibbling pieces off, rather than taking a chunk out of something, inflicting continuous pain.
Hebrews 12 KJV, says lay aside every weight that can easily beset us.
Weight in Greek is Impairment. Beset in Greek means Thwarts.
Obedere / Weight / Beset = Gnaws / Impairs / Thwarts
Something that gnaws acts as a hindrance/impairment by gradually eroding structure, focus, and/or resources over time.
Whether the gnawing is literal (like a rodent chewing) or metaphorical (like anxiety wearing away at), it creates a hindrance through slow, continuous destruction rather than a single sudden blow.
Furthermore, “Thwarts” and “Gnaws” are exact anagrams of each other, meaning they contain the exact same seven letters (A, H, N, R, S, T, W) rearranged in a different order.
Beyond being anagrams, they also share a core concept—both words describe actions that slowly wear down, obstruct, or eat away at something (whether it’s a plan or a nerve!).
Anxiety and Worry are examples of Spiritual/ emotional weight.
When a thought or worry is gnawing at you, it causes a persistent, nagging feeling of anxiety or distress in the back of your mind.
Anxiety is the number one mental health issue that many suffer from.
Gods “Weight” Watcher Plan encompasses the whole person; body, mind and spirit.
When a thought, worry, or regret “gnaws” at your mind, it is a persistent, low-grade distraction. It drains power like an app running on a phone.
Hindrance: The background noise makes it incredibly difficult to focus on the task at hand, leading to brain fog, poor decision-making, and stalled productivity. Mental hindrance is a cognitive drain.
Damage: It consumes your working memory and mental bandwidth.
A gnawing issue presents itself as something minor, it isn’t severe enough to trigger an alarm but never actually goes away. “Slow Leak”
Because it doesn’t seem urgent, it gets ignored. Over time, it quietly eats away at everything that is important to you and your livelihood.
In the Bible, thwart means to block, hinder, frustrate, or prevent a plan or purpose from succeeding.
Physiologically experiencing constant gnawing affects your leptin.
Leptin is the hormone that tells your brain you are full. In some cases, especially if you have carried extra weight for a long time, the brain stops “hearing” this signal, leaving you feeling perpetually starved.
God’s word says, lay aside “every weight “, which includes natural, spiritual, emotional and physical weight.
God calls our “weight problems”, burdens.
Gods Weight Watching Plan provides us with nutritional truths for our soul, spirit and body, rather than just offering a diet plan.
One of Gods best trainers, Peter, offered this health tip;
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
That is sound advice for all of Gods children, no matter the age.
Worry acts like an invisible heavy burden, that drains your mental and emotional energy.
God’s goal is not just weight loss; His plan focuses on wholistic growth.
God’s spiritual weight watching plan aligns our physical health with our spiritual walk to discipline our habits, by trusting God to carry our burdens as we seek His presence as our source for real lasting change.
What are areas where you are carrying weight that you shouldn’t be?
Join us next time, when we will be discussing Healthy Habits.
This is a Thompson Truth
