I watched a rerun of the Biggest Loser the other night and as usual it was a tear-jerking event (well, for me anyway). It was a special one that featured ex-athletes, many of whom I have seen on the professional circuit in past years, trying to get ahold of their lives again. The difference between 
their current condition and their glory days was stark. As athletes they were in peak condition and now they are well over 200 or 300 pounds and very obese. As I watched I was asking the same question that I am sure many others at home and probably the athletes themselves were asking- How did that happen? How did they go from winning Olympic gold medals, Super Bowls, and Tennis championships to barely being able to walk five minutes on a treadmill. What had brought them to that point? We will talk about the how later, but first of all we should realize it can happen to anyone. In the Biggest Loser it is mostly physical, but that kind of slow but drastic change can also take place in other parts of our lives.
The people on the Biggest Loser had one advantage that we don’t have when we degrade in areas other than physical. They have mirrors. They could look in the mirror and see the differences. None of them got there overnight just like none of us turn flabby in our spiritual life overnight. Unfortunately we don’t have a mirror to reflect our spiritual condition. We can’t see where we are or where we were by looking in a magic mirror, but there are some things that can help us see our spiritual condition.
Gaining weight might happen over a period of months or years when we have neglected to push the plate away like we should. Gaining spiritual flab might also happen over a period of months or years when we have been pushing God away rather than running towards Him. Throughout the journey with the people on the Biggest Loser we heard how they got to where they were. How seemingly suddenly, but not really, they rolled out of bed one morning and had moved up eight sizes and could no longer tie their own shoes. This morning, however, we will look at how we can avoid spiritual obesity that can just as easily sneak up on us and steal the pleasure that we can have in life.
Let’s pretend we have a magic mirror for a minute- that we can look into it and see our spiritual condition. What would be staring back at us? The Apostle Paul that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) In other words, if we want to see a spiritually fit person staring back at us, we need to be in the Word of God. One of the early signals that we’re moving away from God is a diminishing desire to study His Word. Just like someone physically degrading by not eating the right foods, we are not consistently taking in the nourishing food of Bible. We are caught up in the junk food of the world.
Another symptom that we are losing control of our spiritual condition is a diminishing desire to be around God’s people. Being around loving, spirit-filled, people of God, gives us accountability, strength and support. It is like hanging around a gym for our physical well-being. Being around the right people encourages us to stay on the right track. The right kind of fellowship strengthens us, just as much as the wrong kind of fellowship weakens us. In fact, that truth is repeated throughout the Bible. Ecclesiastes says it this way: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Finally, if we find ourselves increasingly thrilled over the things of this world, we are probably moving into spiritual obesity. The Apostle John said in 1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If 
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all this is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.” If we replace prayer and service, reading and fellowship, with the things of the world it will affect us. We cannot eat like we want, avoid exercise, and not treat our bodies right and expect good results. The same thing goes for our spiritual lives.
So there are remedies against getting out of shape spiritually. Routine Bible study and church attendance will yield great results. Prayer and service will help us stay in shape. If we do these things we can be alert to the traps the world sets for us. Where we put our time will be what shapes us. Lust, an unhealthy desire for things in this world, can do more to kill a relationship with Jesus as anything I know. Paul told us if we “walk in the spirit…You shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Peter said it even more strongly “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)
That is the unfortunate thing about both spiritual and physical obesity. People are unhappy, but continue the same habits that keep them there. People are afraid to give things up because they think that those things give them true happiness, but they usually aren’t happy. The 1/2 pound of chocolate makes them happy for the moment, at least until they walk by a store window and see their 
reflection or walk up flight of stairs and have to stop every other step. The sin that we are involved in seems great at the time, at least until we have a moment of reflection and realize that it’s fun effects were temporary and we are still not content on the inside. Satan’s lie is that the alternatives to fattening foods are tasteless and the alternative to sin is funless. Both lies, but we fall for them.
So we need to be spiritual biggest losers. Losers of those things that hold us back and make us spiritually flabby. If we are in a spiritually fit condition, we will be happier and will finally find a purpose in our lives.