Everyday, we as women are BOMBARDED with pressures of our beauty, trends, diet fads, and that is why we must be spiritually prepared to fill our minds with truth of who we are and not get caught up with the pressures we feel around us.
How you think is who you are –As a man thinks, so he is (Prov 23:7) The basic wisdom of this Proverb couldn’t be more true.
The next big step of changing your health is all about your mindset. This is crucial in transforming our bodies is always starting with transforming our minds! Rom 12:1-2 Romans 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We need to rethink how we approach our mindset towards,health and lifestyle habits.
Matt 26: 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Getting to the ROOTS
- What has been your personal health journey?–your relationship with food and body image
- What do you believe is the root of those thoughts or behaviors(could be a mix of good and bad)
- Who made influences on your relationship with food but also body image?
- What HAVE BEEN your personal health goals?
- Have you accomplished these?
If not, then what changes do you need to make to do so?
Are these realistic? Short term goals vs long term goals
Ex: I wanted to lose 35 lbs in one month–this was not realistic and instead focused on simple changes to get me to a lifestyle habit and not a diet mentality
Confession: What needs to change today to implement these changes? Hebrews 12:1 is one of my favorite scriptures because I can picture this scenario so well of the physical sin that is attached to my body which for me that was literally the fat that I wish was never there. I wanted to strip off this extra weight I had gained and be able to go the distance.
Looking back, the days I felt at peace, were the days I was not fixated on my weight but instead focused on how can I serve God’s kingdom better today?
How can I be intentional with the people God has placed into my life? This is demonstrating a heart of surrender and to show that my weight was not the end goal and never was, it was living a purpose filled life to love others and be obedient with the tasks at hand. As soon as I felt I was failing, I immediately tried to hold onto something I could control–my weight, my diet, and my physical appearance.
Scripture:
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I wanted to make sure that the confession is the first big step to any changes just like with any AA meeting, we have to confess and come to terms with the reality of our situation. To strip off the weight requires confession, so take the time to confess and get right with God.
2nd point here is confess your sins to ONE ANOTHER and PRAY for one ANOTHER that you may be healed. The Prayer of a righteous person is truly powerful and this is another key step in this journey–you have to have people in your life to keep you accountable but also PRAY. My mom was a prayer anchor for me and I know accountability was crucial to get out of my own head and refocus on Christ.
As you begin this battle, remember Christ already has victory! So, in the days when you feel defeated, don’t stay in that mindset. Every day his mercies are made new so embrace each day and the fact that as Christians we have full assurance of salvation. If losing this weight is all you live for, then you will not succeed long term because that is not the reason we are here. Instead, your mindset should be I want to serve God’s Kingdom better and why we must let go of the sin that is holding us back.
So whatever you do, whether eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God! (1 Cor 10:31)
Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart.
Netflix has a Show called how to make money and the common line from the host is having the define what your “Rich LIfe”. In the show it is related to financial freedom, but of course applies to all walks of life and I am curious what does that look like for you? What do you want to be able to do with this body?
In the case of financial settings, we think about long term investing and how we can save our money now to benefit for the future. So, God has given us our bodies which are to be a lifetime investment. The better we care for our bodies now, the physical (& financial reward) will pay off.
The habits we instill now will actually save us money since we will be less dependent on medications, doctor’s visits, etc. Your body is an investment, it is a temple.
1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.
This verse convicted me when I was at the beginning of addressing my emotional eating because this body that I was so ashamed of and had taken for granted was not my own. This body was given for me to steward and what is even more convicting is that the Holy Spirit dwells within us.
As Christians, this is a wake up call for us to invest well into this body so that we can be faithful to utilize this body for God’s glory and not our own. Now, let me point out the body itself is NOT to be worshipped, rather it is to be respected because the Holy Spirit dwells in our bodies. So, don’t get too caught up in the self-worship otherwise you are missing the whole point!
If we live with the mindset that Jesus is truly the BREAD of life–that he satisfies ALL of our desires then we are equipped to fight off temptation and have the wisdom to know that nothing in this world can satisfy us–John 6:35–“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
So, what are your Personal Health Goals:
1. Long term goal
2. Short term
Keep it simple: LISTEN to our bodies, Don’t weigh yourself everyday, No counting calories, Eat slower(spend minimal 30 mins to enjoy and allow your body to communicate with itself), hydrate, exercise-discover what you enjoy, REST–learn how to rest properly(sleep is powerful)
Perhaps instead of having the goal to lose 10lbs, etc, change your mindset to implementing healthier habits