A blogger asked this week, “Why are so many people obsessed with celebrities lifestyles, choices, clothes, cars, homes, etc?” She concluded it was due to envy, jealousy, and boredom. Yes, but ti goes much deeper than that. The person needs to ask themselves, “why”—why am I obsessed.
French philosopher of social science, Dr. Rene Girard, developed the idea of mimesis or mimetic desires. According to Dr. Girard, the mimetic desire is motivated by an inner sense that “something” is missing. Scripture says, “You want something but don't get it” (James 4:2, NIV). That something, or soul-hole, lures many into a web of dangerous dieting. His theory is that our desires never come purely from ourselves; rather, they are inspired by the desires of another. The word mimesis means identifying with the original and involves some sort of participation. It is not the same as imitation, which suggests simulation or copying.
The mimetic desire describes our ravenous hunger for wholeness. It is so strong that people willingly stuff themselves with fragmented identities. Deep inside they feel “something” is missing. The culture and media machine have done a superb job of getting us all to believe “something” is missing and only “more” of what they offer will satisfy…and we devour the bait.
Scripture says, “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness and sin, of greed and hate, envy, murder, fighting, lying, bitterness, and gossip” (Romans 1:29, TLB). Jesus knew man would deny God as his Creator and seek to remake himself in his own image. This is why he had to come and die. Jesus took onto himself every one of our faults, each imperfection—all our sin. As a result a space was created—a hole in our soul, that “something,” which can only be filled by him. God created us in such a way that only those who seek Jesus will be filled. We will never be filled by following celebrities or pop culture.
[this is an excerpt from "Torn Between Two Masters"]
Showing posts with label low self esteem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low self esteem. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Suffering and Glory
Many Scripture passages in the Bible speak of refining gold into pure gold. It is a beautiful illustration of God’s method for shaping His children. Suffering and glory go together. You can’t have one without the other. It's true! God equates our suffering to the purifying of silver and gold. Neither metal is pure in its natural state. Both are mixed with all sorts of gunk making them impure, just like us. Malachi 3:3 says, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”
We are born with a sinful nature (as a result of the fall) that constantly attracts all sorts of impurities: thoughts, beliefs, destructive actions, and habits. We are influenced by a society permeated with sin. As silver and gold need to be refined before they reveal their beauty, so do we. The process of refining includes the melting down of the metal by fires designed not to destroy the metal, but bring forth its beauty.
The silver is crushed into small pieces and placed into a crucible. The silversmith places the crucible over the fire and then watches carefully as the silver melts. Eventually, impurities rise to the top of the crucible. The silversmith scrapes them off carefully. Then a hotter fire is built. Again, the silver is subjected to more heat. Under intense firing, more and different impurities are released.
The silversmith never leaves the silver unattended in the fire because too much heat may damage the silver. Each time the fire is amplified and impurities removed, the silversmith looks at himself in the melted silver.
At first, his image is dim. However, with each new fire his image becomes clearer. When he visibly sees himself, he knows all the impurities are gone. The refining is complete!
So it is with us. God breaks us and puts us into the crucible of suffering for one purpose—to make us into His image. At first, large chunks of impurities surface, representing “big” sins, like stealing and lying. It’s somewhat easy to skim these off. The process continues, and with each layer of impurities, the chunks get smaller and smaller. It takes longer to skim off the smaller impurities (representing unidentified sin and negative core beliefs) because they are harder to see.
If you are feeling the heat of the fire today, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you and every tiny impurity is removed.
[this is an excerpt from I'm Beautiful? Why Can't I See It?]
We are born with a sinful nature (as a result of the fall) that constantly attracts all sorts of impurities: thoughts, beliefs, destructive actions, and habits. We are influenced by a society permeated with sin. As silver and gold need to be refined before they reveal their beauty, so do we. The process of refining includes the melting down of the metal by fires designed not to destroy the metal, but bring forth its beauty.
The silver is crushed into small pieces and placed into a crucible. The silversmith places the crucible over the fire and then watches carefully as the silver melts. Eventually, impurities rise to the top of the crucible. The silversmith scrapes them off carefully. Then a hotter fire is built. Again, the silver is subjected to more heat. Under intense firing, more and different impurities are released.
The silversmith never leaves the silver unattended in the fire because too much heat may damage the silver. Each time the fire is amplified and impurities removed, the silversmith looks at himself in the melted silver.
At first, his image is dim. However, with each new fire his image becomes clearer. When he visibly sees himself, he knows all the impurities are gone. The refining is complete!
So it is with us. God breaks us and puts us into the crucible of suffering for one purpose—to make us into His image. At first, large chunks of impurities surface, representing “big” sins, like stealing and lying. It’s somewhat easy to skim these off. The process continues, and with each layer of impurities, the chunks get smaller and smaller. It takes longer to skim off the smaller impurities (representing unidentified sin and negative core beliefs) because they are harder to see.
If you are feeling the heat of the fire today, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you and every tiny impurity is removed.
[this is an excerpt from I'm Beautiful? Why Can't I See It?]
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Show Me Your Glory
This week's blog is short but packed with reflection. I've been studying "The Message of the Living God" and am in Exodus 33. We can learn so much about God by how he treated and responded to his children, the Israelites. One (of many) verse worth reflecting on is, "The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Ex. 33:14) Another word for "rest" is peace. He is saying, "I will quiet you...dispel your anxiety." Do we give him a chance to do that, or are you like me where you run ahead of yourself stressing about this or that?
The next amazing passage is the one when Moses asks God to show himself--"show me your glory," Moses says (Ex 33:18). When God passes in front of Moses what he reveals is his personal character. Scripture says, “And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Ex 33:19-20)
What God gives his people is a description of himself--not a description of how he looks but how he is. That is counter-cultural, isn’t it? God told Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7)
Take some time to really reflect on these verses, asking God to show you how they apply to your relationship with him.
The next amazing passage is the one when Moses asks God to show himself--"show me your glory," Moses says (Ex 33:18). When God passes in front of Moses what he reveals is his personal character. Scripture says, “And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Ex 33:19-20)
What God gives his people is a description of himself--not a description of how he looks but how he is. That is counter-cultural, isn’t it? God told Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7)
Take some time to really reflect on these verses, asking God to show you how they apply to your relationship with him.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Forgiven and Set Free!
God allows me the privilege of coming alongside some pretty incredible women as they venture on some very difficult but rewarding healing journeys. One such woman is Jen who has struggled with an eating disorder for many years. She has had many breakthroughs but we want to share this one with you—it is a testimony to our healing God. Jen said:
I have been forgiven, cleansed and freed from the eating disorder life that I lived for many years!! What a concept, what a freer feeling...what a GIFT from the Heavens above! When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for all my past sins, current sins and the sins He knows I will commit. He takes my sinful ways and washes my soul clean from all the "earthly/eating disorder" behaviors that I have fallen into. He has granted me the gift of living free from obsessions, compulsions and negative thinking!
Yesterday, God was speaking to me about "no eating disorder" and that was really sitting in my head. And in my heart, I do think that He used Mary [her therapist] to "speak" to me and tell me that I AM free from the eating disorder, that He has forgiven me for all the years I spent in that hellish life. He is giving me a new life and I am becoming a new woman!
I do believe that Jesus knows how hard it is to change behaviors and old, ingrained beliefs. He provides me strength and courage to step out and away from the old "ways" and to face the fears and move into my new life!
My biggest realization is that I AM free from the disorder and I am free becuz Jesus already paid for those sins! I can rest in the truth of that and live my life as a free woman in Christ!
~~~
I rejoice with Jen and the millions of others, including myself, who have been set free from their own personal hell. Praise God!
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
I have been forgiven, cleansed and freed from the eating disorder life that I lived for many years!! What a concept, what a freer feeling...what a GIFT from the Heavens above! When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for all my past sins, current sins and the sins He knows I will commit. He takes my sinful ways and washes my soul clean from all the "earthly/eating disorder" behaviors that I have fallen into. He has granted me the gift of living free from obsessions, compulsions and negative thinking!
Yesterday, God was speaking to me about "no eating disorder" and that was really sitting in my head. And in my heart, I do think that He used Mary [her therapist] to "speak" to me and tell me that I AM free from the eating disorder, that He has forgiven me for all the years I spent in that hellish life. He is giving me a new life and I am becoming a new woman!
I do believe that Jesus knows how hard it is to change behaviors and old, ingrained beliefs. He provides me strength and courage to step out and away from the old "ways" and to face the fears and move into my new life!
My biggest realization is that I AM free from the disorder and I am free becuz Jesus already paid for those sins! I can rest in the truth of that and live my life as a free woman in Christ!
~~~
I rejoice with Jen and the millions of others, including myself, who have been set free from their own personal hell. Praise God!
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Perfection and Greatness
What do you think defines an authentic life? What if I said it was to be perfect and be really great. Jesus did say we are to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Taken out of context, we may have been taught that in order to be like Jesus we must be painstakingly competent and faultless in order to be considered by God, and ourselves, as valuable. This is another one of those deadly lies. No one can be perfect. How then do we interpret Matthew 5:48, “be perfect”?
The word “perfect” is the Greek word teleios, which means “mature, fully developed.” Jesus did not expect his followers to become morally perfect or flawless in this life. He is speaking of the kind of love that is like God’s love—mature, complete, holy, full of blessing. His Word says if I don’t have love, then I am nothing. God spells success L-O-V-E.
We will never feel competent, fulfilled, or completely worthy if we are not in a love relationship with Jesus Christ and other authentic people. To be perfect is to follow in Jesus’s footsteps, and to seek and work to love others as wholeheartedly as God loves us—and show that love to those who don’t return it. If we truly know God as our Father, friend, and Savior, then we love, because he is love.
Mother Teresa said, “Give of your hands to serve and your hearts to love.” Doing so is a process and an instantaneous experience. The gospel of transformation calls us to evolve from obsessing and lusting over celebrities, and seeking what others have, to developing a heart that generates compassion and respect for others. It becomes our purpose for living (see Matthew 22:37-39).
The word “perfect” is the Greek word teleios, which means “mature, fully developed.” Jesus did not expect his followers to become morally perfect or flawless in this life. He is speaking of the kind of love that is like God’s love—mature, complete, holy, full of blessing. His Word says if I don’t have love, then I am nothing. God spells success L-O-V-E.
We will never feel competent, fulfilled, or completely worthy if we are not in a love relationship with Jesus Christ and other authentic people. To be perfect is to follow in Jesus’s footsteps, and to seek and work to love others as wholeheartedly as God loves us—and show that love to those who don’t return it. If we truly know God as our Father, friend, and Savior, then we love, because he is love.
Mother Teresa said, “Give of your hands to serve and your hearts to love.” Doing so is a process and an instantaneous experience. The gospel of transformation calls us to evolve from obsessing and lusting over celebrities, and seeking what others have, to developing a heart that generates compassion and respect for others. It becomes our purpose for living (see Matthew 22:37-39).
Friday, March 18, 2011
Is it faith or fear?
We each have two important groups of mindsets: positive faith-based emotions and negative fear-based emotions. Faith and fear are not just emotions, but spiritual forces with chemical and electrical representation that move from the brain throughout the body. They directly impact bodily function. However, there is a difference between the emotion of fear and the spirit of fear. Emotional fear is God-given. Spiritual fear is from Satan.
Positive fear keeps you alive. It motivates you to buy home insurance (fear of fire), to follow the law (fear of prison), or to obey (fear of discipline). We fear God: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). To fear the Lord means we hold him in reverence with respect and in awe. Scripture says, “God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him” (Ps. 89:7).
Negative emotions evolve out of fear and are from the enemy. Fear stands for: False Evidence Appearing Real. Our greatest crises come from a spirit of fear. We’re afraid of failing, afraid of being alone or rejected, afraid of running out of money, afraid someone will let us down,; afraid that we won’t find a husband or a job.
When you live in a constant state of anxiety or fear, most of life passes you by because you are physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually unable to focus on anything else. You lose all ability to concentrate and, therefore, are unable to ingest truth. The truth about fear is it is rooted in the belief that God’s Word won’t work.
Spiritual fear is an awful motivator. It’s like a vicious dog chasing us until we are either too exhausted to go on or we get stuck up a tree. Fear attacks your mind: You are not pleasing to God, Your mom won’t love you if you fail, If you don’t do this[…] then you will be punished. Worst of all, fear misdirects our thinking to ourselves rather than toward Jesus. It can destroy you.
Nothing should cause you to fear. There is nothing so deeply imbedded in your heart or mind that God’s grace cannot reach down and remove it. One woman said God never answered the whys of her fear. He pointed her to his personal Word, that he, “did not give us a spirit of timidity [of cowardice and fear], but [has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7, AMP). We are from God, and therefore have overcome any demonic spirits because Jesus, who is in us, is greater than Satan (1 John 4:4). We remind the devil of what God says and stand firm.
Faith, on the other hand, is like a cool breeze on a hot day, refreshing us and giving us the strength to continue on our journey. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). It’s a gift from God and the essence of our soul. Faith shouts back to fear, using God’s Word.
God says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isa. 43:1). Faith shouts back to Satan, “I am not going to […] because I’m God’s daughter!” There is no area in your life so painful, no offense so heinous, that God’s love cannot enable you to break down mindholds of fear, anxiety, or worry.
Reflect: Consider God’s track record. God has done all that he has promised.
The writer of Hebrews wrote, “God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline (Heb. 6:18-19, Msg.)
Fear leaves when you can rely on something that can’t fail. There are over one thousand predictions or prophecies in the Bible. None of these promises have failed. Read 1 Kings 8:56 and ask yourself: Do I fear change? Am I willing to allow God do what ever is necessary in order to free me?
[This is an excerpt from Breaking the Cover Girl Mask by Kimberly Davidson]
Positive fear keeps you alive. It motivates you to buy home insurance (fear of fire), to follow the law (fear of prison), or to obey (fear of discipline). We fear God: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). To fear the Lord means we hold him in reverence with respect and in awe. Scripture says, “God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him” (Ps. 89:7).
Negative emotions evolve out of fear and are from the enemy. Fear stands for: False Evidence Appearing Real. Our greatest crises come from a spirit of fear. We’re afraid of failing, afraid of being alone or rejected, afraid of running out of money, afraid someone will let us down,; afraid that we won’t find a husband or a job.
When you live in a constant state of anxiety or fear, most of life passes you by because you are physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually unable to focus on anything else. You lose all ability to concentrate and, therefore, are unable to ingest truth. The truth about fear is it is rooted in the belief that God’s Word won’t work.
Spiritual fear is an awful motivator. It’s like a vicious dog chasing us until we are either too exhausted to go on or we get stuck up a tree. Fear attacks your mind: You are not pleasing to God, Your mom won’t love you if you fail, If you don’t do this[…] then you will be punished. Worst of all, fear misdirects our thinking to ourselves rather than toward Jesus. It can destroy you.
Nothing should cause you to fear. There is nothing so deeply imbedded in your heart or mind that God’s grace cannot reach down and remove it. One woman said God never answered the whys of her fear. He pointed her to his personal Word, that he, “did not give us a spirit of timidity [of cowardice and fear], but [has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7, AMP). We are from God, and therefore have overcome any demonic spirits because Jesus, who is in us, is greater than Satan (1 John 4:4). We remind the devil of what God says and stand firm.
Faith, on the other hand, is like a cool breeze on a hot day, refreshing us and giving us the strength to continue on our journey. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). It’s a gift from God and the essence of our soul. Faith shouts back to fear, using God’s Word.
God says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isa. 43:1). Faith shouts back to Satan, “I am not going to […] because I’m God’s daughter!” There is no area in your life so painful, no offense so heinous, that God’s love cannot enable you to break down mindholds of fear, anxiety, or worry.
Reflect: Consider God’s track record. God has done all that he has promised.
The writer of Hebrews wrote, “God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline (Heb. 6:18-19, Msg.)
Fear leaves when you can rely on something that can’t fail. There are over one thousand predictions or prophecies in the Bible. None of these promises have failed. Read 1 Kings 8:56 and ask yourself: Do I fear change? Am I willing to allow God do what ever is necessary in order to free me?
[This is an excerpt from Breaking the Cover Girl Mask by Kimberly Davidson]
Friday, March 11, 2011
I'm Beautiful! I Can See It!
One of the greatest joys of ministry is hearing from you and from the women who read my books. Every communication and testimony inspires me and I know will inspire you, especially if you struggling with an eating disorder and don't know what the next step should be. I received this email from Jen who just began I'm Beautiful? Why Can't I See It? This is not a promotion for the book, but rather a testimony to God's love, goodness and redemptive healing power working through other people.
Here is Jen's story...as of today!
I have received your book now and have read through Day 1 and 2 with my husband. He is very willing to work through this with me becuz I don't want to do it alone. I actually felt the eating disorder behavior "urges" come up stronger just by getting the book out of the mailbox! Of course, the enemy, satan, doesn't want me to dive into anything helpful or beneficial to my life!! Letting the anxiety go, I started reading and I'm so glad I did!!
I also have just found a therapist who is going to be working on the "root causes" of the eating disorder with me and Erin (my husband). They go way back to my childhood. After 2 appts w/ her, as scared as I am to go "deep" into myself, this is a right decision for me.
I know I am heading down a good path with you and your book, along with my new therapist! God has shown me that this is where I need to go into now, and the one big thing I am finding out, is that God does love me and has a great plan for me!
I have always believed in God and Jesus, altho growing up, we did not talk about the Bible to often nor did we ever pray outloud or together. So now today, in my adulthood, I am learning like a child in Sunday School, about the love of Christ and the relationship that He desires to have with me!
I am learning today that God has designed me in a creative way to be "me" and I am working hard to accept that His design for my body and my life IS the way I will be. I cannot "force or manipulate" myself into something other than what God intends me to be!
This week, I have learned to ASK God for things and not just "expect" Him to be there supplying me strength when I get tired and weak. When I ask for things, God WILL answer, it may not be right away or on my time frame, but he will respond to me!
Thinking and acknowledging that God KNOWS ALL about me, is kind of scary becuz I haven't really ever liked myself to well and it brings up feelings of shame inside of me for things that have happened to me and for trying to "hide" from Him. The things I try to hide, is my fear about knowing all about my body and loving it for what it is. I try to hide some of the disorder behaviors I use each day, and try to slide them off as "it's just me" when I am consumed by exercise or scared to eat something out of the "safe" list. The other thing I try to hide, is the fact that I need a relationship with my myself, my husband, kids and friends! I am apprehensive about getting to close to others, even my own wonderful family!
Now, having said those few things, I honestly can say for the first time in this healing process, that I want a relationship with Jesus & God!!! As much fear as I have to trust God and my support, I am going to work through this!
Here is Jen's story...as of today!
I have received your book now and have read through Day 1 and 2 with my husband. He is very willing to work through this with me becuz I don't want to do it alone. I actually felt the eating disorder behavior "urges" come up stronger just by getting the book out of the mailbox! Of course, the enemy, satan, doesn't want me to dive into anything helpful or beneficial to my life!! Letting the anxiety go, I started reading and I'm so glad I did!!
I also have just found a therapist who is going to be working on the "root causes" of the eating disorder with me and Erin (my husband). They go way back to my childhood. After 2 appts w/ her, as scared as I am to go "deep" into myself, this is a right decision for me.
I know I am heading down a good path with you and your book, along with my new therapist! God has shown me that this is where I need to go into now, and the one big thing I am finding out, is that God does love me and has a great plan for me!
I have always believed in God and Jesus, altho growing up, we did not talk about the Bible to often nor did we ever pray outloud or together. So now today, in my adulthood, I am learning like a child in Sunday School, about the love of Christ and the relationship that He desires to have with me!
I am learning today that God has designed me in a creative way to be "me" and I am working hard to accept that His design for my body and my life IS the way I will be. I cannot "force or manipulate" myself into something other than what God intends me to be!
This week, I have learned to ASK God for things and not just "expect" Him to be there supplying me strength when I get tired and weak. When I ask for things, God WILL answer, it may not be right away or on my time frame, but he will respond to me!
Thinking and acknowledging that God KNOWS ALL about me, is kind of scary becuz I haven't really ever liked myself to well and it brings up feelings of shame inside of me for things that have happened to me and for trying to "hide" from Him. The things I try to hide, is my fear about knowing all about my body and loving it for what it is. I try to hide some of the disorder behaviors I use each day, and try to slide them off as "it's just me" when I am consumed by exercise or scared to eat something out of the "safe" list. The other thing I try to hide, is the fact that I need a relationship with my myself, my husband, kids and friends! I am apprehensive about getting to close to others, even my own wonderful family!
Now, having said those few things, I honestly can say for the first time in this healing process, that I want a relationship with Jesus & God!!! As much fear as I have to trust God and my support, I am going to work through this!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
A Woman of Destiny
It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years. ~ Abraham Lincoln
God says to you, “I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, TLB).
You are a woman of destiny! What does that mean to you?
Dictionary says destiny is “the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events; the power or agency that determines the course of events.”
As Christians we know that power comes from God. Psalms 139:16 (TLB): “You [God] saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” Yet, far too many Christian women don’t believe these promises apply to them.
There may have been a number of people, over the course of your life time that have killed your hopes and dreams. That is the enemy’s modem operandi. Jesus said that Satan “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” He then said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). While Satan has been scheming to destroy your life with lies and abuse, God has been methodically laying out his plan.
"Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before" (James Buckham). If you believe that God Almighty is in control, then your situation is not out of control.
God says to you, “I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, TLB).
You are a woman of destiny! What does that mean to you?
Dictionary says destiny is “the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events; the power or agency that determines the course of events.”
As Christians we know that power comes from God. Psalms 139:16 (TLB): “You [God] saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” Yet, far too many Christian women don’t believe these promises apply to them.
There may have been a number of people, over the course of your life time that have killed your hopes and dreams. That is the enemy’s modem operandi. Jesus said that Satan “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” He then said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). While Satan has been scheming to destroy your life with lies and abuse, God has been methodically laying out his plan.
"Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before" (James Buckham). If you believe that God Almighty is in control, then your situation is not out of control.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Expressing Boundaries
Is important we learn to say "No." One of the reasons that many of us find it so difficult to say no to people is that we genuinely don't desire to hurt anyone's feelings or have them upset with us. Therefore, we've learned to please, to placate, and to pretend so that we don't make waves. In addition, many of us have been taught that as Christians we should go the extra mile, do more, submit to authority, and always think of others before we think of ourselves. Therefore, whenever we do say no, we feel guilty.
Yet the Bible tells stories of people who chose to say "No." Earlier in Jewish history we find two midwives who said "No." They refused to obey the Pharaoh's orders to murder Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:17). Queen Vashti, Queen Esther's predecessor, refused to allow herself to be treated as a sexual object for her husband's drunken friends to ogle. When her husband ordered her to parade herself before them, she said "No."
Ask God to give you the courage to say "No" when necessary for your good, for another person's good, or for His purposes and glory!
Yet the Bible tells stories of people who chose to say "No." Earlier in Jewish history we find two midwives who said "No." They refused to obey the Pharaoh's orders to murder Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:17). Queen Vashti, Queen Esther's predecessor, refused to allow herself to be treated as a sexual object for her husband's drunken friends to ogle. When her husband ordered her to parade herself before them, she said "No."
Ask God to give you the courage to say "No" when necessary for your good, for another person's good, or for His purposes and glory!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
What is Radiant Beauty?
Jesus said: “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17-18).
I tell teens and women with negative body image that when a person follows Jesus she receives a special inner beauty that is reflected in her outward appearance. People may not know why she’s beautiful. In fact, some may say, “She’s not what we call a beauty (by our cultural standards), but there is something about her…some sort of radiant, spiritual beauty.”
The darkness of evil has not, nor will ever, extinguish the light that comes from Almighty God. Jesus is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to us. When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into temptation and sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how we should live. When I allow Jesus to shine in my life, He guides me and I need not fear stumbling in the dark.
Whenever we run, God is there—to express His love for us and reveal His purpose for our life. David articulates: “If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Ps. 139:11-12).
In what ways have you allowed the light of Jesus to shine in your life?
I tell teens and women with negative body image that when a person follows Jesus she receives a special inner beauty that is reflected in her outward appearance. People may not know why she’s beautiful. In fact, some may say, “She’s not what we call a beauty (by our cultural standards), but there is something about her…some sort of radiant, spiritual beauty.”
The darkness of evil has not, nor will ever, extinguish the light that comes from Almighty God. Jesus is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to us. When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into temptation and sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how we should live. When I allow Jesus to shine in my life, He guides me and I need not fear stumbling in the dark.
Whenever we run, God is there—to express His love for us and reveal His purpose for our life. David articulates: “If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Ps. 139:11-12).
In what ways have you allowed the light of Jesus to shine in your life?
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Are You a Carrot, An Egg, or a Coffee Bean?
By Anonymous ~
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked. "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity—boiling water—but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another lever?
How do you handle Adversity? Are you a Carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean.
~ ~
We can be a coffee bean -- through the power of the Holy Spirit.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked. "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity—boiling water—but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another lever?
How do you handle Adversity? Are you a Carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean.
~ ~
We can be a coffee bean -- through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Friday, January 21, 2011
An Image to Die For
In junior high school, I created collages of supermodels from magazines and pasted them all over my bedroom walls. Although my intention was merely to express myself and my aspirations, all these images did were create emotions of discontent and dissatisfaction with my own body and self-image.
Clare Boothe Luce, author and diplomat, said, “Advertising has done more to cause the social unrest of the twentieth century than any other single factors.” The American Psychological Association states, “The proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harming girls’ self-image and healthy development.”
Body image is one of the greatest pressures on our minds. Teens, in particular, are extremely susceptible to media images and celebrity diet stories. We persistently see celebrity’s improving their body images. Many learn quickly that the way to be popular and loved is through the sculpting of their body. Sadly, in the search for acceptance and the body beautiful, it becomes an obsession.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 51 percent of nine and ten-year-old girls feel better about themselves when they are dieting. By the age of thirteen, 53 percent of girls are unhappy with their body image. And by the age of seventeen, this figure jumps up to 78 percent. And this author, a baby boomer, feels the same way, as most of my female friends do. Experts warn if we don't do something about the demands, the consequences will be devastating.
Jesus took onto himself every one of our faults, each imperfection—all our sin. As a result a space was created—a hole in our soul, that “something,” which can only be filled by him. God created us in such a way that only those who seek Jesus will be filled. We will never be filled by following celebrities or pop culture.
Clare Boothe Luce, author and diplomat, said, “Advertising has done more to cause the social unrest of the twentieth century than any other single factors.” The American Psychological Association states, “The proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harming girls’ self-image and healthy development.”
Body image is one of the greatest pressures on our minds. Teens, in particular, are extremely susceptible to media images and celebrity diet stories. We persistently see celebrity’s improving their body images. Many learn quickly that the way to be popular and loved is through the sculpting of their body. Sadly, in the search for acceptance and the body beautiful, it becomes an obsession.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 51 percent of nine and ten-year-old girls feel better about themselves when they are dieting. By the age of thirteen, 53 percent of girls are unhappy with their body image. And by the age of seventeen, this figure jumps up to 78 percent. And this author, a baby boomer, feels the same way, as most of my female friends do. Experts warn if we don't do something about the demands, the consequences will be devastating.
Jesus took onto himself every one of our faults, each imperfection—all our sin. As a result a space was created—a hole in our soul, that “something,” which can only be filled by him. God created us in such a way that only those who seek Jesus will be filled. We will never be filled by following celebrities or pop culture.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Mind of Jesus Christ
If you are around my age you no doubt remember the hugely popular 1970’s TV show The Six Million Dollar Man. Steve Austin was the world's first bionic man. Soon after, a female Bionic Woman series debuted. Then it was The Terminator (1980’s), which also featured a buffed out female cohort. The fans couldn’t get enough. The sequels evolved into a franchise. Every decade produces it’s own superheroes and superheroines.
It’s easy to get lost in the pop cultures fantasies. The fact is, for Christians, we get something much more spectacular. God offers us something more valuable than all super human abilities put together. He gives his children the ability to have the mind of Christ. No lie! (1 Corinthians 2:16).
When you have the mind of Christ, your thought life doesn’t hurt you because we are no longer slaves to our darker tendencies. Instead of toxic and deceptive thoughts orchestrating negative and destructive actions, our thoughts can be purified—if we make a commitment to work with God. Negative thoughts can be discarded. The result—we are strengthened and healed. Then we are most apt to imitate the Master.
God equips us to make godly decisions. If it doesn’t fit who you are, a child of the Most High God, reject that thought.
Your position is secure in Christ. Therefore, respond accordingly. When hit with a tempting or impure thought reject it. Say: “That thought or action no longer fits who I am! God tells me to put this thought to death—die ugly, deadly thought!”
Paul knew that life was hard, but he also counseled people not to dwell on the negative. The road block of God says: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about” (Philippians 4:8, TLB).
If you know that when you open a magazine full of expensively dressed, skinny, beautiful women that it will be a temptation to imitate them or feel bad about yourself, throw the magazine away. Find something else, something pure, to grab your attention.
When that tabloid calls out, Buy me! I‘ve got such juicy gossip for you! choose to put up a road block. Buy a wholesome, godly type of magazine or nothing. Now you’re beginning to create a new, and soon well worn, track. When I’m told a co-worker needs a ride home, I don’t hide because it’s inconvenient to go out of my way, I offer to drive her, creating a new track.
“Think on.” It’s your choice, but it is also a command of God; we disobey it at the risk of disaster. We can choose to lower ourselves to the world’s standard, or put that tempting or lustful or greedy or prideful thought to death. It is work! We choose to put these things to death because they don’t fit who we are. We choose freedom so we can be real authentic ourselves.
It’s okay to admit you have a long way to go. I do too! Most of us struggle with petty sins, jealousy, pride, and toxic thinking. When we lay these mindsets down and put on Christ’s mind, we are able to enjoy a new dimension of happiness very few ever find in this world. True!
What mindsets and ruts are you setting by the convictions you choose to follow? The Bible says to “keep a close watch on all you do and think. Stay true to what is right and God will bless you and use you to help others” (1 Timothy 4:16, TLB). Don’t get discouraged if you are finding this difficult. It doesn’t come natural to most of us.
It’s easy to get lost in the pop cultures fantasies. The fact is, for Christians, we get something much more spectacular. God offers us something more valuable than all super human abilities put together. He gives his children the ability to have the mind of Christ. No lie! (1 Corinthians 2:16).
When you have the mind of Christ, your thought life doesn’t hurt you because we are no longer slaves to our darker tendencies. Instead of toxic and deceptive thoughts orchestrating negative and destructive actions, our thoughts can be purified—if we make a commitment to work with God. Negative thoughts can be discarded. The result—we are strengthened and healed. Then we are most apt to imitate the Master.
God equips us to make godly decisions. If it doesn’t fit who you are, a child of the Most High God, reject that thought.
Your position is secure in Christ. Therefore, respond accordingly. When hit with a tempting or impure thought reject it. Say: “That thought or action no longer fits who I am! God tells me to put this thought to death—die ugly, deadly thought!”
Paul knew that life was hard, but he also counseled people not to dwell on the negative. The road block of God says: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about” (Philippians 4:8, TLB).
If you know that when you open a magazine full of expensively dressed, skinny, beautiful women that it will be a temptation to imitate them or feel bad about yourself, throw the magazine away. Find something else, something pure, to grab your attention.
When that tabloid calls out, Buy me! I‘ve got such juicy gossip for you! choose to put up a road block. Buy a wholesome, godly type of magazine or nothing. Now you’re beginning to create a new, and soon well worn, track. When I’m told a co-worker needs a ride home, I don’t hide because it’s inconvenient to go out of my way, I offer to drive her, creating a new track.
“Think on.” It’s your choice, but it is also a command of God; we disobey it at the risk of disaster. We can choose to lower ourselves to the world’s standard, or put that tempting or lustful or greedy or prideful thought to death. It is work! We choose to put these things to death because they don’t fit who we are. We choose freedom so we can be real authentic ourselves.
It’s okay to admit you have a long way to go. I do too! Most of us struggle with petty sins, jealousy, pride, and toxic thinking. When we lay these mindsets down and put on Christ’s mind, we are able to enjoy a new dimension of happiness very few ever find in this world. True!
What mindsets and ruts are you setting by the convictions you choose to follow? The Bible says to “keep a close watch on all you do and think. Stay true to what is right and God will bless you and use you to help others” (1 Timothy 4:16, TLB). Don’t get discouraged if you are finding this difficult. It doesn’t come natural to most of us.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Dying to Lies and Illusions
The Bible tells us, “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” (Romans 12:2).
Eugene Peterson, The Message, paraphrases:
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
We now know what goes into our minds often comes out in our words and actions. It’s garbage in, garbage out. Most movies today pull our minds into the gutter. The only way to protect the mind is to expose it to the best. You will need to refocus on positive, wholesome, godly, joyous activities the moment you feel the desire to tune to an avenue of celebrity adoration. The good news is God designed people to adapt.
Dr. Norman Doidge, in his book The Brain the Changes Itself, wrote, “Each time patients try to shift gears, they begin fixing their “transmission” by growing new circuits and altering the caudate. By refocusing, the patient is learning not to get sucked in by the content of an obsession but to work around it.”
I made a decision to switch from senseless celebrity-oriented television shows years ago. Instead of eliminating television altogether, I began watching more creation-based programming. I believe when we watch this type of programming in lieu of the entertainment celebrity menu, we become a more interesting person because of our newfound knowledge. Secondly, creation gives dramatic evidence of God’s existence. I always have something to talk to God about, which strengthens our relationship.
Surrender means we stop watching non-sense and begin to engage in other activities such as talking to a family member, walking or grooming the dog, clean out and organize your closet, learn a new language, or exercise. Go for a walk with God, capturing the majesty of his creation. As Christians we are called to practice spiritual disciplines to help us seek God such as reading our Bible, prayer, corporate worship, fasting, going on a retreat, mediation and solitude. Each discipline strengthens our relationship with God and begins the process of breaking our attachment to celebrity masters.
Will you refocus as the Holy Spirit directs? Write down how many times a day you interact with media: TV, computer, cell phone, DVD, etc. Compare that to how many times a day you participate in a faith-based exercise (reading your Bible, or listening to Christian radio, a sermon CD or music).
This is a lifelong endeavor, so may I suggest following this book with another book I wrote: Breaking the Cover Girl Mask. There is one thing I have learned: there is no freedom without a change of mind. In this book, you will be given more proven techniques to optimize heart and mind, even brain function, restoring the new mind and nature Christ died to give you.
Eugene Peterson, The Message, paraphrases:
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
We now know what goes into our minds often comes out in our words and actions. It’s garbage in, garbage out. Most movies today pull our minds into the gutter. The only way to protect the mind is to expose it to the best. You will need to refocus on positive, wholesome, godly, joyous activities the moment you feel the desire to tune to an avenue of celebrity adoration. The good news is God designed people to adapt.
Dr. Norman Doidge, in his book The Brain the Changes Itself, wrote, “Each time patients try to shift gears, they begin fixing their “transmission” by growing new circuits and altering the caudate. By refocusing, the patient is learning not to get sucked in by the content of an obsession but to work around it.”
I made a decision to switch from senseless celebrity-oriented television shows years ago. Instead of eliminating television altogether, I began watching more creation-based programming. I believe when we watch this type of programming in lieu of the entertainment celebrity menu, we become a more interesting person because of our newfound knowledge. Secondly, creation gives dramatic evidence of God’s existence. I always have something to talk to God about, which strengthens our relationship.
Surrender means we stop watching non-sense and begin to engage in other activities such as talking to a family member, walking or grooming the dog, clean out and organize your closet, learn a new language, or exercise. Go for a walk with God, capturing the majesty of his creation. As Christians we are called to practice spiritual disciplines to help us seek God such as reading our Bible, prayer, corporate worship, fasting, going on a retreat, mediation and solitude. Each discipline strengthens our relationship with God and begins the process of breaking our attachment to celebrity masters.
Will you refocus as the Holy Spirit directs? Write down how many times a day you interact with media: TV, computer, cell phone, DVD, etc. Compare that to how many times a day you participate in a faith-based exercise (reading your Bible, or listening to Christian radio, a sermon CD or music).
This is a lifelong endeavor, so may I suggest following this book with another book I wrote: Breaking the Cover Girl Mask. There is one thing I have learned: there is no freedom without a change of mind. In this book, you will be given more proven techniques to optimize heart and mind, even brain function, restoring the new mind and nature Christ died to give you.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saying Good Bye
In a beloved song, "Muppets Take Manhattan," the very sad Miss Piggy sings, “Saying goodbye, going away, Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say.”
What does it mean to say “good bye” to the familiar? It means to renounce or give up that something. No question, letting go of what is familiar is difficult. It’s hard because presently we have something tangible we can hang onto, something we perceive brings us pleasure and happiness. When we let go or say “good bye” we don’t have anything tangible in our hands. We feel a void.
God’s first commandment: let nothing be more important than him (Exodus 20:3). Our hearts and minds must be centered on God and on loving others. He fills those voids. The prophet Isaiah warned, “Stop trusting in man; do not follow the way of this people” (Isaiah 2:22; 8:11).
What I want you to realize is when you let go you open the doors to freedom. But I can’t show you scientific measurable results. This is called faith. What Jesus is asking us to do is give him all our tangibles. What he gives us in return is immeasurable love and purpose. This can be extremely scary. I know. Even though we are spiritual beings we still live in a material world. It’s tough.
God said, “I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:21-22).
In God’s eyes, a servant is the greatest of all. Recognize that being a servant won’t make you famous—just rich spiritually. No celebrity or idol can love you this way and do this for you. Only God Almighty!
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
A big reason we remain immature and in the dark, unaffected by truth, is we are dying to all the wrong things. Many of us have extravagantly designed fantasies and a wish list that our real lives can’t nearly support. It’s time to demolish some things and get off our celebrity inspired thrones—a must in the pursuit of becoming an authentic person.
This is our season of truth! Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time for everything. It says there is a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, and a time to love (verses 6-8). This is our time to search, to throw away and to rebuild.
We talked a little about surrendering ourselves. Surrender is an act of the will and accepting what God has ordained as his purpose in our circumstances. It is an intention. But we have to go one step further and take an action step—lay it aside. Another word is detachment, which means we stop finding meaning and security in people, things, positions, money and power so they no longer lure us into unChristlike behaviors.
Jesus said, "Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!” (Luke 9:23, TLB). I think too often this is one of those biblical truths that has been misapplied. Taken out of context it results in a narrow and faulty theology that basically says, “If you really want to follow Christ you must suffer and be miserable. The more you suffer, the more God will love you.”
Jesus meant we must accept the death of our own self-directed life. This means we say good-bye to an undisciplined inner life—the one that receives its nourishment from the world. In that process we must be willing to face whatever physical, emotional, or social harassments ensue—loss of certain friends (they were probably not real friends to begin with), being ridiculed for our beliefs, swapping happy hour for serving the homeless, or saying no to those seductive cosmetic dermatology offers.
Research suggests that in many crucial areas evangelical Christians are not living any differently from their unbelieving neighbors. We are being asked to give up pride, arrogance, greed for power and money, judgmentalism, bitterness, hypocrisy, denial, stubbornness—sins that are described for us in the Scriptures.
We are not being asked to die to the good parts of who we are. God has never asked us to lay aside healthy desires and the pleasures of life. He plants those desires in our heart so we will nourish and nurture them. These are gifts from God. No one should feel guilty for unwrapping them.
God said, “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults” (Isaiah 51:7). If people make fun of you or dislike you because you choose to follow Christ, remember, they are not against you personally, but against God. God will deal with them.
Living out this verse is not easy. It takes everything to follow Jesus. It’s hard to concentrate solely on loving him and others. I struggle repeatedly. But the love of Jesus and watching my personal transformation into his likeness, no matter how slow the progress, is the reward.
Too many of us live spiritually like a person who is on a diet but leaves a pack of frozen pizzas in the freezer. Let’s be honest—it is extremely difficult to deny ourselves what we truly desire while at the same time admit our shortcomings. People want us to be perfect. Our own expectations can be extreme. If we choose to go on this journey, God will refine us over time. As he refines us we gain more strength to pick up that cross.
Becoming a Christian does not guarantee immediate strength or perfection. Like gold being refined through a transformative process, God will make us better and stronger with time—lots of time! We'll be tempted to ignore and deny our faults, but if we don't face them it becomes impossible to refine them. Our mindset needs to change to: don't go through life, grow through life.
Jesus said, “If your eye--even if it is your best eye--causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. Better for part of you to be destroyed than for all of you to be cast into hell. If your hand--even your right hand--causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better that than find yourself in hell” (Matthew 5:30, TLB).
When Jesus said this he wasn’t speaking figuratively. He didn’t mean to literally gouge out your eye or cut off your hand. Even a blind person can lust and an amputee can steal. Today, especially, we tolerate sin in our lives. Left unchecked it can destroy us. This line of discipline is stern. However, it is better in the long run to experience the pain of removal—getting grid of that bad habit or something we treasure, than to allow sin to bring pain, in addition to condemnation and discipline by God.
We have a choice—to stay as we are: comfortable, perhaps safe, but tragically unfilled. Or, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we determinedly demolish those things that stand in the way of our relationship with God and others. God said “to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'” (Isaiah 49:9).
Although it often feels like we are helpless, we are not. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit and therefore the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). It is our responsibility as Christians to "choose this day whom we will serve" (Joshua 24:15), to actively pursue our sinful behaviors and examine ourselves to determine if we are striving toward the finish line in a manner that would be pleasing to our Lord (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). It is such a comfort to know that his power is made perfect in our weakness and that his grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).
What is God asking you to let go of—to do or not to do? What must you commit to Jesus and say farewell to so that you aren’t continually recaptured by the world? Money held the rich young ruler's heart. What has a hold on your heart?
What does it mean to say “good bye” to the familiar? It means to renounce or give up that something. No question, letting go of what is familiar is difficult. It’s hard because presently we have something tangible we can hang onto, something we perceive brings us pleasure and happiness. When we let go or say “good bye” we don’t have anything tangible in our hands. We feel a void.
God’s first commandment: let nothing be more important than him (Exodus 20:3). Our hearts and minds must be centered on God and on loving others. He fills those voids. The prophet Isaiah warned, “Stop trusting in man; do not follow the way of this people” (Isaiah 2:22; 8:11).
What I want you to realize is when you let go you open the doors to freedom. But I can’t show you scientific measurable results. This is called faith. What Jesus is asking us to do is give him all our tangibles. What he gives us in return is immeasurable love and purpose. This can be extremely scary. I know. Even though we are spiritual beings we still live in a material world. It’s tough.
God said, “I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:21-22).
In God’s eyes, a servant is the greatest of all. Recognize that being a servant won’t make you famous—just rich spiritually. No celebrity or idol can love you this way and do this for you. Only God Almighty!
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
A big reason we remain immature and in the dark, unaffected by truth, is we are dying to all the wrong things. Many of us have extravagantly designed fantasies and a wish list that our real lives can’t nearly support. It’s time to demolish some things and get off our celebrity inspired thrones—a must in the pursuit of becoming an authentic person.
This is our season of truth! Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time for everything. It says there is a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, and a time to love (verses 6-8). This is our time to search, to throw away and to rebuild.
We talked a little about surrendering ourselves. Surrender is an act of the will and accepting what God has ordained as his purpose in our circumstances. It is an intention. But we have to go one step further and take an action step—lay it aside. Another word is detachment, which means we stop finding meaning and security in people, things, positions, money and power so they no longer lure us into unChristlike behaviors.
Jesus said, "Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!” (Luke 9:23, TLB). I think too often this is one of those biblical truths that has been misapplied. Taken out of context it results in a narrow and faulty theology that basically says, “If you really want to follow Christ you must suffer and be miserable. The more you suffer, the more God will love you.”
Jesus meant we must accept the death of our own self-directed life. This means we say good-bye to an undisciplined inner life—the one that receives its nourishment from the world. In that process we must be willing to face whatever physical, emotional, or social harassments ensue—loss of certain friends (they were probably not real friends to begin with), being ridiculed for our beliefs, swapping happy hour for serving the homeless, or saying no to those seductive cosmetic dermatology offers.
Research suggests that in many crucial areas evangelical Christians are not living any differently from their unbelieving neighbors. We are being asked to give up pride, arrogance, greed for power and money, judgmentalism, bitterness, hypocrisy, denial, stubbornness—sins that are described for us in the Scriptures.
We are not being asked to die to the good parts of who we are. God has never asked us to lay aside healthy desires and the pleasures of life. He plants those desires in our heart so we will nourish and nurture them. These are gifts from God. No one should feel guilty for unwrapping them.
God said, “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults” (Isaiah 51:7). If people make fun of you or dislike you because you choose to follow Christ, remember, they are not against you personally, but against God. God will deal with them.
Living out this verse is not easy. It takes everything to follow Jesus. It’s hard to concentrate solely on loving him and others. I struggle repeatedly. But the love of Jesus and watching my personal transformation into his likeness, no matter how slow the progress, is the reward.
Too many of us live spiritually like a person who is on a diet but leaves a pack of frozen pizzas in the freezer. Let’s be honest—it is extremely difficult to deny ourselves what we truly desire while at the same time admit our shortcomings. People want us to be perfect. Our own expectations can be extreme. If we choose to go on this journey, God will refine us over time. As he refines us we gain more strength to pick up that cross.
Becoming a Christian does not guarantee immediate strength or perfection. Like gold being refined through a transformative process, God will make us better and stronger with time—lots of time! We'll be tempted to ignore and deny our faults, but if we don't face them it becomes impossible to refine them. Our mindset needs to change to: don't go through life, grow through life.
Jesus said, “If your eye--even if it is your best eye--causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. Better for part of you to be destroyed than for all of you to be cast into hell. If your hand--even your right hand--causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better that than find yourself in hell” (Matthew 5:30, TLB).
When Jesus said this he wasn’t speaking figuratively. He didn’t mean to literally gouge out your eye or cut off your hand. Even a blind person can lust and an amputee can steal. Today, especially, we tolerate sin in our lives. Left unchecked it can destroy us. This line of discipline is stern. However, it is better in the long run to experience the pain of removal—getting grid of that bad habit or something we treasure, than to allow sin to bring pain, in addition to condemnation and discipline by God.
We have a choice—to stay as we are: comfortable, perhaps safe, but tragically unfilled. Or, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we determinedly demolish those things that stand in the way of our relationship with God and others. God said “to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'” (Isaiah 49:9).
Although it often feels like we are helpless, we are not. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit and therefore the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). It is our responsibility as Christians to "choose this day whom we will serve" (Joshua 24:15), to actively pursue our sinful behaviors and examine ourselves to determine if we are striving toward the finish line in a manner that would be pleasing to our Lord (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). It is such a comfort to know that his power is made perfect in our weakness and that his grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).
What is God asking you to let go of—to do or not to do? What must you commit to Jesus and say farewell to so that you aren’t continually recaptured by the world? Money held the rich young ruler's heart. What has a hold on your heart?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Disarming Deception (by Beth Moore)
Deception is the glue that holds every stronghold together. Let’s reflect on this concept: nothing is bigger or more powerful than God; therefore, anything other than Jesus Christ mastering the Christian’s life can keep its grip only through pretension and deception. Remember, Satan is the father of lies.1 No truth is in him. However, his specialty is twisting a lie until it seems true. The list of lies we often believe when we are held in a stronghold can be unlimited. Consider just a few examples:
I can never be victorious over this compulsion. I’ve had it too long.
I can’t help the mess I'm in. I'm caught, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
It may be a stronghold, but I really need it to get by.
I am absolutely worthless nothing but a failure.
I'm in control here. This is not controlling me.
This isn’t doing me any harm. I can handle it.
I’ll know just when to stop.
After all I’ve been through, I deserve this. There’s nothing wrong with this relationship. People just don’t understand us.
Everyone thinks these kinds of thoughts most of the time. I'm only human.
God may work for other people, but He doesn’t work for me.
I’ll just have to wait until heaven to get over this. Real victory isn’t possible on earth. God can’t possibly fill the void in my life. I need something more.
I am too emotionally handicapped to ever be OK.
It’s hopeless. I'm hopeless.
Sometimes we’re very aware of tolerating or even fueling a lie. Other times, we are caught in such a web that we can no longer see ourselves or our situations accurately. It’s not always clear when we’re being deceived, but one sure sign is when we begin to deceive. All you have to do to locate Satan in any situation is look for the lie. How do we recognize a lie? Anything we believe or act on that is contrary to what the truth of God’s Word says about us is a lie. Second Corinthians 4:2 tells us how to respond to such things: “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.” This passage helps us identify four of Satan’s specialties that must be renounced and rejected by the believer in order for him/her to walk in victory: secrecy, shame, deception, and distortion of Scripture.
As you consider each one, you can readily imagine how deception permeates all four and how interrelated they are. Satan’s plans toward the believer are always the antithesis of God’s. Our Redeemer wants to loose us from the closets of secrecy and bring us to a spacious place of joy, freedom, authenticity, and transparency. Satan wants to keep us bound in secrecy where he can weigh us down in guilt, misery, and shame. Oh, beloved, I know from experience that so much of the shame we experience is wrapped up in the secret. In fact, the enemy knows that once we expose the secret places of our lives to the light of God’s Word, we’re on our way to freedom.
I'm not suggesting that the only way to be free is to stand up before our congregations and tell every detail of every sin we’ve ever committed or considered. The King James Version translates James 5:16 far more accurately than several other versions: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (emphasis mine). Some of the other translations say, “Confess your sins to each other…” (emphasis mine). The original word translated “faults” in the KJV and “sins” in the NIV is paraptoma, which means “fault, lapse, error, mistake, wrongdoing.” Contrast 1 John 1:9 where we are told, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The original word for “sin” in this verse is hamartia, meaning any way in which we miss the mark and any “aberration from the truth.” James 5:16 refers to the confessions we make to others, while 1 John 1:9 refers to the confessions we make to God. Please notice the slight contrast between sharing our faults, weaknesses, and mistakes with others and confessing every detail of every sin to God.
If we’re going to live in freedom, we have no choice but to renounce every single secret place of sin in our lives to God, exposing even the smallest detail to the light of God’s Word. This is the means by which God injects truth in the inner parts.2 I have also found incalculable help and freedom in confessing details of my past sins and strongholds to a few other trustworthy, mature believers for the sake of accountability. There are a couple of people I really trust who basically know every detail of my life.
Living a consistently victorious life takes courage! But this courage leads to a glorious, indescribable liberty! What relief awaits you if you really decide to let God’s truth set you free…then keep you free. Be willing to ask God on a regular basis if you are overlooking or denying a stronghold in your life. Because of my past track record, I’ve had to learn to dialog openly with God about areas of my life that are at risk: areas where I’ve been defeated before or circumstances that suddenly result in anger or insecurity. I also ask Him to help me discern the very first signs of Satan’s deceptions in my life.
Let’s reiterate, however, that the most effective way to veer from deception is to walk in truth. Third John 4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” The wonderful news is: the joy that results from your walk in truth won’t just be God’s. It will be yours, too. As Christ said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
1 John 8:44
2 Psalm 51:6
Adapted from Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore, © 2000 by Beth Moore, Broadman & Holman Publishers
I can never be victorious over this compulsion. I’ve had it too long.
I can’t help the mess I'm in. I'm caught, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
It may be a stronghold, but I really need it to get by.
I am absolutely worthless nothing but a failure.
I'm in control here. This is not controlling me.
This isn’t doing me any harm. I can handle it.
I’ll know just when to stop.
After all I’ve been through, I deserve this. There’s nothing wrong with this relationship. People just don’t understand us.
Everyone thinks these kinds of thoughts most of the time. I'm only human.
God may work for other people, but He doesn’t work for me.
I’ll just have to wait until heaven to get over this. Real victory isn’t possible on earth. God can’t possibly fill the void in my life. I need something more.
I am too emotionally handicapped to ever be OK.
It’s hopeless. I'm hopeless.
Sometimes we’re very aware of tolerating or even fueling a lie. Other times, we are caught in such a web that we can no longer see ourselves or our situations accurately. It’s not always clear when we’re being deceived, but one sure sign is when we begin to deceive. All you have to do to locate Satan in any situation is look for the lie. How do we recognize a lie? Anything we believe or act on that is contrary to what the truth of God’s Word says about us is a lie. Second Corinthians 4:2 tells us how to respond to such things: “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.” This passage helps us identify four of Satan’s specialties that must be renounced and rejected by the believer in order for him/her to walk in victory: secrecy, shame, deception, and distortion of Scripture.
As you consider each one, you can readily imagine how deception permeates all four and how interrelated they are. Satan’s plans toward the believer are always the antithesis of God’s. Our Redeemer wants to loose us from the closets of secrecy and bring us to a spacious place of joy, freedom, authenticity, and transparency. Satan wants to keep us bound in secrecy where he can weigh us down in guilt, misery, and shame. Oh, beloved, I know from experience that so much of the shame we experience is wrapped up in the secret. In fact, the enemy knows that once we expose the secret places of our lives to the light of God’s Word, we’re on our way to freedom.
I'm not suggesting that the only way to be free is to stand up before our congregations and tell every detail of every sin we’ve ever committed or considered. The King James Version translates James 5:16 far more accurately than several other versions: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (emphasis mine). Some of the other translations say, “Confess your sins to each other…” (emphasis mine). The original word translated “faults” in the KJV and “sins” in the NIV is paraptoma, which means “fault, lapse, error, mistake, wrongdoing.” Contrast 1 John 1:9 where we are told, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The original word for “sin” in this verse is hamartia, meaning any way in which we miss the mark and any “aberration from the truth.” James 5:16 refers to the confessions we make to others, while 1 John 1:9 refers to the confessions we make to God. Please notice the slight contrast between sharing our faults, weaknesses, and mistakes with others and confessing every detail of every sin to God.
If we’re going to live in freedom, we have no choice but to renounce every single secret place of sin in our lives to God, exposing even the smallest detail to the light of God’s Word. This is the means by which God injects truth in the inner parts.2 I have also found incalculable help and freedom in confessing details of my past sins and strongholds to a few other trustworthy, mature believers for the sake of accountability. There are a couple of people I really trust who basically know every detail of my life.
Living a consistently victorious life takes courage! But this courage leads to a glorious, indescribable liberty! What relief awaits you if you really decide to let God’s truth set you free…then keep you free. Be willing to ask God on a regular basis if you are overlooking or denying a stronghold in your life. Because of my past track record, I’ve had to learn to dialog openly with God about areas of my life that are at risk: areas where I’ve been defeated before or circumstances that suddenly result in anger or insecurity. I also ask Him to help me discern the very first signs of Satan’s deceptions in my life.
Let’s reiterate, however, that the most effective way to veer from deception is to walk in truth. Third John 4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” The wonderful news is: the joy that results from your walk in truth won’t just be God’s. It will be yours, too. As Christ said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
1 John 8:44
2 Psalm 51:6
Adapted from Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore, © 2000 by Beth Moore, Broadman & Holman Publishers
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Truth Shall Set You Free
Think of it this way. Your mind is like a computer. In your computer, you’ve probably got years of data collected. In your mind, you have years of rejection, hurt, deception, and anger programmed. You made a choice: to believe the data or not; to delete the data or not.
The word “truth” appears more than 224 times in the Bible. We need to begin to deal with the lies that put us in bondage and replace them with the truth. The truth will set us free. By giving ourselves to Jesus, we begin to see Satan’s power and lies, then we begin to resist him. Dr. Larry Crabb said, “The soul will not be healed without truth.”
It has been said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. That’s not because he is afraid of us. It’s because he knows that the power of God gives us victory over the works of darkness.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says we are to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. If God can say these things about you, then you can say these things about yourself. Start by reminding yourself you are a child of the Almighty God. Truth!
We have to battle directly the enemy’s lies and confusion. The antidote for deception is truth. As you recognize a lie, defend yourself out loud. Those that meditate over and speak God’s Word’s out loud tend to change their thinking and habits faster. Truth changes our thinking, and thinking changes our behavior. Achieving a new way of life consists of repeating positive actions.
Read the following list and find the statements that best describe you. Then speak it out loud in your own words from your heart!
Corrupt Data: I am fat.
Speak it out: I am beautiful! I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
God’s Word: Psalms 139:14; 1 Peter 3:3-4
Corrupt Data: I am dumb and stupid.
Speak it out: I have the mind of Christ!
God’s Word: 1 Corinthians 2:16
Corrupt Data: I can’t! I’ve been sick too long and I can’t get well.
Speak it out: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
God’s Word: Philippians 4:13
Corrupt Data: I am ugly.
Speak it out: I am made in God’s image!
God’s Word: Genesis 1:27
Corrupt Data: Nothing I’ve tried works. I am weak and a lost cause.
Speak it out: I am strong!
God’s Word: 2 Corinthians 12:9; Joel 3:10
Corrupt Data: I am lost. I don’t know how to get back to normal.
Speak it out: I am found!
God’s Word: Psalm 23:1-4; Luke 15:6
Corrupt Data: I am a victim of my past and will never be able to overcome that.
Speak it out: I am a victor!
God’s Word: Psalm 60:12; 1 Corinthians 15:57
Corrupt Data: I am nothing. I am worthless.
Speak it out: I am treasured!
God’s Word: Deuteronomy 7:6
Corrupt Data: I am so scared.
Speak it out: I am safe!
God’s Word: Proverbs 18:10; Psalms 3:3
Corrupt Data: I can never be healed. I don’t deserve to be healed.
Speak it out: I am healed!
God’s Word: Isaiah 53:5
Corrupt Data: I am not loved.
Speak it out: God loves me!
God’s Word: John 15:9
Corrupt Data: I have been addicted to food for over “x” years. I’ll never be free.
Speak it out: The Spirit lives in me—I am free!
God’s Word: 2 Corinthians 3:17
Corrupt Data: No one likes me. You wouldn’t like me.
Speak it out: My worth is in who God says I am!
God’s Word: Psalms 8:5-8
These are God’s Words. So get into His Word (the Bible) everyday. Not only will you begin to see the truth, but also your faith will grow stronger. You will find that over time, your spiritual muscles of resisting Satan will grow, and the battle will get easier.
Speak it out: I am beautiful! I am lovable! I am worthy. I am capable! I’m not just saying that—God says that!
Read this excerpt from “I’m Beautiful? Why Can’t I See It?” by Kimberly Davidson.
Need support + encouragment for disordered eating? Visit: Olive Branch Outreach @ www.olivebranchoutreach.com
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Power of Transformation
The Apostle Paul, like us, got frustrated with his own thoughts. Winning the war over himself—the war for freedom and joy is what he called a transformation through the “renewing of the mind” (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23).
Scripture clearly presents us as needing to have our hearts replaced and our minds transformed. Our minds and hearts have to be changed in such a way that the old negative values, beliefs + practices of the old mindset—ARE REWIRED. It is a learned behavior. It is a discipline. Any one of us can cultivate it.
Science is now proving what the Bible has said all along. God designed us with the ability to change our own brains. When God says we are to renew our mind, he gives us the ability to do that. We actually can “rewire” our brain which means we can change our thinking.
Think of transformation as a training process—the trainer is the Holy Spirit and the word of God—they work together to change our relationships—behaviors—attitudes—beliefs—our sin. And in the process God gives us grace. Grace is a gift from God—Through the Holy Spirit’s power we are able to do things—things that are the will of God—things we could never do on our own—in our own strength.
Begin to ask God regularly show you what’s behind your thoughts and attitudes
I call this interrogation. Is it rejection? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Shame? Guilt? Name your bondage. Lord, help me replace these lies with Truth--with your Word.
Scripture clearly presents us as needing to have our hearts replaced and our minds transformed. Our minds and hearts have to be changed in such a way that the old negative values, beliefs + practices of the old mindset—ARE REWIRED. It is a learned behavior. It is a discipline. Any one of us can cultivate it.
Science is now proving what the Bible has said all along. God designed us with the ability to change our own brains. When God says we are to renew our mind, he gives us the ability to do that. We actually can “rewire” our brain which means we can change our thinking.
Think of transformation as a training process—the trainer is the Holy Spirit and the word of God—they work together to change our relationships—behaviors—attitudes—beliefs—our sin. And in the process God gives us grace. Grace is a gift from God—Through the Holy Spirit’s power we are able to do things—things that are the will of God—things we could never do on our own—in our own strength.
Begin to ask God regularly show you what’s behind your thoughts and attitudes
I call this interrogation. Is it rejection? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Shame? Guilt? Name your bondage. Lord, help me replace these lies with Truth--with your Word.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Great Restorer
This week I want to share a woman's story of her release from the bondage of an eating disorder. Very often we pray that God will do a miracle and we will just stop our disordered eating. Sometimes that happens, but more ofthen than not he will use a team of people. Never underestimate that those people have come into your lilfe as part of God's divine intervention.
Written by Sara Byrum Major.
My struggle with an eating disorder began in the summer of 1994 when I was 12. It was the summer before my 8th grade year of middle school. I remember challenging myself to not eat in between meals. I was successful that summer and it felt right and good. That decision spiraled into full blown anorexia.
My parents sought out help for me. I saw a nutritionist and various psychiatrists and psychologists. By my senior year of high school, five years later, I had gained a healthy amount of weight. My control over anorexia seemed to be lost. I was devastated and felt lazy and ugly. I found myself over eating and then beating myself up again and again as I felt I had lost my identity as 'the skinny girl' and my ability to control myself. It was not until a couple of years ago that I was able to see that those years, my last year of high school on into my college years, I was still struggling with my eating disorder.
Since 1994 I have run ED's gamut. From anorexia to binge eating to 'mild' restricting back to anorexia and then bulimia and then binge eating. I am so thankful to say that God has placed awesome professionals and others in my life that have facilitated my recovery. I cannot tell you the exact moment that I 'got' it...and I think that I am still in the process of 'getting it'. I know that God is working in my life. With His grace I am 'getting' who I am. I was not created to live a life in bondage to my ED. I have lots of positive things to do in this world. I'm excited and ready!
Written by Sara Byrum Major.
My struggle with an eating disorder began in the summer of 1994 when I was 12. It was the summer before my 8th grade year of middle school. I remember challenging myself to not eat in between meals. I was successful that summer and it felt right and good. That decision spiraled into full blown anorexia.
My parents sought out help for me. I saw a nutritionist and various psychiatrists and psychologists. By my senior year of high school, five years later, I had gained a healthy amount of weight. My control over anorexia seemed to be lost. I was devastated and felt lazy and ugly. I found myself over eating and then beating myself up again and again as I felt I had lost my identity as 'the skinny girl' and my ability to control myself. It was not until a couple of years ago that I was able to see that those years, my last year of high school on into my college years, I was still struggling with my eating disorder.
Since 1994 I have run ED's gamut. From anorexia to binge eating to 'mild' restricting back to anorexia and then bulimia and then binge eating. I am so thankful to say that God has placed awesome professionals and others in my life that have facilitated my recovery. I cannot tell you the exact moment that I 'got' it...and I think that I am still in the process of 'getting it'. I know that God is working in my life. With His grace I am 'getting' who I am. I was not created to live a life in bondage to my ED. I have lots of positive things to do in this world. I'm excited and ready!
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Time to Plant
I live in the country and watch the farmers. When a farmer works a field, he begins by preparing the soil. Then he’ll sow, disc, harrow, fertilize, harrow again, and finally plant. It is a lot of work. After he plants, he stops for a while to allow the seeds time to grow. He waits and hopes for a rich crop.
The seeds of change need some time to germinate and grow. Our emotions need time to catch up with change. We have been plowed and prepared, and now, we give God’s power the necessary time to create in us an internal change.
The author of Ecclesiastes wrote:
"What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him" (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14).
God says He will make everything beautiful in its time. If we are not willing to wait, we are faced with self-will (insisting on our way). That’s destructive. Waiting is an art and can be very powerful. If you can wait, you will often achieve something that you may not have achieved otherwise.
1 Peter 1:13 prepares us for what’s ahead: “Therefore prepare your minds for actions; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Focusing on preparation for change will encourage our faith by allowing us to detach gracefully from our past.
We have a lot of negative talk, old patterns, and beliefs shoved deep down inside (at the core). We’re beginning to let go of them and are replacing them with positive patterns and behavior. The principles of God’s Word are the richest source for positive pattern change.
God can’t change us unless we are ready, willing, and able for Him to do so. Who among us is entirely ready to have our sin and character deficiencies removed? You may discover that there is a point at which you say, “No, I can’t give this up yet.” That is not uncommon. We cannot remove sin or our character deficiencies without the help of God.
“I have held many things in my hands and lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
–Martin Luther
The seeds of change need some time to germinate and grow. Our emotions need time to catch up with change. We have been plowed and prepared, and now, we give God’s power the necessary time to create in us an internal change.
The author of Ecclesiastes wrote:
"What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him" (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14).
God says He will make everything beautiful in its time. If we are not willing to wait, we are faced with self-will (insisting on our way). That’s destructive. Waiting is an art and can be very powerful. If you can wait, you will often achieve something that you may not have achieved otherwise.
1 Peter 1:13 prepares us for what’s ahead: “Therefore prepare your minds for actions; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Focusing on preparation for change will encourage our faith by allowing us to detach gracefully from our past.
We have a lot of negative talk, old patterns, and beliefs shoved deep down inside (at the core). We’re beginning to let go of them and are replacing them with positive patterns and behavior. The principles of God’s Word are the richest source for positive pattern change.
God can’t change us unless we are ready, willing, and able for Him to do so. Who among us is entirely ready to have our sin and character deficiencies removed? You may discover that there is a point at which you say, “No, I can’t give this up yet.” That is not uncommon. We cannot remove sin or our character deficiencies without the help of God.
“I have held many things in my hands and lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
–Martin Luther
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