“Seek and deeply long for the Lord—His strength, His power, His might. Seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.”1
This is what we have to do if we want to change, transform in any way. Changing a habit is pretty easy. We do it all the time, but transformation is a process of commitment.
Changing Habits
When I began my weight loss journey in earnest, it helped me to realize for every bad habit I stop, I need to start a good one. I focus on what I want to start and put firm boundaries around what I want to stop. I don’t focus on the stop because my brain doesn’t hear the “not”. So if my stop is, “I will not eat sugar,” my brain hears, “Sugar, sugar, sugar.” So I focus on my start, which for me was eating fresh fruit.
Change is possible on willpower alone, for a short time. However, willpower runs out eventually even for those with the most determination. We need God’s help in order for change to be lasting—in order for change to become transforming.
Transformation
Transformation is a complete lifestyle change. It’s not possible on self-effort alone. We need His strength, His power and His might. Most of us have been raised to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, to make it on our own, to try harder, reach higher, fly longer. God has designed us to accomplish great and mighty things, but only if we recognize the Source of our ability to even breathe.
God’s power to transform is available to all believers. It’s actually a simple process, but for some it’s oh so hard to step into.
I Am Weak
The Apostle Paul was pretty hard-headed, actually. I mean, God had to blind him and speak to him audibly to get him to believe. Then, later, God determined Paul needed a constant reminder of where his Source of power.
God told Paul, “My grace is enough. It’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.”2
When I am weak, then I am strong,3 but only through the strength of God. However, He won’t barge in and take over.
He will patiently wait until I tell Him, I just can’t do this. I need something only You can do, God.
In order to be strong, I have to have Paul’s mindset. “I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”4
Towards Transformation
After I surrender to Him, though, there is another step. It’s not enough just to lay on the floor feeling weak. We have to seek and deeply longing for His face. This is far from an idle process. It is active. It is ongoing and it is necessary to obtain total transformation.
Moses saw God’s face. When He returned from that face-to-face encounter his face shone so brightly he had to put a veil over it5. Ah, but God tells us today, there is no veil necessary. He will be with us continually if we want Him to. If we seek Him.
Action Steps
One more thing. Here’s the thing about seeking Him. Once we find Him, we must go with Him wherever He goes and DO whatever He does. If not, we have ceased to seek Him. Seeking is not only an action in and of itself, it results in an action.
Are you seeking? Are you deeply longing for His face? Do you really want His presence. Are you willing to do what He wants instead of demanding He do what you want?
What do you need to do to begin your transformation process?
Sweet Change Weight Loss Coaching Group is a place where transformation takes place. It is a process. Having a coach who has been there was invaluable on my journey and I know it will be on yours. Right now we are going back to the basics for the holidays. I’m offer a special right now to help get you through the holidays. Go HERE to join today.
1Psalm 105:4 AMP
22Cor. 12:9 MSG
32 Cor. 12:10 NLT
42 Cor. 12:10 MSG
52 Cor. 3:12-15 MSG
Teresa Shields Parker is a Christian weight loss author, coach, podcaster, and speaker, who has lost 250 pounds and kept it off since 2013. Her books include: “Reconnecting Jayne: Her Sister’s Support,” “Rebuilding Jayne: Her Father’s Protection,” “Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor,” “Sweet Grace Study Guide,” “Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle,” “Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds,” “Sweet Journey to Transformation: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Live Healthy”, “Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off With God’s Help,” “Sweet Freedom Study Guide,” “Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation,” “Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God,” and “Sweet Excuses: Stop Lying to Yourself & Start Losing Weight.” She also offers Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and VIP intensive coaching. Don’t miss her weekly podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, where she shares tips from her personal journey of losing weight and discovering healthy living. Contact her at [email protected].
I meed help
Shandy, I’m going to repeat what I just told Sandy, because it’s perfect for you as well. Get a copy of my book Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor and Sweet Change: True Stories of transformation. Both are available under the products tab. Sign up for my FREE #Kicksugar course by going to https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/kicksugarcourse. That alone will help. At the end I give a coupon for my online weight loss coaching group Sweet Change Weight Loss Coaching and Accountability Group. Join up.
Do a search for the word sugar on this website and you’ll find a ton of articles. Read them all if you can. This is an addiction. You need to treat it as such, like an alcoholic only with sugar. That’s why I formed Sweet Change Group, put together #KickSugar and a lot of other resources. There isn’t an easy answer.
I can lead you there through all my resources. I can tell you this, you have to make a choice. Will you let sugar or God control you?
Hi Teresa
I came across your website when I read an article you wrote, published in the Curates Diary, a Catholic magazine. I live in the UK. I was very interested in your article about being a sugar addict because I am one too. I would eat boxes of sugary snacks. Full sugar meringues but boxes of them and then feel strangely ill with all that sugar coursing through my body.
Right now I am abstaining from all snacks which I binge on ( last month or so) but I am finding it a hard grind, I get down and a bit like a bereavement that I cant eat snacks anymore. Lonely, empty
Can you tell me do I have to throw out my pots of honey too. I thought they were healthy but to be honest Teresa I ladle it on my toast and cant put a slim sliver on , that’s not enough for me
I have to pile it on thick. I do crave it but I feel stressed out I cant have it, restless and down.
I don’t know if you can answer questions like this, but I just wanted to let you know its a support to know that you have done this and that I think too God wants me to stop turning outwards for external thing for me to lean on. He wants me to eat healthy and I know its a sin to be a gluton but its more than that, even I used to eat my daughters biscuits and don’t want to share any treats with my grandson, I hide them from him in case he wants to eat them! I’m sorry but its that ridiculous. I feel I’m sick in some way, a weak person . I’m not a gluton, I just feel this urge or need to treat myself and enjoy it.
Julia, get a copy of my book Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor and Sweet Change: True Stories of transformation. Both are available under the products tab. Sign up for my FREE #Kicksugar course by going to https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/kicksugarcourse. That alone will help. At the end I give a coupon for my online weight loss coaching group Sweet Change Weight Loss Coaching and Accountability Group. Join up.
Do a search for the word sugar on this website and you’ll find a ton of articles. Read them all if you can. This is an addiction. You need to treat it as such, like an alcoholic only with sugar. That’s why I formed Sweet Change Group, put together #KickSugar and a lot of other resources. There isn’t an easy answer.
I can lead you there through all my resources. I can tell you this, you have to make a choice. Will you let sugar or God control you?
|Hi Teresa
I have gone on Amazon to purchase 2 of your books, but I can’t seem to get your free kick sugar course. I have had 2 e mails with links to click which then tells me I will get one more e mail to then send me a link to then have the course link e mailed to me. I click on the link but then have not received the final e mail, which gains me entry to the course. Not sure what to do now, every time I click the link in the initial e mail, I just get told to wait for another e mail which will then get me access to the free course.
Julia
Julia, we just totally redid #KickSugar to get you directly to the plan. We put it on one page for much easier access. So just go to This link and it will get you right in. https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/kicksugar/kicksugar-plan/