“Thank You Father God for my body,” was the thought on my mind as I woke up. I have not really thanked Him much for this vessel that carries me around from place to place. In reality, my body is a container of destiny, for it contains my spirit and soul. The work I have to do here on this earth, I can only do with the help of my body.
I have battered and bruised this body for way too many years of my life through the use of all kinds of unhealthy substances and habits. I’ve even laughingly said, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” For years, I did not give consideration to how important my earthly tent is.1
Who Am I?
Recently, though, Father God has been showing me who I am and why I am here. His answers have been a huge game changer.
As long as I am ignorant about what my purpose and mission is here on earth, I can justify all manner of unproductive thoughts and actions and spend time on my own desires that pull me away2 from seeking out what God wants for and from me. I can negate my actions towards eating healthy and moving. I can just give up and surrender to the inevitable life changes.
Time Wasters
One of the biggest time wasters I had was thinking about what others thought of me or comparing myself to others and always coming up short. Another time waster was thinking about what I was going to eat, when I was going to eat it and how it was going to taste.
As a former or recovering sugar addict, I could spend enormous amounts of time just daydreaming and planning food. There is very little redeeming value in that. And let’s not even consider the years of doing the same mental gymnastics with the alcohol and drugs to which I used to be addicted.
Lies
Could Father God really use me? I have had glimpses of what God might have in mind for me, but I had a hard time believing He could actually want me or could use me as “bad” as I have been.
Of course this is a lie, but even after years of learning and growing in Him, the lies were still there inside me. Ideas that I am not good enough or as good as others are lies the enemy still attempts to whisper jeeringly to me.
These have been accepted and reinforced by my own thinking and behavior. It is my own choice to believe them or not. It is my choice to be set free from the chains or continue to be held captive.
Challenging Lies
I now have people in my life, like my coach and other members of Sweet Change Group, who challenge those lies when I am willing to reveal them. They ask me pointed questions like, “When did you first feel that way?” “Who do you need to forgive in that situation?” “What is God’s truth about that?”
In being willing to answer these and other questions, I have found a new vibrant relationship with Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. One of the most profound things I discovered is Jesus really meant it when He said, “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you.”3
Finding Truth
My Medicare goes into effect this month. It reinforces my time on earth is limited. The need to get down to the Father’s business is pressing. The lies have to go and the truth has to be firmly embedded in their place.
I have a destiny He has revealed to me and the mission is all those who will be impacted by that purpose. He is not a respecter of persons and has a good plan and mission for each and every one of His children. I realized I just needed to ask Him and then determine to spend the rest of my life living it out.4
He Knows Me Completely
“Lord You know everything there is to know about me. You’ve examined my innermost being with your loving gaze. You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me, to spare me from the harm of my past. With Your hand of love upon my life, You impart a Father’s blessing to me. You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mothers’s womb. I thank You, God, for making me so mysteriously complex!
“Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly You know me Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when You created me in the secret place, carefully, skillfully shaping me from nothing to something. You saw who You created me to be, before I became me!”5
Who Am I?
Back to the original question. When I asked Father God, who am I, He gave me His truth about me. His truth and His plans are far greater than I could ever ask, think or imagine.6
I am a healthy, free and cherished daughter of the King pointing others to deliverance, freedom and true identity through God’s love.
That’s who I am. Who are you?
1 2 Corinthians 5:1
2 James 1:14
3 Luke 11:9 NKJV
4 Jeremiah 29:11
5 Psalm 139:1,5,13-16a TPT
6 Ephesians 3:20 NIV
I never thought good things of my body ever, I had inherited my bio grandmothers stocky short legs and I hated my legs
Forgive me Lord, the word says our body is the temple of God
Today I choose to love myself just as I am but ask you to help me eat healthy and exercise daily doing something.
Awesome, that’s what I call a stop/start. You stop eating unhealthy foods and start exercise. If I were coaching you, I tell you to do a specific stop of a specific trigger food you have and do a very specific start with exercise. Specific would be I’m going to walk 15 minutes a day or I’m going ride an exercise bike for 30 minutes three days a week. It needs to be specific and measurable so we will start towards it.
Thank you for sharing your heart about how you see your body, the lies of the enemy and how Jesus lovingly restored your eyes to see His thoughts about your body. Thank you for voicing how I feel about myself and reminding me how much Jesus loves us and wants to help us restore us to serve and live out our destiny. May you continue to be restored and loved by our gracious, loving Father.
You have a destiny, Brenda. God lovingly points in the right direction to fulfill that destiny. Taking those first steps are character-building, beginning steps for where he wants to take us.
Great article! I tend to be a rip-the-Band-Aid-off-quick and a jump-full-on-into-the-pool kind of person (read, I hate baby steps)! Where I am in my health, tho, seems sooooo overwhelming, even with ‘going all in’…. but giving up one thing (doing baby steps stop/start as you said) seems even more discouraging than doing it all at the same time. Do you ever recommend that people go on an all-out detox/sacrifice/self-discipline of everything at once? Sugary stuff is not my weakness, but starches, breads and pastas are (they convert to sugar I know). I’ve gone gluten free three times, each for 90 days, and saw no improvement, no changes, so my doctor said it’s obviously not a problem for me – but it IS for my weight.
You are inspiring!
I was that way, too, Christina. Guess what? It never worked. I would go all out, lose weight and go right back to the way I had always eaten. Why? I never implemented a total change. Change can’t be done all at once. Your body needs to adapt gradually. You didn’t learn your bad habits all at once. You implemented them one at a time.
That being said, when I started my healthy eating, I wanted to give up ALL sugar. It was my goal. I set that as a goal. But first, I chose something doable. I gave up candy and started exercise. The combination is crucial. Stop/start is the way to develop new habits.
I coach from this place because it is the only way that works for the long-haul. If you want a quick bam diet, any will do. But likely as not you will not be a member of that famous weight loss franchise all your life nor will you eat that way all your life.
I teach how to do it. Sweet Change weight loss group, Sweet Change 101 Video Course, FREE #KickSugar course all have elements of this in them.
Remember this, we didn’t get this way overnight. We won’t change overnight. All or nothing, usually translates to nothing.