Tag: Bible

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Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Spiritual Health

The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received…Part III

and Truth I know now…

In our final installment of the 3-part series I’m calling, ‘The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received” I’m going to be sharing probably the most ubiquitous bad health advice we’ve BOTH ever received. 
 
While the world has advanced with greater and greater scientific and specific health knowledge, it has also made room for a looooooot of bad advice.   
 
Today’s bad advice doesn’t have a story around it like the others because to be honest I can’t remember who exactly first told me this one, or if it was actually just my MIND that inferred this advice from simply how society approached health and wellness.  
 
The bad advice that I now know better than to fall for is this: 
 
HEALTH IS ONLY ABOUT EXERCISE AND NUTRITION.  
 
Isn’t this what society teaches us?  All you need to focus on in order to get health and stay healthy is to concern your efforts on what you’re eating and how you’re moving.  
 
If you struggle with your health, it’s only because you’re not doing something “right” with regards to your movement and your eating.  
 
This is what I have believed for over 3 decades of struggle with my body and body image. This advice sent me into a frenzy of exhaustive effort, almost becoming addicted to thinking about my eating, obsessive with my exercise, and never feeling satisfied with where my body was.  
 
Oh, you aren’t seeing results?  Well, try harder.
You adapted to your workouts?  Hmm, you should probably just try harder. 
You put on 5 lbs from a weekend  of excessive eating?  Try harder! 
 
This has been so conditioned to our psyche, we have formed a mindset of lack and scarcity.  Never feeling “good enough” and always on guard for the evidence that proves we are underperforming.  
 
 
The thing about believing that advice that all it takes to be health is to focus on your eating and your exercise is because there IS TRUTH in this advice, but it’s only half of the truth. 
 
There’s no denying that your physical health depends on your eating and exercise.  But it’s missing the 2 other pillars of health— your THINKING (what I call WISE’her) and your SPIRIT (what I called SURREND’her).  
 
So, let’s get into the WORD of God for what might reveal what TRUE HEALTH looks like for every one of us. 
 

Bible Background...

The Apostle John was one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus during His time on Earth.  John wrote the Gospel of John and was one of Jesus’ best friends and self proclaimed to be the “one whom Jesus loved.”   
 
John was also the disciple to lived the longest.  Where many of the others were martyred for their Faith in Christ the Messiah, John lived into his 80’s in the town of Ephesus.  It is from this city that he penned some of the greatest books of the Bible:  1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. 
 
Well, it is in the short letter called 3 John, we see where this wise, Jesus loving, disciple tells us what is KEY to health.
 

 His greeting in this letter states: (3 John 1:2: GNB)

 
John tells us two very critical things in this simple greeting. 
 

 1. Our HEALTH is very important to our calling.  You cannot be of your best use to God’s mission if you are NOT well in health.  While this might seem obvious in statement, it’s NOT obvious when you look at the state of health of the church.  I pray that this continues to change in the Body.

 

2. It tells us that really, our body’s health CAN ONLY BE AS HEALTHY as your spirit and soul.  

It’s important that you EQUALLY invest in your SOUL (your emotions, your thinking, and your will and motivation) and SPIRIT (your relationship God within you) as you do in your physical health.  
 
What I realized in order for my struggle-to-turn-to-success in my own body is that my PROBLEMS were not with my body, my eating, and my exercise regimens.  My problems were in how I was THINKING about my body, my eating and my exercise.  
 
The thoughts that created the feelings and misdirected my motivation all were problems in my SOUL that was buried in my FLESHY nature as opposed to how God has called me to walk, within my SPIRITUAL nature.  
 

With this new found freedom of truth I have built a platform of complete education and direction for women who are ready to live TRULY HEALTHY lives.  

 
It’s called the her Health Lounge and it’s a 26-week journey to a LIFESTYLE of health.  
 
The Lounge is an online portal where all members have 24-hour access to over 80 coaching videos discussing the necessary knowledge one must have to truly walk in Spiritual and Physical health.  
 
 
We spend 8 WEEKS devoted to BODY (nutrition and fitness education), 8 WEEKS devoted to MINDSET, and 8 WEEKS devoted to SPIRIT.  
 
All members receive my best tools for physical success with my Nutrient Based Eating program and book, as well as my signature STRONGher Fitness & Mobility program delivered on the Lounge portal as well as my STRONGher APP with the full-length video demos.  
 
 
The best part is not just the Lounge and it’s amazing content, but it’s the COMMUNITY of women and the COACHING from myself and my co-caoches.  This program offers your access the the most encouraging and motivating Facebook group out there!   
 
And you will also sign up for either (13) 1:1 coaching calls every 2-weeks  or (8) small group coaching calls every 3-weeks.   It’s in these calls that you will hold yourself accountable and establish a clear pathway to success! 
 
I’d love to welcome you to this opportunity to improve your physical health by focusing equal effort on your Spiritual health as well!  The doors open to sign up on April 3 and will close on April 9.  Our 26-weeks together will start April 10!  
 
Be sure you’re on the waitlist if you want to get first dibs.   I’d love to reach out to you to set up a call and chat more to ensure we are a “wright fit” for each other.  Click HERE to join that waitlist.
 
 

Are you "A. Wright Fit" for the her Health Lounge? Watch and find out!

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

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Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health

Hello from the other side…

Hello From The Other Side...

What do we do on the other side of big, monsterous events in our lives?  Events of our highest highs and our lowest lows? Those times where we FINALLY achieve a hard earned goal, or those times where we are shocked with circumstances unforeseen, like we all were with last week's national tragedies. 

Hello from the other side....this is where I am.  

I shared last week that I passed my CSCS test, but I didn't share that the week I took it had some terrible circumstances that were actually far more important to me than my test. 

I'm talking about crazy things happening-- like the news of a murder suicide occurring next door the the home we own in San Diego (and are renting out) and other frustrating events like relationship flare ups and disagreements.  Unsure if a resolution was in site.   

Have you ever noticed how the closer you are to a great achievement, the more "life" (a.k.a the devil) seems to try to get in your way and test you?  

Somehow I made up my mind I was going to ignore the temptation to allow the devil use it as an excuse to delay plan of taking the test and more importantly, delay my purpose.  

I buckled down and wholly and completely depended on God to help me study and focus.  It was touch and go there for several days.  But He showed me time and time again that He was with me, even having more than one friend reach out to say I was on their mind, not knowing at all I was struggling.  

By His grace I took that test, I passed that test, and the rest of my life gracefully sorted itself out.  He does amazing things when we trust that He will and allow Him to take control.  This is the art of SURREND’her.  

Whew, crossed that bridge!  

EXCEPT, then there was last week.  We all saw the unspeakable tragedy unfolding….yet again.  It rocks us every time.    We cry out to God, we shake our heads in disbelief and shed some tears for those we know were taken too soon. We are angry and we seek justice. 

And now as a nation, we have found ourselves, once again, on the other side of tragedy.   

 

So, hello, from the other side... again.  

Whether you achieved a high of goal achievement or a lows of tragedy, you come out on the other side emotionally exhausted and... changed.    

If you have been here before, you might recognize the feelings of confusion in your soul.  For me, I feel like EVERYTHING in my life has shifted as I have crossed a great bridge.  And YET, in so many ways, NOTHING has changed either.    

I am caught wondering what you may be wondering, “Well, what do I do now?"  I'm tempted to just go back to how I operated before it all...

But, this week, I came across a scripture I’ve seen before, but it had new meaning to me.  I think it can help you too, if you allow it.   

 

Isaiah 40:31
 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

 

LET’S LOOK AT 3 THINGS THE VERSE TELLS US THAT WILL HELP YOU TO  FROM THE OTHER SIDE: 

  1.  IT TELLS US SPECIFIC ACTION TO TAKE: 

Does this confuse you?  Yes, I called this passage an ACTION PLAN and yet, this verse very clearly uses one word that I don’t think any human being likes to hear:  “WAIT."

But it doesn’t stop there….  it says “Wait on the LORD” which is not inaction, but just the opposite.

Another term you could insert into this context is to SEEK the Lord.   Or perhaps another tough word, OBEY.  

So, this is NOT time you just spend twiddling your thumbs or waiting on the door to ring and it be the hand delivered news of what you are supposed to do.

No, this is time you spend in His word and in prayer so you have Guidance and *clarity* beyond what your emotions want you to do.

2.  IT TELLS US WHY GOD WANTS US TO WAIT ON HIM:

The purpose of us seeking God and waiting on His guidance is not because God wants to drive us crazy and is playing some kind of game with us.  
 
It’s because He sees how emotionally exhausted we are from whatever we just endured.   He is preparing us to win THE WAR and what you’ve just endured was but one battle.  
 
It's also a test to see if we really TRUST Him.  We’ve all seen that hasty moves that are made under distressed and emotionally exhausted mindsets rarely bring wise decisions.   

To our human mind, we think this emotion is supposed to fuel us into action.  And in some ways, it is true--emotion is our human fuel.  

But emotion that goes untested by God’s Word might make us more of the problem than the solution.  

Thinking that our depth of emotion somehow makes us able to play the role of God is not only foolish but idolatrous.  This is the trouble we are seeing in the world after the tragedy last week.  People are taking justice into their own hands—essentially trying to play god.  It will never end well.  

  1. THIS VERSE TELLS US THE OUTCOME OF THIS ACTION PLAN: 

When we seek God and delay action until His way is apparent, it not only relieves us from the burden of trying to fix it all ourselves, but it also provides us the sustenance  to ENJOY LIFE through it all too.   

"Mount up on wings like eagles” sounds like a life of delight to me.  A way to soar above the fray and rise above your circumstances.  

There are more goals to be won.  There are more battles the devil is going to wage in our mind and circumstance. 

I’m going to tell you something you may not want to hear, but it’s also the truth.  

This may take a while.  Your purpose; our nations peace; the process of mourning....all of it.  

But when we wait on God and seek Him diligently everyday, "we shall run and not grow weary, we shall walk and not faint.”   We must keep going.  

And the most beautiful part of what God does for us when we seek Him are His gifts of peace and joy and hope and love THROUGH the journey, not just when it’s over and fixed.  He gives us these gifts daily, no matter our circumstances.  

We all want these every day.  But are you seeking God to receive them, or are you seeking others, your government or even yourself to achieve them?  

Are you waiting on the Lord?  Or is the Lord waiting on you?

 

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You Say This Is What You Want, But…

You Say It's What You Want,

I just completed my Vision board for 2016. I have done them every year since 2013 and absolutely believe in the value that having a visual representation of the “God-sized” and specific dreams for your life and what it can do to your subconscious psyche.

You can check out my “business” vision board here….

Vision Board

(there are a lot of words in my “vision”…because I’m a “words” kind of girl!).

But you know what I see when I look at this board with my big bold and audacious dreams?

Sacrifice.

That’s right, when I look at this board, I see that for every big, bold, audacious dream I want to achieve in this year, which include dreams for my business, dreams for my health, dreams for my income and my servant heart, I am ONLY going to find success in these dreams by making the right CHOICES that will allow these to be fulfilled.

Contrary to what you might think that dreams are, and especially what a lot of people think GOD DOES FOR YOUR LIFE, is that it’s not about “wishing” for things to be better. God is not a genie where you rub his lamp and he appears to just grant you all the things you want and the “good feelings” you desire.

No. God is after your HEART and He is after your SPIRIT and He deserves it wholeheartedly. God wants you to be with Him forever in Heaven which REQUIRES that you make some sacrifices in your life here on earth. Love is a sacrifice.

You see for every list of things that I desire to achieve this year and in my lifetime, is an equally long (if not longer) list of things that I WON’T do.

So today, I am challenging myself and I am challenging you to get real with what it is you say you want out of life so you can discern not only those things that you WANT out of this year, but also those things that you will have to be willing to SACRIFICE. Consider it some “Unapologetically SURREND’hered” tough love that we all need in the New Year….

 

 

You say you want to be healthy…..

…..but are you willing to commit to some health changes, for say… ever? I know you might be thinking that you are totally sacrificing when you go on those 21, 30, or even 90-day cleanses and willpower challenges, but those are NOT actually sacrifices that will serve your health in the long run, nor are they what God requires of you.

Paul writes,

“..give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and HOLY sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1 NLT)

I didn’t notice him saying, “Give your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice for 30 days….” did you? So why would we think that our health is something we go “on” and “off” of too? We are not called to “diet” we are called to achieve HEALTH.

A much greater sacrifice, and the type of sacrifice that will get you what you want—TRUE HEALTH— is to make a lifestyle change with one bold step at a time, what I call in my new program, the her Health Lounge, the “Next Best Step Action Plan.”

The discipline required to go at the slow, steady pace of real fat loss is a sacrifice for our “immediate gratification” flesh.

The self-control required to monitor your impulse eating and assess your actual hunger means that you will sacrifice your cravings and emotional eating habits.

The patience and self-love it takes to actually give yourself some REST instead of just pushing HARDER and HARDER at the gym or by over-dieting is a sacrifice to our guilt-driven, overly worrisome, fleshy tendencies.

If you say that you want TRUE Health—LASTING health– then you will have to sacrifice your TIME, ENERGY, RESOURCES and MINDSET to figuring out and dealing with the LIES that you are believing right now that are preventing you from the TRUTH. The truth of how God sees you and what God desires for your health and for your life.

If you are unwilling to sacrifice and invest in those practices that help you get deeply rooted in WHY you deserve to be healthy and HOW you are going to do that in a way that serves you SPIRITUALLY as much as it serves you PHYSICALLY, then you are not yet ready to actually attain or maintain TRUE HEALTH.

You will not find True Health unless you are willing to go DEEP enough to uncover it. This is a sacrifice of our ego.

You say you want to be happy….

…but are you willing to sacrifice doing those things and exposing yourself to those environments that do not serve your joy?  You will only find true joy when you immerse yourself in joyful and love-giving environments on a regular basis.

Are you willing to sacrifice all the time you spend following people on Facebook and social media that gossip, slander, complain and criticize?  Are you willing to sacrifice the secret love you have of watching reality TV shows and “keeping up with” all those celebrities that will either make you envy them and their perceived looks or “success,” or make you feel superior and prideful because you love to hate them?

Are you willing to sacrifice watching the news or the political pundits that just over-analyze and tell you why the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket?”

Maybe the world isn’t the “Promised Land” that God designed it to be, but you are not contributing to that dream and promise of God by watching these obsessive shows who’s only platform is to just CRITICIZE everyone.

Are you willing to GO FIRST?

You say you want to be happy, but are you willing to take a stand and GO FIRST in showcasing the ways of true joy? Are you willing to tell people that it’s because of God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus that you are even capable of feeling the fruits of the spirit like Love, Joy and Peace?

Are you willing to sacrifice your reputation and the fear of “what other people think about you” by being authentic, honest and forthright? To “be the change you wish to see in the world” first, without waiting for another courageous person to do it and you follow?

You say you want God’s blessing….

…but are you living a life that shows that you really BELIEVE in Him? It’s not enough to just have a head knowledge that God exists, but you must have a HEART knowledge that is only showcased in how you live your life.

As Rick Warren states, “Believing there is a God and believing that Jesus died on the cross is not enough to get into heaven. Because the devil believes in God, and the devil believes in Jesus, but it doesn’t mean that the devil is going to be in heaven.”

Did you catch that?!

He referenced, James 2:19 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!”

The word “believe” is actually translated as “pisteuo” in Greek. It means to “trust in, to cling to, to rely on, to adhere to and to commit to.”

Are you willing to do ALL OF THOSE things for God?

(For more on this, listen to Rick Warren’s great Daily Hope podcast HERE.)

Let me be clear, all this is not to say that you “earn” God’s blessing, as we know that we can never EARN God’s love. It is freely given. Your HEART must come to the understanding of the GOSPEL which can be boiled down to one simple phrase, “His grace is sufficient for me…” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

But, this is about how you having daring Faith that will move God to not only bless you more richly here on earth, but the ultimate and true gift of rich and wonderful blessings in Eternity.

Are you willing to sacrifice and SURREND’her ALL of your life to Him, even those things you do in secret?

Are you willing to give Him reign over your life and take up your cross DAILY (not just on Sundays), sacrificing the desires of your flesh?

Are you willing to die to yourself and your innate and selfish ways for the greater good and to be of service to others?

Are you willing to endure through some uncomfortable times and do the things you fear the most because you know that this is God’s dream for your life?

Are you willing to sacrifice your time to connect with Him daily and to study His word so you can have a deeper, more meaningful relationship?

Are you willing to give up the “RULE-FOLLOWING” of religion that makes you think you can just follow a “checklist” to Heaven in exchange for a real, authentic, and a completely unique relationship with God?

You say you want love…..

….but are you willing to sacrifice for it?

If you want to truly LOVE your life, then you must sacrifice for it.

Love is not just following “good emotions.” Real love is a SACRIFICE.

Mother’s who love their child sacrifice their sleep, their time, and their needs for their children. Husbands who love their wives sacrifice their fidelity, their selfish, lustful desires and are called to work, provide and submit to her. Wives who love their husbands sacrifice their nagging desires, their controlling tendencies and are called to provide, respect and submit to their husband. These are all a sacrifice to our innate, selfish tendencies.

And God, who so richly loves YOU, sacrificed “His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). <——— THAT is real sacrifice. Do you BELIEVE THAT?

So when you dream up these God sized dreams for your life and you have high hopes of accomplishing everything you can in 2016 and beyond, remember that it is LOVE that moves mountains and ultimately LOVE is a sacrifice.

Having said all that….

herhealthloungelogo_1000

I invite you on this CHALLENGE with me in radically shifting your health to be able to achieve the things you say you want from your HEALTH and your LIFE and join me in the “her Health Lounge” coaching program. I am only offering this program 2 x per year, so if you don’t snag the chance NOW, you won’t have another opportunity until SEPTEMBER.

It is a 6-month journey, delivered in an online portal, that will require a sacrifice and investment of your time and your resources, but you will be blessed with a rich harvest of rewards for your body, mindset and spirit.

Your LIFE, not just your HEALTH will be transformed by this journey when you commit to it wholeheartedly!

her Health Lounge starts on Monday January 11 and goes through July 9. All 26-weeks are mapped out for you on the Sales Page.

But, if you enroll with me NOW through January 7 (at Midnight), you will get 3 MEGA BONUSES, that include:

  1. Access the the Lounge for a FULL YEAR instead of just 6 months.

  2. “her Worthy Time” spiral planner and daily devotional along with a video training on the best Time Management Practices for balance and productivity.
    herWorthyTime

  3. “Nutrient Based Food Prep for busy lives” printable guide and video training.

NutrientBasedMealPrep_Cover

ALL FOR FREE! 

Until Midnight Tonight!

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Also, if you desire to have a more hands on, 1:1 coaching experience, I am offering only 10 spots in my Platinum Membership that comes with weekly phone calls and custom nutrition and exercise plans. You can set up a FREE consultation call with me by reserving a spot with me HERE and we can discover if we’re a “right fit” for each other!

Join Today!

http://herhealthlounge.awrightfit.com/

 

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Food & Nutrition Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health Uncategorized

What Do I Eat? Usually, my emotions….

When Craving Doesn't Come From Food

I am hands down an emotional eater. I use food as both a reward and coping mechanism. Joy and stress alike make me want to eat. When I was preparing for my wedding, everyone kept telling me how much weight I’ll lose at the end because “you’ll be so stressed.” Well, they were half right. I was indeed stressed! But I didn’t lose a ton of weight at the end. Why? Well, because stress makes me EAT. A friend of mine noticed this and recommended I tried something like og kush strain to help calm my nerves. I understood where she was coming from, as stressing out never helps anyone. But alas it’s too late and I just wanted to eat. Not the mention the whole celebration part of it too. Celebrating makes me want to EAT too! So, let’s just say that “sitting” in my wedding dress would have been a cool thing, but it didn’t really happen for me. But, hey, the pictures looked great, so I still consider that a win! 😉

Well, they say you are supposed to “Eat to Live, Not Live to Eat.” But I’m pretty sure 75% of my current meals are the “living to eat” variety. My emotions keep me tied to my food much tighter than I would like to admit, especially as a nutritionist and health coach. I also don’t have one client who is not the same as me too, so I would imagine you might have some similar feelings on food as well.

My emotional eating doesn’t necessarily impact my health negatively because I’m actually emotionally connected to really healthy foods too. I am lucky that I have learned this otherwise I’m quite sure I would be just like every overweight and obese person out there. But I still know that even when I’m eating healthy foods, I have a strong tendency to overeat on a regular basis. Due to my addiction to healthy food though, it’s not as much of a problem for me. However, for those who don’t eat healthily, emotional eating can cause obesity pretty quickly. This health condition can put individuals at risk, meaning that they need to do something about it promptly. The first thing to do would be to try and stop emotional eating. From there, it’s important to try and lose weight. This can be difficult and can lead to people giving up before they’ve even started as results won’t happen overnight. However, if you’re struggling to lose weight, you might be able to get bariatric surgery to help you. Perhaps it’s worth getting in touch with Dr. Naveen Ballem, or another specialist, to see if they can help you make an important change.

My strong cravings for food tied to my emotions allow me to know that there is something about my inability to stop eating at times that is just not well with my soul. It is a sign of a Spiritual battle more than just a food thing.

So, this led me to pick up a very good book by Lysa TerKeurst called “Made to Crave.“ In it, she reveals her own journey in junk food addiction and struggle with being overweight and how she was able to fill her life with God more and food less. A journey I can vividly relate to as this is my desire as well.

The Emotional addiction of food is the true concern and threat of this idol. We do know that we need food to survive, but we need not treat food as it is something to worship.

Her book taught and motivated me to do some spiritual and biblical research on food and how we are supposed handle our own cravings. This two part blog series will cover:

  • Part 1. What does the Bible say about food and our cravings?
  • Part 2. How can I take these passages and create a practical plan to overcome my eating?
  • thinking-food

Part 1:

While food is a blessing in our life, the full dedication of one of our 5 senses in taste, it can serve as an agent of destruction to our soul. The apostle Paul writes:

“For as I have often told you before and now say again with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame.“ (Phil 3:18-19)

Our human nature can easily become consumed with food. Our days can be filled living only meal to meal. Obsessively planning our diets and fantasizing our indulgences. DietAlso, the gift of flavor from real, true food, has been manipulated and exploited by the food industry for capital gain (a byproduct of another damning idol of our humanity –> greed).

However, we cannot to just shift the blame of our food issues to the manufacturers… or worse to God himself for our emotional and physical addiction to food by saying “God made me this way.” For God did not make us to crave anything but God himself.

We must recognize the power and opportunity to strengthen our Faith and deny ourselves of our idols (i.e. food) to grow closer to God.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily to follow me.“ (Luke 9:23)

Nor should we “worry” about our diet and what we shall eat.

“Do not set your heart on what you will eat and drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after such things and your Father knows that you need them.“ (Luke 12:29-31)

So what are we to do? I know for me, this feels like a seismic and impossible shift in my psyche and what I think about all day long. Food is simply one of my favorite things to think and worry about.1a944a2f712afee99e126a02c9c2cda9

But, as is my own business model presents, I must take heed to my own words. If I want to change what I “think” about, I need to dig deeper to the depths of my Spirit. The best way to detach my mind and my focus away from food is not to make sweeping statements about what I will “not do.”

To over-consume my thoughts with phrases like “I will not be consumed by food or controlled by my cravings of (x, y, z)” all my subconscious mind hears is “food, food, food” causing us to think of nothing else but–> food.

To overcome any battle, we much instead engage our inner spirit to the task. Turning our hearts on what will feed us from within, not what will not.

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.“ (Matthew 4:4)

“My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of Him who sent me to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

These passages give us our answer of spiritual focus for fulfillment:

  1. Focus on the word of God
  2. Focus on God’s will for our lives (i.e. our Greater Purpose).

Just as God made Jesus for a Greater Purpose (to live perfectly but die for our sins) he also made you for a Greater Purpose. (For more on what Greater Purpose is click on this past article HERE).

SURREND’hering our spirit UP distracts our feeble minds from our sinful nature and attachment to food. It is not the FOOD that is the sin, but how we treat it.

“For everything in the world- the cravings of a sinful man (…) comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16)

Instead of obsessing over our food choices or overindulging in unhealthy foods, we can

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.“ (Psalm 34:4)

Feeding on the spirit does not mean we will give up food or fast for the rest of our lives! Don’t mistake my point of this calling. We must all still eat.

But SURREND’hering our emotional connection to food and exposing the idol that it can be for many of us will allow our minds to break free from the stronghold that food/drink addictions and obsessions with food can be.

This ranges from everything from compulsive eating, mindless eating and obsessively tracking and counting your food or any other act of food obsession. If your mind thinks about food more often than it thinks about God then we have work to do. (Both of my hands are raised up in the air for this one!!)

411a4ni2oVL._SY355_We must realize that God did not design us to be hangry.

God did not design us to uncontrollably eat and gorge ourselves on food or drink.

God did not design us to obsessively track every calorie or macronutrient.

God designed us to use the food he gave us a fuel.

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To trust and have faith that there will always be enough for us. We must find a way to be content in all situations. As the apostle Paul said,

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:12)

We can detach from food and find contentment by turning our spirit and our attention to the word of God more, to our relationships with Him, and to our Greater Purpose for which we were designed.

“Your words were found and I ate them and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16)

LIVE in the Spirit of Joy for life. LIVE in the Spirit of true fulfillment by consuming God’s love more abundantly than food.

“So I say to you, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of your sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:16)

I hope my article and these scripture verses help to bring awareness and conviction for our depth of need in this area of food and the nature of our cravings. I hope it also points out that if you are a person that emotionally struggles with food, you are not alone!! It might surprise you that there are so many references to FOOD in the Bible, I know it surprised me! If it’s in the Bible, it means it’s been a real struggle for human for centuries! But more than that I hope this gives you some hope that with these passages are the answers to our problems. The Bible tells us where we can take our emotional struggle with Food and how we can use it to grow closer with God.

But, I know that often times after reading the Bible, I need an idea of how to take the scriptural context to my real life . I’m a person that needs some practical application to fixing this need in our souls and help find our paths to true health of Body, Mind and Soul.

Therefore….

Look for Part 2 tomorrow on some ideas of practical implementation and affecting real change in your life.