I am courageous!

That sentence has been on my mind a lot this past week...I am courageous! I always had in my mind an idea of courage...people I've learned about or knew that seemed courageous. Like Martin Luther King Jr. He faced a hard reality head on with God leading & overcame so much with courage. Or Helen Keller. She was deaf & blind from young childhood on yet achieved so much in her life due to digging deep & being full of courage. Then of course Jesus. He was THE Son of God, yet came to live among us humans. He was & is the epitome of courage. Looking at all these people, I sometimes find it hard to find my courageous moments in life...if there are any, they definitely don't seem to be the same depth of courage as these few people listed. But then, I look up the definition of courage & expand on that a moment...

Courage means the power of dealing with or facing danger, fear, pain, etc.; the confidence to act in accordance with one's beliefs. But my favorite definition: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc without fear. Whew! Just typing it made me sweat! ha j/k j/k. :) Now that I read the definition & think back through my life, I really am courageous! :) Of course, in many situations I had room to take action on that courage a lot more than I did, but hey, live & learn & grow, right?! :)

Now to think of being courageous with my cravings, especially my food cravings. Lysa Terkuerst (author of Made to Crave) mentions how I can be courageous with choosing healthy options...not only when I'm in front of other people, but more than that when I'm at home & no one is around. Wow! Then God ran with that & showed me how this craving of food can be such a HUGE blessing in my life in this way...here's a peek at how the convo went down between me & my Best Friend, the Holy Spirit. ;)

Me: "God, why is it I have to have this craving of food...why can't my craving be with something else that's easier to deal with &/or stay away from??"

God: "Jenn, think about how many times a day you face food..."

Me: "A lot...multiple times a day. That's the problem. ha"

God: "Now, think about all those times & choosing to eat as I lead you..."

Me: "I've been doing that through this study & it definitely has me feeling closer to You for sure. :)

God: "Do you realize that is living courageously? Like Lysa said choosing courageously the good healthy food over the junk especially when only Me & you know..."

Me: "So, that's considered courage? Never thought about that. Just thought it was obedience more than anything."

God: "Yes, it's obedience, but how easy is it to choose the junk & satisfy the temporary craving rather than look to Me to fill that craving? See, if you can choose courageously in those moments in particular, how much more courage in Me can you live out in other situations in your life that you only face for a moment rather than daily??"

Me: "Wow...that's awesome! I've been blessed rather than cursed...I get to live this issue out so to bring You glory through it by applying its truths to other situations too. You are awesome, God! Thank You Holy Spirit for this wisdom. Man, I love You."

God: "I love you too...you put a smile on My face!" :)

Now, did I have a full out audible convo with God? No, but this rather happened in the depths of my soul. The Holy Spirit was impressing in my soul all this wisdom for a battle I thought I was cursed with. I was finally ready to gain wisdom & understanding in an area that had almost overtaken my life due to the defeat I felt repeatedly. God now fights this battle for me. Is it easy to turn away from the brownie or cake or fudge or cookies or...you get the idea. No, it's not, but it's EASIER now that I know I don't have to resist by my own self-power. I've allowed God to work through me so to cause me to crave good healthy things. :)

What about you? Do you feel any more empowered now realizing God loves ALL parts of you, including what you eat? You pray blessing over your food, why not pray about your food & if you should eat that particular item?? ;) You are loved...You are courageous. If you don't feel that way, have a little talk with Jesus. Tell Him all about your trouble. He will hear your cry & answer. (That's a song, too! haha)

Please, if you don't know the God I speak of & don't have a personal relationship with Him...don't wait. Message me or comment on this post. There are multiple resources to help you understand more about God, Who is love. Or contact your pastor or a close Jesus-lovin' Christian friend that you feel comfortable being real with. We need each other...the support helps, especially when we choose to live courageously! :)

Joshua 1:9

"Be strong & courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Join our Online Bible Study! :)

March Of Dimes walk is April 5th!

Please walk with me or donate to March of Dimes. They help with babies who are born prematurely. My baby cousin Amelia was one of these babies. She was born at just over a pound & just barely bigger than a standard ruler. She has fought a fight to live that most of us don't even know! Now she is growing & is already trying to crawl. :) She's awesome! :) Click the link below to help my team raise money for March of Dimes. If you're local, come walk with me! :) Thank you for your giving! It's greatly appreciated. :)

All4Amelia

Words of encouragement...

I came upon this verse in my journal I'm using for the Proverbs 31 Made to Crave Online Bible study & thought I'd share it with you as it has blessed me today...

Proverbs 16:3

Depend on the Lord in whatever you do,

& your plans will succeed.

*Emphasis added. When we let God take control & be the pilot, we will succeed. Depend on God...Rely on Him for support/help/etc. Place your trust in Him. Once you do this, plans are made more to His liking as you draw closer to Him through following His lead. :) Then you get to see God bring those plans into fruition. Granted, we all have days we try to take the reigns back & get in His way again. What does that mean? It means give the reigns right back & keep chuggin' on! :)

True success = Letting God lead in ALL things. How do I know? The B-I-B-L-E...it told me so as you can see above. ;)

When I am weak, then I am strong!

Here's a tid-bit of background to the author of this book...Paul was not a cool cat to know prior to him coming to know Jesus personally. He killed those that loved God. He made it his duty to kill anyone proclaiming God...even had himself believing it was the right thing to do & what he was called to do. BUT THEN...don't you love those words when God is involved?! :) Paul met Jesus on a road & was blinded. This guy...who hated & killed so many good people...blinded now & in darkness. He couldn't see who was around him. He couldn't see where to step & not to step. I'd imagine he pleaded daily that those followers of the ones he killed wouldn't come after him when they heard he was blind. I mean, they could kill him & no one know, right? Well, besides God anyway. But back to Paul...God caused Paul to be in a very weak state. A circumstance that required being dependent on others. A circumstance that required being in a very dark place, & for Paul that darkness was literal due to being blind. A circumstance that required no sign of stability or safety. A circumstance that required being alone with God & God only. Been there?? Maybe you're there right now?? I know I've been there a few times...honestly, I don't know how people make it through without knowing God & His complete love for us individually.

In these few verses in 2 Corinthians, Paul is pleading with God to take this "thorn" from his side. He wasn't just asking...he was BEGGING. He hated this "messenger of Satan," as the NIV Bible puts it. Apparently had God taken this "thorn" from Paul, it would've caused Paul more damage than the thorn itself was trying to cause. Paul states in verse 7 that God allowed this thorn to keep him (Paul) from becoming proud or conceited. Paul received many awesome revelations from God that he could have boasted to others about...unfortunately in a "Hey, look at me! Look who I am that God showed this to ME!" kind of way. God knew that this "thorn" would keep Paul's view in perspective. It was cause enough pain that Paul would look to God for comfort.

One of the definitions of thorn is "something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort." This "thorn" could be a multitude of things in our lives, but I ask what's your thorn?? For me, it's my anger. Ugh. I hate it, but God's grace is sufficient & in those moments of my human self wanting to RAGE, His grace is enough. His power is perfected in my weakness. Do I always have that outcome? Ha ha, no way! I wish I did, but I do know I'm getting better only by that grace of God's that's enough. :) "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." What does that mean to me? That I can be thankful in those learning moments of anger. That I can know it won't overcome me as the Holy Spirit is in me living & breathing & showing me His grace. That I get to have first-hand experience of God's AWESOME power! What about you? Can you see the "thorn" in your life now being a blessing?? I sure hope so. :)

Who's crazy? Me crazy?? Not anymore. :)

I've been in this Made To Crave online Bible study through Proverbs 31 for 3 weeks now. (Click HERE for more info on the study) 3 weeks...can you believe it?! I can't! ha This has been life changing...one of those times I've said & will say again, "Man, I wish I had heard this sooner." But, I'm so thankful I'm learning so much now about who God made me for Him. :)

Thursdays are for the Blog Hop. Many of us ladies (& a few men) get a few topics we can pick from to do a blog post about. Then we get to share our links with each other & learn together on this journey. I've been struggling all day with what to post about in the topics given as this study has God to bless me in so many ways. One of the many things I've noticed for sure is the battle I've had with food & how that battle caused me to hit #CrazyMode status repeatedly doesn't happen anymore! Whew!

One day I'm feelin' it...that "I'm sexy & I know it" way about things. The next day I feel like the frumpiest person ever that can't for the life of her get it together. One day I can see junk food & not even bat my pretty brown eye as it has nothing on me! The next day that crap becomes like the Sirens in Greek Mythology, causing me to forget everything else just to have it's decadence! One day that number on the scale is just another number in my life. The next day it's the holy Grail of scales that needs to show a certain number or I will surely be cursed! You feelin' what I'm talkin' about??

Like I said, this thing with food & cravings has been a BATTLE. Food has controlled me for so long. How I looked & what I weighed have been issues for just as long. My opinions, which were negative, & others opinions of me physically have left scars & caused #CrazyMode status way too many times. I did just as Lysa Terkuerst said she did. I'd go into withdrawal mode so to build walls around my heart & keep to myself. Or I'd go into fix-it mode so to try to fix the situation so I was accepted, liked, etc.  Just typing this has made me tired...let alone living it! ha Anyway, thank You God that is not the case anymore!

I crave God now more than ever...& rather than food! I crave knowing Him deeper so to know me as He knows me. I crave having #peace in my soul as my weight loss goal. :) And I now know what it's like to step on a scale & know that those are just numbers regarding my weight...not numbers regarding my value! God is awesome & when I FINALLY let Him lead & show me how to take this weight loss/healthy living journey, I FINALLY get to just be me...not the #CrazyMode girl that has to fight & war within herself constantly. Whew! :) I'm a Jesus-girl. I'm a child of God that is loved, forgiven, adored, priceless, & finally SET FREE! Wahoooooo! :)


 

A deeper kind of Determined...

I'm in week 2 of the #MadeToCrave online Bible study. Man, oh man! God knows me so well & knows exactly when I need anything. This week our word has been #Determined  with our key verse being 1 Peter 5:7-8. To have a word like that with all that's happened this week was only a God thing! He knew what I'd face this week...He knew how I would feel most loved & cared for by Him. God's timing is perfect.

See, I've always been the person to say I have a lot of determination, but when it came down to it most times I wanted the end results without all the work & objections. I'd find excuses to convince myself that I could give up. This was a really hard truth to admit especially to myself. Because of giving up so many times, I started labeling myself as being a quitter, etc. I'd frustrate not only myself, but others that would show support only to have me back out.

This week, there has been a difference though. One I haven't truly experienced before that I know of. This time I know it's the Holy Spirit doing this through me. I've never had so much determination! No joke, EVERY time something came up or thoughts overwhelmed me with situations we know of that are out of my control, I prayed our verse back to God. I was #determined to let Him have control. I was #determined to trust Jesus with all these messy issues. It has been the neatest thing to live & see of myself.

And then with the junk food! I've NEVER looked at heavenly Reese's & not wanted to taste their sweet heavenly flavors! God strengthens me while standing in that checkout line at Wal-Mart by reminding me that yes it's good, but it's not beneficial to me. And I check out & leave the store Reese's-free! I've noticed I'm finding healthier food desirable, just like Lysa talked about...I'm retraining my taste buds & body to like salad, veggies, fruits, etc. It's awesome! All glory to God!

Sure I can have it, but is it beneficial??

This verse...sheesh! It's stuck in my head & heart all week. That's a good thing since this has been the first week of the Made to Crave online Bible study through Proverbs31! :) This really hasn't been as tough as I was expecting...key words being "so far". I know I will have my days as we all do. It has helped keeping my cravings under God's control & keeping them in perspective to the bigger picture of God's plan for me. Food has controlled & ruled over me for waaaaaayyyy too long!

One way the Holy Spirit has helped me through this journey of discovering God through my food/weight struggles is with this verse. I've faced cookies, Nutty Bars, high fructose, chips, & candy this week...every time I would say to myself (even out loud, if needed), "Sure I can have it, but is it beneficial?" And every time I said, "No, it's not" & walked away. Will this happen EVERY time in the future? No. But if I can say no 90-95% of the time by reminding myself of this verse, then that shows me the progress I need to see! :)

Now, this verse isn't talking just about food. It's talking about anything you or I crave or desire & indulge in MORE than God. Indulging in non-beneficial things causes not only me to stumble, but others watching me to stumble too! Is everything bad?? No, no, no. "And God looked at what He made & said, 'It is good.'" The problem is when I go in excess with the good...which turns it to bad for me. Anything in excess is sin...just sayin.

So, I ask...what have you been indulging (or allowing/entertaining/spoiling/pampering) in that is causing you to go backward rather than forward? What do you take way too much pleasure in that is hurting your relationship with God? What is that one thing(s) that when you think of having to give it up, you cringe?? Mine was food...& now I continue my journey of working through it. ;)

One final thought...

Philippians 4:8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.