Tag Archives: connecting body and spirit

Spirit Seeker Sunday~Beloved Before

Spirit Seeker Sunday September 29, 2013 Comments: 2

“We must resist slipping into performance mode.”

Oh my goodness! I about broke into a cold sweat just reading the title of Lysa TerKeurst’s devotion, “Well Pleased” And I KNOW better.

Much of my life was wrapped up in performing. Feeling good when I succeeded and terrible when I failed! I DO NOT EVER want to be that girl again.

Spirit 17 stephen

Photo By Stephen Moldenhauer

Talk about bondage!

Yet I still often have to talk myself down from performance-driven, people-pleasing, ick.

When the Father spoke about Jesus He said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” God spoke that over Jesus before He began His ministry, before He was obedient even to death. God was pleased BEFORE. Just because Jesus is His.

He is pleased with us like that, too. Before we find success on our weight loss journey. Just because we’re His. It doesn’t get any better than that.

YOU are LOVED. CHOSEN. ADORED. With YOU He is well pleased. As Lysa said in that devotional, Let this truth “fill the drain holes that leach away your significance.”

Let’s follow Jesus’ example, hanging onto our identity as BELOVED, loved forever, always, and unconditionally. Loved BEFORE we perform. BEFORE we find success.

BEFORE we are skinny.

In the identity of beloved, let’s stand strong and move forward!

How about you? Do you struggle with knowing He loves you, deeply, truly . . . accepts you, fully and completely . . . on the good days and the bad? When you feel successful and when you don’t?

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Beloved even before the victory

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Spirit Seeker Sunday~All Things

Spirit Seeker Sunday September 15, 2013 Leave a comment
Spirit 16 stephen

Photo by Stephen Moldenhauer

All things work together for good . . .

This Christian phrase comes from a Scripture in the Bible that says that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. It’s found in Romans 8:28.

I discovered this Scripture while in elementary school. I still remember sitting on the gold carpet in front of the heat vent and reading those words. Hope instantly filled my young heart. Even back then there was stuff. Even back then I knew I needed a God who’d work it all out.

Though I’ve lived my life with this Scripture as a foundation, recently the Lord confronted my attitude, asking me if I truly believed it. He showed me I settled for less than the good He wanted for me. All around the seed of doubt I’d entertained was a growing anger. But God is good, as always. He then reminded me He is faithful and has good plans for me. He showed me that my anger didn’t rock His world, and even showed me where I succeeded so I’d quit leaving in the places of my failures. He does work for my good.

We all have our stuff. For many of us the whole weight loss journey has been too hard for too long. I’m experiencing some success now, but for years I couldn’t even bring myself to try–or even care–about my issues with weight and health. In her Made to Crave Devotional Lysa TerKeurst talks about how it can be hard to believe God is working everything for good when her “jeans won’t zip.” But God did lead Lysa’s journey to better health, and her story has inspired countless others to persevere in their own journey. God took an area of Lysa’s struggle and shaped good from it. Now she reminds others the journey isn’t about today’s too tight jeans, but all God can do through a surrendered heart (and body.)

We can trust the One who makes change possible. He’s got this–the weight loss struggles–all of it.

Father,
There is always “stuff” that seems too hard, impossible to our way of thinking. Sometimes we know there is a possible good future, but in the reality of today hopeful thinking feels fake–like platitudes that sound nice but carry no truth. But Lord, all thing are possible for YOU. When we hit the wall of “I can’t”, remind us that YOU can. When the hope before us seems too far away to believe, remind us that You accomplish what You desire. Give us the faith that You truly work all things (even in our body) for our good, making us like Jesus (Romans 8:29), and using us to help others. Give us a sense of your plan, your destiny, your power.

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All things means a healthy body, too