Breaking Out Of My Chains

I remember seeing a YOU magazine article years ago, where a women claimed that she had shed piles of weight, just by the power of prayer. I was very cynical about it.

Over the last 18 months I have been on a journey of really drawing closer to God and have been so blessed. God gave me a PILE of blessings over the last year and the more I give over to Him, the better things go - figures right? Now, if you have got this far and are still reading, good.

I seem to be getting the same message from so many places, in so many different ways:

• We are the image-bearers of Christ
• Our bodies are our temple
• Jesus was super fit, He walked everywhere (Thanks Mom)

So, I started to think.... if I am an image-bearer... and should be following Jesus' spiritual example... maybe I should be following His physical example? God designed my body to be strong, to work the field and to get me places. How dare I flop into a heap? Then I heard a sermon on "work" and how it is good to work and how God doesn't want us to be lazy. These words almost haunt me. I was also reminded to dedicate everything that I do to God's glory (yeah, not easy!). So I prayed. I asked God to bless my diet, to give me self control and perseverance.

I just did my home work for the Beth Moore "Breaking Free" Bible study that I've joined on Saturday mornings. Working through a study on how we need to find our satisfaction in God, feed our souls, I came across two absolute gems of scripture.

"Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?

Why pay for food that does you no good?

Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is

good for the soul!"

Isaiah 55v2

 

"You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.

I will praise You with songs of joy."

Psalm 63v5

 

I have been slowly becoming aware that the root of my weight gain is comfort eating, I feel like I am breaking habits and teaching my body to be satisfied with better food. At the same time, I am feeding my soul like crazy and aligning my whole self-image to God's image of me.

 

Pray for me, wish me luck, whatever fits into your beliefs. I know that there is no way I would be making this progress, with such surprising ease, without God's help!