A season of growth

When I first started my journey on my weight loss and asking God to mold me into the woman He wanted me to be, little did I know what God had planned for my life.  I had this amazing guy in my life and I had my issues that I was working on.  I had prayed for God to mold me into the woman He wanted me to be when I was in my relationship and I also prayed and asked God one day when I was mad to remove him out of my life for a little bit so I could lose weight and get on a healthy regimen so I could have confidence.  At the time I thought it would be the easiest way to lose weight, because I could focus on me, but little did I know He was going to answer that prayer.

The first 21 days of my cleanse was actually easy, because I was stressed and a little down, so food really wasn't on my mind.  I didn't have temptation and I didn't really even have an appetite.  This blog isn't going to be about the food though, its going to be about my walk with my Lord and Savior. 

My friend told me when I was still in my relationship that God told her that I was going to be going through a growth in my life, and that it was going to get hard before it got easy.  Little did she know that I was already praying and asking to become the woman God had created me to be.  I knew deep down I was missing something, I wasn't spiritually mature.  I knew right from wrong, I knew that I was chained down from my past and I wanted freedom and peace.  I knew I wasn't full filling my mate even though I had nothing to complain about with him, but it was really the chains I had allowed to be locked on me that I prevented myself from full fullfillment from God.

I knew this time that I would have from the beginning, would be about myself in Christ and helping others.  Ive said before, how I didn't mind helping people, but I never went that extra step to helping them, I was selfish.  Now I pray almost daily, for God to show me or put someone in my path for me to help.  When taking on this weight loss, which I thought was for myself, I never realized the impact, encouragement and motivation it would do to alot of people.  I have had several people tell me that I have inspired them and want my advice and help with what I am doing.  I have to say at first, when my 21 days was up, I wasn't going to go the extra step and post my cleanse, I was just going to post my results.  God laid on my heart, to post the papers, that it wasn't about me and I could help people.

The advice that I'm about to share is deeper than just wanting to lose weight.  My journey with my weight loss was all about God.  I had to daily hand over my struggles, temptation and desire to eat.  I prayed and asked God to help me make the right food choices, portions and to give me the desire to lose weight.  Its not my strength that has helped me through this process, its Gods strength and I think once everyone realizes His strength and ability to overcome any struggle we may have, how much praise you want to lift up to Him and how much easier it is.

Another thing that helped me with weight loss was directing my focus off of my struggle.  I feed myself daily with Gods Word, all day long, throughout the day.  I feed myself in devotions and books and its helped because Jesus is our bread of life. 

 [There is an app called YouVersion Bible and there is a section of plans that you can choose from and set a time for you to be reminded daily, and I have them set up on my phone to go off throughout the day]

During this time in my life, I have felt so much of a spiritual growth inward and losing weight outward that God has placed on my heart, I'M READY!  I don't know what I'm ready for, but I tell God all the time, I'M READY!  One day I was sitting there and I felt, 'Im ready' pouring out from my heart and I didn't know what I was feeling and why I was feeling it, but I knew that it was from the Holy Spirit and I felt like God was putting that desire in my heart for the next best thing.  I do pray daily for God to use me and to have people see Jesus in me, that I will light up a room because Jesus lives inside of me and the other day someone told me I was just beaming.  I have to give the credit to Jesus!! 

I never thought that God would use me to help people lose weight, its something I struggled and failed at my whole life, but I'm here to help anyone who wants to get healthier.  I will be an accountable partner to whoever and I wont be nice.  :)     I will be tough, because I know life gets tough and temptation is there and the enemy wants you to fail.  Just know though if one day you mess up with whatever struggle you are going through, whether it be food, sodas, drugs or cussing, and you mess up and "fail", then keep going on like its day 100 and you never messed up, because scripture tells us in Matthew 6:34, Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

The thoughts that you cant do it or its too hard are not from God, because scripture says,  Phillipians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Just know that ANY struggle you are working on can be overcome with Gods help and strength, but you have to have faith that He will help you.

Another thing that I wanted to share for us women, is that a few years ago, when I was going through a hard time with the loss of my marriage, I bought a book called, "Becoming the woman God wants me to be", A 90-Day guide to living the Proverbs 31 life.  The first page is pretty rough, because you need to go out and buy a few things to keep you on track for the next 90 days, so back then I think I got to page 1.  I felt led to go to my closet and look at my books and see what I had to read for this stage of my life.  I saw that book and I grabbed it.  I remember opening it up and thinking, "Oh yeah, that's why I never did it", but then I felt led to do it.  I knew it was going to be a commitment for 90 days and it makes you promise and vow to yourself and God to 90 days and it has been changing my life.  Every day at 7pm at work, I go outside, I sit down on the ground, I pray and I open up my book and allow God to teach me what it is that I need to do, to become this woman of God.  

I told my therapist what I was doing at one session and he got up, got his KJV Bible and broke down each verse, which I'm memorizing by the way from Proverbs 31: 10-31, and said afterwards, "Wow, when you become that woman, your going to be a blessed woman to your future husband and your future children, it takes a strong person to strive to be that kind of a woman".  Of course, I got teary eyed, because I knew, this is who I'm made to be.  

I'm sharing both of these things, because the weight loss is more than just the loss of the weight, its the gaining of my walk with Jesus.  Everyone goes through their own "seasons of life" and I know mine right now is a season of growth.  I don't know how long it will be, before God opens up a door for something else, but I'm enjoying life and learning and growing each day and I'm not rushing it.

I pray daily for God to show me what He wants me to see, to teach me what He wants me to learn and to guide me where He wants me to go.  I don't know what the future holds, but I know the One who does!!!