Easter is special reminder of God’s amazing ability to take what was once dead and bring it back to life. As we reflect on the true meaning of  Easter, we remember how He took Jesus, who was dead for three days, and brought Him back to life, so that we could have abundant life and eternal salvation! What a beautiful picture of how He truly does renew and restore! It doesn’t matter how hopeless your situation may look, or how dead something might seem. If you bring it to the God who brings life to the dead, you can surely rest in the fact that He will bring hope, restoration, and renewal to ever area of your life as well!

I pray that you have a revelation of God’s great love for you this Easter and spring season. xo Katie

Have you ever experienced a time where you decided to make a change in your life and you feel like you are doing great for a period of time, (hello New Year’s resolutions) only to find that you wake up one day feeling like you have been completely defeated?!? I’m sure we have all felt like that, whether it’s for a day, a week, or a season of our lives. This can leave you feeling discouraged and in some cases even like there is no point in even trying to make a ‘change’.  After all, you know in time that you will just fail again, so why bother?

Sound familiar!?!

If it does, you are not alone! Why is it that as humans we so often feel like we are bound to fall at some point after we decide to make a change? Well, I can speak from experience here, and say that whenever I try to accomplish anything without the Lord it always leads to failure.  I may make it  awhile on my own, (which certainly leads me to believe I have been successful for that period of time) but it is always inevitable….  When I try to make a lasting change without the Lord’s help, guidance, and strength the out come is always the same… I fall back to my ‘old’ ways.

This pattern went on for much of my life, as I tried to succeed in many things without the Lord, (or according to the worlds way’s of doing things), but it wasn’t until I woke up one day and realized that I wasn’t getting very far using my wisdom, or the wisdom of this world. I decided one day that instead of trying to ‘change’ things about myself, that I was going to follow the direction and guidance of Matthew 6:33, which states, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

It wasn’t until I fully made the decision to pursue the Lord’s ways for me and sought Him out in specific areas where I needed change, that I was finding lasting change was being produced in my life. This is what the bible talks about when it speaks of bearing fruit that will LAST in our lives! (John 15:16).

I now know that anytime I am seeking change in an area of my life that I can overcome anything and be successful in anything I set out to do, but it truly is only THROUGH Christ that I will get the strength that I need for lasting change! (Philippians 4:13)

Practically speaking, I have concluded that all lasting change begins with a simple cry out to the Lord for help. I know that in myself I am not strong enough. I begin by acknowledging that I NEED Him to guide, counsel and strengthen me in a specific area.

The next thing I do is go to the Word and ask the Lord to give me promises to stand on relating to whatever it is that I am dealing with. He is always SO faithful to point me to the truth that I need in each situation, (Matthew 7:7). I write these verses out on a piece of paper and keep them where I can see them to remind me daily of the truth. I also know that God’s word is life-giving and encouraging when I am tempted to feel discouraged or afraid (Proverbs 4:20-22).

Another thing that I have learned that is vital to walking out change is staying connected to the ‘vine’, which is Jesus! John 15:5  reveals this truth when Jesus tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.” There is no magic formula to this, but for me, I know it requires taking time out of each day to spend with Jesus. For example, if I find that I am getting overly busy that it isn’t long before I feel my eyes being pulled away from the Lord. I know that I absolutely NEED to spend time with Him to walk in freedom and walk by the Spirit daily! I think this can really be summed up by the scripture that says, “the cares of this world come and choke the Word”…(Mark 4:19). We don’t even need to be preoccupied by ‘bad’ things…just being overly busy with the cares of this world can really drown out the truth of God’s Word in our lives.

Now the good news…I can honestly say that every time I have ever brought something to the Lord that needs to be changed in me, I have been radically changed. Not changed for a while and then in a matter of time I fall….I can say by experience that when you get the Lord involved in any area of your life, you will always reach a place where you are so far removed from those things of your past that you will look back and not even be able to identify with that old habit anymore!

It’s so amazing how the Lord heals us from our past and truly wipes it clean! I think that’s why I can so freely talk about eating disorders without any shame or guilt… The Lord has truly made me new in this area!

Change can take time and there is often a healing process, which isn’t always easy, but the Lord is faithful when you trust Him and don’t give up! It is then that the miracle of healing and restoration takes place by the Lord in those places that used to be a struggle. And before you know it, they become a distant memory.  And what’s even better… a testimony that can help set others free!

In our world today, we truly do make it seem very painful, strenuous, and for the most part, down-right uncomfortable to change an area of our lives. This is especially true when it comes to losing weight, or reaching a health or fitness goal. Many times, people have the desire to change, but when it comes to breaking ‘habits’ or developing a lifestyle change that comes with long term weight loss…People often dread the ‘toil’ that comes with the change.

The reason that change often times seems so difficult is that we are trying to make it happen BACKWARDS! The bible says in Proverbs 23:7 that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. This means that if you are ever going to TRULY change, you have to start to see yourself on the inside how you want to look on the outside. (A great example is that you start to believe that you truly can do all things through Christ who strengthens you…Imagine what could happen on the outside….Marathon anyone!?!)

Now…This doesn’t mean that we can kick off our shoes and be lazy by any means. In fact… If anything it means that we need to get dedicated and motivated to changing our mindsets! When it came to my personal transformation in this area I won’t lie, it did take time. This was because I had to renew my mind from the YEARS of bondage that I was in. Day by day I was (and still continue to be) as persistent as a bulldog as I take ahold of God’s truths in His Word, and let them change the way I see myself on the inside, and claim them as God’s personal promises to me.

You see, all lasting change truly starts and takes place right in between your ears (your mind!) Satans only trick is to lie to us and deceive us….He tries to make us think that we will never feel pretty or break free in a certain area (such as issues with our weight), but he is nothing but a liar! Christ came to set us free from ALL bondage!

In fact, if you are born again, the Bible says you are ALREADY free. “Whom the son has set free, is free indeed” (John 8:36). This means that you don’t have to put up with depression or negative mindsets anymore! Jesus made you free from that. Now all you have to do is renew your mind to who HE says you are, and believe nothing but that! It is then that the outside will change, almost effortlessly!

Yes, it’s important that we exercise regularly and eat healthy. However, even these changes are made much easier when you believe you can make them and stick to them…Which occurs when God helps you change how YOU see yourself.Start today by asking the Lord to help you get a new image of yourself and to see yourself the way He originally created you to be. This doesn’t necessarily mean He created you to be a size two.  This society tells you that you have to be a certain size. Our Father is such an artist, and He created each one of us so unique! However, He does want you to feel and look your best, and He can put that vision inside of you!

After spending time developing the ‘vision’ of how you want to look and feel, write it down…in detail. Ask Him to help you get there, and DON’T give up.

Another important step to complete freedom and renewing your mind is writing down scripture on note cards and putting them where you can see them (in your house, in your car, etc.). Speak them out every day as you see them to remind yourself of who Jesus said you are in His Word! THAT is the ultimate truth that will never fail.  It will take time (because we have spent a lot of time learning what the world says about us), but eventually, just as a seed planted in the ground produces, as you ‘plant’ the Word in your heart and water it daily, it WILL produce!  Don’t give up!

Above all, always remember… When you seek God in an area with your whole heart, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). I can say with total confidence that when you purse change on the inside, lasting change will come as a direct result on the outside! God will never let you down! :)

As some of you may know, I did a post a few weeks back explaining that I felt the Lord was prompting me to have people share their testimonies on how the Lord has helped them overcome a weight related issue in their life in order to encourage one another! The testimonies I received made me laugh, cry, and praise our Lord! I want to personally take a moment to thank everyone who shared their struggles, their heart, and how the Lord gave them strength to overcome!

Here are the testimonies…Praise God! 

Emily says:

I grew up dancing. I loved ballet. Ballet was the thing I was most passionate about, I adored it. Being 8 years old, I was pretty good at what I did, and I decided then that I wanted to be a professional ballerina, move to New York, and dance for the New York City Ballet. I had big dreams.

When I was eleven, my teachers always talked about weight issues in the south. They told us little dancers that in order for us to be accomplished dancers we must be skinny. This was my first exposure to the lifestyle of dancers. They didn’t eat well, only eating the bare minimum, and still dancing up to 40-50 hours a week. They were tiny, and fragile. at eleven years old, I decided I needed to be that thin.

Living in a house where food was never an issue, I never struggled with the weight/eating problem. My mom mad sure I had plenty of food to keep me nourished as I danced. as I got older, i struggled with the mindset of a dancer. Only eat so you can dance, but don’t indulge. Don’t eat that cookie, or your leotard will show it. Nuts and bananas, nuts and bananas. That’s it. I never struggled with it until I was fifteen.

Our company did Swan Lake, and a guest choreographer came to town. He was a tyrant. I remember coming home, my feet bleeding, hungry, and yet I had his voice in my head, “at my studio, to girls are all the same. Tiny and perfect”. The “don’t eat anything” voice also lingered. I ate enough to keep my mom off my back, but I didn’t want to. When Swan Lake was over, I stopped ballet for good. I had lost my passion. No drive, just burnt out.

I went through high school always belittling myself. I was never good enough, small enough, skinny enough or had a small/flat enough stomach. Food was the enemy, and our relationship was bad. But I loved food, especially sweets. When I would indulge, I over-did it. I would make myself sick off candy. But i didn’t care. Until the next morning, I would try and make myself throw up. God gave me real good gag reflexes, because I could never accomplish my goal.

When i graduated high school, I was tiny. I weighed one hundred 23 pounds, and was still not happy with my body. Little did I know, college was going to be so hard.

College came, an without my moms help, I got really sick. Both mentally and physically. I did not know until 2nd semester that anemia invaded my body, and I needed treatment immediately. I was having super irregular periods, causing this anemia. My doctors were concerned that I needed to get more than iron replacement, but I needed to go on birth control, which I did not like one bit.

Instantly I gained ten pounds. Wow, the “don’t eat” voice came back.
I was ridiculous.
I still ate, but I cried all the time about how fat I was.

Then, my cousin (whom I admire so much) wrote this to me :
“Don’t look in the mirror and see the little insignificant things the world doesn’t even see – see that God made you. You are beautiful, not only because of who you are and what you stand for, but because of the fact that God, Himself, took the time to make you. (nine months in the womb, right?) There is nothing ugly about that. Don’t think about weight or cellulite because in the end, none of that matters. Think about your life, your path, your call. Follow Him with all your heart, and no one will be able to say that you were anything but smart, innocent, lovely, couragous, encouraging, positive, and BEAUTIFUL. But even if someone does say something opposite of that, then remember that they must be jealous, blind, or REALLY slow. Nothing in this world can hold you back, don’t let them think they can. Don’t let rain clouds shadow your day. Don’t let words break your heart. Don’t let misunderstandings or failures decide your future. Don’t let the past cloud your desicions. You are God’s daughter.

But I know that words are not enough, and that you have probably encountered too many words, and you aren’t sure what to believe. Some people lie, and sometimes it’s easier to believe that everyone will lie to you. Well, know that none of us are lying to you when we say you’re beautiful… when we say we miss you… when we say we are praying for you… when we remind you that you are HIS. But if you choose to not believe us, we will understand. We’re fallible. We do lie. We cheat and steal and do all sorts of horrible things. We are human. But I want to encourage you, for there is Someone who is not like us. The Father is saying all these things too. He shouts them throughout His word, and you can believe Him. Because He doesn’t lie or cheat or steal. He is jealous for your love and attention, and the most beautiful thing about giving Him those things is that He rewards it (even though we don’t deserve any rewards). We are forgiven every day for the failures that we have every day. We are given grace for every day, and every morning can be new with Him. We don’t have to hold onto, live through, or wallow through our past faults and mistakes. THANK GOD.

So, don’t believe anything but Him…”

Okay, wake up call. I had been focusing on myself. How nauseating. One person said, “Self is nauseating”.

It is. How selfish am I? Why did I focus on what lies the enemy was feeding me.
God is so good.
I am healthy, and beyond blessed, so why focus on the worldly things?
Sure, its easier said than done, and yes I struggle still with self-image.
But instead of self-image problems, why no focus on how God looks at me. Does he approve of my heart? I am his child, he knit me in my mothers womb.

Thank you for sharing your story with me. I love this website not only because it has recipes for health and the Lord, but because you shared your story of how the Lord redeemed you. I thank you for that.

Thanks for listening to my story.

Julie says:

“My body image story dates all the way back to middle school. It was during those “awkward years” that I started to grow faster than some of my “skinny” classmates. I had always been a strong Christian, so I naturally wanted to take my anger out on my heavenly father. Why was he making these awkward years so hard? It wasn’t until now that I realized this was all in his plan.

In 8th grade, I lost a little bit of weight after starting to exercise and take care of myself. I loved my body again! But after transferring to a different school system for high school, I began to gain this weight back. I had stopped worrying about taking care of the body God had given me, and the weight crept on. Trying to make new friends was hard. These kids had been together and formed friendships since elementary school and here I was trying to become a part of their group. I felt so shut out and alone. This struggle ended up leading to depression and quickly turned into an eating disorder, as the chemical imbalance in my body caused me to hardly ever feel hungry. I had visions of kids at school talking about me behind my back and a sense that no one wanted to be known as my friend. Looking back, I know this wasn’t the case for each of my peers, as some of them would reach out to me if they found me crying in the bathroom or noticeably upset. My mind was telling me otherwise. I ended up taking medication to fix the chemical imbalance and transferring to a different school where I had friends and family. I was able to relatively enjoy the last few years of high school, but there was still a part of me that wasn’t completely at ease until I found Dashing Dish during college. I still had a constant sense of anxiety about what people thought of me and had this constant sense of pressure that was extremely tiring. Katie’s testimony on Dashing Dish gave me the sense of peace I was looking for. Knowing that she had struggled with body image and had turned to God, healthy eating and exercise made it so much easier to accept who I was. Who else do we really have to please than God? He is the one that knows what is best for us, and He is in control everyday. Beginning to really trust God in all aspects of my life was what made such a big difference. Coupling that with the endorphins from exercise and the healthy feeling I get from eating appropriately, I am more confident in myself.

In closing, I have to say that no matter how emotionally tiring my teen years were, I wouldn’t change them for anything. My parents were so supportive throughout the struggle, and my father reminded me numerous times that God had a special life planned for me. Not a days goes by that I don’t remind myself of that saying, and push myself to be the best possible individual that I can be.”

Celeste says:

“Dashing Dish did not only help me get past my obsessive fitness/health phase. It has encouraged and helped me on my journey to find my relationship with God again. This is the most at ease I have felt in a long time! Katie is the BEST! xoxo”

Andrea says:

“I so appreciate the work you do at Dashing Dish, the recipes and the devotionals have been a blessing to me.  I prayed about sending my testimony in as it is a little different I think but I hope it can speak to someone.

I grew up in a Christian home (Dad’s a pastor!) so I always knew the love of Jesus, but the words of others always affected me.  I still remember my 6th grade teacher saying I was “disgusting” and until a few years ago, it still hurt like the day she said it.  When I was 21 I got married, but unfortunately did not prayerfully consider this big decision in my life.  He used words and insults to control me and make himself feel better.  For two years I heard every day that I was “ugly”, “fat”, and “worthless”.  None of those things are true, but after hearing it enough I began to believe it and restricted my eating to try to fit into his image of what I should be.  I was too skinny and it was never enough.  The words still hurt.  When the marriage ended after only 2 years due to his infidelity, I felt guilt (could I have done more?) and shame.  I also still heard his painful words every day.  I believed his lies and did not think I was worth the trouble of eating well.

One day, my Dad said something that turned my depression around and turned my focus to God and His will for my life.  He told me I was his beautiful daughter and he loved me.  He knew I deserved better than my failed marriage and the words I was carrying in my heart.  Then he said, “If I love you that much, imagine how much God loves you.  You are His beautiful daughter too.  He doesn’t see what you see, He sees your beauty, your heart, and what you can become in Him.”  he gave me some Scriptures that helped his prove his point. Having a pastor for a Dad is great! :) That day I began to pray and slowly God changed my view of myself.  I gained some healthy weight and also perspective.  I started following God’s lead and let Him show me who I was meant to be.  Its someone beautiful, kind, and definitely not worthless. It was a long process.  I am 30 now, and 4 years ago I prayerfully considered dating again.  I wanted this relationship to be right and God’s will for me.  Soon after I met my now-fiance who shares my values and has an extremely kind heart.  Most importantly, I know that my True Beauty is in my heart and how God sees me.  It is sometimes a struggle when I remember those words of the past, but with prayer I know I can overcome.

The End!  Felt good to write it out :) Thanks again Katie for your wonderful ministry to women.  Your devotionals are an inspiration to me!”

Leah says:

“I was just an innocent 9 year old pursuing my favorite sport of gymnastics.  God had blessed me with a talent to flip, twirl, and balance.  He didn’t have planned the mind lies that I would hear from adult coaches who should have known better.  At first, I was influenced by what I heard others being called by our coaches.  I didn’t want to be called the “Pillsbury Dough girl” like my friend or teased that I “ate too much at grandmas.”  I feared it tremendously!  From then on, I became absorbed with body image and weight.

As my body grew and changed the fear became even more real.  I was reminded everyday what I looked like in a leotard because I wore one everyday.  I wasn’t a Christian growing up, so all I knew was the lies of the world.  My security was control and perfectionism.  This permeated every area of my life, but most specifically to food and (I was already working out 20 hours a week for gymnastics practice) exercise. Fast forward to my freshman year of college, and this is when my addiction for perfection with food really took over my life.  I became a slave to food journals and eating only certain things.  It was bondage and I was desperate to break free.  It was the beginning  of my sophomore year of college and I became a Christian.  I was SAVED!  Shortly after that time, I began to realize that all that I was comparing myself to and all the negative self talk was not from the Lord.  HE wanted better for me.  He always had, but I needed to believe I was worth it no matter what my body looked like.  I needed to be healthy about food choices and quit being a slave to the world and food journals.  It was hard to give up my control, but when I did I felt the most beautiful FREEDOM.

Fast forward a few more years, and I was sitting back in the seat of listening to those old lies of not being “skinny enough.”  I was depressed about my post baby body.  I was so mad that I had fallen back to some of my old habits!  It was then that I found Dashing Dish back in April 2010.  I honestly cannot remember how I found Katie’s blog, but it was God designed!  I first read her testimony and immediately felt like I could relate and I remember crying feeling like I had some hope to get back to listening to the TRUTHS from the Lord and not the LIES of the enemy in my life.  I was oh so weak at the time, but I prayed the Lord would give me strength and slowly I started to mediate on the truths again and cast out the lies.  Body acceptance is still a journey for me, but I am so thankful that He continues to redeem me each time I go to Him.

Thank you, Katie at Dashing Dish for listening to God’s whispers to share your journey with the world and providing a platform for other women to come to and find TRUTH.  God Bless!”

Liz says:

“We should eat to live, not live to eat.

Before today, I could not have told you where that phrase came from even though I have quoted it to myself and to others over the years. I would have thought it originated in America since we are not known for being the most healthy culture when it comes to our views of food.

It surprised me to find on several websites this quote “thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat” credited to Socrates. My personal conclusion for a long time has been that it is a human condition that influences our misuse of food and not a cultural condition.

If we want to see real change in our eating habits, we probably need to answer the question why do we live to eat?

I am not saying this is the answer to all America’s health problems and views of food. However, answering this question for myself has given me freedom in my life from being an emotional eater. Freedom doesn’t mean that I am not disciplined in my eating because to my friends how I eat may not look like freedom. I know though for me that it is directly related to freedom.

True freedom doesn’t come without discipline. Ironically, freedom comes from overcoming the reasons behind why we are indulging. Because our indulging is bondage. It appears to be freedom, but in reality, it is bondage because we are a slave to our emotions.

There are a slew of other benefits of eating to live we could talk about, and those I have known and enjoyed for years. Recently, those reasons were not enough to motivate me to eat to live. I had to find the root cause of where my healthy eating habits got derailed to get back on track.

What did I find as the cause? My eating habits were (and are) a result of my human condition.

Looking back, I describe this time of emotional eating as a spiritual winter, feeling cold and numb because of life’s pain that has come over the last 5 years. My response to that spiritual winter was emotional eating.

I had never been an emotional eater before that point in my life. I had always had plenty of will power to be disciplined in my eating and remember people saying that to me regularly. During that winter season, I used food to fill the emptiness I was feeling instead of putting my full hope in God.

I won’t describe in detail how I have moved beyond that winter into what I describe now as my spiritual spring. I will tell you that it has been a spiritual journey and wasn’t about motivation, discipline, or education. All the things we think will make us healthier eaters.

We can find many different ways to fill the emptiness besides food. Because of this, I have to continue to focus on God’s truth and seek Him through the pain that life brings. Psalm 25:4-5  says “Show me the right path, O  Lord, point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.”

It is amazing to be on the other side of that season. To see God’s faithfulness, His grace, His love in my life. My response to all that is to encourage you to seek God in areas of your life where you need to put your hope in Him. Because, He is the one who saves us and all day long we can put our hope in Him.”

Thank you  again to these amazing women for letting your light shine before men so they will praise our Father in heaven! (Matthew 5:16)

It was during this walk that I felt the Lord prompt me to have people share their testimonies on Dashing Dish, as a way to encourage others that they too can and will overcome whatever it is they are facing with the Lord’s help. I believe this is SO powerful for many reasons, but if nothing else, every time we share our testimony something powerful happens…The bible says that when we share what the Lord has done in our lives, that we “Overcome satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)

After praying about it, I would love it if you shared your testimony with me via e-mail about how God has touched your life in the area of weight related issues, eating disorders, self image issues, or how He has given you guidance and strength to live a healthy lifestyle for you and your family. I will then share them on Dashing Dish (with your permission of course), as a way of blessing and encouraging others with the good news of what the Lord has done!

Please note that these testimonies don’t have to include your name, (unless you desire them too), and they don’t have to be long! Also, they can, but certainly don’t have to relate to Dashing Dish…It is purely all about how the Lord has helped you overcome weight, eating, and self-image related battles!

Let’s join together and overcome the enemy by praising the name of Jesus and sharing how He has taken the ashes of our lives and turned them into True Beauty!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for prayerfully considering sharing your testimony!

Here’s an excerpt from the Faith to Faith devotional written by Kenneth Copeland:

According to Romans, hope is actually looking at something you can’t see. How do you do that? You do it by looking at the promises of God in the Word until with your inner eyes- the eyes of your spirit- a picture is formed.

For example, one of the hardest things I ever had to do was face the fact that the inner image I had of myself physically was overweight. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to change, it wouldn’t go away. I was always on a diet. I must have lost (and regained) hundreds of pounds over the years.

I finally had to admit that as long as my inner image of myself was fat, my outer self was going to match it. Remember, it’s faith that changes things, and without the inner image of hope, faith cannot work.

So I decided to fast for seven days. I searched my bible for every scripture I could find on food and eating and I found many.

I meditated on every one of those scriptures and prayed for seven full days. What was I doing you may ask?! I was changing the image on the inside of me concerning my weight.

It wasn’t long before the new image I had on the inside began to shine on the outside. I began to see myself as the healthy, fit person that God created me to be, and over twenty years later, I have maintained my desired weight, (which is what I believe God created me to be at!)

I will tell you however, that this is not something that can be done overnight. It takes time. Especially if the inner image you’re changing has been there for years.

But you CAN do it and God wants to partner with you! I have seen thousands of people transformed by changing the image they have on the inside of themselves with the Word of God!

Go to the Word of God today and begin to change the images inside of you. Change them from the images of despair and defeat to images of hope! Let God give you a blueprint in your heart for what you are believing for, and let your faith build on it!

(Related Scripture Reading: Romans 4: 16-21)

I truly believe that in order to achieve any goal you must have a vision and a plan for how you are going to get there. The Bible even has something to say about this! Amos (3:7) says, “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants.”  If God doesn’t do anything without first having a plan, then surely we are going to need one in order to achieve what we desire!

I’m going to share the steps which were inspired from the book, God Hunger (written by Desiree Ayres) that helped me tremendously in setting a plan into motion to get on a healthy road once and for all! I encourage you to not just read this post, but to take action by getting out a pen and paper and use these steps to set your own goals to get healthy today!

If you’re feeling hopeless today, and that you have set goals and failed before, today is a new day! It doesn’t matter how long you have been where you’re at, or even what you did yesterday, you only have today to start doing something! You can’t get yesterday back!  …So start heading in the direction you want your life to go TODAY!

Step 1. Begin to Imagine~ Discover Your Heart’s Desires!

There is so much power in the imagination! In fact, a vision truly is using your imagination in a positive way to dream of where you want to go. Vision is a gift from God, which allows us to dream about our greatest potential. The devil knows this so he tries to distort our visions with fear and doubt, which ultimately stops us from dreaming up the plans that God puts in our hearts. It can be dangerous if we let fear and doubt dominate our thoughts, because ultimately it means we will stop the the plan that God has put in our hearts from becoming a reality.

The first step in imagining what God has for you is to identify the vision God has given you. You can do this by simply spending time in The Word of God and praying, asking God to align your thoughts with His thoughts. As you ask God to show you what His plans are for you (in this case I’m specifically relating it to the health of our bodies, but this truly does apply in any area of our life), begin to let Him dream through you.

Sit down and begin to think: What would you do if money and time were not an object and if you could be or do anything. (Remember God is not limited by time or money!) Think in detail, what would you like to look like, how active would you be, what would your energy level be like? Remember that this is God’s dream for your life, not what the world, time or money has to say, but who did God create you to be!?!  Ask yourself: Does He want you to enjoy your body? Does He want you to have energy and be fit? Does He want you to be healthy? Of course He does! The Bible says that He came to give us LIFE and LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY! Surely a fit and healthy body is part of this abundant life!

Step 2. Write Down Your Goals!

After you have taken time to dream up what God has placed in your heart, (about who He created you to be) the next step is to write it down! I generally do this by writing down my goals in two categories, short term, and long term goals.

This helps me to take small day by day steps in the direction that I envision my life going without feeling overwhelmed. Ask God to help you with this~ remember, He already has the plan laid out for you, but He wants to work with you day by day to achieve the Master Plan for your life!

Also, dare to dream big! God is a big God and His plans are so wonderful for us, but He works with us according to our level of faith, so ask Him to help you believe for nothing but the best!

Step 3. Take Action!

I like to remember the verse “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20) when I begin to move in the direction of my goals. What I mean by this is that you must take action (or put in the work) and be faithful in what you are trying to accomplish.

In other words, when you read your goals on the page, you must begin to think about what you can do TODAY to take a step towards that goal and then actually do it! It may not seem like a lot each day, (maybe it’s just taking the stairs and cutting out your afternoon latte) but every little step adds up!

The good news is, when you take steps towards your goal, no matter how big or small, God will join with you and bless all that you do!

Step 4. Believe it and Speak it!

Start seeing yourself accomplishing your goals.  Imagine what it will be like when you get there.  Don’t let anything or anyone discourage you or talk you out of it… Believe you can achieve it!

In the Bible, we see that the Israelites never made it to the promised land because they saw themselves as ‘small grasshoppers’ compared to the ‘giants’ that were in the promise land. What they believed about themselves is ultimately what came to pass. Ask God to give you a vision of yourself accomplishing your goals and keep it in the forefront of your mind!

In addition to envisioning yourself accomplishing your goals, it’s also important to start to speaking them out!

The top five wealthiest people in the world had one thing in common: They spoke their goals out load daily. Proverbs 18:21 says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”. This clearly demonstrates that life-giving power is released as we speak positively about our situations!

Step 5. Stay on Course!

Maybe you have a long way to go before you achieve your desired goals. That’s why the bible reminds us to “not grow weary in our well doing, for we will reap a great reward in due season if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9).

There will be times when you will be tempted to be discouraged, and you will have to encourage yourself! After all, every great accomplishment has been achieved by holding onto a vision and choosing not to let go, regardless of the obstacles!

Continuously come back to your written goals and ask God for wisdom and re-evaluate if you need to. Remember that we can do nothing apart from Him, but if we continuously seek first “The Kingdom of God”, all things ARE possible!

When I began my journey to find true health, (to read more about my journey read “my story”)…I began to search what the Word of God had to say about healing and restoration. I went to the bible because ultimately I knew that, “Jesus is the Word made flesh,” (John 1:14) so anytime I want to know what Jesus thinks or has to say about an issue, I go to the Bible!

It was over the course of a year that God revealed some important truths in His word about how what we say, think, and believe about ourselves ultimately comes to pass in our lives. It was this scripture that God initially used to speak this to me: “For as a man thinks in his heart, so shall he be.” (Proverbs 23:7)

As I continued to study the Bible on this subject, God revealed many scriptures to me about who He created me to be and how I should take care of my body. I wrote these scriptures down and began to speak them out loud and meditate on them daily. When ‘the world’ would send me images, messages, and ideas about what I should look like or how I should eat/exercise…I replaced them with the Truth that God had shown me in His Word. I would even post sticky notes around my room, in my car, and at work to remind me of these truths on a consistent basis.  Because let’s face it…if the world comes at us with a million other lies every day, we must be ready to combat it with the Truth a million times a day!

Little did I know… by doing this, I was on the path to “not conforming to the patterns of this world…and I was being transformed by the renewing of my mind” (Romans 12:2) And that is exactly what happened… I was transformed! At first, I didn’t feel different, but I knew I had to “reprogram” my mind.  If it took time for the negative messages to enter, I knew I had to feed myself the Word consistently.  The transformation that was occurring was happening on the inside of me, so it wasn’t necessarily visible on the outside.  However, it didn’t take long before I began to reach my desired weight! (And this time I was able to do it without any restrictive eating, excessive exercising, fad diets, or any other ‘weight loss fad’ that this world has to offer.)  I truly believe that once my mind was “right” about my body, I was able to treat it the way God intended.

Trust me…I remember feeling like there was no possible way I could ever look or feel the way I wanted. I had tried every method that I thought would work (and some of them did, but it was only for a time…and then I would gain the weight back and would be on to trying another disordered way of losing weight.) It wasn’t until I began to renew my mind with God’s Word (by meditating on it and speaking it out…which led to me believing it) that I experienced true freedom and lasting victory in this area of my life!

The great news is… this works in EVERY area of life that you need freedom and/or restoration! As you begin to understand how God sees you, you can begin to see yourself correctly! He will help you believe that you can lose weight/reach a healthy weight… and before you know it, your body will line up with what you believe!

I think of God’s word as a seed (1Peter 1:23), and when we go to Him and ask Him to show us how to be free from a situation, He will lead us to the ‘seed’ (or scriptures) that we need to plant in our heart, which is the soil. (Mark 4:1-8) It may not look like anything is happening at first, much like a seed that is planted underground, but as we water the seed by continually looking at the word, keeping it in our mouths, eyes, ears, and heart and choose to believe it – God takes care of the rest! Before you know it the harvest for what we are believing for springs up and we become just as we are believing in our heart!

Do you know why I can be so sure that this will work, in every situation, for every person!?! Because I’m talking about finding the truth in the Word of God about who God made you to be (perfect weight and all)…and when you know this truth it is guaranteed to set you free! (John 8:32) (And yes… God cares about EVERY detail in your life… even your weight!)

I pray that you will begin to ask God to give you a true revelation of what a unique, beautiful and powerful woman you really are!  When you write these truths down, begin to meditate on them, and speak them out over your life (after all, your words have the power of life and death~ Proverbs 18:21), they will change the way that you see yourself.   You will begin to believe that you can lose weight and/or live a healthy lifestyle, and it WILL become a reality for you as well!

I will leave you with this Word-Filled prayer that I pray daily that has helped me (and continues to help me) on the journey of renewing my mind!

Father, please help me to see myself as you see me. Your word says that you give me the desires of my heart as I delight myself in you. I desire to feel good about myself, so I can be confident and be a vessel of your blessing here on earth. I thank you that you are helping me to reach my perfect weight in Jesus’ name.

I thank you that you are teaching me to listen to my body, and to exercise self control in a healthy way. Help me to find an exercise that I can enjoy, and help me to do it in a healthy consistent way. Help me to enjoy healthy foods, and to eat the right portions at the right time of day.

Father, I submit myself to you, and resist the devil in every way. I resist wrong foods, and wrong ways of thinking in Jesus name.  I am kept in perfect peace in all situations, because I choose to keep my mind on you.

Lord, thank you for loving me and empowering me to succeed at reaching my goal weight! I believe that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

God loves you very much and has a wonderful plan for your life! I can guarantee that He wants each one of His children to live at a healthy weight that will allow them to feel beautiful and confident! I encourage you to find the truth about who God says you are, and live in the fullness of all He has planned for you!

I wish someone told me that I didn’t have to look good in clothes that long and lean models wear, and that if I found my own ‘style’ then I could dress my body to look pretty darn cute (hey that can be hard being 5 foot!)

I wish someone told me that I shouldn’t compare myself to anyone else, because even when I was feeling pretty ‘good’ about myself one minute…It would all go out the window a moment later when I took one look at the ‘model’ sitting next to me.

The thing that I’ve realized now that I’m an adult is that as long as we are ‘comparing ourselves’ to anyone, we will find dis-satisfaction with what we DO have! When I started to realize this truth, and focus on the good in me, (and I mean purposely notice the things that I do love about me) I was shocked by what happened…I started to feel truly beautiful!

I have found that it doesn’t matter how many people think your beautiful, or even tell you that you are…One thing is always going to be true… Until YOU believe that you are, you will never feel it. It all begins when you stop looking/comparing yourself to others, and start focusing on the beauty in you! It really is that simple!

Also~ when I say ‘focus on the beauty’ in you I’m not just talking about physical things…or even finding beauty in what society says is beautiful, (because let’s face it, they have it screwed up!) I’m talking about the things that make you unique, because they are what make you- YOU!

I’ll give you a little example, I love the fact that I have a very compassionate heart- I feel like this makes me an excellent nurse, and I truly believe it makes me light up peoples lives! :) I know it sounds silly- but it really is just about finding the things that make you unique and choosing to focus on those things~ after all there could never be a more beautiful YOU!

I found this article written by Marty Copeland on her Higher Fitness Website (a Christian-based weight loss website), and it really inspired me to write this post! I thought it was extremly powerful…and thought I’d share it with all of you!

“Self Image” by Marty Copeland

It took me many years and much spiritual growth to finally understand what makes us valuable. Contrary to the voice that shouts at us from the television, from movies, billboards and magazines, and sometimes those around us, we are not how we look. Oh, the freedom in the revelation that our “body” is not our “self.”

Yes, I exercise and eat right. Yes, I know that my body is the temple of God’s Holy Spirit and that my goal is to honor God with a lifestyle of progressive health and fitness. HOWEVER, it is with a total equality of value that I balance that understanding God’s Word which says that while man looks at the outward appearance God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7). Oh, how freeing it is for us to know that God loves us unconditionally, no matter what we weigh or how we look!

I encourage you to meditate that scripture over and over until it becomes a reality to you. It is a revelation of God’s unconditional love for us that frees us from trying to become something unattainable. After so many years and countless attempts at seeking after a better body, how silly I felt when the blinders were lifted off and I realized that “I am not my body!”

If you are challenged with low self esteem like I was, allow yourself to be loved by God for who you are—for who He made you to be—from the inside out. When you were born again, God recreated your spirit in His image. Your heart is full of love, joy, peace, meekness, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, endurance and self-control. Romans 8:29 says we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, Christ Jesus. Our reborn spirit is like God’s—with the potential and His calling to become more and more like Him.

Don’t be like I was and waste years trying to be something you cannot be. Just realize that God made your spirit, soul and your body and that He has a plan for your life. Accept yourself the way you are today, knowing that His love is unconditional and that He looks at your heart. Self acceptance is freeing. It takes the pressure off and allows our health and fitness goals to be about honoring God in our bodies, instead of trying futilely to prove, either to ourselves or others, that we are valuable because of how we look.

We must get to the place where any effort we make toward self-improvement should be a decision based in freedom and not under pressure. This is a right and privilege of any child of God. I pray that God will bless you as you progress in your understanding of who you are in Him.

There is nothing more powerful than a person who knows who they are in Christ Jesus.

A lot of people asked me what I did to ‘get in shape’ for my wedding.  It surprised many people (even myself at times while I was going through it) when I said that I worked out less…and ate more….to get my body in terffific shape! In fact, I have continued this ‘approach’ on fitness/eating to this day, (which shows it is attainable, and realistic)…And haven’t gained back a pound, and have ‘toned’ up even more since that day!

In our society today, people ‘stress’ that you should exercise more, eat way less, and go to all sorts of ‘extremes‘ to get in shape for a special occasion! It’s no surprise then, that it’s considered ‘common’ for women to gain 10+ pounds back during their first year of marriage, and/or why people gain back ‘all the weight (and then some) after every ‘crash diet’ they go on!

The problem with all of these ‘extreme‘ forms of getting in shape is that they are not realistic to stick to long term, and they ‘shock’ the body so much so, that often times, a person’s metabolism actually slows down in order to prevent the body from loosing too much fat, too fast.  In addition, extreme dieting and/or exercising can actually break down muscle tissue instead of (or in addition to) fat which also has long-term negative consequences! You can read more about that (in a short sum-up) by clicking HERE.

The reality is, we were all born with different genetics, which determines our body size and shape. We have the ability to make the ‘best’ out of what we have been given, and when it comes to those ‘special days’ in life, we have to pay attention to the health of our bodies, in addition to taking a balanced approach to getting in shape.

We ultimately must recognize that we will still have to work with this body even after the ‘big event’…so it’s best to treat our bodies with respect, and give them rest when they need it, along with a balanced diet, and of course a variety of exercises that are intense, yet fun, and something we will stick to when life after the fact continues on….Which it always does! :)

Now, without further ado, I thought I would post a few pictures of this most-wonderful day that took place (almost) a year ago…The day I married my BEST FRIEND! :)

Now for a special shout-out! Thank you Jesus for sending a mighty man of God to me to be my husband and life mate! :) Thank you to all of our friends and family who were there to support us on our special day, and have been there every day since. And last but not least…Thank you to my wonderful husband for giving of yourself every day 100% to support, love, cherish, and pray with me! I love you! :)