Walking With God Through Our Body Battles
DANNA DEMETRE
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9a (NIV)
Not a day goes by I don’t wonder what I’m doing wrong — almost like there’s an unrelenting battle with my body.
I remember feeling like God had abandoned me in my struggle to have a healthy relationship with food.
Crying out to Him, I’d ask: If You’ve given me the power of Your Holy Spirit to help me live a holy life, where are You when I feel so out of control? Why is it taking so long to get healthy? And why is it so hard to maintain?
God was so gentle with me as I learned how to apply biblical principles to my quest for lasting victory. He showed me my personal struggle to gain control over food was more a spiritual challenge than a physical one.
Although I wanted to be thin and like my body, and I wanted to overcome my sense of bondage to food, I discovered God had a much deeper issue He wanted me to address: to crave Him more than any other wonderful thing He’d created for me to enjoy, including food.
God gave us our five senses to bless us, and the sense of taste certainly does! We can appreciate and enjoy this blessing, or we can let it become an idol of sorts.
I know this all too well, as food became such a huge idol during college that eventually I became a raging bulimic, and it was ruining my life.
The enemy wants us to focus on our weakness and call it failure. He tells us we don’t deserve God’s love, all the while tempting us to take one more bite.
But God wants us to have full victory in Him, and He’s given us truth and power to fight this battle. I continue to find strength and comfort in what the Lord told the Apostle Paul when Paul begged God to heal his “thorn in the flesh.” God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).
In my decades-long journey striving toward a healthy relationship with my body and food, I’ve seen that God is always with me in my battle, giving me His strength. But, He also calls me to do my part.
Two intentional shifts in perspective have helped me win my body battle in God’s power:
Perspective #1: “We cannot do what only God can do, and He will not do what we can” (as Oswald Chambers once said). Sometimes I prayed my knees raw, wondering why it wasn’t enough. Now, I know my part includes making healthy choices, renewing my mind with truth and doing my best to flee temptations — which are rarely removed completely because they keep me running to God for the power only He can provide.
Perspective #2: “Do the right things for the right reasons, and trust God with the results” is my personal motto. The “right things” include nurturing my body since it’s my only vehicle for this life. The “right reasons” are to glorify God and to have vitality to live His purpose.
To trust God with the results, I needed to stop measuring my success exclusively by my size and weight. I learned to focus on things in my control — like healthy choices and the right perspective. As I focused on glorifying God, my body started to move in the right direction! Truly trusting God with the results can take time, but it’s a powerful freedom.
When we’re engaged in a similar battle, let’s shift our perspective, take daily small steps, engage in godly accountability or coaching, and lean on His strength in our weakness. That’s when God’s power is made perfect!
Lord, I release my unhealthy habits and attitudes about my body to You. I ask for help to honor You by nourishing my body well, seeing myself through Your eyes and trusting You with the timing and results. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (NASB)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Danna Demetre and her co-author, Robyn Thomson, created the Eat Live Thrive Diet to address the unique physical needs of women as they age. It’s a practical lifestyle approach that produces excellent results. It moves beyond just teaching “what” to do and equips you with “how” to take consistent action toward lasting victory. Take a journey with them to help personalize this plan for your success at: www.EatLiveThriveAcademy.com.
Visit www.EatLiveThriveDiet.com to order your copy of Eat Live Thrive Diet by Danna Demetre and Robyn Thomson today. For additional resources, visit their website, leanhealthyageless.com.
CONNECT:
For support and encouragement on your health journey, catch Danna and Robyn on YouTube or on their Facebook page.
Enter to WIN a copy of Eat Live Thrive Diet. To celebrate this book, Waterbrook and Multnomah will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We'll randomly select 5 winners and email notifications to each one by Monday, February 3, 2020.}
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
How have you felt defeated or frustrated in your journey toward a healthier body? How can you switch your focus to action and trusting God more with the outcome?
© 2020 by Danna Demetre. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks Danna Demetre and WaterBrook & Multnomah for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.
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Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Tuesday, 28 January 2020.
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