Encourage Yourself In Battle

January 23, 2016 – Day 245   Encourage Yourself in Battle

Today was a huge breakthrough…the weight is down to 222 pounds, dropping a grand total of 80 pounds.  <cry> 

It had been awhile since I took my measurements and thought it was time.  The numbers were so encouraging.  To me, it shows that I am doing what needs to be done!  I am still obese, but I am healthier than I have been in over a decade.  I may not be where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be.  Amen.

All the praise and glory goes to God as none of this would have been possible without Him, AMEN!

Date	Weight	Age	Height	Arm	Neck	Chest	Waist	Hips	Thigh	Calf	BMI
05/23/15	302	49	65.5	20	21.5	54.5	54.5	54.75	32	19	49.5
08/21/15	260	49	65.5	17.7165	19	48	48.22	56.5	27.16	18.75	42.6
01/23/16	222	49	65.5	15.5	17	44.5	43	47.75	26	16.5	36.5

I have been in tears thanking God for the breakthrough.  Once I received the dream that exposed the plans of the enemy I have been mad, so mad that the determination has been kicked into overdrive.  Get behind me satan or I am going to bowl you over as I march on with purpose!

I have been keeping track of everything that goes into my mouth, whether it be food or beverage it gets counted.  Trying to avoid empty calories.  Sticking to God's instructions of, "No sugar, no wheat and no flour!"

I have been utilizing the Wii Fitness game as my current exercise regiment.  During the week on days that I have to work, I do 30 minutes of aerobics and then on my days off I try to do 60 to 90 minutes depending on time and if the Wii kicks my butt that day. 

Yesterday discovered that I love the rhythm boxing.  It is not only fun but it is an excellent cardio workout.  I find it ironic that the weight that I have lost is the weight of a heavy boxing bag. 

God told me that this journey is not about losing weight, it is breaking the bondage to food and helping others to break it too.  At the moment this food addict (no, food overcomer!) is still looking at food as more than fuel.  I may not want that dessert you are eating but I do struggle not helping myself to the nuts and healthy goodies laying around.   I need to break the hand to mouth habit.  

New goal: for food to be mere fuel and nothing more.  The long term goal is getting down to the preferred weight for my height and keeping it off.

This last month taught me that even the good food has more than a few calories and they can add up quickly if I am not careful.  I fell back into the old trap of the enemy of trying to comfort my sadness, depression, anger…with food.  Even though it was the God-Approved food for me, I was looking for comfort in what I ate. 

I had to stop and pray.  I had my pastors pray with/for me having unity (and pastoral coverage) with my prayers.  I also talked to my addiction counselor and spoke with a friend who has become my “healthy-check” accountability partner.  

I discovered that I allowed my sadness and depression to shift my mindset.  My focus went off of what I was supposed to be doing daily and was focusing on the circumstances in my life. 

I “Peter’d”.  I took my eyes off Jesus (and the plan) and focused on the storm that I was in the midst of.  What happened to Peter when he took his focus off Jesus…He SANKED! 

Which is what I did.  Not only did I sink into eating too much, I sank into comparing myself to others that caused anger, bitterness and offense, I sank into the depths of self pity, I took my mind off the plan and frankly I lost my way and my joy.  

What happens when you let your mind think negativity, it festers, it grows, and it creates more of the toxic thoughts that become a cancerous destruction.  The more you think it the more you believe it.  Believing a lie doesn’t make it true, it just means that you allowing yourself to be deceived by your own thoughts.

The bible states that the battle is in the mind.  Check out Romans 8:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:12 just to name a few.

Every morning right now I have to get up and recite…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2). 

Every day is a battle.  With the battle starting in my mind, I have to remind myself not to be conformed by the circumstances (or anything) that is not of God.  My verse that I am standing and believing on is Philippians 1:6, I have to remain and constantly remember to be, "…confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  AMEN!

I have my (God-given) battle plan in hand.  I know what “I” need to do to not only break this bondage of food but conquer the enemy.  This past plateau was a pit.  Frankly it was a wake up call.  

This is not just one battle to take a hill on one particular day, this is a war to destroy the mountain that is on the path that is my life.  I have to destroy the enemy who took me as a P.O.W., throwing me in the pit.  My wake up call has reminded me that I have been rescued by my Savior Jesus.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).  If God is for me, who can be against?!?  

Christ was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy.  As the father of all lies taunted (tempted) Him with “If You are really the Son of God…”  Jesus knew who He was, He didn’t need to defend His Son-ship or prove anything.  His response was speaking the word back to satan defeating him.  Which is what we are to do with the Sword of the Spirit (word of God) - crucial piece of our Full Armor of God.

I pray that what ever battle you are in, that you remember that you too are a child of the Father.  God has got you.  Pray for yourself.  Encourage yourself in the word.  Repeat God’s promises over and over.  Not only to remind yourself but to remind the enemy that you know who you are, you believe God’s promises and you are standing on them. 

Daily you must encourage yourself in battle.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

A Cry for Help

Addiction is not just being unable to say no to illegal substances; it is not being able to control yourself to whatever it is that you cannot do in moderation.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be a chemical addiction.  It doesn’t matter if it is gambling, sex, pornography, food, shopping, smoking, gaming, Facebook (etc) if you do it to the excess that you cannot control the urges, you have an addiction problem.

My friend you are looking at a recovering food addict.  I am not just a person who eats too much, this is something that I cannot control.  I don’t look at food as a means of survival, I see a taste that will take me to someplace dreamy, fun, happy, celebratory…it is all about emotions for me.  I crave those wonderful emotions that eating certain foods is tied to.

Food is the center of parties, celebrations and get-togethers.  Whether they are happy, sad or indifferent…let’s have food.  Let me cook you something to make you feel better.  Let me give you a cookie for getting that good mark on your paper.  Let me feed you so you don’t think about what is going on.  Let’s eat as we catch up on our lives….FOOD FOOD FOOD.  Food has become an acceptable drug as we all need to eat in order to survive. 

However, for us that have a problem saying no or even the sense of moderation…food is our drug.  Leaving that bag of chips out is like leaving a bag of dope out for a drug addict or leaving a bottle of booze out around an alcoholic. 

Being an addict is a day to day battle.  The battle begins in the mind and you have to start there.  You have to make the decision that you want a different lifestyle than the one you have been living.

You also need a plan of how you are going to get through it.  Just saying “I am not going to do that anymore” isn’t really a plan. 

You need to know what you are going to do when your addictive item (AI) is in your face saying “here I am, I am your friend.”  (When in fact it is your enemy).

You need to know what triggers you to want to turn to that AI.  What emotion are you trying to create or recreate?  What hole are you trying to fill?

What helps you to not think about it?  What keeps you from going there?

You need to know who to call to talk to that will hold your hand to keep you from falling (or jumping) off that wagon of sobriety.  An accountability partner is only for support, as it is YOUR RECOVERY.

You need to know that you have to actively participate in YOUR RECOVERY.  Until you are willing to do the work is necessary, you will not succeed in breaking the bondage that you are bound in.

God is my main “Go-To” when I am struggling.  I do have my counselor and she provides me sound advice as I work through my days.  I also have friends that are great source of “You got this girl!”   You are not alone and don’t have to take this on as if you were the only one going through it.

I pray that if you have an addiction that you realize that you have a serious problem, you need help.  Never be afraid (or ashamed) to cry for help.

Turn to God, turn to someone who has been there, turn to the professionals that are trained to help you through it.    Do what you got to do to turn away from that destructive lifestyle. 

Until Next Time, God Bless!!