What's Really Going On Here?

Celeste talked briefly in her last post about the book we are reading, Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.  Can I just say how dadgum awesome it is?  I am almost finished with it and it is very underlined and starred.  If you have ever had an issue with food, go and get this book as fast as your little feet can run or your little fingers can type.  Seriously, go get it.  Like right now.  It has changed my life.  Plus she's funny.

We want to do short chapter overviews here on the blog 'cause it's that good.  (Even the intro is good!)  By no means will we cover even half of the content but just want to touch on the points that have impacted us personally.  We want to share the ways God has spoken to our hearts through this book.

Alright then, here's chapter 1 for me.

It's titled What's Really Going On Here?  She starts off talking about diet companies and how they teach people how to eat better and why that doesn't always work.  The real issue is what we crave and that our cravings aren't going to be satisfied just because our bellies are full.  God made us to crave him and his presence and we feebly attempt to fill that craving with food, sex, drugs, shopping, insert any addiction.  We will never feel full on the "food" of the world when that is not what we were made for.

Lysa then touches on Eve's temptation vs. Jesus' temptation (when he was fasting and Satan came and tempted him).  She says, "Eve was saturated in the object of her desire.  Jesus was saturated in God's truth."  She shows how Jesus, who hadn't eaten in 40 days, was able to resist Satan by quoting scripture and using truth as a weapon.  That is available to us to use as well!  "Truth is powerful.  The more saturated we are with truth, the more powerful we'll be in resisting our temptations.  And the more we'll naturally direct our cravings where they should be directed - to the Author of all truth."  I love that!

As Christians, our goal is to be Christ-like so it's amazing to have an example in the Bible of what Jesus did when tempted with food.  I really appreciate that.  So what have I been doing?  Quoting scripture to get me through tough situations.  I have been declaring truth from the Word to get me through times when I'm flaming mad that I'm not eating cake with everyone else.  And hey, it works, so that's cool.

There is a ton of content that I didn't touch on in the 1st chapter, so you should really go read it all for yourself.  I know God will speak to your heart through what she says, that is unless you have your heart-ears plugged.  Isn't that a funny/weird picture?  And I leave you with that.

Monica

Changing Things Up

We are on day 11 of our 30 Day Challenge and it has made quite an impact on me so far.  I have had some amazing high points and some unfortunate lows.  Makes me sound a tad bipolar.  I posted earlier this week on being free from addiction.  I felt great!  I was walking around in all this freedom and happiness.  Then I had the urge to bake.  Because I was free from addiction to sugar, I decided to make some killer sugar free cookies.  They were "low" everything but tasted real good.  After a few, I started feeling the guilt creep back in.  The thoughts like, "Yeah, you just thought you were free.  Look at you, you are still the same old person doing the same old things."  I was embarrassed.  Too embarrassed to blog about it because after posting about such an amazing event, I didn't want you all to see me fail.  I haven't failed, though.  I did a little "Croc-walk" (what my husband and I call it when the sticky rubber of a Croc makes a person trip a little) but I didn't fall.  Let me tell you what God showed me about my recovery.

With nearly all addictions, there has to be abstinence.  A person addicted to meth can't just shoot up every once in a while and expect to stay clean.  My addiction to sugar is deeply rooted.  I've been cultivating it nearly my entire life and I expected to wake up Monday morning with absolutely no desire for it again.  While I know God could have taken it away, he didn't.  I thought I could have some of my "drug" every once in a while and be cool.  Not so much.  He showed me that I need to completely steer clear for a while.  I did not want to tell y'all that 'cause putting it here makes it real for me.  Plus, Thanksgiving is coming up and I make a mean pumpkin roll.  I will not be partaking in desserts this year.  Alas, such is life and freedom and such.

So I'm changing up my goals nearly midway through this thing.  Instead of the half-hearted, don't eat unless I'm hungry goal, I'm going without sugar.  I'm doing it 'cause that's what God wants me to do.  It's going to be hard but I have a feeling I won't regret it.

"And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me, so I'm not disgraced.
Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I'll never regret this."

Isaiah 50:7

Monica

It's All in the Family

We are on day 7 of the 30 Day Challenge and things are going good over here.  Right now, I've got a tasty broccoli soup on the stove for supper and will have 30 quiet minutes as soon as I finish this post.  If it ever stops raining here, I'll go outside for a run but if not, I'll head to the gym.

So what I really want to talk about today is generational issues; unfortunate things that seem to be passed down through blood lines.  I want to tell you about how I got free from mine.  Last Friday, I posted about how I screwed up and found myself with cupcake crumbs all over my face.  My mom commented on that post about how sugar addiction is something she, her mother and her grandmother have all battled.  Each one of us grew up watching our mother fight this demon and learned to do the same.  I had just kind of accepted this as a part of my life and tried my best to get over it.  Not working so much for me.  Seeing it in writing on Saturday was pretty huge for me.  (I am so incredibly proud of my mom for having the courage to admit her struggle, by the way.)

I had been praying all day that God would give me a breakthrough in this area at church that night.  I was pretty sure our pastor wasn't going to call up people with sugar addiction for prayer at the end of the service.  I just wanted God to do something.  So that afternoon, I was praying about the song I was going to lead and God laid a verse on my heart.  I was like, "Hey, you know I don't like to talk during worship."  And he was like, "Yeah, I know but do it anyway."  So I was like, "Ok."  Fast-forward to me picking up my guitar and thinking, "Oh crap, I can't talk!"  Then a peace just came over me and I knew if I was obedient, my breakthrough would come.  I said my little verse and a few words of encouragement and it was cool.  Then our pastor came up and started talking about stuff in your life that has no place.  He literally said, "I don't care if you Grandmother had it and your Mother had it and you do too."  My eyeballs got enormous.  He talked about the power of our words and declaring things on earth to be as they are in heaven.  In the Lord's prayer, Jesus said, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  Jesus told us to pray that.  Then my pastor said go ahead and do it, so I did.  I said, "Today, I am free from addiction and it has no place in my life.  God, may your will be done in my life on earth as it is in heaven."  And then I laughed.  Not a weird, crazy laugh mind you.  I laughed at the thing that has held me captive for so long.  I was filled with joy over my freedom.

I am learning the power of my words.  I say so many negative things about myself that are keeping me in bondage.  It's time to speak life over ourselves!  During your time with God today, ask him to show you the areas in your life where you need to change your vocabulary.  What things do you need to declare to be on earth as they are in heaven?

We LOVE hearing from you guys; it's so encouraging!  If you don't feel comfortable commenting here on the blog, please send us an email.  setfreefromme.cm@gmail.com

Monica

Yesterday and Today

From what I hear, several of us doing this 30 Day November Challenge had a rough first day.  Day 1 for me was not so hot either.  I went to see a nutritionist early in the day and found out I was kinda fat.  Doi.  I had to bite my cheek so as not to cry when she was reading me all my fat stats.  As embarrassing as it was, I knew I needed to hear the truth on Day 1 but I left a little discouraged.  After talking to my husband who always speaks truth to me, I was a little more encouraged.  That afternoon I spent some mediocre (on my part) time with God and then went running at 8:30 last night.  It wasn't till my shoes were pounding pavement that things got real.  God and I had good talks and I realized I had things flipped around in order.  I shouldn't have procrastinated all day to do the things he has called me to do.  So on Day 2, I have my workout clothes on already and I'm ready to go.  Here's to a better second day!

How was your first day?

Thanks to all who have joined in and shared your goals.  It's not too late to jump on this train!  Go here and read about our challenge and then leave a comment with your goals.

Monica

In the Quiet

I've noticed it's been pretty quiet around here since Celeste announced our 30 Day November Challenge.  So, I want to explain a little bit about why I want to do this and hopefully encourage you to join us.

Last week I was singing the song None But Jesus and it starts out, "In the quiet, in the stillness I know that you are God.  In the secret of your presence, I know there I am restored.  When you call I won't refuse; each new day again I'll choose.  There is no one else for me.  None but Jesus....."

I have sung that song a hundred times but that time was different.  Jesus put a challenge in my heart to spend time in the quiet.  He called me to live out the words I was singing.  How many times do we sing empty words to him?  I know for me, that happens all too often, but I digress.  I had remembered years ago reading a story that my favorite author, Brennan Manning wrote in one of his books.  The gist of it is that he was talking to a man that was depressed or struggling with his identity and challenged him to spend time alone with God every day.  He was supposed to hear from God about his identity etc.  He came back after a while and told Brennan that it didn't work.  Upon questioning the man, he discovered he had been sitting alone listening to classical music for a period of time each day.  Brennan said of course it didn't work, I didn't ask you to spend time with Mozart, I asked you to spend time alone.

There is hardly ever a minute of my day that I spend in total stillness and silence.  I always have music in the background or I am reading or on the phone/computer.  What about you?  Do you ever spend literal quiet time with yourself or God?  So he laid it on my heart to begin carving out 30 minutes each day in silence.  No worship music, no devotional reading; just me and my savior hanging out.  It will look different every day, I'm sure.  Some days I will just "be" or I will write to him, read my Bible or pray.  The other day I spent my time picking weeds and allowing God to speak to my heart through his creation.  It was pretty great.

We are asking everyone who reads this blog to accept our 30 Day November Challenge.  Pray and ask God what he would have you do with 3 goals; spiritual, food and exercise.  Commit to stick with them for the full 30 days in November and see what changes in your life.  We aren't looking for perfection here 'cause Lord knows I'm probably gonna mess up a day or two.  That's not the point, though.  The point is to get closer to God through discipline; to hear his voice.  After praying about which goals to set for the next month, here is what I have come up with:

Spiritual - spend 30 quiet minutes each day with my focus on Jesus
Food - eat only when I'm hungry
Exercise - run each day

I encourage you to listen to the song on this video and pray about what God would have you do.  If you feel led to do this November Challenge with us, leave a comment letting us know you'll be joining.  And if you're really brave, tell us your goals!

It's not about perfection, it's about the journey.

Monica

She Has Great Hair

I have been mulling this post over for weeks now.  This is a tough issue for me and I have a feeling nearly everyone who reads this will be able to relate.

I cannot look at another girl without sizing myself up to her.  Doesn't matter who she is or what she looks like.  I look at her and find all her qualities that are better than mine in seconds.  "Oh man, look at that awesome hair!"  "She can totally get away with that outfit."  "I wish I was that good of a mom, wife, friend etc."  "How is she so skinny after just having a baby?"  You get the picture.

I have some seriously amazing women in my life.  Some of my closest friends just happen to be in ridiculously good physical shape.  I have a personal trainer friend, two triathalon competitors and one that even after a baby looks like a model and those are just a few examples.  Most of my friends seem to have it all together and frankly I am embarrassed with my struggle around them.  I like others that suck at what I suck at and they don't seem to carry around the same issues.  The lie that the enemy whispers in my ear is that they have it all together and I am the only one with crap.  When I take a step back and realize that everyone has some thing that they wrestle it is easier for me to quit the comparisons.  But in the thick of it, I can't see that.  It's just me all alone with skinny beautiful friends drooling over cake while they don't give it a second thought.  What a tricky lie.

When I was pregnant with my son, a few of us got together and had some pictures taken.  One of the girls was going to be out of the country for several months and wanted pictures to take with her.  I begrudgingly obliged to allow my large child-carrying belly to be photographed.  As dumb as it sounds, I didn't want to have to stand next to these beautiful girls that I love dearly being so large.  I was being so very selfish and childish.  When we got the pictures back, I sat at my computer and cried.  They were most definitely not tears of happiness.  The only thing I could think of when looking at the images was how much different I looked than them; how fat I thought I was.  I called them all and officially banned the pictures from facebook.  It has been a year and a half since I've seen these pictures and I am viewing them with fresh eyes.  Now I see myself as a woman carrying a beautiful miracle instead of just a fat sweaty pregnant girl.  My amazing, hilarious curly-headed little boy was growing in that belly and I am so proud to be his Mama.  Looking at them this time around, I realized that I don't want to be just like any of those girls.  God created each of us to be separate.  How could we love and support each other if we were identical?


It's time to stop looking at other people and putting ourselves down because we are different.  We should praise other's strengths, not idolize them.  I am not there yet.  Sometimes I don't want to hang out with people that I don't "measure up" to.  I need healing in this area and that's exactly why I am talking about it here.

Father, help me to see people with your eyes instead of my own.  Remind me of my identity in you.


Is this something you guys deal with?  How do you combat those lies when they sneak in?

Monica

Cripple Me

I went to bed an hour and a half ago but can't sleep.  I can't because I need to tell you the words burning inside of me.  A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about choosing God over other things in my life.  I am embarrassed to say that I haven't been doing much of the right choosing lately.  I have become distracted, busy, stubborn...

So the prayer in my heart is a desperate one.  I cannot keep running away.  The words to Elenowen's song Cripple Me are playing over and over in my head.

Here are the lyrics:

I see you waiting, but I'm not ready
To take that first step towards home
So please be patient, God knows I'm trying
But these good intentions are not enough


You've pulled back your veil, laid it all on the line
But I've turned my back and covered my eyes


Please, please, please, please cripple me
So I cannot keep running away
Away from you


Just give me some time, I am almost a man
Without you by my side, I don't know who I am


Please, please, please, please cripple me
So I cannot keep running away
Away from you

Honestly, I'm a little scared of that prayer.  I don't know what it will take to cripple me.  But I'm desperate.  I would rather be limping in his arms than running away.

Monica

More Than Enough

Exodus 16:4
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

You know, I've read this story before but I've never really understood the deeper meaning until now.  To say the Children of Israel were ungrateful after being delivered out of Egypt would be an understatement.  Rather than rejoice that they had just escaped slavery, a violent death, and had been given a second chance at life, they chose to just be mad.  They were tired and far from home and hungry.

So they started to complain... a lot.  They began to long for their old lives in Egypt.  "So what if I was a slave. At least I wasn't starving!" (this is probably what I would have been saying)  It sounds to me like the Children of Israel were dropped into a situation where they had absolutely no control.  They were completely reliant on God and His timing and they did not like it one bit.  At this point in my reading, I noticed a footnote: "For a better example of grouchy control freaks who just want some carbs, see 'Celeste' circa 2011."  Needless to say, this story was hitting home with me.

Notice how God used food and portion control to teach the Children of Israel how to trust Him.  He rained bread from Heaven but told them to only take what they needed for that day. When they did not follow God's instructions exactly, the bread turned wormy and ruined.  I think this principle is exactly what God is teaching me.  If I will follow His instruction wholeheartedly, He will lead me out of slavery and provide for my every need.  If I try to take matters into my own hands, my efforts are going to be like that bread - wormy & ruined.  This really makes the whole "Give us this day our daily bread" verse take on a whole new meaning.

So here is my prayer for today:  God, please help me not to be greedy when it comes to food. Help me to be satisfied with my portion.  Help me to remember that You are more than enough for me.

Celeste