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June 10, 2019
What’s Wrong with Me? |
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Romans 7:15 (NIV)
I flopped down on the couch, grabbed the remote and landed on a late afternoon talk show. As a new registered nurse, I was stressed, trying to learn all I needed to care for my patients with confidence. I reached for the bowl of ice cream sitting on the coffee table and thought, “My husband won’t be home for hours. Today will be the last day I blow it. Tomorrow, I will go on a diet.”
The problem was, tomorrow never came … because I was in a battle I could not win. I’d been bingeing and purging for five years.
I’d stopped taking amphetamine diet pills because they caused unrelenting panic attacks with such fear and anxiety that I sometimes felt like I was losing my mind or even dying. Those emotions prompted me to pursue God, and I came to know Jesus as my personal Savior. I tried to fully surrender my life to Him. I read my Bible. I prayed. I went to church and Bible study. So, why was it still so hard to change my relationship with food? What was wrong with me?
Despite knowing I had the power of the Holy Spirit living in me, when it came to food, I felt powerless. One day, I found Romans 7:15 which completely described my dilemma. The Apostle Paul wrote: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” I wasn’t sure if I felt better or worse about this verse being in the Bible. If Paul, who personally encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, was in this same battle as I, who could ever find victory over their personal battles?
Fortunately, I didn’t stop reading.
In verse 24b, Paul asks the question I’d been asking about this perpetual battle of the flesh: “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” In verse 25a, he gives the answer: “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (NIV)
But, what does that mean? I knew I was delivered from death to life through Jesus’ death. But, what about my daily battle right here, right now?
My quest to find God’s answer began in earnest. I learned later in Romans 12 that one key was to change my perspective. It says in Romans 12:1b to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship” (NIV). I realized I was trying to lose weight to please other people rather than God. If I saw taking good care of my body as a form of worship, that changed everything. What freedom!
The nagging question remained: How do I do this consistently? Romans 12:2a says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NIV). I came to understand that we are most profoundly transformed by truth!
For many years, I’d believed several lies. The lie that my identity was found in my size or appearance. The lie that I couldn’t withstand the temptation of food. The lie that I was dying or losing my mind. These lies became my most dominant thoughts. And, in the human brain, the most dominant thought wins!
I realized my part in transformation was to identify lies I believed and replace them with His truth. For example, I began repeating 1 Corinthians 10:13 that deals with facing temptation. This was not an instant fix. It was an inner habit that needed daily practice and ultimately “rewired” my neuron pathways and my soul over time.
At 67, I have lived in victory over food for over 30 years by practicing these truths. Whatever your battle, I know you can experience victory as well.
The Bible is like a surgical knife that cuts out lies and replaces them with life-changing truth. Whether your struggle is with food or some other battle, dwelling daily on specific scriptural truth to replace your lies will ultimately change your emotions and your behavior because the Word of God truly is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12b, ESV).
Heavenly Father, I pray You will help me be transformed by identifying the lies I believe and replacing them with Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (NIV)
Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Discover how to permanently lose pounds and inches while you improve brain function, slow aging and gain new vitality! Get beyond knowing “what” to do as you apply God-centered principles to transform your body and your mind. Take a journey with two understanding and experienced women who help you personalize this plan for your success. Head here to learn more, and order your copy of Eat, Live, Thrive Diet by Danna Demetre and Robyn Thomson today.
For additional resources, visit their website.
CONNECT:
For support and encouragement on your health journey, catch Danna and Robyn on YouTube, here.
Enter to WIN your very own copy of Eat, Live, Thrive Diet by Danna Demetre and Robyn Thomson. To celebrate this book, WaterBrook & Multnomah is giving away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and notify each one in the comments section by Monday, June 17, 2019.}
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
What lies do you believe that need to be erased and replaced with truth? What biblical truths can you use to replace them?
© 2019 by Danna Demetre. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks WaterBrook & Multnomah for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.
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