A friend’s remark challenged me and I want to ask you ladies the question I’ve been pondering on for a week now: How protective are you of your freedom or the gifts God has given you along your journey to freedom?
Maybe you have built a close love relationship with God over the past year by waiting in His presence and studying His Word…
Are you protecting this treasure?
Maybe, like me, you have begged God for wisdom to incorporate daily exercise into your life, and you’ve finally found a way to get to the gym or found a friend who holds you accountable…
Are you taking good care of this gift?
What about your eating? Did you finally get to a place where you’ve gone without the foods that make you binge for a few months, and you no longer dream about food or plan a binge in the back of your head?
How are you protecting this freedom?
What about your dreams? Have you made some strides towards the things that God has placed in your heart? Maybe you’ve felt for the first time in years how the cloak of depression lifted and joy slowly crept back into your life as you started reaching for your dreams…
Are you guarding those dreams?
I’m asking this question, because I’ve become aware of an arrogant carelessness in my own life the minute I “feel” that I have a handle on something (which is usually a miracle or “gift” from God to begin with).
I’ve also heard back from many women who made huge strides forward in breaking out of bondage and falling in love with Jesus, just to fall right back to where they’ve started.
I don’t mean to be negative at all, but I do want to warn you… YOU HAVE TO PROTECT THE FREEDOM THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU! We can not afford to become careless in our warfare or take back some of the areas that we’ve surrendered to God.
Here are a few exhortations for you as I have received from God while praying about this:
- GUARD YOUR TIME WITH GOD – Fight for it if you have to!
Isaiah 40:31 (Amplified Bible)
But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.
Isaiah 30:15 (Amplified Bible)
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not
- GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS – Check every thought:
2 Corinthians 10:5 (New International Version)
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Romans 8:6 (New Living Translation)
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
- GUARD YOUR HEART – Let God search it:
Psalm 51:6,10 (Amplified Bible)
Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.
Proverbs 4:23 (Amplified Bible)
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
- PROTECT YOUR CONSISTENCY – Don’t give up, never mind how many time you’ve fallen!
Galatians 6:9 (Amplified Bible)
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
- Protect your abstinence from addictive food/habits! Don’t let the enemy fool you with “others can do it” or “one won’t hurt”. People fight the good fight daily in resisting all sorts of temptation, God will give me and you the strength to resist our specific temptation
Please join us on the forum if you need some extra encouragement or reminders to fight the good fight and stay the course.
Hidden under His wing!
Heleen
I love you, Heleen, and always look forward to reading your entries. You are an inspiration to everyone with your honesty and your humility, your humor and your grace, and – most of all – your sincere desire to point others towards The Healer. Bless you for your vulnerability and willingness to serve!
Thanks for your words of encouragement- I am back on the wagon, however, I often wonder if exercising every day and being so focused on my body in this way is just as sinful as purging food? Does anyone have any thoughts? Once I get into exercising regularly I cannot seem to stop! Is this my obsessive nature?
Dear Helen,
You are so right about falling 100 times, but in 101 times we stand up. I am so happy i don’t eat as many sweats as before and don’t put extra weight. I maintain the weight. For me its a great progress and victory. I also had an appointment with the psychiatrist. I have a nervous bulimia and believe God can also use medicine to help me.
Thank you for the support and prayers.
Maria, you’re right, we have to at one point get our focus off ourselves and turn it toward Jesus (as the Bible instructs us)
I do want to encourage you though that when you get back in the swing of things after spiraling downward for a while, you might have to focus on doing the right thing again for a while. It does take a lot of focus to kick denial and set the right food habits back in place, as well as planning to bring consistency back into our exercise routine. But this will fade after a while and become second nature, giving you the freedom to put your focus where it ought to be.
So don’t be too hard on yourself girl, as long as you are not compulsively exercising (which is just another form of purging) you are simply bringing CONSISTENCY back – the only thing to kick perfectionism and procrastination forever!
Love, Heleen
Vanessa thank you so much for your kind words. God bless you!
Inessa and Alina, I’m so glad to hear that you are doing well and still pressing forward!
Love, Heleen