Day 15

Who are You?

For as a Girl thinks in her heart, so is she- Proverbs 23:7

When trying to lose weight you have to make a lot of changes.  You need to change the way you eat.  You need to change your level of activity.  You need to change some habits.  Those changes can be difficult at times, but they are all manageable- especially if you are following a good sound program.  Sure, you may not always want to workout, you may have a hard time passing on the cake at first, and you may still prefer the drive thru over meal planning, but those changes are nothing compared to the most difficult change you need to make in order to succeed.

 Have you discovered what the hardest thing to change is?  That’s right, your mind.  How you think.  How you think about food, about exercise, about saying no, and most importantly, how you think about yourself.  Until you see yourself as the Girl who can do this, you will not be the Girl who can do this! 

Every goal comes with a mental battlefield.  Talk to anyone who has accomplished something you find extraordinary and they will tell you the hardest part was the mind games.  Ask the marathoner what was the hardest.  Sure, the blisters, the tired legs, the upset stomachs, those are all inconvenient, but they are nothing compared to the mind games that occur when running long distances.  “Why am I doing this?  I can’t do this?  How in the world am I going to go 6 more miles?  I think I am going to die right now!” 

Your mind is constantly bombarded with thoughts.  Some are from you, some are from your friends, family, and circle of influences, and others are from the enemy of your faith.  Today I want you to take a look at the thoughts you have about yourself.  Are they even your thoughts, or did someone else put them there?

Do you even know who you are, and what you are capable of?  If not, do you know how to find out?

There are two ways I recommend getting to know who you are.  The first is by looking at who God says you are.  I am positive that nowhere in the bible will you be able to find scriptures that say “You cannot do this.  You are a failure.  Remember when you lost and then gained all that weight before.  Some things are just too hard for you.  Some desires are not meant for you.  Don’t waste your time trying to do this.  If you were meant to do something it would come easy.  If results are not coming fast enough, jump ship and try something else.  I did not create you all in my image.  I bless some with abilities, and others without”.

Knowing how your Creator sees you, and what He has to say about how he created you, is the best way to learn who you are.  Nobody else can tell you who you are, and what you are capable of.  Not even you can know what you are capable of, unless you uncover the strength and power that comes from believing and receiving the promises of God.

The second way of discovering who you are, and what you are capable of is to finish the goals you have set before yourself.  Each time you accomplish something you set out to do, you will see for yourself the promises of God working in and through you.  Each victory you experience tells your mind “I have the victory!”  Each time you conquer the chocolate chip muffin at Starbucks, you learn ”I am more than a conqueror!”  Each weight lifting session you complete shows you “I have strength and power.”  Very time you walk away from the dessert you discover “I can do all things”.

You see, it’s not enough to read what God says about you.  You need to put them to practice and then recognize his Word as it unfolds in your daily life.  The more you see your life line up with his Word, the more you will think thoughts of victory, strength, blessing, and favor for yourself.  You will guard these in your heart.  As your heart fills with thoughts of victory, you will see them unfold in all areas of your life! 

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Word.  I thank you that in your Word you show me exactly who I am and what I am capable of.  I confess that I have discouraging thoughts about my ability to lose weight.  I have thoughts of doubt, fear, and frustration.  I ask you to help me replace these negative thoughts with thoughts that line up with your Word.  Help me to see myself as the victorious Girl you created me to be.  In Jesus’ name, Amen