God Loves You. Period.

Kathy gazes at herself in the mirror. Her eyes drop slowly to her thick neck.

Susan pulls on a red tank top. One look at her upper arms and she reaches for the blue short-sleeved top instead.

Mary refuses an invitation to a swimming party, too self-conscious to don a suit.

Self-image—what we believe about ourselves—plays an important role in our overall health.

What Motivates You?

A hearty "welcome" to those visiting from a guest post I had the privilege of writing this week. If you are new, be sure to comment and tell me how you found my blog.

The following is an encore presentation of a post ran last year.

What motivates you? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Why do you send your children to school each day? Seriously, wouldn’t it be easier to yield to their whining and let them stay home? (Or, for us home schoolers, to say “Okay,” when they request to skip Math for the sixth day in a row?) Do you send them because you have to, or because you want something great for them?

Guest Blogger Marie Notcheva (Part 3 of 3)

I want to thank Marie, again, for contributing this excellent post. This final installment really brings it home.

Beyond Freedom from Food Addiction – Living for the Glory of God (Part 3 of 3)

This is Part 3 in a series by guest blogger Marie Notcheva. To read Part 1 click here. To read Part 2 click here.

What is the Antidote?

Overcoming food-related struggles and obsessive thinking about food, weight and appearance is notoriously difficult. Nevertheless, full and permanent victory is possible, and it all begins by being “brainwashed.” Surprised? No, Scripture doesn’t send us to a hypnotist to deal with sin; rather, we are instructed to“be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This is an ongoing, life-long process which all begins with saturating ourselves in the Word of God. As we study and meditate on what God’s thoughts, desires and priorities are, gradually we internalize them and they become our own. If your mind is “set on the things above” (Col. 3:2), it will be preoccupied less and less with food. When we learn to live with an eternal perspective, the “drugs” and other means we use to gain pleasure fade in importance. Addictions are broken only when we begin to truly see the all-surpassing beauty and magnificence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply put, Jesus must become more beautiful, more satisfying, more desirable and more fulfilling than our addiction. As C.S. Lewis put it, we are too easily satisfied – making mud pies in a slum when a “holiday” at the seaside awaits.

Guest Blogger Marie Notcheva (Part 2 of 3)

Beyond Freedom from Food Addiction – Living for the Glory of God (Part 2 of 3)

This is Part 2 in a series by guest blogger Marie Notcheva. To read Part 1 click here.

What Hinders You?
 
If you struggle with over-eating, preoccupation with your weight and/or food, or a tendency to use food for emotional reasons, you probably realize very well that this is outside of God’s will for your life. You may even recognize that you are engaged in a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:12). You’ve read passages warning believers not to be “mastered by anything” but rather to “be self-controlled and alert” (1 Cor. 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8). And yet, as common as “food abuse” is, in the day-to-day we tend to think of it as a “common vice.”