Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

We can’t escape our thoughts. 

I don’t know about yours, but this mind of mine can be an unwelcome place. Thoughts and ideas tend to pop in unannounced and then stay there. Other times, I can get focused on a negative event or negative words and not let go. Destructive thoughts can take over quickly.  

During those times, I know that’s not the mind of Christ. But how can I have the mind of Christ? 

If you’ve found yourself with the same battle in your mind, know that you are not alone. There is hope. There is a way to “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” It starts by filling your mind with His Word. Daily Bible reading, scripture memorization, and prayer are all actions that will make your mind a more welcoming place to be. The Bible is filled with His thoughts on you as well as on how to live your life.  

It’s easy to get distracted by setting our minds on the here and now. Our thoughts focus on that which is right in front of us or has us troubled. Those things gain our full attention. Doing so only keeps us in a cycle of defeat and constant battle in our minds.  

A war is waging in your mind, but Christ in you can win that war. 

Does your mind focus on negative thoughts and feelings towards your body?  

Do you worry about weight and plan everything around how to lose that weight? 

If you’re struggling to implement healthy habits that you can stick to, head to God’s Word. He has so much to say about you. Until you start looking at yourself through the lens of His Word, you won’t stick to a plan that is sustainable.  

Anything you want to change in your life on the outside will only change when you start by addressing what’s going on inside in your mind.  

Action Step

Take note of the thoughts roaming in your mind. Declare, “This mind of mine is yours, Lord.” Then, use His Word to chase away any unhelpful thoughts. Find a scripture to memorize this week. 

The post This Mind of Mine appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

This verse is written about beautifully in a devotional I’ve been reading this year. Part of it said this:

We are unique reflections of God’s nature. With that in mind, we should celebrate the way we see the world. No one else has our DNA. How boring it would be if we were all the same, and yet so many of us try to shape-shift to blend in. We were born to be ourselves. We come fully alive in the love of Christ, and we don’t have to look the same as others to do this.

God is Love: 365 Devotions from the Gospel of John, by Brian Simmons

You are free to be you because you were made in Christ. When we truly embrace how we were fearfully and wonderfully made, how could we ever want to be anyone else? He delights in you and in the way He made you. He had a plan and a purpose for you when He created you. 

Everything about you – God created it. All you have and all you are is a blessing from God. It’s all by His design. And because of that, you are free to be you, the wonderfully, uniquely created you! 

Are you living your purpose? Are you passionate about the life God has entrusted to you? Are you embracing your age and stage of life? Now is the time to step into your one life. 

Action Step

Whose life are you living? God created you in a special way for a special purpose. You are free to be you. Go do it!

The post Free To Be You appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

For in him we live and move and have our being.

Recently, I listened to a ​business podcast​ titled, “Do not pander.” The message of the podcast was not to cater to the whims of other businesses and to the algorithm. Those of us in the online space have to deal with changing algorithms and then try to figure out what kind of posts, etc. that Facebook and Instagram are “rewarding” and looking for. By doing this, you can easily get caught up in chasing success and people-pleasing only to lose yourself in the process. All this leads to burnout. But what the podcaster said next had me not only thinking about business but also about our approach to healthy living:

Burnout is not doing enough of what you love.

Oftentimes, we think of burnout as doing too much, being too busy. In fact, dictionary.com says it’s fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity. Instead of staying tired and frustrated, how about we ask ourselves what we love to do and if we’re doing enough of that.

Why is it that people can start a diet or extreme exercise program at the beginning of the year only to fizzle out by February or March? They’re tired and frustrated. They’re either not getting results, or they’re over what it is they must do to get the results. They didn’t take into consideration what they liked to do. They didn’t ask themselves how they like to move or what food they like to eat. Instead, they signed up for a random plan, no questions asked. Now they’re realizing they don’t really like eating according to a clock, two-a-day workouts are exhausting, or drinking a gallon of water a day just makes them feel water-logged.

When you start honoring your body the way God uniquely created you, you can sustain the way you choose to care for it. Yes, it’s important to move regularly. Yes, you’ll function better when you’re filling your body with nourishing foods. Yes, drinking plenty of water is essential for your body to function and feel well. But only you know you. And you were created with unique tastes and preferences. Start there.

• How do you like to move?
• What foods leave you feeling satisfied and energized?
• How much water does your body operate best on?
• Do you like the way you eat and move and spend your days? What are your favorite things to do?

This scripture in Acts reminds us that all we do is in Him. It’s by His power that we move and that we even exist. He uniquely created each of us, and we must honor that. This chapter in Acts reminds us that we are God’s children, created in His image. He knows all the details about you, and He created you the way you are for a reason. Don’t try to be someone or do something that doesn’t align with the Lord and the way He made you. He loves you, and He wants you to love and embrace the life He has planned for you. 

If your current healthy living approach is leaving you tired and frustrated, ask yourself the questions above. When you start doing more of what you love in regards to how you care for your body, you’ll start feeling better. You’ll want to do those things. It’ll be easier to continue that approach for a long time to come.

Do something you love today!

Action Step

Ask yourself the questions above. Are you honoring the unique body God entrusted to you? Choose to honor God by making healthy decisions that honor your unique body.

The post Do More of What You Love appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.

My weight loss struggles began at a very early age as a result of a mother who had her own weight and body image issues, and therefore projected those onto me. In her heart of hearts, she felt as if she was helping me not to experience the struggles that she did, but she only made that area of life harder for me.

But this isn’t going to be me wallowing in that or bashing my mom. {Before I go on, my mom and I are good. In fact, we’re great. I love her dearly. I shared some things I learned from her in a post a few years back. You can read it here.}

This message is about making a choice. No matter what happens in life, we get to decide how we respond and what we do with the experiences. Will you be the heroine or the victim?

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. ~ Nora Ephron

For a long time, I did allow myself to be the victim. I shied away from life and gave into worry and anxiety about my body. I didn’t think I’d ever earn the love of another man. I easily fell into the comparison trap and constantly judged myself. I was able to put on a front and go through life as if I was doing okay, but on the inside I was in a constant battle with my body and my thoughts.

All the while, I did have a relationship with the Lord. I read my Bible and prayed. I wanted to be free of this struggle. I didn’t want to be chained to these worries and to focus only on my body. Eventually, I allowed Jesus to set me free. I finally allowed Him to have access to every part of my life including my weight and body image. As a result, I gained confidence in who I was and Whose I was. I stopped being the victim of my early years and took control of this area of my life by surrendering it to Jesus.

I’ve worked with women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, even 70s who were still struggling with negative influences from their early years like I was. Whether it was unkind words or early examples of women constantly pursuing weight loss, they were still victims of feeling not enough. Feeling like they must pursue a certain body type to find acceptance. Like me, these women knew they were too old to still be struggling.

I was 40 before I stopped being the victim and stepped into the heroine role of my life. There’s still time for you to change your perspective and embrace this age and stage of life. You can live with confidence in who you are and Whose you are. Because I allowed the Lord to break those chains in my life, I was free to pursue my passion and my purpose in life. I soon realized that my passion was to help women find the freedom I found so that they too are free to pursue their passion and purpose. I can help you be the heroine of your life no matter your age. I can help you start living fit and free!

If you’re ready to make the change, some places to start:

• The Bible. Read God’s Word and know what He says about you. I wrote some devotionals to help you with that.
• Join my free Facebook Group where I share faith-focused fitness inspiration and motivation.
• My Faith and Fitness Support and Accountability Community will help you stop circling that mountain of diet, gimmicks, and quick fixes and truly start living fit and free.

God wants to break the chains in your life. He doesn’t want you to be in bondage to negative self-talk or an unhealthy relationship with food and your body. He loves you. He created you. He wants you to celebrate who you are in Him.

Action Step

Give your worries to the Lord. Let go of what’s holding you back and gain the confidence to embrace this age and stage of life. Reach out to Him, and He’ll be there to lead you out of the darkness and to break the chains that have you bound up. It’s time to start living fit and free so you can embrace your passion and your purpose. 

The post Break the Chains appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

It’s a hot, summer day. You just got in from a hard workout. What are you thirsty for? A big glass of ice water? Lemonade? Soda? A milkshake? After an especially long, hot workout, the only thing that will quench my thirst is a carbonated beverage. In fact, I recently stocked up on my favorite sparkling water. We have an abundance of options to quench our thirst. But no matter what beverage you choose, you’ll eventually get thirsty again.

What are you thirsty for? Have you been on a long journey? Are you feeling parched?

My pursuit for weight loss had me searching and seeking, gazing into various wells hoping that I’d find that one that would provide the drink I needed to finally break free from the worries and insecurities related to my body. I was thirsty for freedom. After drinking from a number of different wells, I realized only Jesus could quench that thirst. 

The world is full of influencers trying to get you to drink their special water from their special wells. Those “special drinks” are things like their plans to fast-track success, weight loss, or financial freedom. The “special wells” are their secrets to lasting relationships, raising good kids, and building a multi-million dollar business. They know we thirst. Just like the variety of beverages we thirst for, people thirst for everything from meaning and purpose to love and wealth and thinner bodies. But, achieving those things will never quench our thirst. Eventually, we’ll be thirsty again. 

Are you thirsty? Have you found yourself at the well? Do you keep going back to the same one hoping that it will finally provide what you need? Have you been visiting various water sources trying to find the one that will finally quench your thirst? If you are thirsty, thirsty for something that a glass of water will not quench, you’re going to have to go to Jesus. He is the only One who will truly satisfy your thirsty soul. 

Action Step

Go to the well that is Jesus. Only He will truly satisfy. Drinking from His well will result in satisfaction with who you are and will sustain you on your journey.

The post What Well Are You Drinking From? appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

And even though Jesus was God’s Son, he had to learn from experience what it was like to obey when obeying meant suffering.

If Jesus, who was God’s perfect Son, had hard lessons to learn through obedience then we shouldn’t be surprised when we find it hard to do the right thing. 

I’m writing this during the season of Lent. Part of Lent is making sacrifices. Essentially, we’re asked to join in Jesus’s sufferings.  

Whether you give up something or choose to do something positive during Lent, it likely includes sacrifice…giving up some of your time, denying yourself in some way, parting with a portion of your money, sharing your talents to help another, etc. 

Jesus was asked to obey God’s plan which meant He would go to the cross for our sins. His obedience required His suffering.  

Although we’ll never be asked to do what Jesus did, we are faced with the question, “Are you willing to obey even if it means suffering?”

You’ve come to this site because you know the importance of integrating your faith and your fitness. How we approach the care for our bodies must be directed by the Lord. All too often we succumb to the influence of others instead of relying on the Lord to guide our fitness plans. There are an abundance of Scripture passages that guide us on how to care for our bodies. 

I spent years allowing others to influence my health and fitness plans while also searching God’s Word for guidance. I knew there had to be a better way. I knew there had to be a way to care for my body that gave me peace and freedom instead of frustration and shame. 

Eventually, I chose to do what, at the time, felt like a very difficult thing to do. I stepped out in faith and started trusting the Lord with my fitness. I ditched the scale. I stopped scrolling for a new diet plan. I ignored the magazines at the checkout line. I decided to obey God’s Word and allow it to become the fitness influence in my life. As a result, I learned how to honor God by honoring my body in the way He created it. Through obedience, I learned to live fit and free. You can live fit and free too! 

Is there an area in your life that you have not fully surrendered to the Lord?

Are you holding tightly to something instead of offering it to Jesus?

Have you struggled to obey the Lord about something? That might be the place to start when you consider how you’ll join in the Lord’s sufferings, whether it’s during the season of Lent or simply in your day-to-day life.   

Will you obey even when it’s hard?

Will you choose God’s way instead of man’s?

I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful that Jesus obeyed even when it meant suffering. Had He not, where would you and I be?  

We were rewarded with new life when Jesus chose to obey. When you choose to obey today, no matter the cost, He’ll reward you beyond your comprehension.

Action Step

Consider the suffering of Jesus. He’ll never ask of us anything that He will not equip us for. What is He asking of you? Will you obey so that you can experience the full life He has planned for you?

The post Learning Through Obedience appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

Who will you invite in?

Do you regularly open your door to a stranger and allow him or her to come into your house and start telling you how to live, what to eat and drink, how to organize your home, what to spend your money on, etc.? If you’re like me, you wouldn’t dare. However, I’ve invited a stranger into my life when I signed up for diet plans created by a random person for the general population with no regard for me personally. Someone who had no regard for my mental and spiritual health, only a smaller after picture. 

Have you done the same?

Any person or plan that tells you that you’re less than, or makes you feel less than, because of your body size, exercise habits (or lack thereof), the food on your plate, etc. should not be welcome into your sphere of influence. Anyone or anything that creates confusion in your life and has you comparing yourself to someone else or another version of yourself, doesn’t deserve a place at your table. 

It’s time to double down on God’s Word. It’s time to set your focus on Jesus, so you will not be distracted by those who are spreading lies about how to have your best year yet and how to become the best version of yourself. 

God’s Word says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves you just as you are. He came for you. It was only a couple of months ago that we celebrated this during the Christmas holidays. It’s a truth you can take with you every single day of the year. 

Carefully consider who you will invite in this year. It will not only have an impact on you but also on those around you. May you choose to be under the influence of God’s Spirit so that you can have a positive impact on others. 

Action Step

We’re still enjoying the beginning of a new year. As you look ahead, take some time to consider what boundaries you need to set. How will you protect your spirit, mind, and body from unwanted influences? You might need to unfollow some social media accounts. Maybe you need to get up early to spend uninterrupted time with the Lord so that you are grounded in truth. Only invite in truth and those who bear the truth of God’s Word.

The post Who Will You Invite In? appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

What messages are you listening to? Who are you listening to?

We live in the information age. There is noise all around us. We are bombarded with information from radio to television to social media. Information is at our fingertips. Family, friends, and co-workers add to the noise. Everyone has an opinion about everything. There is nothing wrong with this. Some of the information and opinions are helpful. 

But, are you listening to messages that strengthen your faith? Do you turn off the sound when it is contradictory to what you know to be true and useful? Do you know what is true? The only way to know the truth and grow in faith is to stay in God’s Word so we can discern the messages that we hear all around us.  

A message of faith and fitness. It’s what you’ll find every time you come to this space to read a post or open the online magazine. It’s also a message I adhere to on my own website, challenges, weekly emails, books, etc. In these spaces, we apply God’s Word to fitness. That means that we have to spend time in His Word to know what He has to say about you and me, the children He created. It’s where we will find direction and purpose for our lives. The Word of God is the owner’s manual to our one life that includes physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. 

God’s Word has the power to transform us if we allow it to. If we open our ears to hear what He has to say to us through it. However, it requires that you become intentional with spending time reading it and monitoring the other things you are listening to. 

It’s coming at us all the time, but this time of year it always seems louder. What am I talking about? Diet talk. The need to become a new you in the new year. The messaging is intended to make you feel less than if you aren’t doing their diet or their challenge. They want you to believe you need to lose weight to live your best life. 

God’s Word won’t shame you or guilt you into anything. His love and acceptance of you is not based on what you do or how much you weigh. He loves you just as you are. When you start believing that truth and living like it, you’ll gain the confidence to care for your body in a way that is healthy and sustainable. 

To grow in faith, to live in freedom, to have your best life, listen to God’s Word. It is the Truth. Once you start doing that, you will begin to radiate that truth to others. 

Action Step

Be discerning about what you listen to. Set boundaries as to what and who you allow to speak into your life. Words are powerful. Go to God’s Word for truth and allow it to get into your heart and guide your actions. Be hardcore about this in 2024, and you’re sure to have a good year!

The post Radiate God’s Truth appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

We love him, because he first loved us.

Love. Before we ever loved Him, He loved us. 

Before my husband and I got together, I remember someone telling me that a certain man was interested in me. At first they didn’t say who, and honestly, I had no clue who it could be. It took forever for me to realize that it was the man who eventually became my husband. I came to find out, he had his eye on me long before I acknowledged him. 

Jesus loves you. 

He’s had His eye on you since before you were born. He knows you. And He loves you just as you are. He’s watching from afar hoping that, if you haven’t already, you will accept His love for you. He’s hoping that you’ll look in the mirror and see what He sees, His fearfully and wonderfully made daughter. 

When we receive His love, we become a reflection of His love. We radiate love everywhere we go. 

What a wonderful time of year to ponder the love of Christ for us.

Prayer

Thank you, Jesus, for Your ongoing and everlasting love. I open my heart and fully accept Your love for me. Help me to radiate love to others. It’s in Your name that I pray, Amen.

Action Step

The greatest way to love Jesus is to share His love with others. Look for a chance to tell someone today that Jesus loves them. 

This devotion was adapted from my book Turn Your Holidays into Holy-Days: 31 Day Guide to a Happy Healthy December.

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See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Hope. Hope has come as Jesus. We’re at the time of year when it’s a bit “more acceptable” to talk about faith, hope, and love. People expect to hear messages about Jesus, to see nativity scenes, and will often attend a church service this time of year. Whether they want to admit it or not, people need hope. 

According to Dictionary.com, hope is “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” People want to know that things are going to be okay. 

Jesus is the hope that this world needs. He came to earth to be the hope for a world that didn’t have any. It was a world that was tied to laws and sacrifices. But He came so that we could become children of God and have hope, not only for our present but also for our future.  

Hope grows into confidence. The confidence of knowing that our future is secure in Christ. That our lives will turn out for the best when we lay it all at His feet. This hope will give us the confidence to trust Him with all areas of our lives. We’ll have confidence that things are going to be okay. Then we can radiate that hope to the world around us.

A perfect body. An adoring spouse. A successful child. A job title. Nothing and no one but Jesus can give us hope. Even though He was a tiny baby, they knew He was different. They may not have grasped exactly what it was, but the shepherds, the wise men, and His parents, knew Jesus was different.  

Hope had come for them. And Hope has come for you, too. Receive it then radiate it to others.

Action Step

Make a Christmas list. But not for material things. What are you hoping for in your life? What intangible things can you ask for that can only come from a Savior who came to give us hope?

Prayer

God, I want my hope to be only in You. Help me to not be distracted by things that look good on the outside. My hope rests in Your love and goodness and in Your promises to me. In Your name I pray, Amen.

This devotion was adapted from my book Turn Your Holidays into Holy-Days: 31 Day Guide to a Happy Healthy December.

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