- The Grace and Strength Lifestyle
- Success Stories
In today's weight loss success story we hear some great insights from Julie. Julie came to us asking some of the more challenging questions that we address throughout our program. She was already asking how God viewed our health. Did he care about it? Was physical health something that had a spiritual impact?
She was also kind enough to share a video interview with her coach, Jillynn Fisher, and you can watch that below. We are confident that you'll be blessed as you read through her story and watch her video. Thank you, Julie, for sharing it with all of us.
Julie's Story
I had been seeking for sometime a Biblical approach to health. But I didn't really even know what I was looking for. I just kept thinking - if I am made in God's image, I have this one body, man looks at the outward appearance, but God is looking at my heart. I wanted to do all I could to have a physically good heart (both my parents have heart disease plus some of their siblings), but did God care about my heart spiritually when it came to health? I tried so many diets over the years. A couple of years ago I even lost 60 lbs. but had gained back most of the weight. Was this really more than eating the right food? Did it have more to do with my relationship with Christ? My spiritual heart?
I knew I was an emotional eater. Eat when I am tired. Eat when I am bored. Eat when I am stressed. Eat to be social. And what was I eating? Nothing but empty calories and unhealthy choices which left me craving for more. I never realized Satan was using food to lead me away from Christ. He knows my weakness and just prowling about waiting to devour me. "Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour." (I Peter 5:8 HCSB) But I am learning I can be strong through Christ. Craving Him. Craving Him when my flesh is tired, bored, stressed, or thinking I need to eat to be social. Yes, I want to crave, long for, desire and even beg for Christ and Christ alone. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." Psalm 84: 1-2 NASB.
It doesn't matter what difficulty I may face each day, or how impossible it may seem to accomplish what God has for me today. God's grace will provide the inner strength and power I need to achieve victory – through faith. Just like Daniel and his friends in Daniel Chapter 1. Daniel stayed strong in his faith and trusted Christ. "Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself. So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official has assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah." "Please test your servant for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king's food, and deal with your servants based on what you see." "He agreed with them about this and tested them for 10 days. At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king's food. So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom." Daniel 8 – 17 HCSB.
God's grace has empowered me. His grace gives me inner strength. "I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency)." Philippians 4:13 AMP. Strength to do His will, not only in my journey with Grace and Strength but ALL areas of my life.
Although I have now reached my heart's physical goal*, but have I reached my spiritual heart? No, I will never be perfect. "Each day He's still working on me. To make me what I ought to be. (Like Christ. In all areas of my life...) How loving and patient He must be. He's still working on me." (Lyrics by Hemphill, Joel) I Praise God for the Bible Studies through Grace and Strength to help guide and remind me I need to daily be in His Word and prayer! Only Christ can change my heart, both physically and spiritually. I look forward to the future and what God has in store.
* Individual results may vary.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
Are you ready to show YOURSELF some LOVE? Making your well being a priority is not about being selfish. This is about putting yourself first so that you can love and serve others well. We want to see you find wholeness, health, and freedom in every area of your life! We want you to love yourself!
If you are hesitating over a choice of a suitable program, check out how it works.
Learn More!