Freedom to Live

My journey with Grace and Strength Lifestyle began after a friend ran across their program while surfing the internet for weight loss solutions. I had been successful on another well-known program and was contemplating starting again. However, I knew I needed more than weight loss. I needed the tools to maintain a healthy lifestyle after arriving at my goal weight as yo-yo dieting was becoming the norm. I also knew the Lord was pointing me toward Grace and Strength Lifestyle.

It was through the Facebook community and weekly Bible studies I learned I was not alone in my challenges with food addiction. The cyclical overeating followed by guilt was a shared struggle. The encouragement from my coach and the Grace and Strength community along with the weekly challenges kept me afloat during my journey. There was one Facebook posting on our group wall that became my daily prayer: "Lord, grant me a heart that seeks You above all else."

The weekly Bible studies provided both physical and spiritual applications to the weight loss journey. My eyes were opened to the spiritual implications of my lack of obedience in treating my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. I had previously committed to memory I Cor. 6:19 & 20 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?", however there was an apparent disconnect with applying that scripture to my physical self.

Prayer, daily scripture reading, and memorization put the pieces together. Speaking II Cor. 10:5 became my weapon of defense.

"I demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Through this journey, I have experienced freedom, freedom to begin this new year without the proverbial resolution to lose weight and life a healthier lifestyle. Freedom to live the abundant life God has planned for me as my heart continues to seek Him above all else.

"P" (Ohio - Feb 2017)

My Journey is Not Complete

I started this journey expecting to lose a few pounds quick and then move on.  I was excited and anxious for the weight to come off quick.  However, my heart wasn't in the right spot and I realized this about 1 1/2 months into Phase 2.  It started to get hard.  I couldn't figure out why I couldn't be disciplined, why I couldn't stop my cravings, why I wasn't losing more weight.  Well, "I" was the problem and He was the solution.

I spent over half of my life listening to others preach to me about God and reading articles about what God was like, rather than actual reading the bible. I had a second hand relationship with God. I started my journey of complete surrender several years ago and Grace and Strength was such a beautiful addition to it.

It has deepened my understanding of our Father and has shown me the benefits of reading my bible everyday. The more time I spend in the bible the more God's truths become clear. Lies flee in the presence of truth and I have learned many truths during these few months. One of which is that my body is not my own, and I should treat it as such. I'm thankful for Coach Monica; she says many things but above all she speaks truth.

My journey is not complete. I am still learning what it means to completely surrender to God but with the help of the Grace and Strength Lifestyle, I am closer to understanding what it means.

"C" (Iowa - Feb 2017)

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* Individual results may vary.