Whose Power?

In the last week or so, God has been showing me something, something critical to my success on this journey to freedom. I've made huge strides so far and learned many things. However, I've come as far as I can get myself. This is a beautiful truth I'm trying to fully digest and come to grips with. This means I can no longer count on myself. My strong will and independence aren't gonna get the job done, like society and pop psychology would have me believe. I've been trying to listen to God and understand where this truth leaves me on my journey. How do I move forward from here if it's not my own self-control and white-knuckling that's gonna get me the rest of the way?

As God often does with me, He offered me more food for thought (pardon the pun) through a timely guest speaker in our church yesterday. While I won't detail the entire message (mostly because I only wrote down what spoke most to my personal circumstances), the crux of the message was that when we are saved and take the leap of faith to believe in Christ as our Savior, we get ALL OF GOD. Not part of Him. All of Him. I have the same power in me that made the heavens and the earth, parted the Red Sea, freed the Israelites, and raised Jesus from the dead. Hearing this, I asked myself, why do I continue to draw on my own power to conquer my addiction to food. It's ridiculous, isn't it? Once we realize we have the power of Christ within us, we will cease drawing from other shallow and limited man- or self-made wells. Yes, self-control and self-discipline can get you a certain distance. But there comes a point when you...when I...must lean on the One greater than us. He alone is God.

While still pondering this new truth this morning, God took me on a tour of His word and showed me a steady stream of scripture citing His power. I indeed do not have His power (and I surely don't want it, to be honest), but I do have access to His power. I have the Holy Spirit in me, and it is He who will set me free from this addiction. It is His power I must draw on, not my own. As I begin the next leg of this journey to freedom, which includes a commitment to exercise and close attention to portion control, it's critical that I understand this and behave like I know it is truth.

Join me on this trip to trade self-control for God-control. Self-esteem for God-esteem. Self-discipline for God-discipline. Self-empowerment for God-empowerment.

I want to challenge you this morning to take a tour of God's word also. I'm going to give you a list of the scriptures God led me through, and I want you to dig in. Your trip will certainly vary from mine, especially as you use the references in your Bible. God is beautifully intentional and personal with His love, and He desires to give us each inidividual attention daily, if we'll only take the time. God has something important to show you on this personal guided tour today, and I'd love to know what He teaches you.

Colossians 2:9, Php 2:13, Php 3:3, Php 3:14, 2Tim 1:7, Col 1:11, Eph 3:20, Eph 3:16, Eph 1:18-20, 2Cor 10:3-4, Acts 1:8, Php 4:13

PS...If you have contacted me in anyway, in response to this blog, I want you to know I love you and pray for you often. I know I am not alone on this trip, and I likewise know we can be free if we cooperate with the work of the Spirit. God Bless <3