One year ago tomorrow (January 24, 2011) God gave me the strength and courage to start a battle I never thought I could win; my war with food, my weight, and the person I had let myself become. The past 365 days have been filled with ups, downs, highs, lows, and several plateaus. Many of these have been on the scale, but have reflected in my daily life as well. God filled me daily, and He allowed me a chance to turn many aspects of my life around; one year later I stand proud, and grateful towards a mighty and loving God. I have a long way to go in many areas of my life, but I have come so far in the past year that I needed to recognize God for all He has done thus far. Since January 24, 2010, I have lost about 110 pounds (haven't weighed in in a week or so); God has brought me this far, and He continues to carry me.
I have not talked with many people about the struggles I faced with food, but they were hard to overcome. Only through Him was I able to beat them, and begin this journey. Several have asked me how I did it, and to that I simply say healthy diet and exercise. I didn't cut out any foods, I simply cut back; I eliminated second, third, or fourth helpings (for those of you who know how well my mom cooks, this was a huge task) at meals and really watch the amount of calories I am drinking in a day. I still enjoy any food I want, I simply watch how much of it I am eating. As far as exercise goes, I started out year ago doing 15 minutes on an elliptical at the REC center; it took all of me to do that much. I slowly worked my way up to more minutes, to more incline, to more resistance, to further distances. I now enjoy running outside or on the elliptical and lifting some light weights to tone up. I was able to run a 10k (6.2 miles) this past fall, and have hopes of running a half marathon this spring/summer.
It is amazing how to see how far He has brought me in one short year! I thank you for your kind words, your prayers, and your support, and ask that you continue to pray for me in this lifelong journey; as many of you know, a battle with food and weight is continuous, and I never want to get back to where I was one year ago. My hope in writing this, in confessing these things to all of you, is that it could inspire you (even if it is just one of you) to go after your goals, to enter into prayer and trust that if He could get me through then He could bring you through as well; whether you struggle with weight, addiction, or anything else, I pray that these words get to the very core of you and stir within you a spirit of change. It is never too late or too early to make a change for the better, and I pray that today could be your turning point as well.
May this verse inspire you; Hebrews 12:1 states, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
Looking back on this year I am grateful for the progress, but know that He is not finished with me yet. I can feel a stirring and a longing for more change in my life, and I am excited to see what I could be blogging about on January 24, 2012. Your prayers are coveted, and know that as I write this I am praying for each and everyone of you. You are loved, you are amazing, and He is not finished with you yet!
Photo proof of the progress
Me a year ago (far right)
Me a few weeks ago
Inspired by the lessons God teaches through everyday life, and written to spread the love and truth of Christ to all those longing and needing to hear it. I pray these words reach you and remind you, and I long for you to share them with any and all.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Resist, Resist, Repeat
Feel yourself caving in? Feel as though you are in too deep and can't get back out?
Every day is a battle, each a unique fight to be won, but having Christ at our side is the only way to accomplish this task, to claim a victory. The honest truth here is that God's love and forgiveness knows no bounds, and we are never in too deep for Him to pull us right back out. It is hard to imagine that because our human minds have limitations; we often have trouble forgiving ourselves for thing, yet alone being able to imagine Someone else who cares enough to forgive us. We cannot fathom the depths of His love, but we must acknowledge its existence, its truth, and its necessity in our lives. It is not an easy task, but we must take little steps to break the chains that entangle us, to resist the daily temptations that we so often find ourselves caving in to.
While at the gym today I realized that every temptation resisted is a small battle won in a much bigger war; it is progress towards the life we want to live, towards the life that He wants for us. It may seem minimal or go unnoticed, but we need to recognize this progress in order to actively continue it.
Seeing progress, seeing results, it is these things that drive us. We have to consider each little resisted temptation as progress, and we must move forward, allowing God to slowly pull us out of the pit that the devil and ourselves have put us in. It is so easy to give in to temptation when we cannot see hope or light in this hole we have dug, easy to think "we are already down here so whats the point in trying to get out." Thoughts like that come from the devil himself, and we have to fight that if we want to get anywhere in life. It won't be simple and it won't be easy, you will have to resist the same temptations over and over again before you can claim victory, and maybe even repeat the resistance a few times after; but how sweet the victory will be when all is said and done. He promises us a way through it; we must rely on His strength, His love, His freedom, His forgiveness, and our faith in these things to attain victory in the resistance of temptation.
Verse:
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
Never give up, never stop trusting, and never stop resisting. Do not allow yourself to fall deeper into those traps of temptation. Cast your burdens on Him, and He will ease your load; He can free us from these things if we allow Him and have faith that He will do so. Resist temptation, claim victory in life's daily battles, and grow closer to Him in each step along the way!
Every day is a battle, each a unique fight to be won, but having Christ at our side is the only way to accomplish this task, to claim a victory. The honest truth here is that God's love and forgiveness knows no bounds, and we are never in too deep for Him to pull us right back out. It is hard to imagine that because our human minds have limitations; we often have trouble forgiving ourselves for thing, yet alone being able to imagine Someone else who cares enough to forgive us. We cannot fathom the depths of His love, but we must acknowledge its existence, its truth, and its necessity in our lives. It is not an easy task, but we must take little steps to break the chains that entangle us, to resist the daily temptations that we so often find ourselves caving in to.
While at the gym today I realized that every temptation resisted is a small battle won in a much bigger war; it is progress towards the life we want to live, towards the life that He wants for us. It may seem minimal or go unnoticed, but we need to recognize this progress in order to actively continue it.
Seeing progress, seeing results, it is these things that drive us. We have to consider each little resisted temptation as progress, and we must move forward, allowing God to slowly pull us out of the pit that the devil and ourselves have put us in. It is so easy to give in to temptation when we cannot see hope or light in this hole we have dug, easy to think "we are already down here so whats the point in trying to get out." Thoughts like that come from the devil himself, and we have to fight that if we want to get anywhere in life. It won't be simple and it won't be easy, you will have to resist the same temptations over and over again before you can claim victory, and maybe even repeat the resistance a few times after; but how sweet the victory will be when all is said and done. He promises us a way through it; we must rely on His strength, His love, His freedom, His forgiveness, and our faith in these things to attain victory in the resistance of temptation.
Verse:
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
Never give up, never stop trusting, and never stop resisting. Do not allow yourself to fall deeper into those traps of temptation. Cast your burdens on Him, and He will ease your load; He can free us from these things if we allow Him and have faith that He will do so. Resist temptation, claim victory in life's daily battles, and grow closer to Him in each step along the way!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Clothe Yourself with Christ
We are all children of God, but in today's world it can be easy to forget our identity, to forget who we are in Christ. This world can tear us apart, and make us lose sight of what is truly important, of Who is truly important. It is at times like these, when the devil is breaking us down, when we need to cling to the truth, hold fast to our Savior, and clothe ourselves in Christ. To truly clothe ourselves in Christ is to let go of our ways, our ideals, our possessions and anything else that is hindering our relationship with Him; it is not merely buying a Christian t-shirt, wearing a cross necklace, and covering your vehicle in positive Christian bumper stickers. It is not that these things are bad, but they are simply not enough. Jesus doesn't care what shirt we put on in the morning, He only asks that we clothe ourselves in Him, in His love, His forgiveness, and His mercy.
Without this clothing of Christ, we have no protection from the devil and his temptations, but with it there is nothing we cannot do. Satan has nothing on God, and through Christ we can achieve things we never believed we were capable of. We are unified in Christ, in Him we become one, and when we choose to clothe ourselves in Christ all the walls, barriers, criticisms, and hindrances this world brings our way are eradicated.
Verse:
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
~ Galatians 3:26-28
Clothing yourself in Christ begins with asking Him to cover you, to shield you, to guide you, and to help you carry through with this commitment, but it is so much more than that. It is daily sacrifice of your earthly self for a cause that is far greater, and it won't be easy, but He will get you through it. He will protect you, He will clothe you in Christ.
Evaluate your life, examine whether or not you have been clothing yourself in Christ. Take a leap of faith and invite Him to protect you, to guide you, to clothe you, and just see where He takes you. I promise, with full faith, that you will not be disappointed.
Without this clothing of Christ, we have no protection from the devil and his temptations, but with it there is nothing we cannot do. Satan has nothing on God, and through Christ we can achieve things we never believed we were capable of. We are unified in Christ, in Him we become one, and when we choose to clothe ourselves in Christ all the walls, barriers, criticisms, and hindrances this world brings our way are eradicated.
Verse:
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
~ Galatians 3:26-28
Clothing yourself in Christ begins with asking Him to cover you, to shield you, to guide you, and to help you carry through with this commitment, but it is so much more than that. It is daily sacrifice of your earthly self for a cause that is far greater, and it won't be easy, but He will get you through it. He will protect you, He will clothe you in Christ.
Evaluate your life, examine whether or not you have been clothing yourself in Christ. Take a leap of faith and invite Him to protect you, to guide you, to clothe you, and just see where He takes you. I promise, with full faith, that you will not be disappointed.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Low Down
Hey Y'all sorry I missed you yesterday, but Happy New Year! As you might have noticed, I was not able to write/post a new blog; I came down with a serious case of the stomach flu and needless to say, it stopped me from getting to the computer.
With 2010 coming to a close, I wanted to fill you all in on a couple of things; first off, when I started this blog, it was a 31 day commitment to get myself focused on God and what He wanted for my life. Through Him, I was not only able to get some things cleared up for myself, but also able to speak and share with so many others. He has truly blessed me through this little blog. I successfully finished this one month commitment, but feel as though He is not finished with me yet. This past month has been wonderful, filled with days of true joy, fulfillment, answers, budding relationships, and mostly a renewal with God. Secondly, I have decided to continue writing this blog, but on a weekly basis. I feel as though I can put more time, effort, and feeling into a weekly blog, and I also want to open up topics for suggestion. I will do my best to cover topics that people want to hear about. It is my goal to reach people through this blog, to allow God to reach people through this blog. The daily blogging I put in in December was amazing, but difficult at the same time; God was teaching me as I put those words down, He was humbling me, convicting me, restoring me. Some days I could write two to three posts, and others it would take me forever to battle through one; it was spiritual warfare at its finest, but through Him I was able to complete the task.
In the weeks and months ahead I hope to continue spreading His word, and living out the life He has laid out for me. I want to thank you all for reading and sharing this blog with people you thought would find it interesting or helpful, and I thank you for the honest feedback. It is only through Him that these ideas, words, and lessons are inspired and written about. To Him be the honor and glory! May this be the beginning of a wonderful new year, and I pray that you are all blessed in miraculous ways.
In Him,
Jacob Wager
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
~ 1 Peter 5:6
With 2010 coming to a close, I wanted to fill you all in on a couple of things; first off, when I started this blog, it was a 31 day commitment to get myself focused on God and what He wanted for my life. Through Him, I was not only able to get some things cleared up for myself, but also able to speak and share with so many others. He has truly blessed me through this little blog. I successfully finished this one month commitment, but feel as though He is not finished with me yet. This past month has been wonderful, filled with days of true joy, fulfillment, answers, budding relationships, and mostly a renewal with God. Secondly, I have decided to continue writing this blog, but on a weekly basis. I feel as though I can put more time, effort, and feeling into a weekly blog, and I also want to open up topics for suggestion. I will do my best to cover topics that people want to hear about. It is my goal to reach people through this blog, to allow God to reach people through this blog. The daily blogging I put in in December was amazing, but difficult at the same time; God was teaching me as I put those words down, He was humbling me, convicting me, restoring me. Some days I could write two to three posts, and others it would take me forever to battle through one; it was spiritual warfare at its finest, but through Him I was able to complete the task.
In the weeks and months ahead I hope to continue spreading His word, and living out the life He has laid out for me. I want to thank you all for reading and sharing this blog with people you thought would find it interesting or helpful, and I thank you for the honest feedback. It is only through Him that these ideas, words, and lessons are inspired and written about. To Him be the honor and glory! May this be the beginning of a wonderful new year, and I pray that you are all blessed in miraculous ways.
In Him,
Jacob Wager
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
~ 1 Peter 5:6
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