Week eight devotional
Lie #8: I can’t keep this up long-term.
Y’all.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
The Holy Spirit lives within you. You actually have access to the Holy Spirit. And your body is God’s temple. Do you not think that God would honor you wanting to take good care of it? You CAN keep this up. You’ve done this for 8 weeks! This journey is far from over. We are just getting started! You can do all things in Christ who gives you strength. When you feel weak, He is strong. Turn to Him on days where you feel like you need strength. Ask him to motivate you to take good care of his precious treasure (which is you!).
There are no tricks to making you thinner, more toned, healthier, etc. It happens when you put in the work. It will not happen overnight. Hopefully you’re feeling motivated by the results you’ve seen over the past 8 weeks, but know that there will be days where you don’t feel motivated. Don’t wait for the motivation to come! Push through anyway! There are parts of you that have been transformed by the past 8 weeks. I hope and pray that your heart is one of them and that these transformations will drive you to want to repeat these workouts you just crushed!!
Colossians 1:11 says “being strengthened with all power according to this glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,”
Look to him for your strength and be patient with yourself. You will have good days and bad days on this journey. This is long-term, so there are bound to be some low points. But now you know where to turn. Now you know that it’s okay to pray for strength on your journey to a healthier version of you. Now your heart and your intentions for doing this are in the right place. THAT’S what matters most here.
We touched on this a little bit last week, but I don’t want you to forget that when you are leaning in closer to God, the enemy is trying his hardest to steal you away. 1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
Be aware of the fact that the enemy is in full force, and know that you’re not alone in your struggles. I hope you’ll continue to turn to people in your life who encourage you when you’re struggling with things, and that’s also what the HXH community is for! We are here to lift each other up and encourage one another on bad days. Don’t shy away from sharing your struggles- someone is likely struggling with the same thing and might need the words of encouragement that someone else provides to you when you share in our group!
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:10-11.
Y’all this is an active statement. Paul is telling us to literally put on the armor of God. You can’t be passive and expect to not be overcome by the enemy. You have to choose to arm yourself with truth everyday. You have to choose not to think negative thoughts. You have to choose to trust God with your struggles. You have to choose to rest in the fact that He sees you as His his masterpiece; his treasured possession; his beloved.
You’ve worked so hard these past 8 weeks. I’m so incredibly proud of you and so, so, so humbled that you chose to participate in this program. Know that it was God that led you through these last 8 weeks- not me. I am merely a vessel, taking small steps of obedience and sharing the gifts that he’s used to also transform my own heart. If he touched you in some way over the past 8 weeks or moved in your heart, know that it was HIM. He is pursuing you. Always. He will never stop trying to reach you. He will never leave you or forsake you. As I wrote this devotional for this last week, I cried so hard over these words. I have never felt God pressing something so strongly on my heart as I have in developing this programs. And I know that he pressed all of this on my heart to reach YOU. For the first time in my life, I heard him press this on my heart so clearly, and I know that it was for you. I feel so humbled and unworthy to be the one delivering this experience to you, but I’m SO glad that he’s chosen to use my gifts in this way.
Friend, I am praying for you. I have been praying for you before you even found this program. I am praying that the words he has pressed on my heart have made some small impact on your life over these past 8 weeks. I am praying that you’ll carry these words of encouragement with you and that you’ll maintain focus over this last week. I pray that you will feel blessed to be able to work out and not burdened by it. I pray that you will let go of your insecurities and know how beautiful and loved you are. I pray that you know that you’re enough.
I hope you’ll repeat this program over and over again and be amazed and the strength you have in him. If you enjoyed this experience, please share it with your friends. In person, on social media, wherever you feel called to share! If it changed your life, let it change someone else’s too.
ALSO please keep in touch with me on social media and tell ME about your experience. I would love to hear more about your story. It took a lot for me to put all of this out there, and hearing how it impacted you just gives me reassurance in God’s plans for all of this. Friends, we are just getting started! This journey is just beginning.