A Journey to Holiness

Our final night in the Craving Him More study was bittersweet. I have grown to love these women as I have witnessed their struggles and victories first hand. I have seen myself in them over and over again. And, God has been faithful to teach us all along the way.


We began by talking about sacrifice. Sacrificing for a season is do-able but not fun. But, to sacrifice until we no longer desire what has been given up? Unheard of. Here's the deal...sacrifice is NECESSARY to make room for what God has in store for me in this journey. I must begin with what is CRUCIAL - seeing the connection between my daily disciplines with food and my desire to pursue holiness. Holiness doesn’t just deal with my spiritual life...but my physical life as well.

It is good for God’s people to be put in a place of longing so they feel a slight desperation. As adults, we are rarely in a situation where we feel desperate for God. When we are stuffed full of other things and never allow ourselves to be in a place of longing, we don’t recognize the deeper spiritual battle going on. Additionally, the more dependent we become on God’s strength, the less enamored we are with other choices.

To even get started we need to recognize that God alone can change our situation. We must be desperate for Him to act, and we must be willing to obey. From Made to Crave, we read Lysa Terkeurst's prayer which can be found here

Step two is making choices along the way. The very next choice I make is a crucial one because one wise choice leads to two and that can lead to a thousand and that can lead to the sweet place of utter dependence on God and lasting discipline. Those choices are about gaining certain things and losing so much (pant sizes, waist inches, pounds, etc). What if this whole journey of getting healthy could be more about what we’re in the process of gaining that what we’re losing. Think of the discipline, the joy, the intimacy, the courage and the confidence you will find along the road to getting healthy! Of all the things lost and gained along this journey, the courage to repent might be the most significant to me.

To finish our study, we looked at the following verses which have become very meaningful in this process:

2 Corinthians 7:1 - we must cleanse ourselves from defilement...perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Thus, we must remove certain things to gain holiness! Remove those things that stand in the way of your body being honoring to God (for me, that's laziness, easy temptations and lack of planning)

Ephesians 4:22-24 - lay aside the old self (the one that makes food an idol and fills every need with food) and put on the new self which has been created in righteousness and holiness of THE TRUTH!!!

Romans 6:19 - the very next choice we make isn’t about food - it’s about whether or not we’re positioning ourselves to live the kind of God honoring lives in which, by God’s strength, sustained discipline is possible.

1 Corinthians 6:12 - some actions are not sinful in themselves, but they are not appropriate because they can control our lives and lead us away from God.

Revelation 2:7 - God will give us the right to eat in heaven. We started with Eve’s sin in the garden eating the forbidden fruit and end with victory in being able to partake of food in heaven!

What a journey this has been. And, this is just the beginning for many of you. It's an ongoing process for me...one that I will live in until God calls me home. It is my lot in life, and it is designed to create an intimacy with God Almighty. Instead of offering excuses and looking at the life others lead, I will stay centered on my God appointed journey. And, I will make it count for Him!