Day Two: My GROW Plan

​“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” Ps. 127:1 
 
Each day, I will be selecting a bible verse (or should I say each day a bible verse will be selecting me) to guide my thought process and writing.  The reality is that when I am in the Word, I believe that it is the Holy Spirit who guides me into choosing a bible verse that fits my present need. Today, I was led to Psalm 127:1.  For me, this verse screams out the dire need to put God first in all circumstances and tasks.  I spent many arduous years toiling away to find happiness and fulfillment in my work, marriage and self-concept/esteem.  The more I obtained, the more I desired.  It was never enough, and I always felt like I was running in circles.  In the year 2016, after laying all my burdens at the cross, I experienced a spiritual attack from the enemy that almost took my life.  During that year, I was stripped of all pride and ambition.  Years of shame, depression and anxiety related to various life events snowballed into an avalanche of depressive, self-inflicting thoughts.  But God.  Little did I know that God was allowing my heart to be changed. 
For years, I lived as a carnal Christian.  I believed in Christ, but I was more influenced by earthly nature than by the nature of God.  I put my thoughts and beliefs above God’s word.  I would seek His will, but then I would go my own way.  Looking back, it’s no wonder that I was always going in circles and always feeling like I took one foot forward and two steps back.
Today, I now understand what it means to be walking in the process of sanctification.  The truth is that even after years of attending church, I never heard of the process of sanctification.  It wasn’t until I fully submitted to God that I even considered the theory of sanctification, and I certainly did not know there was a name for it.  Sanctification is the choice to submit my fleshly desires as a living sacrifice to the Lord.  It is a choice to allow the Word of God to renew my mind.  For instance, instead of saying, “I know God calls me to forgive, but I there is no way I can forgive someone who did _____”, I say, “I choose to forgive because God calls me to forgive as he has forgiven me.”  I then ask the Holy Spirit to give me the power to walk through the process of forgiveness.
I now know that if I do not seek the Lord’s guidance on this weight loss journey, I will be putting forth wasted and pointless energy.  In reference to the man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5), I also know that I have to get up, pick up my mat and walk.  I must stop making excuses about my dependency to food and rise above my natural tendencies to stay stuck in food addiction.  Today, before creating my GROW PLAN, I call upon the Lord to renew my mind.  Help me stand firm in the Spirit of self-control and lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.
Brainstorming my GROW PLAN…
Goals: 

1. Keep God First
2. Set SMART Goals related to weight loss
3. Develop routine and consistent habits  

Reality:

1. I struggle with routine and consistency
2. I’ve been in the contemplative stage of change for a long time
3. I have a lot of knowledge and resources on healthy diet, exercise and weight loss
4. I have a strong support network

Options:

1. I can choose to stay stuck and continue to gain weight and feel horrible, or I can stop making excuses and work through the difficulties so that I can lose weight and feel better.
2. I can stop allowing myself to be distracted by every feeling and idea so that I can stay focused on this very important goal. 
3. I can hire a personal trainer or weight loss coach.
4. I can utilize the resources I have at my finger tips and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me towards freedom.
5. I can find an accountability partner who has the same mindset and goals.

Way Forward:

1. I will spend 15-30 minutes per day with the Lord to prepare my heart and mind for this challenge. 
2. I will write a daily blog to build routine and consistency into my life. 
3. I will gather my resources into one area so that I can easily find them and reference them.
4. My written resources include: My Inspire Bible, The Tablet by Gwen Shamblin, The Hormone Reset Diet by Sarah Gottfried, Switch on Your Brain and The Perfect You by Dr. Caroline Leaf; my personal trainer books, and my transformative change resources.
5. I need to purchase Dr. Leaf’s Think and Eat Yourself Smart book. 
6. My fitness resources include: yoga mat, block and bolsters; step with risers, weights and exercise bands; free YouTube videos; and my gym membership when time permits.   
7. Ask my book group if they want to start “The Tablet” or “Think and Eat Yourself Smart” as a new book study.