My concerns about Ozempic

Ozempic seems to be the drug everyone is talking about as it is helping people lose weight quicky. I don’t want to talk about the science behind it as I am no expert but I do want to express my concerns about Ozempic as a Christian. Let’s start looking at the way sin was brought into the world. It was not Eve being tempted by a donut or a Mars bar, it was because of an apple, and not even in an apple crumble. The food wasn’t the important thing, it was what that food represented. The devil did two things.

  1. He convinced Eve that she was missing out, that God had not given her something she deserved
  2. He then asked Eve whether God really wanted her to not eat the apple, making her question Gods will for her life “Did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”
    This is what happens in this modern day. Food has become a symptom of the real problem. The real problem is that we are looking to fill the God shaped hole in our lives with food. When the temptation of food is taken away and that God shaped hole is not filled with God, the now thinner person will look for satisfaction in other places. It is dealing with the symptom of the problem and not the problem itself. Even as Christians, we have the same issues. Studies have found that you are more likely to be overweight if you are a Christian. The devil has convinced us that the small amount of time that food satisfies for, basically while it is in your mouth for those few seconds, that will give us the answer to the feeling we are trying to medicate ourselves with. Whether it be anxiety, fear, sadness, guilt, worry, boredom or any other negative emotion, the devil convinces us that food is the answer. Just for that moment the issues will be alleviated, for that split second when we are chewing and enjoying the food, all our problems can be forgotten. The fact that once swallowed those problems are still there and now we have extra problems because we feel guilt from eating badly, less energised and frustrated that although we know from past experiences that this never works, we are still annoyed that, yet again, the answer hasn’t come in the shape of a donut. It’s the definition of insanity, repeating the same behaviours and expecting different results. It is the craziness of any addiction and although Ozempic will cause the desire to eat to disappear the problem remains. God isn’t in the conversation. God hasn’t been invited in to deal with the problems that the food will not solve. God is our comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1), our place of peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16). He will answer when we call out to Him and yet we get convinced that God does not have our best at heart and so we eat instead. By not listening we get into a viscous cycle where we feel a certain way, overeat or do some other negative behaviour, feel shame and guilt and then are less likely to go to God about it so we feel alone and the cycle starts again. The good news is that God is a God of grace and loves you. Ask Him to help you with this. This cycle can be broken and you can be free from not only overeating but also any other barrier that the devil convinces you will be the solution when only God is the solution that lasts. If you need more help with this DM me for 1:1 support.

Overeating: the lies versus the truth

There are over 7000 promises in the Bible and we, as believers, can claim each one. There are promises of being filled, blessed and an eternal life in heaven. God has given us an eternity with Him, He has given us hope, a purpose and the promise of an abundant life. The way to this is Christ and the instruction manual is the Bible. God knows how hard we would find this journey and says,


“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12)

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We, as followers of Christ, are surrounded by fellowship, by people who can testify of God’s goodness when we are struggling. He asks us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that entangles us, that holds us back from running the race He has planned for us. It is my mission to help women to unentangle themselves from the chains of self-loathing, food obsession, diet cultures, hating to look in the mirror and the climate of comparison and instead empower them to take their thoughts captive, live in a state of acceptance and joy of what their bodies look like and what they can do, fuel their bodies with God at the centre, and essentially live the life God had planned for them at the time of their creation. A life with God, I can testify, is one where shame, fear and guilt no longer have a place. They are replaced by awe, wonder and excitement.

What saddens me most is seeing women who are weighed down by the burden of their sins and living with the consequences of them in a state of hopelessness. How easily the devil taints the gifts God has bestowed upon us so they become a distraction from those promises. He created us in His image and yet we are convinced that we need to change to look like a supermodel. He gave us our bodies as vessels of the Holy Spirit but our poor relationship with food and exercise takes away our energy and focus to GO and do the work He commissioned us to do. He gave us the gift of food in an abundance of textures, taste and colours and yet we have allowed it to become a burden, complaining when we must shop for it and cook it and label it bad, and yet I bet if it only rained down manna and food disappeared, we would soon be complaining like the Israelites did. He’s given a great many of us access to clean water and yet we often say no thanks and have a tea or coca cola instead. He’s given us an abundance of food and yet we don’t thank Him for it, we eat too much and then complain we are overweight and have no energy and then focus our efforts on losing weight whilst feeling miserable… not the abundant life God promised us. Being overweight and unhealthy is not the trial Jesus spoke about when He said life wouldn’t be easy. The trial wasn’t about how many calories I can fit into a day whilst still losing weight. The trouble is if we took away food and instead had three pills a day to nourish and sustain us we would likely turn to something else. I used to work with drug addicts and they would say I am a chemical dustbin, take away the chemicals and I am still a dustbin, I just feel empty and need to be filled. If food wasn’t an option for comfort, where would you look? So, let’s look at how if we are filled with God, we can be filled with food, for its purposes only…to fuel, sustain and to enjoy.

Here are the 10 lies the devil uses with food, counteracted with the truth of the good news.

Lie 1 You will be comforted if you eat vs Gods promise to comfort you.
1 Cor 1:3-5 that says,
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” and “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13, NIV).

So how do we move into a state of feeling comforted by God? We can seek comfort with the right people, those who will give you the Christ perspective and lift you up in the moment and through prayer. We can spend time with God and be honest with how we are feeling about where we are and ask for comfort. God knows all about us anyway so its not a surprise for Him. Spend time in nature to see where God is working. If he cares for the birds and trees, how much more does he care for you (Matthew 6:26). Write down where God has stepped in and delivered you from difficulties in the past so you can stand firm on the foundation he has laid already. Get some worship music on and praise. There are so many ways to be comforted by God but it can only work if we spend time in His presence in whatever way works best for you.

Lie 2 You will feel better if you eat when you feel low vs God’s promise of salvation.
Psalm 42:11 says,
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil with me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
When low we often look at the mountain and forget about looking higher up to a God that can and has overcome it all. We instead can pray prayers of victory rather than prayers of pleading, knowing that “God can do far more than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Pray big and get excited about what God has in store. We can look back and see where God has answered big prayers in your past to remind yourself of the benefit of having faith. We can do something for someone else. The Bible is full of reminders to do more for others. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “People should use their gifts to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace” and Hebrews 13:16 says “People should not forget to do good and share with others”. When our mind is on other people, we don’t think about ourselves, and it is a good reminder to be appreciative of what we do have. We can plan to do something enjoyable. Maybe you can’t do it right now, but you can plan for future fun.

Lie 3: Your prayers aren’t being answered so eat to feel better verses the promise of God to hear all our prayers.
In Matthew 21:22,
“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
It maybe you are in a period of waiting for God to answer prayer. Maybe, it is for healing or for someone you love to be saved. Maybe you are waiting for God to change your circumstances, but the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.
This can be a real challenge, but this verse tells us that there is always something to be grateful for. I often ask God to talk to me but he has given me the Bible so that is Him speaking in written form. I need to go to this when I feel discouraged and be reminded of the goodness of God. He answered my prayer with giving me a husband, three children, a loving family. He answered prayers before I even prayed them. He gave me the sunrise this morning, He gave me a new day. He is working on things even when I am asleep. Recently, I felt excited that a prayer I had been praying for a long time was going to be answered and it turned out to be a closed door. I retold this disappointment to a dear friend of mine who said that maybe God was trying to answer a prayer through that person, but they were being disobedient to Gods call. Wow, that blew my mind! God can try to answer prayers, but we must be willing to do our part too. What if you are the answer to someone’s prayer today and you are being disobedient to Gods call?

Sin results from the lie that God doesn’t want our deepest happiness. When we start to question this, we can look to other sources to make us happy. A.W. Tozer says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”. What do you believe about God? Do you believe he wants the best for you? That His timing is perfect? That he wants to bless you? If you don’t believe this, then the devil can convince you that food will make up for God’s lack of care for you, but Scripture promises us God always answers our prayer,
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7)
That he wants the best for us,
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11)
And that His timing is perfect
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (Ecc 3:11).
It may sometimes feel that your prayers will never be answered but the answer to that is not to dive into the biscuit tin and allow the devil to have you questioning Gods motives. Like when we say no to our children, we do so not to be unkind but for them to learn and grow and stay protected. What if God has better things in store than you can imagine, what if you need to have commitment to Him, for God to trust you with these blessings?

One of the prayers that hasn’t been answered for me yet is that my husband gives his life to God. What I realised is that I am living with the consequences of my choices. As a believer, but one who hadn’t committed their life to God, I made the choice to marry an unbeliever. My husband, Jim, has been married to me for 18 years and we have been together for 22 years. I love him so much and he makes me laugh on a daily basis. There is so much to love him for and yet I desperately want to be in a Chistian marriage and to raise our children with him as Christians but I chose to marry him so I have to live with the consequences of that. I can pray for him to be drawn by the Holy Spirit and to respond to that but I cant ask for more. I can repent that I made that choice but ultimately I can only be the best praying example of a follower of Christ and let God do the rest in His perfect timing. I believe that one day Jim will come to know God as his saviour and I am not going to let the Devil rid me of that faith and comfort eat in my disbelief.

Lie 4: Food will take away boredom vs Gods promise that you were made for more.
When I’m bored it is usually because I have spent little time in the day with God or doing things that fire me up for God. What are you missing in your life that excites you? Each of us has an important part to play in the family of Christ, that is why the Bible says we are part of the same body but have different functions (Romans 12:4-5). God knitted you together so that your core gifts is a thread that runs through everything you do. That is why I love to host meals and surprise people, because my core gifts is about creating joy. I do it at work, at home and in the things that excite me like buying gifts at Christmas or planning trips out with my family. Our lives are meant to have meaning. When you are “bored”, which means lacking in direction you can,

  1. Do something that excites you or plan to do something exciting
  2. Ask God’s direction for your steps today
  3. Do something for someone elseDeclare that you are made for more and find something to do that will back this belief up, preferably using your passions and gifts.
  4. Lie 5: I deserve a treat because I have been doing so much for everyone else vs Gods promise that God wants to bless you abundantly
    In 2 Cor 9: 8-10 that says,
    “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
    “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”
    Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness”
    Do you ever find yourself saying, “I deserve a treat because I have done so much for everyone today”. What if we changed that to “I deserve a blessing because I have done so much for God today” because isn’t that what we should be doing anyway, doing it all for the glory of God, in which case do we need to have a treat or a blessing, do we not think that God blesses us enough already, we don’t need a treat as a reward. It made me think of Mary and Martha meeting Jesus. When we are like Martha, rushing around for everyone else and starting to feel stressed, overwhelmed and dare I say bitter that we are doing everything for everyone else and no one noticing or being appreciative, that is when we are in danger of eating. It is those moments when you do things for others without an audience that God notices the most. It is those little acts of obedience when God can see the maturity of our Christian lives growing. God doesn’t want us to be like Martha, he wants us to be in his presence like Mary. Martha showed great hospitality when Jesus came but she got lost in the distractions. Jesus doesn’t want you to be distracted but to be with Him.

Only seven times in the Bible did someone say, “Here I am God” and those seven people changed the course of history. Next time you are in the kitchen getting something to eat because you say you deserve it, speak that outloud “Here I am God” and see how it changes your perspective. It is the little choices that can change you and the people around you. The choice to say yes, yes and yes again to God will cause ripples that can affect your whole life. What if every time you reach for that chocolate bar/crisp pocket/ glass of wine you said yes to God, you put it down and did something you know is in God’s will for your life, whether it be sitting in his presence (which is actually what your mind and spirit needs) or taking a step of faith that you have been ignoring or praying for yourself or someone else. What if you said yes to God? What if, instead of getting frustrated that you are not changing from the outside to make yourself feel better on the inside which is what culture says we should do we instead take our lead from scripture and change from the inside out. Romans 12:2 says,
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you”.
Now that is exciting!

Lie 6: I am free to eat what I want to so I should vs God’s promise that we can live in freedom.
In Galatians 5:1 that says,

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”.

When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to be able to go to the shops and spend my money on as many sweets as I wanted. Being an adult offers us freedoms that a child would relish. Being a Christian offers us a different kind of freedom. It is one where we are free to live under the grace of God, free to live with no condemnation and new mercies every morning. It is a freedom too good to be true you might think so it can lead us into danger. It’s a bit like my son Zeke who has no cut off when it comes to food especially on his birthday. He will eat way too much and with the excitement of this I can guarantee he is sick in the middle of the night after every birthday. We have the freedom to eat til we feel sick too but the Bible reminds us,

“everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial” (1 Cor 10:23).

The devil convinces us that because we have freedom, we should embrace it even when it means we self sabotage. We know that after making choices that we already know are bad for us like nipping to the shop on the way home to buy “treats “because we can or eating badly because we have had a bad day will make us regret it, and yet we continue to do the same thing again and again expecting different results, the definition of insanity. There is often a danger time in the day where the devil makes the suggestions, maybe when you are in the supermarket, maybe when on the way home from work or on the school run. Work out when your danger time is and put on the armour of God to fight against it.

Lie 7: Food will make you feel better about not being where you think you should be by now verses God promise that Jesus has plans for you
Hebrews 12:2 says, “Jesus is the author”. I imagine that God is in a permanent state of frustration with me. I have so much potential to be great. God has this path that He wants me to be on which is full of life and joy and yet I am continually looking at other people’s paths and wondering what it is like to be on their path, not noticing the beauty in my own. I step off the path and distracted by what I think will be more exciting, like a new TV program or a clothes shopping trip or dinner out with friends and yes they are exciting but God’s level of excitement planned for us is on a whole other level. My son will often go to his bedroom, knowing we have a full day of fun planned and get distracted by the toys he has seen hundreds of times before, so he doesn’t get dressed to start the fun. How often do we do that? God has planned so much, maybe you have seen in your life where God has intervened and changed your life for good. I certainly have. I went from an overweight, unfit, miserable twenty something year old to a God loving personal trainer and nutritionist within the space of ten years! God’s plan was not one I had even considered and yet here I am! When we look at the story of Esther, she was placed in a royal position for a purpose. God didn’t make a mistake where He put Esther, whose courage saved a nation and neither has He with where you are today. I think we spend too long in our life trying to figure out where God wants us to be or wishing we were somewhere else, instead of just allowing God to do something with our life where we are, while waiting for more to come.
Sometimes this is because someone else’s story looks better than mine but what we need to remember is that we are seeing a snapshot of that person’s story. Maybe we see them looking like they’ve got it all together but we see only the tip of the iceberg, we don’t see the whole story. We don’t know what is really going on for them, we don’t know about their relationship with God or their struggles, we just see what they show us and what we imagine their reality is. As a snapshot of their life, we can believe that they are doing a better job than we are in life or that life is perfect for them. Let us be reminded that Jesus is the author of your story and it’s going to be a bestseller but sometimes we can look over at someone else story and think theirs is a better one. Maybe they can sing worship and that looks like such a better gift to have, maybe they are a great speaker, commanding the attention of thousands of people, maybe they look like they are in a Christian group that you wish you were part of, maybe they are using their gifts and you wish you were using your better (these are all personal comparisons for me by the way!).

When I first started on this journey I decided to contact some Christian festivals to see if they wanted me to do Worshipcise at them. I decided when Creationfest said yes it was going to be my big break. I convinced myself loads of people would be convinced of the value of Worshipcise and it would get become a huge brand. Little did I know, God had other ideas. I went there and no one turned up on the first day until a couple of songs in when a small family joined me. It was devastating, I had travelled hours down to Cornwall to go and hardly anyone came on all three days but something shifted in me thanks to God. After the first session I went back to my van and wept, feeling so ashamed and alone but then the Holy Spirit whispered to me asking me who am I doing Worshipcise for, me or Him. If it is for Him and to give Him the glory, it shouldn’t matter who comes, even if no one does I should be proud and excited to be worshipping God and so now I love worshipping with a crowd but even if its just me, or a few, I will always remember that lesson that I needed to learn, it is all for God’s glory and not my own. Strangely enough, I recently had an email from someone who went to Creationfest five years ago saying she is now doing Worshipcise at her church. The Greek proverb says, “blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit”. You have no idea what difference your prayers and actions make, what seeds you have sewn that bears fruit long after you have forgotten you planted it. Your story and who it affects may not become clear until you see your Father in heaven. It is about obedience and trusting that the things you do in secret that only God knows about will make a difference. What if when you start comparing yourself to others, you ask God about your uniqueness and using it for His glory, whether you get to see the results or not.

Lie 8: I feel so ashamed about my body I might as well push the self-destruct button one more time vs God’s promise that we can live in God’s grace.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
When we overeat on a regular basis, the consequences of this are that we put weight on unless we do enough exercise to counteract the calories. Overeating is your tongue writing cheques your body can’t cash. The devil makes us believe that we should feel shame about the overeating and the evidence of this in weight gain is something to remind us of the shame we should feel. This makes sense in our brains, we have sinned and therefore should feel unforgiven and guilty. The difficulty is, even when we ask for forgiveness from the poor coping strategies we have used, the fact that the consequences are evident, the devil uses to make us think we should still feel shame, even after we have asked for forgiveness and God, in His mercy and grace, gives us a fresh start. Wouldn’t it be great if asking for forgiveness meant that those calories didn’t count! We need to ask God to align our thinking with His thinking for. Isaiah 55:8-9 says,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts”
We can treat ourselves kindly as we learn new ways to include God. For example, we wouldn’t throw cookies into our children’s mouths if they had a stressful day and then berate them for it, so why do we do this to ourselves? We need to take our minds off ourselves and our bodies and return Jesus to the throne, so he becomes our focus. Instead of focusing on yourself, imagine Jesus taking you hand and leading you towards food freedom.
Is we have a lack of self-control in the area of food, the devil can use this to tempt me in other areas. If he tried it with Jesus, the son of God, he’s going try it with you too! When Jesus is in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, the devil tries to convince Him that he should please himself, especially when it come to food but Jesus states clearly that He will live in obedience to the Father before giving into his appetite for food. If only Eve had done that. We live in a culture of FOMO (fear of missing out) and it’s what tripped Eve up, she was convinced she was missing out by not being able to eat the apple God has told her not to. We can have the same FOMO when we don’t eat food we think we should be able to eat. Don’t let the devil convince you, you can eat the food but you don’t need to, you’re not missing out on anything if you are eating without the connection of God and food. The problem is not the food itself but where food sits in our mind, if it is more important that God and takes attention away from God, then it is time to reassess. It should be a way to glorify God, for the creator and saviour that He is. “Whatever you are doing, show that God is great. When you eat anything, or you drink anything, do it all in a way that praises God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Lie 9: I am eating because its there vs God’s promise “The scripture says ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’.” (Matthew 4:4)
Food doesn’t magically arrive in your hand, it has to get there by us going shopping and cooking/preparing it. We are not victims. An addict doesn’t just suddenly relapse with no warning signs and similarly a flower doesn’t just grow, it needs specific conditions to flourish. You don’t accidentally overeat, it can take unconscious planning. For example, you are in the supermarket and buy snacks “for the kids”, you pop in for a pint of milk and sweets end up in your basket, you make double the portion of food required for the family, you arrange to meet a friend at a café that serves delicious cakes the size of your head. None of these circumstances are a shock, even if the devil convinces you that they are. Be aware of where the devil is trying to trip you up. Compare this scenario with your legs. They are magically just there too but how often are you using them for God’s glory?

Lie 10: I am tired and so need to eat vs God’s promise Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”
Tiredness is a massive factor for overeating or eating food that will not fuel for very long. If tired, we often resort to the foods to give the quick fix sugar rush to keep us going. This stance is one of surviving and not thriving. I have felt tired too, we all have. Tired that of being an adult, tired of the grind, tired of prayers not being answered as quickly as we want them too, tired of feeling like you are the only one who is tired. We can be physically tired of late nights, early mornings, broken sleep, that tiredness that feels like its in your bones. But, the good news is God knows how tired you are. All He needs you to do is show up. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t need to be an hour long Bible study or anything fancy, it can just be a word, it can be five minutes. That is sometimes all it takes. Its just bringing it to God and letting Him sit with you in the tiredness, trusting that he never leaves you in your weariness. It is a hard habit to form when tiredness is telling you to go for the quick fix but we know that Adam and Eve ate their way out of Eden and so often so do we, when just a few minutes with God can change our hearts and minds. We see David in the Psalms come to God in his full messiness and so that can encourage us to do the same. The Bible is full of people who have messed up, who are tired and struggling. Elijah, in his tired state, even became suicidal, asking God to end it all but after a good sleep and a decent meal and spending time in God’s presence, being honest about how he felt, he was ready to continue, lets make it that simple.

I hope this has blessed you and you can build new habits using these truths to combat those lies that have invaded your kitchen. Let us remember that, “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phillippians 4:19) but we must bring it all to Him first.

Are you withholding?

It was with trepidation that I went to the Awaken festival last weekend. I had asked if I could teach Worshipcise at the event and wasn’t entirely sure if anyone would come. However, I knew how that felt. Two years ago I emailed all the Christian festivals asking if I could come and do Worshipcise there and Creationfest said yes. I thought it was going to be my big break with Worshipcise but as I stood there with only three people attending I felt ashamed and the imposter syndrome kicked in. Why am I doing this, does God even want this? Am I called to do this, or have I just decided this is my calling? I went to my van and prayed about it and heard God say to me, who are you doing Worshipcise for, Me or you? It was then I realized that if I had lots of people there I would have forgotten the whole point which was to worship God, if I was the only person dancing full of the Holy Spirit in a field, wasn’t that worth doing so I could praise and glorify God. So, the next day, I turned my music up loud unashamed and excited to be worshiping God alone or with people, it didn’t matter. A few people did come, (probably 12 all together) and it was amazing but I am so glad God taught me that rather painful lesson even if it was tough at the time. This weekend, Derek spoke about whether we were withholding. I had spent the week before Awaken videoing each Worshipcise song individually so that I could launch a new way of doing the classes, creating playlists that can work for individuals at home and church groups, it hadn’t helped that I had written the date of the festival wrong in my diary so had a week less time to video them all.  I managed to video 63 out of 100 songs and to be honest I was exhausted having also erected 2 2-man tents with my three boys. When he asked if we were withholding, for the first time in a long time I could say no, I’m doing ok in what I am offering God (this week anyway). I felt peaceful going to the class on the Saturday morning as I knew I had done what I needed to do and could therefore give God the rest knowing who came and how they experienced Him in that time was up to Him. I had done my part; He could do His.  Over the weekend I worshiped doing Worshipcise with 126 people, many from my church and although I won’t know what fruit may come from those seeds planted in that time, I felt so blessed to have been a part of other people’s journey with God and it has encouraged me to stop withholding my time, energy and gifts for the glory of God.  He is so so good! What areas of your life are you withholding where God is waiting to bless you?

The gift of fellowship

The past couple of months have been a really tough time for me for various reasons, it has taught me a great deal but one of the greatest lessons it has reinforced is the need for fellowship. When I have felt alone and that Jesus is not right next to me, it has been my friends who have reminded me that I am loved. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17). My friends have sent me messages of support, Bible verses that have come to them as they have prayed for me, hugs in the school playground, a listening ear when I have wanted it.  One dear friend prayed with me at my worst had the courage to tell me I needed to forgive those who hurt me, which I know cannot have been an easy thing to say. These friends have held me up and strengthened me in ways I didn’t know I could be and it is only through writing this have I realised just how much they have carried me through with their love and support. They showed me glimpses of Jesus’ love. They guided my thinking and gave me the Christian perspective rather than the worldy one.  they inspired me to want to be more like that kind of friend too.

Fellowship works with Christians who are on fire for God. I knew I could have found solace with some friends and would have supported me to be angry at the situation and would have sat with me in my negative emotions but I knew that wouldn’t lead me to God’s understanding of the situation. The Bible says “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind”. If we surround ourselves with those on the same mission as us, I believe we can be a powerful, unstoppable force. We are instructed to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess 5:11). Do your friends do that for you? Do you do that for your friends?

Last year I did not have many Christian friends so I started a group where I invited Christian women I know to come to my house and be together every couple of months. It surprised me how many of our stories were similar, that we lacked fellowship and felt a strong desire to have more of it. Women in that group have been the same women who have held me in this time and I am not sure I could have got through it without them. If you are lacking fellowship, it only takes one of you to take a leap of faith but I bet there are people feeling the same as you. I took a leap of faith and invited everyone to my house. Sometimes only three came, sometimes thirteen (more when ice-cream was on offer as show above!) but every time I have felt blessed by the experiences we have had together and it set the scene that we can pray and support one another through anything that comes our way. I bet the Devil is shaken to his core at the friendship these women show me on an almost daily basis because with them and God I believe we could do anything!

Living an abundant life

My dream of swimming with turtles was fulfilled in October 2022 when I went snorkelling in Bali. God made clear to me how this experience was much like a decision to live the abundant life that God has already given us. So many people live with their heads above the water, totally unaware of the beauty of the life God can show us if we dare to put our head under the water and see life from a different perspective. God’s world is utterly beautiful and teeming with colour, variety and most of all the unexpected. This ocean can be likened to our inner world with God. The more we spend time in this inner world, the more we see and experience what we could never have imagined if we kept our heads above the water line. How beautiful our world looks is up to us and how much time we spend exploring God’s world.  When we spend time with God, or under the ocean (in this analogy) the more we see the miraculous.  I want to see the hidden depths of God and experience the wonder and surprise only God can provide in every moment of my life. When we arrived at the snorkelling site I made it very clear I was there to see turtles.  The guide said he couldn’t guarantee seeing them and I said I know I will see them as I have prayed about it and had faith that I would see them.  He looked at me bemused about my belief but I knew I would see them and sure enough at the second site a turtle had come up for air and so I jumped in and watched it swim. I can ask for miracles knowing God can make them happen. This world was astonishing, and I could have stayed under the sea for so long. This inner world that God and I share is just mine and His, it will never look like anyone else’s.  Yours will be different but equally as abundant. God has miracles just for you, prayers that He will only answer for you.  He is longing to show you, He wants to pour out blessings on you.  He wants to lavishly give you experiences of His love but He can’t do this is you stay on the surface.  We have to dive deep on this awe-inspiring journey that is just for you. Spend time with Him, invite Him in, allow Him to show you secret places that may feel frightening but He can light up and make safe. The more you explore God the more you can distinguish between His voice and everyone else’s. When you can always find the Father’s voice, the world changes for good.

Jesus is the vine

John 15:5-8 says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit. Showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

I felt uncomfortable with the idea of abiding in Jesus as it felt like a passive thing to do, I abide and he does the rest but abiding is active. In John 15:10 Jesus says “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love”. We keep those commandments for the right reasons, to show our love for God not to earn it. God loves us the same whatever we do but isn’t it amazing when we can show God love in return by doing things for his glory. When we abide, we realise, just like a branch, we can’t grow without him, we can’t survive or bear fruit without him. We are pruned to take away the things that are distracting us from bearing fruit. Sometimes that really hurts at the time as parts of our life are cut away. I would say this though, I am not at all where I thought I would be twenty years ago or even five years ago, God has pruned me so that I start to grow in the right direction. Ten years ago, I was an unhealthy, unfit drugs counsellor with no relationship with Jesus and I thought I knew exactly where my life was heading. I am now a Christian personal trainer who loves Jesus and wants the world to get fitter for God…that took a lot of pruning! I still don’t have it right. I am still plugged into many wrongs things and try to source my happiness from other places than God but those things never work and never last. I am a work in progress but by God’s grace I am at least now in his vineyard! Ten years ago, I wasn’t even in his vineyard, I wasn’t even attached to his vine, so I thank God for bringing me in and choosing me.

In abiding in Jesus, the Scripture clearly states that he will produce the fruit, not us, but him.  Did you hear that guarantee? If we abide in Him we will bear fruit.  I was challenged by a sermon this week that asked that if we transcribed our prayers over the past month, how would they read? Would the overarching theme be abide in me or something entirely different. Bearing fruit is about bringing other people to Jesus. We can produce no fruit, some fruit, much fruit or more fruit. That’s a squirm in my chair moment when I think about how many people I have and haven’t brought to Jesus since I became a Christian. This is our mission and yet we can’t just leave it to Jesus and take no action ourselves. Surely, if we live as Jesus commands people will want to know about this Jesus seeing us live our best lives (and I don’t mean the facebook/Instagram version of a best life). We should be intentional in the time we spend with God to fill us up. When we live with an overflow of God’s love we can pour that love out onto others, in other words, you can’t give what you haven’t got.

Standing out on a street corner declaring the love of Jesus doesn’t have to be the way to bring people to God, it is about how we live and inviting others to come to know him. Pastor John Jenkins breaks it down into easy steps which don’t feel too threatening to me.  He uses the acronym BLESS:

B – begin with prayer – ask the person who is yet to know Jesus or who has walked away from Jesus, what is the need in your life?

L – Listen to them

E – Eat a meal with them

S – Serve a need that they have

S – share your story; we can argue when it comes to Bible verses but no one can argue with how Jesus has changed our lives.

If we all did this, how many more people would be in the vineyard with us, bearing more fruit for the glory of God?

Seeking to be vulnerable

I have been studying the way to have an abundant life and God has made it very clear that to claim this abundant life I need to allow myself to be vulnerable.  I like to look like I am perfect, that I have got it all together and I hate it when I drop a ball I am juggling. If I am honest, even if I am overwhelmed, I want people to think that life is a breeze for me. I feel that sense of pride when someone says “I don’t know how you do everything you do” but I have come to realize that this attitude is dangerous for many reasons:

  1. I am teaching my children the same ideal. Relationships make clear what we need to work on.  It is easy to be perfect if we are only in a relationship with Jesus but in other relationships they hold up a mirror to our flawed thinking and behaviour. For example, this week my son left his gum shield for rugby in my Dad’s car who was away on holiday. I got really annoyed with him whilst he berated himself for his forgetfulness. Later, as we prayed together the Holy Spirit whispered to me to pray with him saying that his forgetfulness is part of God’s design of him and it is ok not to be perfect as God loves him exactly as he is. It was a lightbulb moment for me. I was giving my son permission to not be perfect just as Jesus gives me the grace to not expect perfection from myself. I need to teach my son the same love and grace when he makes mistakes that God shows to me so he knows he is always worthy of love and he will always be enough for me and for God.
  2. Vulnerability reminds me I am alive. Vulnerability shows me I love. It requires faith which helps me grow in my relationship with God. Brene Brown, who researched vulnerability, suggests that when we numb feelings of vulnerability with food, alcohol etc, we can’t pick and choose the emotions that get numbed, it numbs them all including the happy emotions like joy, peace and love. Jesus showed his vulnerability in his humanity. The best example of this is in Luke 22:42 before his crucifixion when he says “Father, if you are willing to take this cup from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.” Jesus knew the pain to come and asked if it could be removed but also surrendered to God in that suffering.
  3. Vulnerability leads to power, when I am weak I have to rely on God. “For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power” (2 Cor 12: 9-10).  God’s power is in his armour so we can be dressed for spiritual success. In Ephesians 6:18 says “pray in the spirit in all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the Lord’s people.”  We put on the armour in prayer. We put on the belt of truth saying that we believe what God has told us, we put on the breastplate of righteousness by acting based on what God has said. We put on the shoes of peace asking him how us to move forward.  We put on the shield of faith praying to God that He support us in our actions. We put on the helmet of salvation asking God to take away distractions from His perspective. We hold the sword of the word of God to give us the right verse at the right time. Remember, David had to fight Goliath only after he was anointed, this is when the devil strikes, when we can do damage to his plan of destruction.
  4. It gives me clarity. Sin is an indication of needs and an incorrect mindset we haven’t taken to God and dealt with.  We can’t have beauty without ashes.
  5. It teaches us humility. Jesus, when afraid, asked for his friends around him and asked God to help him and we can do the same. It removes the pride that so often sneaks into our hearts.
  6. It teaches us to be secure, not on our own but in how God sees us. Psalm 139:23 requests “explore me, O God, and know the real me”. Once our real selves to us, as God already knows us inside and out, we can be free. Luke 11:36 says “if you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant as though a floodlight were filling you with light”. When we see ourselves as God sees us we can begin to feel worthy. When we experience and know the love of God, we can remove the need for perfection and bathe in the warmth of his love for us. In the Bible it is described as though Jesus is our bridegroom. “Because he delights in me, he saved me,” Psalm 18:19 …it is hard to get my head round but we need to do nothing to earn his love, we don’t need to be perfect, we just need to enjoy it. God loves us enough to bring flowers every spring, a sunrise every morning, open arms for us to run to whenever we want it, a listening ear whenever we need it. When Adam sinned and hid, God knew what he had done but still went to look for him. He still wanted to be with him and he does to us when we sin.

We can be vulnerable to learn to be more like Jesus knowing that when we get it wrong, because we undoubtedly will, God’s grace is sufficient. He will never stop loving us, His love is reckless, powerful and life changing so if you are vulnerable right now, let God use it to bring you closer to Him.

Waiting for God

I have an amazing husband who I have been with for twenty one years. He is patient, kind, an amazing father, funny, loyal and a fantastic cook (that is important too) but he is not a Christian. He believes in God but is not born again. I have been praying a great deal for him to find God so we can grow together in our faith but as yet it hasn’t happened. I have been praying pretty much everyday about this and asking if today may be the day that he is filled with the Holy Spirit. I have been getting sad about the fact is hasn’t happened yet but listening to a podcast today I had a realization. The podcast said that in the winter, when the trees are bare, when they are in a season of waiting for spring, the trees are not panicking that they will not blossom again but are busy resting and growing roots which is what a season of waiting can do for us. We can see through the trees with much more clarity when it is winter. A period of waiting should be a period of action. We should be using this time to learn more about God’s nature. As I prayed again for my husband the Holy Spirit asked if I really thought He wouldn’t make this happen and reminded me that Jim is His child just as I am and I should pray differently for him. My prayers should be a reminder that He loves him so today I prayed differently,

Dear God,

I am thankful that my husband is the apple of your eye (Deut 32:10). Thank you that your love for my husband endures forever (Psalm 136:26). Thank you that nothing can separate my husband from your love. He is more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus who strengthens him (Romans 8:37-39). I thank you that your love for my husband cannot be shaken (Is 54:10). I thank you that your love for my husband is compassionate, merciful and faithful (Psalm 86:15). I am thankful that you rejoice over my husband with singing (Zeph 3:17). Thank you that your love is my husband’s refuge. Nothing will come to him or upon him except your love (Psalm 5:11-12)

Amen

This prayer reminds me of the nature of a God who loves us. It is a prayer of power and not of fear. If this period of waiting is needed to show me more of the true nature of God and keeps allowing me to bear fruit then I will keep waiting happily, worshiping a God who is faithful. What is God trying to teach you in your period of waiting?

Living in the presence of God

Inspired by one of my friends who writes so eloquently about the love of God I decided to give it a go myself…I hope it strengthens you and helps you see a side of God you not seen before:

Living in the presence of God

It is the warmth of being enclosed in feathers under His wings,

The fluid around a baby safe in its mother’s womb,

The overflow of a waterfall, the sound of the angels deafening our fears,

The exhale of breath when all is well,

The roar of a lion protecting it’s own.

It’s an outrageous expectation of the miraculous,

The melody of a song only you can sing

The hidden whisperings in your heart that tells you, you are enough, that you are recklessly loved

like a burning fire unashamedly spreading, the wind that blows its own course, the waves crashing, carving out its own design on the rocks

A love that is fierce and abundant and yet fits into our human hearts, a never-ending reflection of His glory.

A design of His created to magnify another side of God’s face. It is home.

It is the snuggled envelopment of a blanket, it is the arms and legs of a child wrapping your body in love.

It is the gentle touch of a husband.

It is the thoughtfulness of friends.

It is stepping out and knowing you will be held. 

It is the nudge of God when you neglect to pray.

It is the words given to speak when no words can be found.

It is barefeet in the sand, the sunshine on your face, the unexpected in a day of routine.

It is our anthem, our beat, our rhythm given only to us to sing our song of triumph and redemption.

It is our heartbeat, our purpose, our fingerprint on the world. He is the compass on our own path, a path designed only for us. 

It is unique, it is ours and it is a free gracious gift so we can be extraordinary.

Living for an audience of one

On Sunday, the sermon was about serving with a smile and Sarah said we should be living for an audience of one. That idea has left me unsettled this week. I know that I so often don’t live for an audience of one. I want thanks for doing what I do on a daily basis.  I complain that my children don’t thank me enough for doing all the mundane jobs behind the scenes.  I check for likes and comments on my Instagram posts every morning. I get annoyed when not many people turn up to my classes.  I don’t include God in everything. Sometimes I can go quite a while without thinking about Him at all.  This isn’t living for an audience of one.  This is living for myself. I think this feeling has been made worse because I am reading the book of John and being reminded just how much Jesus gave up for me.  He was sin-free and gave his life and here I am moaning about cleaning the bathroom again.  Sometimes we need a perspective check so here it is, Romans 12:1 says “so brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship”.  Luke 9:62 says “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  We don’t need to be focusing on the work we have done but think about the harvest.  If we can keep in a season of giving, keep praying for blessings on those who we need to forgive , keep doing it all for the one who gave his life for us to have ours we will be doing it right.  This message is for you and me too!