Are you struggling to quiet the desperation and stress that comes with dieting? Learn how to care for your spiritual needs and build worship into your weight loss in this episode of Phoenix Chronicles. For Jes and Martin, food represented an idol that was controlling their lives. You can reach your goals and find peace and stability by surrendering your weight loss journey to God.

The first step to caring for your spiritual needs is admitting to yourself that you need God – that you cannot do this on your own, and that you need His strength. Once you accept this, you can build a worship practice through consistency and lean on God’s guidance throughout your day.

For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below:

[1:03] What are your spiritual needs, and how do they factor into your weight loss journey? When you diet consistently, you may reach a point of desperation and anxiety that causes you to break your diet. make food our idol, and turn to it instead of God. Not being able to turn to food for comfort is stressful.

[6:36] Jes explains that while other types of addictions can be removed completely from people’s lives like when former alcoholics stop drinking completely, food addicts cannot stop eating. We have to find a way to incorporate food in moderation.

[11:05] Jes’s desperation was at its worst in 2020. Before this point, she felt that she should not bring God into her weight loss because it was her problem that she needed to solve on her own. She continues to struggle with surrender.

[17:33] The consistency of worship is key. Learning to worship is a lot like learning to drive a car – it is difficult at first, requires consistency, and eventually becomes muscle memory.

[21:55] The first step to consistent worship is admitting that you need God. You have to be comfortable admitting that you cannot do this on your own, and that you need His help.

[25:10] Martin shares the Prayer of Jabez, which states that “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory, let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain,’ and God granted his request.” Pray for your own blessings, and God will grant your request.

[30:42] If you do not know where to start with prayer, you can start conversationally. You can also start by reading prayers like Psalms 23. What matters is talking to God and surrendering to Him.

RESOURCES

Visit the Phoenix Chronicles Website: https://www.thephoenixchronicles.com/

Buy A Phoenix Chronicle by Martin Crowe: https://www.thephoenixchronicles.com/book