Made to Crave - Chapter 5: Made for More

I'm sharing the high points that I found in each chapter and then I answer the questions at the end of each chapter with my honest feelings. I'm reading the book on my Kindle, so I don't have page numbers for any of the thoughts I have taken from the book. This has been a journey that has spanned at least a decade for me. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm farther along than I used to be. Walk with me and feel free to share your thoughts. Be kind. Be blessed.

Each of the following points were taken straight from the book. No plagiarizing intended.

·        There typically is a honeymoon phase at the start of a new healthy eating plan and nothing tempts you away from healthy choices. But then you’re invited to a party. Your friends are quick to say, “Oh come on, just one won’t hurt. This is a special day.”

·        It is so tempting to give in. Set things in reverse. Pretend it won’t matter.

·        But it does matter and not just for the physical or mental setback. It’s the denial of a fundamental spiritual truth that will make a healthy eating plan fall apart time and time again. What is this truth? We were made for more than this. More than this failure, more than this cycle, more than being ruled by our taste buds. We were made for victory. Sometimes we just have to find our way to that truth.

·        I wasn’t made to live a life that dishonors the Lord. None of us are.

·        Rewriting the go-to scripts is one of the most crucial steps towards permanent progress.

·        And the first of these is, “I was made for more.” Wrapped in this truth is a wisdom and revelation that unlocks great power available to all Christians.

·        We need a power beyond our frail attempts and fragile resolve. A power greater than our taste buds, hormones, temptations and our inborn female demand for chocolate.

·        (Ephesians 1:17-19, emphasis added) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

·        If we unpack this passage, understand its richness, and then practice its truth, it’s amazing how empowered we’ll be.

·        Be Persistent: “I Keep Asking”

·        We need to ask for God’s wisdom, revelation, and intervening power to be an integral part of our food choices from now on.

·        “God, I recognize I am made for more than the vicious cycle of being ruled by food. I need to eat to live, not live to eat. So, I keep asking for Your wisdom to know what to eat and Your indwelling power to walk away from things that are not beneficial for me.”

·        Embrace a True Identity: “Glorious Father”

·        We are made for more because we are children of God. For years I identified myself not by my relationship with God but by my circumstances. I was… Lysa, the girl from a broken home. Lysa, the girl rejected by her father. Lysa, the girl sexually abused by a grandfather figure. Lysa, the girl who walked away from God after the death of her sister. Lysa, the girl who had an abortion after a string of bad relationships.

·        Then one day I read a list of who God says I am. I took that list of Scripture and started to redefine my identity.

·        I didn’t have to be defined by my circumstances. Instead, I could live in the reality of who my glorious heavenly Father says I am: Lysa, the forgiven child of God (Romans 3:24). Lysa, the set-free child of God. (Romans 8:1-2). Lysa, the accepted child of God (1 Corinthians 1:2). Lysa, the holy child of God (1 Corinthians 1:30). Lysa, the made-new child of God. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Lysa, the loved child of God (Ephesians 1:4). Lysa, the close child of God (Ephesians 2:13). Lysa, the confident child of God (Ephesians 3:12). Lysa, the victorious child of God (Romans 8:27). I was made to be set free, holy, new, loved, and confident.

·        The truth of my identity as a child of god empowers me to believe that living in victory tastes sweeter than any unhealthy delicacy.

·        Find the Deeper Reason: “So that you may know him better”

·        The real reason for grounding ourselves in the truth that we are made for more is “so that you may know him better.” The more we operate in the truth of who we are and the reality that we were made for more, the closer to God we’ll become.

·        Making this connection – between being made for more and getting to know God better – helps this whole adventure be less about food and exercise and lifestyle choices and more about embracing a chance for deep and wonderful connections with God.

·        Discover a Hope and Power Like no Other: “That the Eyes of Your Heart May Be Enlightened”

·        The apostle Paul asks that light be shed upon our hearts so we can more clearly recognize the hope and power available to us.

·        We were made for more than excuses and vicious cycles. We can taste success. We can experience truth. We can choose to stay on the path of hard work and perseverance. We can build one success on top of another. We can keep “made for more” at the top of our minds and on the tips of our tongues. And our eating habits can be totally transformed as we keep asking, embrace our true identity, find the deeper reason for claiming that identity, and operate in the hope and power that’s like no other.

Christian recording artist, Mandisa, is partnering with Proverbs31 ministries on this “Made to Crave” study. On her blog, she wrote about this chapter. Check out her link.
http://mandisaofficial.com/home/identity-statements-recognize-replace-repeat/
Personal Reflections

1.      “I was made for more” is a spiritual truth that unlocks great power for Christians. When you think of your past failures and your current struggles with food, how do you hope this truth might help you? I need to remember that I was made for more than constantly feeling bad, for always feeling out of shape, for always feeling poor about myself… I was made for freedom, for joy…    

2.      When you introduce yourself to someone you don’t know, how do you define yourself? By your family relationships (as a wife, mother, daughter, aunt)? By a professional title, or lack of one? By where you live or go to church? What might your introduction reveal about how you understand your own identity? I am often introducing myself as Dinah’s mom, or JR’s mom, or Galen’s wife. John’s daughter, Nancy’s daughter, Don and Ileen’s daughter-in-law… former worship leader, current ministry leader, stay-at-home mom… My identity seems to be wrapped up in the people in my life and who I am to them… I don’t know how I am without including those people or jobs.

3.      Lysa describes how she once defined her identity by her circumstances: Lysa, the girl from a broken home; Lysa, the girl rejected by her father; Lysa, the girl sexually abused by a grandfather figure. Have you ever felt your identity was defined by your circumstances? If you were to describe your identity as Lysa did, what would be on your list? The short, fat girl who can’t play sports; the girl with average intelligence; the girl who could never do the things her friends did because she was stuck on the farm;

4.      Take a moment to review the following list of statements, inserting your name before each one. How does this understanding of how God sees you impact the circumstance-based view of your identity you listed in response to question 3? I know I am not who my circumstances made me feel like I was. I know this in my heart and have to remind myself that those were the circumstances of my past and they helped make me who I am, but they are not who I am.

__Laura____ the forgiven child of God. (Romans 3:24)

___ Laura ___ the set-free child of God. (Romans 8:1-2)

__ Laura ____ the accepted child of God. (1 Corinthians 1:2)

__ Laura ____ the holy child of God. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

__ Laura ____ the made-new child of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

__ Laura ____ the loved child of God. (Ephesians 1:4)

__ Laura ____ the close child of God. (Ephesians 2:13)

__ Laura ____ the confident child of God. (Ephesians 3:12)

__ Laura ____ the victorious child of God. (Romans 8:37)

5.      Refer back to page 51 or your Bible. Reread Ephesians 1:17-20 and reflect on the key themes of he passage using the questions below.

a.       Be persistent: “I keep asking”. Do you have any reservations about asking God for wisdom and power each day to help you on this journey? How do you hope persistent prayer might help you? I am hoping that by talking to God always about my struggles and praising Him for my successes that it will become completely natural to give him the glory. That I will stop turning to junk food but turn to him when the temptation occurs.

b.      Embrace a true identity: “Glorious Father”. With what untruths about your identity have you struggled? How might your life change if you could embrace the truth of your identity as a child of God? I would have more confidence in myself and find that I can actually like who I am right now and be content in my skin.

c.       Find the deeper reason: “So that you may know him better.” How might God use your journey toward healthy eating as a way to help you get to know Him better? By turning to him more, in good and in bad, I’ll feel closer to him in my prayer life and I’ll hunger for him in my quiet times.

d.      Discover a hope and power like no other: “That the eyes of your heart might be enlightened.” To what degree do you feel like everything depends on you – your willpower and determination? A little, a lot? Quite a bit… I know God is always there to turn to, but I often struggle to hear or feel his nudging. I want to always remember that Feelings are fallible and He is always there no matter what.  To what degree do you believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is also available to help you? A little, a lot? I believe it is there a lot. More and more often I am seeing the places that he has pulled me through an especially trying or tempting time that in the past I would’ve fallen flat on my face in sin… As you reflect back on each day, how will you know whether you relied on your own strength or leaned into God’s strength? As long as I am moving in the right direction, and know I am walking in obedience, then I will be confident that I am leaning on God’s strength. The moment I start making excuses and allowances is the moment I have started thinking I am strong enough to do this on my own.