Bring it on!

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. Galatians 5:7-8

Did you know that you need armor for a triathlon?

Neither did I!

I guess not everyone needs it, but I sure did. However, the triathlon wasn't really the battlefront, was it?

The battle was inside me.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:11 

Of course, God's done a lot of work in me over the years. I wouldn't be to a place where I cared to take on this fitness thing if He hadn't. I could see His love for me, His faithfulness played out in my life over and over again. He gave me the gift of FREE life. That's why I so desperately desired to honor Him this way. I intend to live out what He's given me in as "poured out" a way as possible.

He was moving my understanding of how He works in my life to a new dimension. If I was really going to change the way I looked at myself (as a fat girl) I knew I would constantly be fighting the enemy to make it happen.

Let me be clear. That pivotal moment I had, in front of the kitchen cupboard, I recognized that I had been making choices in my life for years based on lies I believed about myself and about God. "You're vain and self-centered to even care how you look. You aren't strong enough to fight your food battles. You've already blown your life. God can't use it anymore. You're nothing special. He doesn't care about your body, it's your heart He wants."

Who is the father of lies?

Satan.

Yep. Just wanted to be clear about what I believe.

Sure it was about my willpower, but where does that come from? The "will" of my flesh had to be transformed in such a way that the strength/power I draw on to make choices is rooted in the Truth! For whatever reason, doing this in the body/food image area of my life has been more of a struggle for me than in some other areas. And Satan just kept at the area where I had a chink in my armor.

Well, my armor was about to be refurbished!

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17

I love how my girlfriend, Liz, talks about the armor. She reminds me that I only have to stand in it to be intimidating to the enemy. Yes, we are called to fight. But I first needed to learn how to stand in my armor in this area.

I began posting scripture that reminded me to stand in my armor anywhere and everywhere I could see it. My kitchen cupboards, the bathroom mirror, my workout area, my treadmill, and even in the car. I carried scripture on cards with me when I was out and about for the day.

There are dozens of verses that reminded me to stand in the power that He's already granted a believer. I so easily forget, the victory is already mine! I shared a couple favorites in my last post. Here are a couple more that I meditated on regularly.

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Colossians 3:1-2 The Message

Truth: My life serves an eternal purpose. It is not about the moment in time that I feel an overwhelming desire to escape through food or tv or books or anything else.

In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. Psalm 18:29 NLT

Truth: Submitted to the strength of God I can do absolutely anything He calls me to.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. Phillipians 1:20

Truth: My heart loves God and desires to serve Him with all that I am. I don't need to be ashamed by pursuing His calling for His glory in me regardless of what other people think.  WHATEVER IT TAKES!

However, I don't quite remember which scripture I had with me when I finally went shopping...

For a new swimsuit!!