"Made To Crave" was Made for Me

I'm reading a book called Made To Crave, by Lysa TerKeurst.  

This book addresses reasons why we crave food and the spiritual implications of what happens when we give in.  I'm on chapter six right now and I've pretty much highlighted the entire chapter.  I decided to add some of my favorite quotes from the book here.  I hope to remember these principals and start putting them into practice.  I don't have page numbers to credit because I'm reading it on my Kindle, 

but all of these quotes come from chapter 6.

Growing closer to God has a whole lot less to do with any action we might take and a whole lot more to do with positioning our hearts toward His. (22%)

Pursuing self-control does help my heart feel closer to Jesus and more pure to receive what He wants for me each day... instead of clogged with guilty feelings for my poor choices.  (23%)

When food is what Satan holds up in front of us and says, "You'll never be free from this battle.  You will always bounce from feeling deprived when you're dieting to feeling guilty when you're splurging.  Victory isn't possible.  You aren't capable of self-control with food," we must see that it's inappropriate consummation can be [Satan's] lure to draw our hearts into a place of defeat.  (23%)

Don't think physical food can satisfy the longing of your soul.  Only Jesus can do this.  Our souls were created to crave Him...  There are many people waiting to hear the message of your calling.  Don't get stuck in defeat and held back from it.  (25%)

    "Food can fill our stomachs but never our souls.  Possessions can fill our houses but never our hearts.  Sex can fill our nights but never our hunger for love.  Children can fill our days but never our identities.  

    Jesus wants us to know only He can fill us and truly satisfy us...   Only by being filled with authentic soul food from Jesus - following Him and telling others about Him - will our souls ever be truly satisfied.  And breaking free from consuming thoughts about food allows us to see and pursue our calling with more confidence and clarity." (25%)

If we find that certain foods are impossible to walk away from - we can't or won't deny ourselves an unhealthy choice in order to make a healthier choice- then it's a clue we are being ruled by this food on some level.  Being ruled by something other than God diminishes our commitment and will make us feel increasingly distant from Him...  I don't want to live resistant to the power Christ's death and resurrection provides for me just because I can't walk away from my unhealthy cravings.  (26%)

I am struck by the truths in these quotes which speak to our calling in Christ Jesus to be salt and light to the world.  I have never thought of my issues with food as blocking me from fulfilling my purpose.  I can see though that anything that consumes my time, effort, and attention other than God is sin.  And sin separates me from God.  Very sobering thoughts.

I am blown away by how many elements God has brought into my life over the last few months that are shaping and instructing my health goals and motivation.  This book is another big piece of the puzzle.  It makes me think about this area of my life in light of the truths of the Bible.  Just like the Couch to 5K app trains me to run a physical race, insights from scripture and verses to memorize are training me to run The Race for the long-haul, not just in this season of losing weight.  

Coming soon... a page on this blog dedicated to the scripture verses I'm going to be memorizing.  Some I've been reminded of in this book and others I've studied in my quiet times lately.