In fact, the word “devil” comes from the Greek word “diavolos” which means ‘slanderer’ or ‘accuser’. If you allow slander or accusation to rule your mind, then mental strongholds are built that drive you to destructive habits. That will eventually ruin your life.

To be victorious, you must be faithful in “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)”.

I have a special article by Rhonda Jones of thechristianmeditator.com to assist you with that. Rhonda shares some excellent advice on how to renew your mind to God’s word and defeat negative thinking habits for good.
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How to Defeat Negative Thoughts with Christian Meditation

by Rhonda Jones

As Christians we are in a battle everyday of our lives. It is not a battle with our mates, kids, friends, or even our bosses. The greatest battle that faces every believer is the battle with his or her own mind. But what does it mean to battle with the mind? Our minds or thoughts are usually contrary to God and the scriptures. Instead of focusing on faith we focus on fear. Instead of focusing on abundance, we focus on lack. Instead meditating on the word of God, we meditate on news, sitcoms, and negative thinking. These thoughts steal our peace and joy, and interfere with living out God’s promises.

Here is what the Bible says about our minds:

• Romans 1:28: “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”

• Ephesians 4:23: “to be made new in the attitude of your minds.”

• 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

• Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern (conditioning) of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Paul said it best in Romans 7:21 when he stated that he knows what to do, but has trouble doing it.

• “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

You can see from these scriptures that believers truly have a mind problem. Ephesians Chapter 6 tells us to cast down every fiery dart that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. This is easier said than done because many of our thoughts are unconscious. They just play like a broken record in the back of our heads over and over again and we live our lives according to what they are telling us. It’s kind of like living on autopilot.

So how does Christian meditation help believers bring healing to their minds? Christian meditation helps us to still our minds so that we can observe the subtle and subconscious thoughts that we’re thinking. Spend a day recording every thought that comes to mind. Write it down. Then review your thoughts at the end of the day.

I had my daughter do this for a day and every thought she wrote down was negative and debilitating: “no one will ever hire me, I’m a failure, I’m ugly,” etc. It was no wonder she was having so many emotional problems at the time. Do you know that we would never let another person talk to use like this, but too often we say horrible things about ourselves.

The good news is that once you know what is going on in your head you can do something about it. You can change your thoughts and change your life. You can replace negative thoughts with God’s word.

By getting still and quieting your mind and filling it with the truth of God’s word through Christ-center meditation you can uproot negative thinking and replace it with thoughts of peace, joy, and purpose.

CLICK HERE to listen to a free sample of Christian Meditation now

Rhonda Jones is the author of a series of Christian meditation and relaxation CDs that encourages listeners to relax, spend more quality time with God, and learn to live more consciously and in the present.

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I hope this article blessed you. Go ahead now and check out Rhonda’s Christian Meditation sample so you can see how it works. Just click the link below, scroll down the page and you can listen to the sample. See for yourself how relaxing and soothing it can be:

CLICK HERE to listen to a free sample of Christian Meditation now

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

P.S Please share this message with your email lists, on forums you visit, or on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages. I need your help in getting the message out. Thank you in advance!

A barometer measures pressure in the atmosphere. I learned that when the atmospheric pressure is high in your area, that means fair weather because the atmosphere can resist stormy weather patterns that are trying to come into your area.

But when the atmospheric pressure is low, that means storms can come in to your area because storms take the path of least resistance.

The Spirit revealed this truth to me: The only was to overcome emotional storms is to keep the atmospheric pressure inside yourself high by being full of the Spirit. That way, when pressures are high in your external circumstances, you will be able to overcome them because they can’t get inside you – after all, you are already filled!

So from now on, think of your feelings as a barometer. When you are full of the Spirit, you are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

But when you are spiritually low, you are habitually worried, troubled, fearful, doubtful, depressed, jealous, prone to anger, selfish, envious, and lack self control.

Don’t use spiritual lows as an occasion to condemn yourself though. Think of them as a warning sign that you need to retreat to the Father and build up the spiritual pressure inside yourself again so that you can resist the storm.

Praying, meditating on the Father’s word, and speaking it to yourself throughout the day keeps the spiritual pressure inside yourself high. These disciplines also inspire you to praise and worship Him.

When praise and worship fills your heart, then you will know that your Spiritual atmospheric pressure is high enough to overcome any storms that come your way.

I hope you start practicing this principle every day. As you stay filled with the Spirit and are led by the Spirit, you will live a victorious life. You will also draw others to Jesus because they will see the difference in you and want the peace that you have!

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.

P.S. Do you know what is the #1 issue that stops women from reaching their ideal weight? Emotional eating! In the Take Back Your Temple ebook, I cover practical strategies for overcoming emotional eating as well as other “tests” that can sabotage your weight loss efforts – from night-time eating to food-pushing relatives!

One of the 8 bonuses that comes with the eBook is “Kiss Your Stress Goodbye” which provides over 40 strategies for managing stress effectively. Not only do you get the bonues, you get to try the program free for 30 days. If you are disatisfied for any reason, you may request a full refund, no questions asked - but, you get to keep all of the bonuses! There is absolutely no risk to you.

God never intended for his people to be burdened. True, we will have challenges to deal with in this life, but God never built us to carry them. That is why so many people are depressed, anxious, worried, fearful and seeking escape through addictions. Because deep down they know that they are fighting a losing battle and they don’t know how to cope.

And yet, the solution is so simple.

In Isaiah 46:3-4, God says:

“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
Who have been upheld by Me from birth,
Who have been carried from the womb:
Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

The solution is to surrender your burdens to God – to declare that you are transferring control of yourself and all that is under your authority – your body, mind, will, emotions, family, finances, your very life – under new management, under kingdom control.

But in order to release the burden and turn it over to God, you must trust him and you cannot fully trust him unless you are convinced that God loves you.

When you are convinced of God’s love, you want to draw near to him. As you draw near to him, he draws near to you and reveals his character to you. You know him and you grow in faith. As you grow in faith, you grow in trust. Do you see how beautifully that works?

Unfortunately, so many people shrink from a relationship with God because they are nursing unforgiveness, negative emotions, past mistakes, and secret sins and think that God condemns them for it.

But I’ve got news for you: God knows everything about you and he loves you anyway. And praise God, there is forgiveness and deliverance through Jesus Christ! There is NO condemnation in him. He loves you exactly where you are and all you need to do is receive his love and he will empower you to walk in the Spirit so that you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

When you refuse to accept the reality of God’s love for you through Christ Jesus (a gift of grace – unmerited favor), it is like shutting the door in his face. You also shut the door on his ability to intervene in your life and lift your burdens.

God gave me a process to release burdens and transfer your life over to kingdom control, which follows.  But the first step for release is to have a deep revelation of how much God loves you. So this is my prayer for you from Ephesians 3:14-20:

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Meditate on this word and tell God that you are opening your heart to him so that you can receive the fullness of his love through Christ.

If you know others who are burdened, please pass this message to them as well.

I praise God for his delivering power. May the saints of God wake up, shake off burdens, and manifest his glory to a world that desperately needs him!

Prayer and Declaration to Release Burdens

Speak the following declaration out loud:

“God, I know that you are my Father and I know that you love me.  You loved me even when I did not love you, so nothing I did or could ever do will make you love me more.

I know that if I refuse to believe that you love me, then I deny you because you ARE love. So I joyfully receive your love as a gift of your grace and all its fullness!

Your love is the most powerful force in the universe. Nothing can separate me from it. No demon in hell can stand against it. No situation is stronger than the power of your love.

Father, because I trust your love for me and your faithfulness, I declare that I am relinquishing control of everything I am and everything that I have to you and turning it over to you. I want my mind, will, emotions, body, house, family, finances, my very life to come under new management, under kingdom control.

In your kingdom, righteousness, peace and joy reign. In your kingdom, demons have no authority. By the authority of your kingdom and in the name of Jesus, I command any demons that are wrecking havoc on my mind, on my body, in my family, and in any aspect of my life to get out – go to a dry desert place never to return.

And in your place, I command that these reign in me and in my house:

• Love reigns.
• Joy reigns.
• Peace reigns.
• Patience reigns.
• Kindness reigns.
• Goodness reigns.
• Faithfulness reigns.
• Self-control reigns.

All of these reign because Jesus reigns in my heart. I thank you Lord that I am a citizen of your kingdom and have been endowed with all the rights therein.

I thank you that through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I walk out the truth of your love and my kingdom citizenship daily. I am diligent to renew my mind to this truth daily. I esteem your wisdom, listen for it, and am quick to obey your direction.

I am a source of hope to those who are lost. They know that I am a disciple of Christ by my love. My words declare the good news of the kingdom and by my example, you God are glorified.

Thank you, Father, for your grace and for adopting me as your beloved child. Amen.”

I made this declaration myself and was filled with unspeakable joy. I walked around my house singing “Jesus Loves Me” over and over again. It might inspire you to sing too. Whatever form of praise is in your heart, express it boldly and enjoy your new freedom!

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

It was only when she learned how to trade fathers – her abusive earthly father for her heavenly father, that she could love herself and receive healing.

In her article below, Karen shares how she was able to forgive and gives other sexual abuse survivors hope that they too can begin to heal:

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Beginning to Heal from Sexual Abuse

By Karen Rabbitt, M.S.W.

When a parent or other authority figure exploits our childhood innocence for their own perverted pleasure, we grow up injured. Whether we realize it or not, we suffer from that childhood wound. Healing begins when we start seeing the wound clearly, recognize we’re not responsible, and find a compassionate listener.

Abuse is sin. It’s a sin when a parent treats us like an object rather than a person. When someone violates our personhood by using us for their own sexual gratification, that’s sin. We are gifts to our families and we deserved to be treated as such.

Don’t minimize the impact. The wound left in the wake of sin has consequences. We have trouble trusting, we startle easily, we struggle with self-worth. All those, and more, are a direct result of being mistreated. They’re not just “how we are” or our “personality.”

They are a result of our perpetrator’s sin. Someone violated our body/soul/spirit and took something they had no right to. They betrayed our trust and stole our innocence. We did not have the capacity to give permission.

And none of it was our fault. That’s the second piece. What happened. Was. Not. Our. Fault. No matter what the person who hurt us says, we did nothing to deserve sexual abuse. A small child, a young girl, an innocent little boy, does not have the capability to entice an adult.

The adult enticed himself, or herself. They acted out a scene they imagined in their own mind. They thought about what they did ahead of time. They created an opportunity to act. That is their responsibility. Not ours. The adult is always responsible.

Most of the time, though, they won’t take that responsibility, so we, their victims, have to give it to them. Not necessarily by talking to them and getting their “permission.” But by knowing, in our own minds, that we did nothing that deserved being victimized. We need to give responsibility where it belongs — with the one who hurt us. The perpetrator is always responsible.

And, thirdly, as you take the first steps toward healing, tell someone. Ask God to show you someone safe. Someone who will believe you.  someone who will tell you “It’s not your fault.” Someone who has suffered and has gained a measure of peace for themselves. Not necessarily the same suffering, but someone who understands pain. Who is kind and compassionate and will weep with you and encourage you in the Lord.

As you experience their reaction to your story, you will get a new perspective. You’ll experience their anger at what happened to you. You’ll recognize more fully the evil of the sin. You’ll feel their empathy as you look into their eyes.

Usually, growing up in an abusive household is growing up without empathy. Without someone who understands our feelings of sadness and anger. We grow up emotionally alone. We are meant to “weep with those who weep.” Jesus wants us to have a shoulder to cry on. Not that we’re meant to grieve our losses for the rest of our lives. But we must begin there.

In fact, Jesus, himself, is tearful with us. That’s the image that was most healing to me in my own recovery from sexual abuse — of Jesus weeping with me.

Read my story, which includes questions for personal reflection, in Trading Fathers: Forgiving Dad, Embracing God.

Read a free excerpt on my blog at www.karenrabbitt.typepad.com
Order an autographed copy from www.tradingfathers.com.
Or call 1-877-421-7323 to order.
Or order online or through your local bookstore.

Copyright 2009 Karen Rabbitt

Karen Rabbitt, M.S.W., a seasoned psychotherapist, has written for Marriage Partnership and Today’s Christian Woman, in addition to writing her own story, Trading Fathers: Forgiving Dad, Embracing God (WinePress, 2009).

Raised on an Illinois farm in a difficult family, Karen experienced traumatic sexual abuse as a child at the hand of her father. The devastation of this abuse eventually led to depression and serious mental illness in her twenties. After she recovered, Karen earned her Masters of Social Work degree and provided psychotherapy to Christian women from 1986 to 2005.

A Christian Leaders, Authors, and Speakers Seminar (CLASS) graduate, Karen now speaks and leads retreats with a particular focus on finding peace by choosing forgiveness. Now a grandmother, Karen still lives in Illinois and has been married to Jerry since 1972. She attends The Vineyard Church.

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Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ eBook
www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

Depression robs you of hope. It comes from constant meditation on what you’ve lost or what you lack, real or perceived. It can be from your past, present, or imagining what might happen in the future. But if you are in Christ, you have the very source of wholeness and the reason for hope. He is able to heal the loss, make you whole and restore your hope. But for this to occur, you must fellowship with him daily; it can’t be a “Sunday-only, sometime-y” thing.

In my prayer time, God revealed to me radical steps to take that combat mild depression. If you are struggling with this issue, please take them to heart. Practice these steps EVERY DAY. Your depression will lift and joy will fill you with strength, helping you face each day’s challenges with grace.

1. Radical Prayer

If you don’t have a regular prayer life then make that a priority. And if you don’t a relationship  with God through Jesus Christ, then learn how you can here.

For those who do have that relationship, then set a regular time to communicate with God first thing in the morning. Arrange your bedtime and morning routine so you can have this time. This is critical because depression saps your energy and distorts your thinking. You must replace your weakness with God’s strength to be effective in combating its assault.

In your prayer time every morning, start by sitting in quietness. Breathe deeply; don’t launch into telling God about your problems just yet. Instead purpose in your heart to focus on praise and worship so that you can enter into His presence with thanksgiving. As you wait in quietness for God’s strength to fill you, meditate on his goodness and what he has done for you. Meditate on his character. Recall stories from the bible in which people faced seemingly impossible situations and God came through for them (My favorite is Moses and the Red Sea Crossing – Exodus Chapter 14).

The more you relax, breathe, and focus on God’s strength and power, the more your spirit will quicken and leap. Your faith will stir and you will feel strong in spirit. Keep waiting and meditating until this happens. It is from this position of humility and God-supplied strength and power that you make your requests known to God. His peace will fill you and you will be confident that he will perfect that which concerns you. End your prayer time with praise and thanksgiving, just as you started. Be consistent with this practice and watch radical changes occur in how you face the day.

2. Radical Focus

Guarding that which you see, hear and speak is critical. If you are regularly watching the news but not spending any time with God, you will naturally be more depressed. In Philippians 4:8 we are reminded: “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.”

Since news reports are usually not good reports, then change your routine so that you fill your mind with good news. Read the book of Psalm for comfort and the book of John to learn more about the good news of the gospel.

If you are concerned about missing the weather and the traffic report, you can get the weather report on weather.com or watch only the traffic report (most news programs have a regular time in which they air the traffic report).

Finally, be sure that the words you speak to yourself are of good report. Speak of those things you are hoping for and not what you fear or lack.

3. Radical Praise

I read an interesting viewpoint from a psychiatrist about neurotic disorders. He said that every patient with such a disorder nearly always had a habit of fault-finding. No matter what what was good in their lives, they always focused on what was wrong and what was lacking.

The antidote for that habit is to become a person of praise. For the next 30 days, consciously think of 7 things every day that you want to praise God for. It could be as simple as having breath in your lungs or getting a green light if you are late for an appointment. To make this even more powerful, write down your 7 praiseworthy things in a small notebook. I guarantee that your entire perspective will change after consistent 30-day practice.

4. Radical Pursuit

Resolve to put God first and make study of his word a regular practice. Pursue righteousness, peace, and joy. Remember if you are in Christ, you are given free access to God and can come boldly to his throne of grace. What an awesome privilege! He sees you clothed in Christ’s righteousness. If you have areas of disobedience in your life, confess them in your prayer time. Willfully doing what you know is contrary to God’s word can also be a contributor to depression. Ask for forgiveness and turn away from your error immediately. God is ready, willing and able to restore you to fellowship.

Humbly ask God if there is sin in your life, to cleanse you from it, and to give you the strength to do what is right. Ask him to fill the space left behind with more of him. Be willing to ask as many times as you need to until your breakthrough comes, confident that God will answer your prayer.

5. Radical Action

Lastly, if you are depressed about a situation from the past, you will need to ask God to fix it because you cannot change the past. He can help you forgive any hurts that you need to forgive. If you need healing he can do that too.

If you are depressed about your present and future, then ask yourself: Is there something that I can do  about this situation right now? Write down any actions that you can take to change your situation for the better or at least glorify God in your attitude towards it.

Then, take immediate action on one of the items on your list. Action will give you power and energy. Keep acting on the things that you can change.

Regarding the parts of your situation you can’t change, go back to the radical prayer step: start in quietness focusing on thanksgiving and praise to God, wait on Him to fill you with strength. Once you feel your spirit built up, tell him your concerns in confidence. End with prayer and thanksgiving.

I do pray that you take these steps to combat depression. And even if you aren’t depressed, these radical steps will still bring radical joy and peace into your life!

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ eBook
www.takebackyourtemple.com

P.S. Did you know that 60% of people who suffer from depression also have problems with their weight? The way you eat has a profound effect on your brain chemistry. If you want to  know more about achieving a healthy weight and eat to support your energy and mental health,then order my Take Back Your Temple ebook at:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

You can use good words today by:

• Being thankful for who you are

• Being grateful for what you have

• Saying “thank you” to those people who help or encourage you

• Helping others to lift their burdens, whether through sharing a compliment, encouragement, or wisdom

I heard from a young woman recently who told me that someone had spoken some devastating words to her as a child and she believed them. As an adult, she now has a poor self image and is afraid to trust people.

It is sad, but it happens to so many people.

Someone plants a negativity seed in your mind – but then you water it, fertilize it, and build fences around it by agreeing with what they said and by meditating on that word.

Soon, it brings forth a harvest of negative results in your life.

As I considered the young woman’s situation, I thought about a bible story I read last week that illustrates an important principle behind this.

In the story from 2 Samuel 18:6-8, King David’s servants were in a battle with the supporters of David’s son Absalom, the people of Israel. Absalom was trying to take over David’s throne and had forced David to go on the run. Here is what the scripture said about the battle:

“So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim. The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day. For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside,and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.”

What caught my attention was the last verse about how the woods devoured more people than the sword devoured. In my bible, it gave a little commentary about how those woods were filled with dense brush, vines, and hidden pits in the ground.

David’s men survived the woods of Ephraim because they were familiar with the terrain. But the Israelites weren’t, became trapped by them, and died there.

The spirit revealed to me that more Christians are devoured by the woods of Ephraim than the sword. That is, they fail to take their thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ, so they end up being defeated by dense woods of fear, depression, anger, and doubting (and the bad decisions that go with it), than by any sword of the enemy or the world.

I’ve got a challenge for you and it’s one that I am taking myself. For the next 30 days, clear out some of those dense woods in your mind by making your heart glad with good words, inside and out. Plant good words in your heart and mind through study of God’s word.

I declare that as you do so, God will bless you with an abundant harvest of strength, peace, and joy!

P.S. Check out my all new, redesigned page at http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book.

If you haven’t been there lately, I know you will be surprised by the update. There has never been a better time to invest in your mind, body, and spirit with the Take Back Your Temple eBook.

Check it out now:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

Dr. Powell’s article too exhorts you to see yourself through God’s eyes and will make a powerful impact on your confidence. Prepare to be blessed by the message she has to share!

A Different Look at Low Self-Esteem

By Shirley Powell, ND

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” – Corrie Ten Boom

Many of us blame our problems or the problems of others on low self-esteem, often claiming that it stems back to some childhood issue(s). But let’s take a moment and explore just a little about what exactly is going on with the concept of low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is looking at what we think about ourselves instead of what God thinks about us. Low self-esteem takes our eyes off of God and causes us to look more at ourselves. Might low self-esteem be just another expression of self-centeredness? Might low self-esteem and poor self image just be simply different manifestations of pride? It does not matter whether we are full of pride or even full of self-hatred, either way we are still full of ourselves. God, however, wants us to be empty of ourselves and full of Him.

Part of being empty of ourselves is being humble, which is very different than low self-esteem. Humility is a desirably character trait based on God’s standards, and low self-esteem is man’s perspective of himself based on limited human thinking. It takes a healthy and godly sense of who we are in Christ to walk in godly humility. Otherwise we will be too insecure or too proud to be humble.

When we walk in humility, we will neither attempt to cover our mistakes or faults, nor will we try to appear to be more than we really are. Covering our faults and living a lie are said to be symptoms of low self-esteem, but it actually may be, again, a manifestation of pride. Either way, it is deceitful, self-centered and destructive. It is a far cry from the humility that the Lord requires of us.

Based on a humanistic worldview, man would be released from the shackles of his limitations that cause him to fail and not experience great success if only he was empowered to realize his great human personal potential, if only he had more SELF confidence (versus God confidence). Yes, we’ve come to believe that all we need for joy and contentment is to boost our low self-esteem before man. The irony is, what is given as the solution is exactly what the problem is – that we revel in our own glory and imagine our potential to be something of value in and of itself — outside of God.

The Bible continues to warn us about that very thing — thinking too highly of ourselves. We need not occupy ourselves with lifting our own esteem, for when live to please God (and not man), He will exalt us in due time. Our true identity is found in Christ; not in self. When we are Christ-centered and not self-centered, we can begin to be who we were created to be in the likeness and image of God. So our hearts cry should be to be more Christ-like. It is then that we can begin to experience real life – real inner peace, joy, and fulfillment.

Luke 16:15 (NKJV) “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Matthew 23:11-12 (NIV) “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

James 4:10 – (NASB) – “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (MSG Paraphrase) “Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.”

Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV) “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Shirley D. Powell is a Doctor of Naturopathy, Certified Health Practitioner, Certified Nutrition Counselor, author, and presenter. She has a private practice, Temple Care Natural Healing and Wellness Clinic, with offices in northeast Alabama and the Washington, DC metro area. The focus is on supporting the body’s God-given ability to heal itself naturally, with the proper diet, herbs, supplements, detoxification, natural therapies, and lifestyle, taking a whole-person approach. Individual and family appointments are available. Also, in response to God’s calling, she also launched Temple Care International Ministries. The ministry focuses on bringing the truth about health and wellness God’s way to the body of Christ and all who have ears to hear, with the desire and intent to facilitate others to experience life more abundantly and be fit to stand to fulfill God’s plan for their lives. She can be reached at s.powell [at] temple-care.net, or (256) 582-4100. Her website is www.temple-care.net.

When you eat sugar, you raise two neurotransmitters in your brain: serotonin and beta-endorphin. Both of these neurotransmitters influence your mood and give you a sense of calm, well-being, comfort, and just generally make you feel good. This is why many people crave sugar when they are emotionally upset.

However, your blood sugar levels spike too high when you eat sugar and your body has to release the hormone insulin to bring the blood sugar back into balance. If too much insulin is released, your blood sugar crashes, leaving you tired, irritable, moody, and brain fogged.

For many people, this sets off a daily cycle of blood sugar spikes and crashes as they consume more and more sugar to try to restore those initial feelings of calm and comfort – but it never lasts.

To break free of sugar addiction for good, you first need to address its spiritual and emotional aspects, then its physical aspects. Here are seven ways to do this.

1. Go Back to the Beginning. For many of us, our attachment to sugar goes back to childhood. In my own situation, I learned to associate sugar with comfort. My mother worked a lot as a single mom and before she would leave me with the sitter, she always gave me candy money so I could walk to the convenience store around the corner to get a treat. Now, I missed my mother and I was lonely, but the only comfort I had as a child was the candy. Eating the candy made me feel better.

Unfortunately that pattern continued as an adult. Whenever I felt emotionally stressed or upset, I craved candy and other sweets, never realizing that I was coping the same way I did when I was five. Take a moment to think about your own sugar addiction history. When did sugar become a coping method for you? Chances are, it was during periods of stress or emotional distress.

2. Re-think your coping choices. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Remember that a child does not have many options when they experience emotional pain, but adults do. Have compassion on the child/person you used to be but recognize that your way of coping then does not fit you now.

3. Ask God for help. Attempting to deal with emotional pain with food, sugar, sex, drugs or other addiction is like trying to fill a hole that does not have a bottom. No matter what you put into that hole, it will never be enough. The only thing that is big enough to fill the hole is God. Strengthen your relationship with him through prayer, praise, worship, and bible study. Ask him to reveal and heal any sources of emotional pain you have and receive that healing by faith.

4. Add more whole foods to your life. Eat high fiber fruits like apples, pears, and oranges to satisfy your sweet tooth without the sugar rush. Eating reasonable servings of sweet potatoes, brown rice and whole grain pasta also help keep your blood sugar stable and increases the body’s natural production of serotonin. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and other colorful vegetables to replenish B and C vitamins in your body; these vitamins help your body convert food into energy, but eating large amounts of sugar depletes them. Eating lean sources of protein like chicken, fish, turkey, beans, and low-fat dairy products (in moderation) will also help to curb hunger and cravings.

5. Limit the sugar in your life. If you are sensitive to sugar, change your diet to limit your exposure to it. Otherwise it becomes a case of “the more you get, the more you want.” Learn to read labels. A good guideline is to replace any prepared food or drink that has more than 10 grams of sugar per serving with one that has less sugar. Sugar goes by many names besides the obvious ones (those with sugar or syrup in the name) such as dextrose, fructose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, maltodextrin, barley malt, and molasses. If one of these names for sugar is one of the first three ingredients on the label, replace it with something else.

Also, limit your intake of fruit juice to less than 1/2 cup – fruit juice also raises your blood sugar quickly. Limit your intake of artificially sweetened drinks too, because they can keep your taste for sugar alive. Lastly, limit foods made with white flour and white rice because the body breaks them down quickly and reacts to them in a similar way as to eating sugar.

6. Make your own feel-good chemicals. I mentioned earlier that eating sugar increases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. There are other natural things you can do that have the same effect:

* Exercise. If sugar addiction is a problem for you, I recommend that you exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week to make some endorphins. If you aren’t exercising at all now, start with 10 minutes a day and work up. But here is a tip: When you are exercising, grin – show your teeth. When you smile, you send an “all is well” signal to your brain and it releases even more “feel good” chemicals. Also, when you give a wide smile, your mouth is open slightly, which increases your oxygen intake when you exercise, making it easier do. So smile when exercising. I dare you to put it to the test and see.

* Sunshine. Sunshine also increase the body’s production of endorphins also, so get about 15-20 minutes of sunshine exposure a day if you can.

* Hugs. Hug others as much as you can. If you don’t have anybody to hug, then hug yourself. The more hugs, the better. If you are married then have sex often. This releases feel good chemicals as well.

* Laughter. Get a clean joke book or watch a comedy program and make yourself laugh several times a day.

* Uplifting music. In the bible, David used music to calm King Saul whenever a distressing spirit came upon him. In similar fashion, listen to music that emotionally moves and soothes you, like beautiful classical music or praise and worship music a few times a day.

7. Find your joy. The bottom line is that you cannot have true peace or joy as long as an addiction controls you. Ask yourself: is food or sugar one of the few sources of joy or pleasure that you allow yourself? If that is the case, you can bring your life into balance. Take the time to think of other things you can add that bring you pleasure so that these activities are restored to a healthy place in your life.

I hope that you have found these tips helpful! I’d also like your feedback. What questions do you have about losing weight or getting healthy? Contact me and let me know. I am planning to add audio and video content to the www.takebackyourtemple.com website that will address the most asked questions.

I look forward to your feedback!

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of ‘MoneyWise Weight Loss‘ and the ‘Take Back Your Temple ebook

The judge basically agreed with the husband. She said that compared to the men that had come to court previously, this woman’s husband wasn’t bad. The man was faithful to her, worked every day, didn’t drink or do drugs, and was a good father. And he loved her.

However at the end of the program, the wife still wanted the divorce. She also wanted the husband to pay for her to have gastric bypass surgery and a breast lift, convinced that these things would give her a new life and make her happy.

The judge failed to persuade her that they never would. The judge also didn’t make the husband pay for the surgeries.

The sad thing is that even if the woman has the surgeries and finds a new husband, she will still probably find new things to be unhappy about.

What does it take to be happy? Happiness first of all is defined as favored by fortune. It’s dependent on what is happening to you at the time. It is different from joy. Joy is an internal state, a feeling of well-being and contentment. Joy comes from having internal security, knowing that in spite of everything going on around you, all is well.

I’ve learned that the only true source of joy is a relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ. It’s interesting the bible mentions the word ‘happy’ only about 21 times, but the word ‘joy’ about 188 times. Seems to me that joy is easier and better! However, you can have both.

Here are some steps you can take to increase your odds of being happy.

1. Take responsibility for your own happiness.

If you are blaming others for the things you have or don’t have, then stop. You cannot control others, only yourself. If you are constantly living in the past and beating yourself up for the mistakes you made, then stop. You did the best you could with what you knew at the time. You can’t change it. But you can do things differently in the present and influence the future. Ask yourself, “What can I do today that will help me get a little closer to the things I desire?” If your desire is to lose weight, then you will start with small steps you can take to get you there.

Also start focusing on the things you are grateful for in your life rather than the things you lack. Appreciate your loved ones and tell them so. Watch your relationships improve and that will make you happier.

2. Keep your promises to yourself.

If you have a friend who was constantly making promises to you but never kept them, would you be happy with that friend? The answer is no, of course. But how often do we tell ourselves that we are going to do something, but don’t follow through? When you do that, you learn not to trust yourself. And that leads to unhappiness and lowered self- esteem.

So be careful when you make a promise to yourself. Make sure the promise has at least a 50/50 chance that you will follow through on it. Start small and then do everything you can to follow through. You’ll be surprised at how the simple act of making promises to yourself and keeping them will increase your sense of trust and make you happier.

3. Recognize that happiness is Now.

Do not postpone happiness by telling yourself that when a circumstance changes, then you will do the things you really want to do. How can you start doing those things now? I know plenty of women who say that they will only dress well or get a flattering hairstyle when they lose weight. Forget that! Do these nice things for yourself now. Tomorrow isn’t promised to you. But you can take good care of yourself today.

And you know what? By taking care of yourself and doing things that make you feel good about yourself, you will become happier and want to do even more. It starts a positive cycle and increases the odds that you will attract even more favor into your life.

Now how cool is that? So don’t wait. Start taking the steps above and watch yourself enjoy your life more. You only get one. Don’t waste a second of yours wallowing in unhappiness. Get out of the pit and claim the joy and happiness that can be yours.