Made to Crave Study, Chapter 10: This Isn't Fair!

Probably everyone who has ever tried to lose weight has echoed the title of this chapter. It's hard to know why some of us have such trouble with weight and others seem to eat all the things that would make us look like balloons, yet not gain an ounce. But Lysa points out that those people have their struggles, too, in other areas.

She also reminds us that God is using our struggles to sanctify us and to increase our dependance on Himself. "The Bible teaches that 'this testing of [our] faith develops perseverance [which] must finish its work so that [we] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything' (James 1:3-4)."

Some highlights from this chapter:

"Temptation doesn't take kindly to being starved."

"I had to grab hold of God's strength and the only way to do that was to invite His power into this situation."

"Weakness is hard, but weakness doesn't have to mean defeat. It is my opportunity to experience God's power firsthand."

"Having a pity party is a clue that she is relying on her own strength rather than God's."

"This feels good now, but how will I feel about it in the morning?"

"Compromise built upon compromise equals failure. Resisting temptation allowed promise upon promise to be built up in my heart, and that creates empowerment."

The verses discussed were the passage in James mentioned above and these from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: ^"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

Participating in the  the Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Made to Crave Study, Chapter 9: But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry

Continuing with the Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries, Chapter 8 was probably the most convicting and most helpful so far. I can definitely identify with the sentiment about exercise. I have a hard time knowing when to schedule it, I hate getting sweaty, I hate putting on workout shoes....but I do love that I feel more energetic afterward, and I love seeing the endurance and strength increase over time.

Lysa describes trying to convince herself that the world's standards of being model-thin are too harsh, that God loves us just the way we are, etc., but she knew the major problem was self-control, and I know that about myself as well.

Psalm 86 11-12 say, "Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever." Her version says "give me an undivided heart," and she discusses having divided loyalties between the Lord and our own cravings. Boy, did that hit home! It also reminded me of James 1:8 ("A double minded man is unstable in all his ways") and James 4:7-8 ("Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.")

Lysa also brings out the teaching of I Corinthians 6:19 that our bodies are God's temple, and connects with a passage in the OT (Haggai 1:2-8) about God's people neglecting  the needed work on His temple while they lined their own with wood. God's prophet warned them to "Consider your ways." God's people neglected taking care of His temple because something else always seemed more important, and we do the same. Like them, we need to consider our ways - reevaluate our schedules and priorities and make time for what God wants us to. They faced consequences for neglecting God's temple, and there are natural consequences for our neglect as well.

Lysa says she has learned to "embrace the benefits" of taking care of her temple "instead of resisting the hardship." I need to make that my motto as well.

Made to Crave Study, Chapter 8: Making Peace With the Realities of my Body

  Continuing with the  Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries, Chapter 8 is "Making Peace With the Realities of My Body," where the main idea is that none of us has perfect bodies, even if we didn't have an ounce of extra weight. I think most of us probably couldn't handle it if we did: we'd probably be too vain or even more focused on our bodies than we are now. Or perhaps there is no perfect body because of the fall of mankind into sin: maybe the entrance of thorns on plants and death and decay in the world also brought on warts and age spots and pimples. Or maybe God has made our bodies imperfect (and even less perfect as we age) so we'll be more willing to let them go of them when the times comes.

This brought a smile the first time I saw it:

As someone who has rarely been totally satisfied with my hair, I can relate!

At any rate, we need to remember that even when we lose the weight we need to, we'll still not have perfect bodies, so that does not need to be our goal. Our goal needs to be obedience to what God has called us to. That can also sustain us when we've done everything we should and the numbers on the scale still don't move as much as we thought they should. 

Lisa brings out of Psalm 103:1-5, mainly the part about not forgetting His benefits, as a reminder to be grateful for the gift He has given us in our bodies. Another passage that came to mind is from Psalm 139:


¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

Made to Crave Study, Chapter 7: I'm Not Defined By the Numbers

As the title indicates, Chapter 7 of Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst is about finding our identity in Christ, not in the number on the scales. Weigh-ins are good in that they can keep us on track and tell us which direction we're going, maybe indicate a need to do something differently, or encourage us, when the numbers go down, that things are going well. But we've all experienced those times when we're doing everything by the book, and the pounds don't come off, and we're discouraged.

God accepts us on the basis of Christ's finished work on the cross and our belief in Him. When we enter in that relationship with Him, He is our Father. He is not going to cast us off or disown us if the scales aren't right where we'd like them to be. He will probably convict us if we're "cheating" or not doing what we need to do, but His acceptance of us is not based on our numbers.

Lysa tells of a time when a mention by someone else of a sister's being "so overweight" at a certain number - the number Lysa was currently at - and how in times past that would have thrown her for a loop, but this time God brought to her mind truth from His Word. She underscores the importance of filling our minds with His truth so we won't get tripped up.

She also brings back the idea of the deeper purpose for what we're doing, and the fact that "we grow closer to God as we learn to look and act more and more like Him. The Bible calls this participating in His divine nature" (p. 71K). She then discusses II Peter 1:3-11:

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to^[a] his own glory and excellence,^{[b] 4} by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,^[c] and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities^[d] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers,^[e] be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


Participating in the  Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Made to Crave Study, Chapter 6: Growing Closer to God

In the last chapter, Lysa said that growing closer to God is one reason, the deeper reason, for working through issues, and chapter 6 in the the Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries explores that further.

"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" (p. 59K). That position usually involves humbling ourselves somehow.

When someone asked Lysa how to grow close to God, she replied, "By making the choice to deny ourselves something that is permissible but not beneficial. And making this intentional sacrifice for the sole purpose of growing closer to God. After all, Jesus Himself said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me' (Luke 9:23)."

I don't think that's what I would answer if someone asked me how to draw close to God. I think I would have encouraged being in the Word and praying as well as dealing with any sin in the life and yielding our wills to His. I can see people taking this premise of denying something permissible and running with it beyond anything God intended. But then again, in a sense that's what we do when we fast.

So I am not sure what I think about that answer, but I do agree that trying to lose weight isn't just about the physical issues, but also about "learning to tell myself no and learning to make wiser choices daily. And somehow becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control" (p. 59-60).

Before listing the fruit of the Spirit (which includes self-control) in Galatians 5:22, back in verse 16 Paul says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

How do we do that? Knowing He is in us, if we have believed on Christ as Savior (Romans 8:11), and taking heed to His voice, reading "the Bible with the intention of putting into practice what we read while asking the Holy Spirit to direct us in knowing how to do this" (p. 62K). Lysa often prays, "I need wisdom to make wise choices. I need insight to remember the words I have read in Scripture. I need a power beyond what I can find on my own" (p. 62K).

Lysa then discusses the Samaritan woman in John 4 and the fact that in the middle of that situation, Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me." 

And then she discusses Philippians 3:13-16 about forgetting what is behind and reaching forth unto what's ahead, and then, just a verse or two later, "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19). "Food can become so consuming that people find themselves ruled by it...Being ruled by something other than God diminishes our commitment and will make us feel increasingly distant from Him" (p. 65). Verses 20-21 remind us, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Made to Crave Study, Chapter 5: Made For More

The theme of Chapter 5 in the the Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries. is in the third paragraph:

Succumbing to temptation "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 taste buds. We were made for victory. Sometimes we just have to find our way to that truth." 

She goes on to say that we need to rewrite the "scripts" that play in our heads, the wrong thought processes and reactions, and replace them with new ones. The first one is this truth that God's power is available to us:

Ephesians 1:
¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

Lysa then discusses this passage phrase by phrase. Some versions say, "I keep asking...," reminding us that we can continually bring these things before the Lord. That we're praying to out father reminds us of our identity as His children, and Lysa brings out a great deal about focusing on out new identity in Him. The passage also reminds us of the deeper reasons for whatever we're going through, that we might come to know God better. And then we can look to "the hope of His calling" and His power, the very power that raised Christ from the dead.

Made to Crave Study, Chapter 4: Accountability

The actual title of chapter 4 is "Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Before Thinking," but it is primarily about how friends can help us along the way. Friends who have gone on this journey before us can encourage us through it because they've experienced them, too, and we can also mutually encourage friends who are going through the same journey we are at the same time. That's one thing I like about reading books like this and participating in the Made to Crave Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Lysa points out that "desperation leads to degradation. In other words, when what is lacking in life goes from being an annoyance to an anxiety, we run the risk of compromising in ways we never thought we would" (p. 42K).

She points out that two well-known verses that we tend to think of separately are actually together in context:

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:7-8).

"You see, when we determine to get healthy, we will have to give up certain things and change our habits. Doing this can make us feel anxious. That's why we must have friends to help us remember that what we're giving up in the short term will help us get what we really want in the long term. If we forget to be self-controlled and alert, we are prime targets for Satan to usher us right away from the new standards we've set in our life. That's degradation" (p. 42K).

Here's where I have a bit of a problem with the idea of accountability. Actually our modern interpretation of what accountability means has been a sore spot with me for some years. I do agree that the Bible teaches we are accountable to one another and to our authority figures in particular, and that we all have the "right" as a Christian brothers and sisters to hold each other up to God's truth and "call" each other on it when we stray (Galatians 6:1, Proverbs 9:7-9). But I don't know that that translates into regular weekly meetings where we "report" to each other. I've known of people who met or talked regularly to "hold each other accountable" for having their personal devotions or to memorize Scripture or, as in this case, to share how they're doing in their dietary changes, and I have heard them say, as Lysa does here, that knowing they have to report to that person motivates them to keep on tract. My problem is this: if I am only motivated to do what I need to do because I am going to have to report on my actions to someone, then am I really doing it as unto the Lord, or for the eyes of other people? I have no doubt this kind of thing works, but does it work on the basis of my pride, that I am avoiding messing up because I don't want to have to admit to failure and deal with the response from my friend, rather than to please the Lord? (Amended to add that I am not accusing anyone else who meets for this kind of accountability of having these motives. I just know that would be something I would struggle with.)

In the paragraph I quoted above after I Peter 5:7-8, Lysa for some reason inserts friends in-between the one about casting our care on Christ and the one about Satan being like a devouring lion, and friends aren't in the text. No doubt friends can help us turn our eyes to Christ and can help us avoid temptation and walk with God. But my first source should be casting my care on God myself, not necessarily phoning a friend. It's not wrong to phone a friend for help in this regard, but it's not required.

Again, I'm not saying friends aren't valuable (they are!) or that the Bible doesn't teach accountability (it does!) or that friends can't help us spiritually (they can!) I just don't think we necessarily need to put them all together into daily or weekly "reporting" to each other as Christians today tend to like to do. But if you do that and it's a help to you, by all means, continue.