This week will require more reading than previously, as we will be reading chapters 10, 11, and 12 in the Thin Within book.
This week’s assignment:
1.) Check in! Post here at some point this week and give us a status update! You are being prayed for and about and even if you feel like you aren’t getting the “food thing” together, God IS at work! He IS doing a new thing. You may not see it, but can you believe him for it? 🙂
2.) Continue your list of God’s attributes.
3.) Take time each day to praise God for some of the attributes on your list. This is an act of faith. Even if you haven’t experienced him in the way His Word says He IS, you can, in faith say, “God I know your Word says you are the HEALER. I anticipate that you are MY healer, that you ARE healing ME! Show me this in my life, Lord! Thank you that, by faith, I can know it is true! I choose to walk in that truth today!“
4.) What are some things you have added to your gratitude journal lately? Why not take time for a Praise-Fest of your own and go back over all of them at once as a prayer to God? Do this out loud when you can do so without feeling embarrassed and overheard! LOL! Or maybe that would be a GOOD thing! 🙂 Keep on adding things to your gratitude journal.
5.) Read and complete Days 10, 11, and 12 – through page 130. Be sure to be prayerful as you go, give yourself the time to finish all the material without rushing. If you *do* feel like you need to linger longer with a concept, give yourself grace to do so! Nothing about our schedule is cold and fast. 🙂
6.) Chapter 10 opens with this question: “Today, will you choose to ‘press on’ rather than spend time reliving your defeats, or even your successes? Today, will you choose to continue to allow God to renew, restore, refresh, and remake you? He brings glorious wonder from what we think are defeats.” What is your answer to this? It might be good to write this question down in your journal (or copy and paste it) each day and answer it. 🙂
7.) Chapter 10 speaks about failure. As you read this material, prayerfully consider if you agree with it. Continue to jot down anything you are reminded about the attributes of God.
8.) At the bottom of page 101, there are some questions to ask yourself. Try this and let us know how it impacts you!
9.) Continue to add to your “Fat Machinery Log.” Did God reveal anything new during the past week?
10.) Chapter 11 begins to focus us on developing discernment. Please keep in mind that this doesn’t mean we leave freedom behind! Not at all! Freedom remains the foundation! Can you identify with the attitude behind the statement “This is my body and I can do with it what I please” ? How so? What is God calling you to do, say, think, feel?
11. ) Complete the activity on page 113. Did God reveal anything to you about the lies you have been believing? (This reminds me of our discussion about truth journaling…have you been doing that? If not, how about giving it a try? If so, can you post and let us know how it is going?)
12.) Chapter 12 evaluates further the lies we believe and the value of replacing lies with truth. It is very easy along the path of God’s provision to hop back on to the path of my performance. It usually begins with a subtle lie or shading of the truth. This chapter encourages us to really evaluate our thinking and to be circumspect so as not to allow ourselves to become focused again on our performance. We do this in two ways, typically: 1. We are proud of how well we are doing and want the world to see our new body and how great it looks in the next size down. or 2. We are ashamed of how poorly we are doing and want to quit altogether. The truth is, whether we are releasing weight or not, God is doing a work in our hearts and we want to keep submitting to that process! Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness.
13.) Turn to page 125-127 and read this list out loud. Even better if you can stand in front of a mirror and read it as if you were giving a speech to someone (yourself!). The statements here come from Scripture. Do you believe them? Ask God to help you to trade the lies you have been believing for his truth. The challenges we face with weight, food, self-loathing are truly a battle of the mind. What will we choose to believe? We will live out of our beliefs.
14.) Join us at one of our chats this week! Or visit a different venue to offer encouragement to others. (You can find them all at our God Is Doing a New Thing website).
God IS doing a new thing! He IS! 🙂
