I can share all of my greatest healthy eating tips, impart all of my real food wisdom, and encourage you until I fall out of my chair. But the reality is, if eating real food is important to you, and you want to make healthy changes for yourself and for your family – you are going to first need to take your desires to God.
Think God doesn’t have time to listen to your concerns about your picky kids or limited grocery budget? Feel silly asking God for help when it comes to choosing vegetables over potato chips? Figure there are bigger cares to take before the throne than your transition to whole grains and brown rice? Then let me ask you this: How long have you been burdened by the desire to be healthier? How many times have you felt frustrated when you feel like you’ve failed, when your family hasn’t jumped on board with you, or when you’ve slipped back into unhealthy eating habits? God loves you no matter what, and sees you through His eyes of grace. But if you desire to make healthy changes, oh yes, He very much cares and will help you. He knows exactly what your limits are, and He knows exactly what you need. He’s got this!
Case in point: Do you know how long I’ve tried to stop craving and eating too much sugar? (From about the time I turned 6.) Do you know how hard I’ve worked to have self-control when it comes to chocolate? (I mean, it’s chocolate.) Do you know how many times I’ve tried and failed to help my picky eaters make good choices? (Why won’t they just put the cauliflower into their tiny little mouths and chew?)
This is going to sound cliché, but what-ever, because it applies to all areas of life, including chocolate and cauliflower: We can do nothing without God’s help.
If I’ve learned anything the past year, it is that on my own, I am weak and fall short. But when I give up my own control and accept God’s power to work through me, I am incredibly strong. Take it from a (recovering) chocolate, sugar, dessert addict who finally let God take over this weakness a few months ago. I’ve been trying on my own for years. My will power would carry me for a few days, then I’d slip back into my old chocolate-covered habits again. But I’m finally accepting God’s power to work in me with this, which is, without a doubt, so much more amazing than my own pitiful, sugar-coated will power.
Do you want to make healthy changes in your kitchen for yourself and for your family? Then confidently tell God your desires. And none of this worried kind of prayer either. “Oh God, I’m so scared that my kids are going to get scurvy because they won’t eat vegetables. Will you please help?” No, no. God already knows our desires and is our absolute helper. Pray confidently! “God, you know how much I desire for our family to learn to like healthier foods. I know you can work this out for us. I trust You and am excited to see You do this for us!” or “Father, you know our resources are limited, and you also know how eager I am to honor you by staying healthy. I trust you to provide and to show me how to make this work!”
Pray, listen, and confidently accept His gift of peace in this area of your life.
Setting goals is good. Making plans is wise. Becoming excited about making healthy changes is wonderful. But don’t start this new year by making goals and trying to make changes. Start by asking God to do His work in you and in your family. It’s the first step you should take toward making real food a reality!
Obviously, this can be applied to anything you desire – not just a desire to become healthier. Care to share some of your desires for this new year?
Almost 6 years ago I felt prompted to give up chocolate and ice cream. I had absolutely no self control when it came to both. I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me! I can’t make that kind of promise. I’ll never be able to keep it”. I ended up committing to giving them up. I prayed for help and he gave it to me. He took away my cravings and desire to eat them and its been easy. It’s been nearly 6 years since I ate ice cream or chocolate, and I could never have done that on my own.
Thank you for this! I am in the middle of failing that same battle with sugar (especially ice cream). It looks like I’ll be spending more time with God asking for strength in this area. Our own “will power” is so weak!
My desire for the new year is to become better at making my house into a home, and opening it to others. There is so much involved in this, including cleaning, cooking, and a change of my heart!! I need His help desperately!
This is the perfect post for the start of this series! I have several things that I need to work on and change. My God can make the impossible possible!
Thank you for this post! This falls right in line with what I was journaling this morning for myself. I can do nothing without God. I have been trying to gain control of all the areas of my life for years, and sugar is a problem for me as well. But slowly but surely, the knowledge that I can do nothing without God is growing stronger than the lies I believe about myself. Thank you for being so transparent and real. I look forward to your posts to make me smile and embrace the journey I am on as a mom.
I am so with you when it comes to resisting to much sugar! I crave sugar, and I indulge way to often! My goal for this year is to trust God to help me find a healthy balance when it comes to sugar. I used to think I needed to cut it out completely, but I’m realizing that I can have it, I just need to use moderation and self-control. God totally cares about our every need, even our need for self-control when it comes to food.
Thank you for reminding that God does care about every aspect of my life. After all, we ARE His! :) I love it when you write this way. I always need reminders that He cares about the little things too. I pray He delivers me from the love of sweets. Our church and many others are going on the 21 day Daniel fast in January. Prayerfully God will use this time of no sugar to get me off of it. Have any ideas for good Daniel Fast recipes for an unleavened bread?
Thank you for reminding that God does care about every aspect of my life. After all, we ARE His! :) I love it when you write this way. I always need reminders that He cares about the little things too. I pray He delivers me from the love of sweets. Our church and many others are going on the 21 day Daniel fast in January. Prayerfully God will use this time of no sugar to get me off of it. Have any ideas for good Daniel Fast recipes for an unleavened bread?
Such a blessing to hear these testimonies and desires to submit to God in this area of our walk with The Lord. Just this past week a sister shared her idolatrous love of Pepsi . God convicted her and she knew she must give it up . She said she has not had one in seven years, and the peace is so much greater than her former fleshly enjoyment. I have struggled all my life idolatrous love of food and sugar, but sadly during that time the enemy led me to another idol, ” healthy eating”. I found great physical benefits , but began to place it over the commands of God’s Word. My husband wanted to eat things , allow the children, and encourage me to eat things that were not ” healthy”. Instead of following the commands of 1 Peter 3:1-8 and many others referring to a wive’s submission, I portrayed the nagging, contentious wife God condemns. During those years of not being able to “convince “my husband, children, and family , and also still lusting after those ” king dainties” the scripture warns of ,in discouragement I would go back to a binge eating type of situation. I knew , as the book of James says, I was being double minded . Until this past year, when I saw the control of food over my life as opposed to the Holy Spirit’s control . I knew it was an area I was disobeying God. I also knew God said if we regard iniquity in our hearts He will not hear our prayers. I can now testify that I decide to trust Him for the food He would provide underneath my husband’s leadership, but do my best as a wife, mother, and keeper at home to purchase, cook, and serve food which would build our bodies which are the temples of the Holy Spirit. We are blessed with farm land, wild venison, fish from the local waters, eggs from our chickens , well water, and more. Yet,if God would place me in a situation where that was not available , I would pray and thank Him for His provision . Knowing that all things work together for the good to them that love God and are the called according to His purposes. I realized that continuing to make foolish eating choices when my husband had no preference , and to overeat ( gluttony) were sins . I was regarding iniquity in my heart. I was double minded and unstable in all my ways. I finally submitted to God and began eating as an act of love and worship to my Lord. I could not believe the difference. Peace flooded my heart . I actually had no desire for the foods that had held me in bondage for years. I did choose to fast and pray initially. There is spiritual power given as we fast and pray in a biblical way. I know I must ask God to help me plan meals that will replace the other foods we have eaten for years, and He gives simple and wonderful ideas . I so appreciate Laura’s desire and effort in offering recipes, how to’s, and products at Heavenly Homemakers. May each of us seek the face of God and trust Him to lead us in His Truth. He promises to supply all our needs. For with God nothing shall be impossible. To God be the glory !
Thanks for the reminder that even “healthy” things can be idols. I struggle with exercise (feeling like I “should”, etc.) and have realized that, with my limited time and energy, feeling guilty for not exercising was trying to lure me away from spending my precious morning time in God’s Word. I have to remind myself to put first things first and the rest will work its way out, with His help.
Looking forward to using this opportunity to rely more on God!
Thank you for this. I forget all too often that God is there for me in all things, not just some. My desire is to continue eating healthier while getting my home organized and my a few bad habits under submission. In other words, right at the top of my list is controlling what comes out of my mouth as much or more than what goes into it. But I’m thinking seriously of printing out this post as a reminder.
Thanks for this beautiful reminder. We usually forget that God knows us the best and that He will listen to everything we want to tell Him and guide us. You are good example to me of your love to Heavenly Father, thanks.
Happy New Year!
AMEN!!! Preach it sister
Thanks for this!! I am just now avoiding making supper b/c no one is going to like what I had planned to make! Making healthy meals is very important to me, but I so often get overwhelmed!!! I forget to pray about it! I sometimes save praying for “big” things and not for things like cooking! but God cares! He has shown me so many times! If I could just remember!
Thank you, Laura, for this gentle and timely reminder. I think the enemy loves it when we try to operate on our own willpower alone because he knows it will end in our own feelings of defeat. And he can use that to his advantage, to keep us from being and doing all that God has for us. God knows every hair on my head so I can be certain He also knows every pound on my body. He wants us to find freedom and victory through the power of the Holy Spirit. I appreciate your encouragement.
Thank you for this reminder. I was doing so well at all of this 2 years ago. Then I went through some rough patches and it all fell apart. I keep trying to start again, but haven’t had the energy to do the work it takes to eat well. Luckily, I am now feeling much better. I really want to start over. My family has no problem with healthy eating- the problem is all ME! So I’m taking it to God. I know I can do it with his help. Thanks, again.
Please pray for me that God will give me wisdom to know what to do about how much sugar/sweets I eat. I have felt a lot of confusion and guilt in this area over the last few years. It’s something that I have prayed about a LOT, and also talked to others about, including my husband, but I still can’t seem to understand what I should do. I have tried different approaches, from fasting for a month from it, to allowing myself one or two treats a week, but I still end up going overboard I feel like….I don’t want it to be an idol, but I don’t want to be legalistic over it either. The hardest thing for me about it is, that when I do eat desserts , it’s very hard for me to enjoy it because I’m worried about eating too much, and I feel like I do a lot of the time. What do you feel like moderation is in this area? Is it allowing yourself a few desserts a week, or a month or what? I do try very hard to eat healthy and include fruits and/or veggies at most meals, and most of the recipes I use are actually from your website :) I just feel like this is an area in my life that is hard for me to control. Thank you so much for all your great advice, and I am praying for your ministry as well.
That was always the hardest for me to control as well. I really had to surrender this to God, and let Him take the focus and worry of it all away from me. I suggest not making any hard and fast rules about sweets for yourself, but instead simply ask God to take away the cravings and to bless you with exactly what you need to conquer this battle. The battle is already won, thanks to Him!
Thank you so much, that is wonderful advice, and will be my prayer. Thank you for always being such a blessing to me and my family!!