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I honestly don’t know how to start this post. So I’m just telling you that. It’s as good a place to start as any. The wordsmith is at a loss for words for two reasons. #1 – God is doing a work in my life and although I know He wants me to tell you about it, I’m not sure I can sum it up nicely in a blog post. And #2 – It’s more than a little embarrassing.

I’ve confessed sins, shortcomings and other foibles here before, but let’s face it, we rank and categorize sin. The grace of God begs us not to, but we humans are a fallible, judgmental brood. We’re the worst. And though I have talked about this issue with close friends and family members and made self-deprecating jokes to strangers and acquaintances, I spend most of my time trying to hide it. It’s not that others can’t see it. It’s pretty darn obvious. And yet I dress myself and avoid taking pictures and hide behind others to try to forget…I’ve gained a lot of weight.

Body image has been a lifelong struggle for me. But in my younger years I kept my issues under wraps with fad diets, appetite suppressants, obsessive calorie counting and extreme exercise sessions. About 6 years ago, I went through some counseling and was encouraged to lay all those things aside. But instead of tasting freedom, I quickly fell into more bondage – that of gluttony. And I fell and broke my foot. Then I tore my ACL and MCL resulting is rehab, surgery and more rehab. And then I got the cancer diagnosis. Each issue left me restricted from the vigorous exercise routine I kept to counterbalance the comfort food I was eating. Each year I bought into the excuses and gained more weight until, frankly, I felt pretty helpless about the whole situation.

When the opportunity presented itself to review the book Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science by Drew Dyck, I knew I needed to read it. As a card carrying member (no really) of the fitness industry, I have read lots of books about health and wellness – even ones with a spiritual component. And I’ve still continued to try to diet off and on (more off than on), so I can’t say that I expected this read to be transformational for me. But it was. While Dyck writes about all issues of self-control, God used it to convict me of my gluttony and misuse of food. The author points out that as Christians we usually speak of “dealing with issues or struggling with sin. But rarely do we speak of defeating it!” In the same way I have tended to view my weight issues as a personal weakness instead of what it is – flat out rebellious disobedience.

I knew I needed the truths in the book after reading this in the introduction: “I’ll never arrive at perfection, not in this life. I don’t expect to. But shouldn’t Christians expect to make some progress? Shouldn’t they gradually overcome bad habits and besetting sins? Shouldn’t they become more humble and selfless? Shouldn’t they look a little more like Jesus with every passing year? Shouldn’t I?” Whoa. The author fills the rest of the book with instructional scriptures and practical tips for fighting against our sin nature and actually growing our self-control like a muscle.

I followed up this read (after making note cards of all the things I had underlined in the first book) with The Power of Christian Contentment: Finding Deeper, Richer, Christ-Centered Joy by Andrew M. Davis. For me, in this particular issue, self-control and contentment are deeply interwoven. My “failure to find genuine contentment in the midst of any and every circumstance” has led me repeatedly to grab it for myself, in the cheapest and most convenient way possible. Davis says, “Much of our discontent comes from our selfishness in pursuing our own agendas, seeking our own glory, feeding our own lusts. We were created to be God-centered servants of His will, moment by moment.” “A discontent servant has ceased to obey the master and is actually rebelling against the commands he is giving.” I’ll leave this discussion of contentment with one last convicting question: “Has Christ, crucified and resurrected on your behalf, done enough to make you content today…or must he do a little more?” If that one stung a little, rest assured it burned me too. I mean, is there really something that bag of Cheetos can do for me that Jesus didn’t?

Putting all of this out into the blogosphere is a little scary.

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I mean, I could tell you that I fight against envy (which I often do) and you would have no real way of knowing the extent of my conviction and repentance. But this…will be kind of obvious. And yet, I felt God urging me to continue to be authentic. I’m loosing weight, but that is not really the point. In fact, do not buy either of these books if you hear me saying that they contain a successful diet plan. They don’t! I chose to read these books based on a work that God had already started in me. The work is one of repentance and obedience. Both of these books have been an encouragement to me in this quest. And I’m committing to obedience regardless of the outcome.

I was generously gifted these books from Moody Publishers and Baker Books respectively. If you choose to purchase these books or anything else from the affiliate links included here, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to help offset the expenses of running this site. Thank you in advance.

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And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

Mix it Up Linky, InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

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Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

Today, I want to introduce you to Connie Rowland from Master’s Hand Collection. Connie’s an artist who highlights sign language in her works of art. She always has hands, in particular, God’s hands on her mind. Her desire is for you to experience God’s hand in a personal way. Below is an excerpt from her new devotional 7 Simple Ways to See God’s Hand in Your Life. I’m sure you’ll find encouragement and inspiration as you begin to see God’s hand for yourself. Here’s what Connie has to say:

The burdens and worry of life are never far away. Concerns about family, work, health, etc., are a part of our everyday routine. They can sometimes consume our thoughts and actions, leaving us feeling beaten down, tired, and ready to give up. In this mind-frame, it can be hard to see God’s hand clearly.

Because that’s what we want most when life takes a turn for the worst. To see God’s hand in the middle of the mess and to know we are protected and safe.

This verse is one you might be familiar with. It is quoted often in church or at Bible study. But I’d like for us to take a closer look…

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

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It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Just cast all your cares on God and let Him handle them. But, in reality, it’s a difficult thing to do.

Of course, we want to cast our cares on God and know He has them under control. We want to do the right thing and take our worry, regret, and pain to Him.

The problem is, most of us are pretty good at taking them back faster than we left them in the first place. I know from personal experience.

We needlessly carry the worries on our own shoulders instead of leaving them in God’s capable hands.

But we don’t have to continue this crazy game of backsies. We can stop taking our cares back from God and receive the relief He promises.

How?

This verse from 1 Peter offers three easy steps to receiving the benefit of being Protected Under a Mighty Hand. So, let’s dive in…

The first step is, to humble ourselves.

Humility goes against everything society believes. They tell us we don’t need anyone; we can do it on our own. They teach us to have a can-do attitude and that our own power will get us where we need to go. They say humility is a bad thing. It will make us weak in other people’s eyes and it will put us lower on the totem pole.

But God doesn’t ask us to humble ourselves to make us feel weak or small. He knows that true wisdom comes from humility.

We are frail and flawed by God’s design. We are created to need Him!

And the only way for us to see the protection of His mighty hand is to humble ourselves and kneel before Him. It’s an act of total surrender and dependence on God. Instead of taking care of ourselves like the world tells us to, we put our lives, our worries, all of it, completely in God’s care. And once we are on our knees, we’ll be in the perfect place to crawl under His mighty hand.

The next step, casting our cares upon Him, is not something we do once, and it’s done. It’s a continual process of taking our burdens to God each day and seeking His wise and generous counsel in every problem we face.

God cares for us! He is concerned about every aspect of our lives. We are important to Him. And no matter how long our list of worries becomes, God’s mighty hand is big enough to hold them all! That’s amazing!

So, take your cares to God and receive His wisdom, mercy, and protection.

And the last step is to wait for Him to exalt us in due time.

God doesn’t leave us to face our burdens alone. His hand shows us great compassion through hardship and grief. It delivers us from the troubles and worries that threaten to overtake us. And God’s hand lifts us up and exalts us in His perfect time.

Under the mighty hand of God… that’s a wonderful place to be. Protected by the most powerful hand in the universe. Comforted and cared for by God’s grace. Carried through the burdens of life.

That’s where I want to be. How about you?

Are you ready to be protected under God’s mighty hand? Are you willing to humble yourself before Almighty God? Will you take your cares to Him and be exalted in due time? I pray that you will… because Protected Under a Mighty Hand is the best place to be!

Connie Rowland is the artist behind Master’s Hand Collection. Her art represents God’s hand in our lives by featuring American Sign Language. Each piece is lovingly created to encourage you in your walk with Jesus and to spread the gospel to those who don’t know Him yet.

Want to know more about God’s Hand? Claim your FREE copy of her newest devotional 7 Simple Ways to See God’s Hand in Your Life. And you can use the same link to view and purchase Connie’s inspiring artwork.