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Transcript

What the Enemy Is Trying to Steal From You Through Food & Habits (And How to Fight Back) · Honoring My Temple

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Honoring My Temple podcast.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking to put God at the center of your life and live that out practically through your health, habits, and everyday choices, this podcast is for you.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Kelly Wenner, founder of Soul Strength Fit and author of Honoring My Temple.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Here we explore biblical wisdom and how to apply it to real life, your mindset, food, exercise, and the habits that shape who you're becoming.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get started.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Years ago, my dad had a major heart attack.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: At the time, I had three little ones.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: My youngest was around six months old, maybe a year, and my other two were around three and five.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: That night was a blur, but there are parts I remember so clearly.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: I was woken up around midnight by a phone call from a nurse at the hospital.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: My dad had had a heart attack.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: One of his arteries was nearly 100% blocked, and they were taking him in immediately to place a stent.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: They need me to go pick up my mom and bring her to the hospital.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I remember driving to my mom's house, crying, afraid, and praying.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: I was asking God for more time.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: More time with my dad.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: More time with our family together.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm close with my parents, and I just remember flashes going through my mind.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Summers in Newport, birthday celebrations, family dinners.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: And then I had this thought.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: It might sound random, maybe even out of place, but I think when you're faced with the possibility of losing someone you love, your perspective just shifts instantly.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: I realized I had wasted time.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: I had wasted moments, moments of joy worrying about my weight, worrying about my body, trying to get back to what I thought I should look like after having kids.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And driving to my mom's house in the middle of the night, tears streaming down my face, it hit me.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: I had wasted moments of my life.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Every moment I spent stressed, anxious, critical of my body was a moment that I didn't have to give away.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: I had given away moments of joy and traded them for stress, frustration, comparison, envy.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember thinking, as I was praying so desperately for more time, that I had actually squandered moments of joy that I could have had.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Time is so short, it's so precious.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I had let something like body image steal moments of peace and of joy.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that might sound unrelated, but I don't think it is, because for so many of us, especially as women, moms, we can lose joy over where we think we should be versus where we are.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Comparison, frustration, body image, low self-esteem, it quietly steals from us.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And in that moment, driving in the middle of the night, tears streaming down my face, I made this decision.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to squander another moment of joy worrying about my weight or how I look.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I wish I could say that from that moment on, I never struggled again, but it's not completely true.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: I've come a long way, but it's still something I've had to work through.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: But what I've come to realize is this I want to care for my body and my health with wisdom, but I don't want this area of my life to diminish my joy.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: I want to be a person who's wise, who's hardworking, who's diligent, who's self-disciplined.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: I want every aspect of my life to reflect those character traits.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And the way I care for my health, that's not separate from that.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually one of the most consistent daily ways I get to practice those traits, to live them out.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I never want this part of my life to steal my joy again.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what I know to be true.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Satan's mission is to steal, to kill and to destroy.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And he will do this in a variety of ways, including through food, body image, and your health.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: The enemy is not always obvious.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: He's not always loud, sometimes he's subtle.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: In John 10 10, Jesus says, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: That word thief comes from the Greek word klepto.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: It paints a picture of a pickpocket, someone who steals so quietly, so skillfully that you don't even realize something is missing until it's already gone.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And that's how the enemy often works.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Not always through big, obvious destruction or big moments, but through small, quiet compromises, through thoughts, through patterns, through habits, through distractions.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you: what might be getting stolen from you right now in your health, in your eating, in your body image, in your joy, in your peace, in your confidence, maybe in your ability to walk in wisdom and self-discipline.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe comparison envy, constantly measuring yourself against others is quietly robbing you of joy.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe even your future health because of small, repeated choices that don't feel like a big deal in the moment.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: For many people, food becomes one of the enemy's most effective tools.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Do you ever find yourself constantly thinking about food, planning it, craving it, feeling controlled by it?
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Do those thoughts steal your peace?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Is food or drink a source of temptation in your life?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel guilt or shame around your choices or after overeating?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Is your health being impacted because it's hard to resist things that you know don't serve your body well?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because here's the truth: our eating becomes harmful when it starts to sabotage our health, undermine our confidence, or stirs up emotions like guilt and shame, or robbing us of our joy.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says the thief comes not just to steal, but also to kill and destroy.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Meaning if he can't subtly take something from you, he's gonna go after it more aggressively.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: He'll try to damage it, derail it, or just ruin it altogether.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: The enemy wants you defeated.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: He wants you stuck, he wants you discouraged.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: He wants you to believe you'll never change, never reach your goals, never become who God is calling you or equipping you to be.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to steal your joy.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: But Jesus says right after that, I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly, not barely getting by, not constantly struggling, but a life that is full, rich, purposeful, and that includes this part of your life too.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: I want to invite you to do two things today.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: First, notice how Satan may be stealing from you in this area of your life.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Your joy, your health, your peace, your power, your ability to walk in self-discipline through your food choices, your habits, and the way you think about your body.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Just notice it, become aware of it because awareness is the first step in fighting back.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: And second, I want to invite you to change the way you think about your health journey.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of asking, how quickly can I lose this weight?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: How fast can I get in shape?
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: How quickly can I change?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: I invite you to rewrite that narrative and instead ask yourself, how joyful can I be walking with Jesus in this process?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: That one shift changes everything.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: In John 15, 5, Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: Apart from me, you can do nothing.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: To abide in him means to remain in him, to stay connected, dependent, and close.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's a continuous relationship.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: He is always with you, and you are always in his presence.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: But it can be so easy to forget that, especially in the middle of everyday life, and especially in this area of our lives.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you: are you approaching your health goals with Jesus at your side, or are you trying to do it on your own?
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: I can't tell you how many women I work with who have never thought to pray about their eating habits, to ask for strength, for wisdom, for self-discipline.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: But we have the opportunity to invite him into every part of our lives, even our health, even the meals, even the workouts, even the thoughts and the habits.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: He's not just at the finish line waiting for you.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Being a Christian doesn't just mean you're saved, it means you are being transformed right here, right now, in every aspect of your life.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: So imagine your health journey like you're driving a car, you're moving forward, you're making decisions, you're taking action, but Jesus is in the passenger seat, right there next to you, inviting you to enjoy the journey, to enjoy the ride with him.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: You're not alone in this.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: So where might the enemy be using food, body image, or your health to steal from you?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Is he robbing you of joy, of peace, of confidence, of self-control?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let the enemy steal from you.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: So many women are robbed of joy in this area of their lives as they try to change.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: It becomes I'll be happy when, I'll be happy when I lose the weight, when I look different, when I feel different.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: But Jesus invites you to be joyful now, joyful in the process, joyful in the journey.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if you haven't done this yet, give this part of your life to God, your health, your eating, your habits.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Put it in his hands, surrender it to him, but then with joy, commit to following where the Spirit leads, because the Spirit will lead you to a place of power, joy, and self-control.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: The message version of Matthew 6.33 says, steep your life in God reality, God initiative, and God provisions.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: The reality is God is with you in every part of your life.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And when you put every part of your life into his hands, you begin to see his hand in everything.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: But there's also a call to take initiative, not to just think differently, but to act, to act differently.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: What would it look like for you to take godly initiative in your health, to make the next wise decision, to choose discipline in the moment, to care for your body with intention.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Because surrender is not the opposite of action.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Surrender is the foundation of it.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: It anchors you, it gives you clarity, it keeps you focused on what is wise and beneficial, and it gives you power.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: So don't sit back, step forward.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Invite the Lord into this journey.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Picture Jesus in the passenger seat with you right there, every step of the way.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: And as you move forward, be joyful in it, in the meals, in the workouts, in the decisions.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Apply 1 Thessalonians 5.16 to your health journey.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Be joyful always.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Pray in all of it.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Be thankful in the midst of it.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Don't miss the journey, because that's where Jesus is.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: So in the week ahead, take godly initiative with your health, but do it with a spirit overflowing with joy.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: And keep asking yourself, how joyful can I be as I walk with him in this process?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you're ready to put Jesus at the center of your health journey, I'd love to walk with you.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Check out my eight-week program with one-on-one coaching.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: Link is in the show notes.