Mysty PfefferGrace to self for times of weakness is the topic for week six’s STRENGTH Approach to Christian Wellness. Let’s face it, we all have setbacks, obstacles, and moments of weakness. Showing ourselves grace keeps us from condemnation because change is a process.
Victory comes in permanent lifestyle habits that build a stronger mind and body. But as we know, it doesn’t happen in one or two weeks. A better understanding of grace to self comes when we have a better grasp of God’s grace.
For instance, the biblical definition of grace is typically described as unmerited favor from God. We cannot earn grace because it is the Sovereign will of God. Throughout the Old Testament this favor was bestowed upon Noah, Abraham, Israel, David, and many others.
As we look at the New Testament, we see the term grace most often associated with salvation (redemption of our souls) and sanctification (becoming more like Jesus). However, there is also a new aspect of power in the Spirit as a nuance to the term (Elwell, 1997).
Acts 6:8 “Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Romans 1:5 We learn from Jesus, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.
Bible Gateway.com
It’s interesting that alongside this power from the Holy Spirit, we also see suffering and stewardship linked to grace (Elwell, 1997).
Titus 2:11-12– For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.
1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
Bible Gateway
Grace is given so we are strengthened in times of weakness. So, we look like a people called to live for God and not slaves to things of this world.
What makes a biblical view of grace so important for us today?
We are facing astronomical attacks on our bodies and minds every day! We need the power of grace outside ourselves to counteract daily attacks. You and I may be aware of gaslighting (repeated messages used for mind control) and fearmongering tactics among the media. But the manipulation of our minds does not stop there!
The attacks come through substances we are fooled into thinking is fuel for our bodies too! It is so subtle we experience extreme guilt when we lose control.
However, promises of pleasure and fulfillment in advertisements and social media alongside additives and flavorings in food, are only meant to bring you and I back for more.
The deceptive manipulation of our minds and taste buds hits the dopamine center of our brains that controls feelings of pleasure.
My friend, doctors around the country are speaking out and warning us about the dangers to our minds as well as additives and chemicals addicting us to products. Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Robert Lustig, and Mark Hyman are just a few doctors sounding the alarm.
All these doctors have developed functional medicine plans to help people get real and permanent relief from chronic pain and inflammation. But also to eliminate food addiction. What we can learn from these doctors is how processed food is contributing to disease, and depleting our bodies, and our minds, of vital nutrients.
Nutrients that help us fight obesity, dementia, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, ADHD, depression, or brain fog.
So, today grace starts with letting go of the guilt and becoming aware of how badly we’ve been deceived. The addictive properties of food are partially to blame. They act upon the neurotransmitters in our cells to create the pleasure response.
Moreover, when we’re facing stress, loneliness, and depression, we want the pleasure center activated. However, the more we allow ourselves to respond in this way, the harder it is to stop the habit.
Dr. Amen says, we build tracts in the brain with the repetitive behavior. Did you know that electrical pathways in the brain inhibit reasoning and will power as a result of addiction?
Dr. Pradip Jamnadas, an interventional cardiologist and founder of the Galen Foundation, describes casomorphines in cheese, gluteomorphines in bread, artificial sweeteners, and sugar cane as catalysts to inhibit reasoning in our brains.
They sound like drugs, don’t they?
I will link Dr. Jamnadas’ YouTube video below so you can visit the site and listen for yourself. It’s called, “Addiction: Why We Can’t Fast or Keep a Diet.”
The bottom line is we must replace the harmful habits with helpful habits that are accessible, realistic, and will become doable routines (Amen, 2020). But first, we’ll have to fast and pray as our Comforter, Councilor, and Mighty Prince of Peace gives us the power to resist.
The Daniel Fast is a great place to start! I can help you with this! Once our old taste buds die off in 10 to 12 days and are replaced with new ones, we can defeat brain depleting temptations.
I have some great preparation ideas in some of my workshops and during Wellness Coaching, I’d be happy to help you with developing a new approach. In the meantime, I will pray you are empowered with wisdom and knowledge so you can give yourself grace in times of weakness.
I leave us with Psalm 19:7-14 as we stay the course:
References:
Amen, Daniel, Amen Clinic, Your Ultimate Guide to Gut Health | Amen Clinics
Biblegateway.com
Elwell, Walter A. Entry for Grace, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology 1997.
The Galen Foundation, December 24, 2021
