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by Donna Partow copyright@2004 The pathway to becoming the woman you want to be is found in actively pursuing maximum health in spirit, soul and body. Each area profoundly affects the others. It’s hard to be a woman of prayer [thus cultivating a healthy spirit] when you can’t get out of bed a little earlier than the rest of your family because you’re too exhausted [because you have an unhealthy body]. And it’s hard to have a positive impact on the people around you when you’re negative, discouraged and depressed [a reflection of an unhealthy soul]. You can’t have optimal health in one area without attending to all three areas. They are too intricately bound. If you’re anything like me, you’ve struggled to keep all of this in balance. Perhaps you’ve had a time of spiritual renewal when you were active in a Bible study or attended a retreat that rekindled the flame of your first love for God. For weeks, or even months, your spirit was vibrant and healthy. But you neglected your body and eventually physical exhaustion wiped out your spiritual zeal. Or perhaps you joined a gym and began getting in shape—but you skipped your Quiet Time so you could exercise first thing in the morning. Next thing you knew, you were more concerned about how your clothes fit than you were about the fact that you were routinely throwing fits. Perhaps you began seeing a counselor to deal with emotional issues in your life and gained tremendous insight into why you do the things you do. You determined to make changes, but simply couldn’t mount enough energy or willpower to implement them. Perhaps you didn’t realize all that coffee and those donuts were weakening your ability to function effectively. Your soul’s well-being was ultimately compromised by your unhealthy body. If we are going to become all that God desires us to be, it will require a synergistic approach. We cannot focus on one area to the exclusion of the other two. Our goal needs to be optimal health in spirit, soul and body. What I’ve tried to do—for your benefit as well as mine--is bring everything together in one place. Let me explain how the program works by describing the daily routine and the rationale behind each component. SPIRIT Cultivating a healthy spirit requires devoting time each day to the spiritual disciplines of scripture memory, Bible reading, reciting scripture-based prayer and prayer journaling. All four are included right here on these pages. Each day features: Scripture to memorize The first item on your daily journey is your scripture to memorize. Every five days, you will be assigned a new memory verse to ponder. At the end of 90 days, you will have mastered 18 passages, all of which are directly related to our theme of renewing your spirit, soul and body. Some passages are popular favorites; others may be unfamiliar to you. Please give careful attention to both varieties. Passage to read Each day, you will have a passage to read. To be completely honest, when I’ve read books in the past that instructed me to go look up such-and-such scripture, I found myself getting frustrated—or I simply guessed what I thought the passage was about (based on the reference or the contextual clues provided by the author). I’m one of those people who can’t always sit down at a desk--with three versions of the Bible, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Vine’s Expository Dictionary on hand—while I’m working through a book like this. I’m guessing that at least some of you know what I’m talking about. That’s why I have printed out the entire text of each scripture passage right here on these pages for your convenience. Guided Prayer I have put a great deal of thought, effort and prayer into the process of writing out a guided, scripture-based prayer each day, derived from the daily passage. Please, don’t rush past these. Instead, slowly pray through each one. I would strongly encourage you to pray them aloud. That way, the words become more than just marks on a page. They become the prayer of your own heart. When you not only base your prayer requests on Scripture, but actually turn Scripture into a prayer, you don't have to worry whether or not you are praying according to God's will--you are. A prayer from your heart Next, several lines have been provided for you to write out your own prayer. Please, please, please do not skip this exercise, as I truly believe prayer journaling is a powerful tool for spiritual growth. This is also a good way for you to practice turning scripture into prayer, a skill that will yield spiritual benefits throughout your lifetime. SOUL For many years, I was puzzled by the verse, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). I knew we could not earn our salvation, so what were we supposed to work on? Here’s what I believe it means: take what God has already accomplished in your spirit and let it transform your soul—your mind, your will and your emotions. Yes, God has made it possible for you to enjoy heaven in heaven, but you can enjoy a little of heaven down here to earth. If God’s only concern were your eternal salvation, you would have been directly transported to heaven on the day you accepted Christ. But the fact is, God chose to leave you here for a specific purpose. He has Kingdom work for you to complete before you leave earth. God himself gives you the supernatural energy and the power and the desire to complete the good works he prepared in advance for you …but you’ve got a part to play, too. You can’t just lie on your bed and pray for God to do the rest. Although praying is the ideal starting point, it won’t get you over the finish line. You have to get up and put forth some serious effort. You have to apply that energy and power and desire, using it to move forward and take the necessary steps as an act of your will. God gives us freedom. He will never violate your will or force you to live a certain way. But he will give you the energy, power and desire—in other words, everything you could possibly need—to fulfill your life purpose. But only you can get on that path, put one foot in front of the other, and walk worthy of your high calling. In case you are still unclear about what that path might look like, the Bible spells it out plainly: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Phil. 2:14-15, NIV). Did God provide a checklist of things to “accomplish”? No! God gives us instructions concerning the type of character we are to demonstrate—the kind of woman he wants you to be. And as you live that way, you will indeed, shine like a star in the universe. That’s your assignment right there. The rest is just details. Since God specifically mentions “do everything without complaining or arguing” as the key to shining like stars in the universe, our soul-focus (did you catch the little pun?) during the next 90 days will be developing an attitude of thankfulness, although we shall explore other soul-issues, as well. Affirmation to recite: The way to transform your mind is not trying to rid yourself of the garbage you’ve been fed over the years and the negative thinking patterns that have held you captive in the past. (If that approach worked, I would be Mother Teresa by now. Trust me, it doesn’t work!) Instead, deliberately turn your attention to the positive—and I want you to be very aggressive about it. I’ m not talking about becoming a Pollyanna or wasting your time on wishful thinking. No, I’m talking about re-programming your mind with the truth of God’s Word. The other day, I heard someone say that what most of us need is brainwashing, using God’s Word as the soap. Here’s how Webster’s Dictionary defines brainwash: to teach a set of ideas so thoroughly as to change a person’s beliefs and attitudes completely.” Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s time for you to get serious about washing your brain. To assist you in this process, I have written a daily Affirmation (positive statement of Biblical truth). However, It won’t be enough simply to read the daily Affirmation. Frankly, that will do you no good. You will need to recite them aloud, over and over and over, until they begin to transform you from the inside out. As you fill your mind with the truth about who God is and all the good things he has done in the past and desires to do in the future, the negative will eventually get washed away. All of the Affirmations are rooted in scripture and most are simply re-phrased Bible passages. Here again, as you observe how I have done this for 90 days, you will automatically be able to transform Bible verses into Affirmations on your own. I cannot over-emphasize how important these Affirmations are! I believe they are an extremely powerful component of this 90-day program. Action to take: As you think new thoughts, your attitude will begin to change. Gradually, with a new attitude, the words you speak and the way you respond will change. Your behavior—the actions you take-- will change. This is what the scripture means when it says “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then something wonderful will begin to happen: you’ll notice that people respond to you differently. Your circumstances begin to change. It becomes a positive cycle of blessing. Each day I will give you some action to take to implement what you’re learning in a practical way. This is your opportunity to apply the force of your will toward a positive end. Attitude Adjustment The final component of the soul-portion of your 90-Day Renewal addresses your emotions. Let’ s go back to the dictionary for a moment. Emotion is defined as a “strong feeling.” My edition points out: “Emotion is used of any of the ways in which one reacts to something without careful thinking.” So your emotions are a reflection of who you are when you’re not thinking—it’s the gut-level you. It’s what the Bible means when it says, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). Yet, as we shall discuss throughout our journey together, your thinking directly affects your emotions. Indeed, the best way to get a handle on your emotions is to change the way you think and what you think about. Each day, I will offer some suggestions directed toward changing your thinking or giving you something encouraging to think about. Body The last component to address on your journey to becoming The Woman You Want to Be is your body. Let’s face it, how you feel physically has a profound impact on your spirit and soul. Each day is divided into two distinct areas: diet and exercise. Diet I am not a doctor or dietician. I’m not a nutritionist. I’m just a fellow human being who has figured out that what I eat directly impacts my emotions and energy level. It therefore directly impacts my ability to live the kind of life God desires for me. It’s not my intention to overhaul your entire eating routine or put you on a strict regimen. Instead, I will suggest relatively minor additions and gradual changes. Again, rather than focusing on the negative—what you shouldn’t eat and what you have to give up—I’ve focused on the positive. As you incorporate enough positive dietary choices, I believe the negative will automatically dissipate. For example, in the second week, I am asking you to consume 64 oz of water per day. That’s a fairly large quantity of fluids. I think you may find it difficult to consume your usual 4 cans of soda or 5 glasses of iced tea in addition to all that water. The more water you drink, the less food you’ll eat. From Day 1, you’ll be encouraged to eat as many vegetables as you can from the approved list. By increasing your vegetable intake, you will automatically cut down on the volume of starchy, sugar-laden carbohydrates you can consume. Pretty tricky, eh? Exercise Exercise is vitally important to our overall sense of well-being, that's why I’ve done a great deal of research into what works and what doesn’t in the area of physical fitness. If you have the time, money and inclination to join a gym or register for a formal work-out class, I think that’s absolutely awesome. You can bypass my daily exercise admonition, which will be included for the benefit of everyone else. I prefer to keep it simple. I’ve found three things that work best for me, so that’s what I’m recommending to you. My top three fitness strategies are: Walking. Jumping. And Strength Training. If you can find a fitness partner—a friend to join you in these activities--so much the better. I’ve always exercised more consistently when I’ve had a friend to keep me motivated. For walking, all you need is a great pair of shoes. (Don’t try to save money here. Invest in a quality shoe specifically designed for walking, not running, cross-training, etc.) For bouncing, a mini-trampoline (also known as a Rebounder) is ideal. To learn more about the unique benefits of rebounding, please read my article, "The Benefits of Rebounding." You can order a top- quality ReboundAIR right here at this website. For strength training, I recommend a super-short workout video/DVD such as the 08-minute workouts by Jorge Cruise . There’s no need to undertake an hour-long video, unless you want to transform yourself into a fitness model. For the average woman, long workouts are over-kill. Besides, if you’re like most women, you’ll quickly burn out. Little bits with consistency will prove far more effective than an intense fitness craze that doesn’t last. Let’s Begin Now you have a clear overview of what the next 90 days will feature. I hope you’re excited about the prospect for positive change in your life. If you stick with the program, I’m convinced you’ll agree your efforts will be well-rewarded in the end. It’s my prayer that this book will help you become The Woman You Want to Be. Join the FREE 90-Day Renewal Support Program Tens of thousands of women have already experienced DRAMATIC transformation with Becoming the Woman I Want To Be: A 90-Day Journey to Renewing Spirit, Soul & Body. Isn't it YOUR turn? |
