“This radically obedient woman realizes she is righteous and will find God’s best when she pursues right choices that bring glory to Him,” Lysa Terkeurst.

 This sentence is being lived out before my eyes.  A transformation is occurring in my friend, LadyAdvo (pseudonym), from our church’s small group.

The transformation is wholly due to her radical obedience.

“I am finally becoming what He made me to be, bold for Him.  I never realized I needed to do that,” says LadyAdvo.

The transformation is evident to everyone who knows her.  This quiet woman once stood in the shadows.  But, not anymore.  The Lord is showing my friend her value.  She is radiant with determined courage.

“I never expected my faith to grow through this journey.  I’ve been examining my life from the inside out.  To be healthy from the inside out has made me rely on the Lord more than ever,” she told me yesterday.

From the inside out, not only means the food she puts in her body, but words she tells herself.  She is reclaiming thoughts that are good and valuable about herself.  Christ’s love has compelled her to realize she is worthy.

She is becoming the new creation of 2 Corinthians 5:14-18, inside and out.

“People ask me if it is hard to change a lifestyle and start a journey like ours.  I wouldn’t say hard.  I would say challenging.  We are challenged daily to make healthy choices for us and our sons.  We are challenged to be active instead of lazy.  We are challenged daily to make this a priority….to be 100% committed to it.  And we are.  If something doesn’t challenge you then it can’t change you.  Worth it?  Absolutely.  This is a war which presents a new battle for me daily.   I won the battle today.  And it is a big one.  I hit a 50 pound loss today.”

NO, it hasn’t been easy.  She’s endured waking at 5 a.m. to exercise before work.  She has exercised in spite of discomfort on her joints and feet.  Capturing thoughts can be painful.  But, just like anything that is of value, she said #yestoGod with 100% commitment.

Complete commitment makes all the difference.  I understand LadyAdvo’s journey in a small way.  I made a conscious effort to get healthy when I was trying to reclaim my libido and lost a couple of dress sizes.  Whole health is very important for all aspects of life, even your spiritual life.

Without complete, utter, total, encompassing commitment through Christ, you start relying on yourself.  Relying on yourself always means failure eventually.  Being ‘all-in’ means you look to resurrection power when temptation overwhelms. 

The ‘all-in’ mindset is a choice you remake every hour.  You have to recommit continually.  LadyAdvo sends out pleas to her prayer warriors when despair lurks, when her ‘all-in’ is a little shakey.

The Lord has given her the ability to be kind to herself.   If she has a set-back here and there it doesn’t mean she’s worthless.  Not every day is stellar.  But, every day she is worthy through Christ!

Many #yestoGod scenario’s involve hearing God’s voice to help others to glorify Him.  But, I think that our #yestoGod can be stepping out of our own comfort zones to help ourselves and thereby glorify Him.  Last week,  I shared that God asked me to understand marital intimacy more fully.

By becoming healthy, well-rounded stewards, we can be at our best to serve the Lord. 

This is what LadyAdvo has to say about why she is stepping out of her comfort zone, “Before March, before HOPE, I would not have swam a relay with my family.  I would have stayed in my chair and let someone else enjoy the time with my sons.  Never, never again will I stand on the sidelines.  Never again will I be the mom who can’t or would rather not.  I will be the mom in the middle of the game.  I will see those smiles on the faces of my sons again, over and over and over, cuz this momma is here to play!”

She says this after attending a race at Darlington, “I couldn’t walk up stairs without running out of breath last year.  I was only able to walk around for 2 hours without sitting down.  I was exhausted halfway through the day.  Different story now!  I walked for 6 hours without a break!  I was not worn out, tired or sore.  I went up and down hills without being winded.”

LadyAdvo’s courage has allowed her to accept help from the Lord.  We humans are stubborn mules.  When we go ‘all-in,’ it’s actually admitting that we will allow the Lord to help us.  It’s not arrogance.  It’s the ultimate act of humility.

“I could never be strong like this alone.  This journey to health with the Lord has strengthened our marriage and our relationship with our sons.  It’s amazing how much better a parent and wife I am when I feel better.  My faith has never been stronger.  I truly believe that this was God’s plan.  I am truly blessed.” 

“This radically obedient woman, LadyAdvo, realizes she is righteous and will find God’s best when she pursues right choices that bring glory to Him,” Lysa Terkeurst.

Now, read the sentence again, only replacing your name where LadyAdvo’s is. 

We all have the power to find God’s best when we allow ourselves to go ‘all-in.’  As Lysa says, “He must be Lord of all if He is our Lord at all.”

How can you go all-in with the Lord?

A Quiet Messenger