Scripture Reflection
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19
Do you have any idea how powerful you are? Have you ever thought about it?
Luke 10:19 is just one of many scriptures that talks about the power we have in Christ. So if we have all of this power and authority, why do we feel so powerless?
How is it that we have been given the power and authority to cast out demons, yet we can’t stop ourselves from eating a piece of chocolate?
Why do you struggle with so many issues around your weight such as emotional eating, laziness, self-control, guilt, and feelings of low self-esteem?
The problem is analogous to having an air conditioner on a scorching hot day.
You have been given an indispensable tool to help you but until you plug in the air conditioner, you will never receive the benefit and the power that exists at your disposal. Until you call on the Holy Spirit to be your help, as our instruction book tells you, you will never walk in the authority you have been given.
If you struggle with accessing your God-given power, the serenity prayer is a beautiful depiction of how you can understand and access your power. If you’re not familiar with it, it goes like this:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
God has given us incredible power. But it’s only available to you when you plug into your power source, which is Christ himself.
Understand what is within your power and stop trying to control the things that are not within your power. ‘Let go and let God’ is more than a cliche. It is the only way for you to live a life of joy, peace, and freedom that Christ died to give you.
As you study the serenity prayer, recommit to stop trying to do things in your own strength; stop trying to fix yourself and submit your inability to God. Allow His power to work in you.
You got this with the Lord as your strength!
Already familiar with this prayer? Let me know where you first heard it.
P.S. if you are tired of circling the same mountain over and over and want a Christ-centered approach to lasting weight loss without feeling guilty, deprived, or overwhelmed, be sure to sign up for our video course program right away at cathymorenzie.com
6 Comments
I was in Alanon. It saved my life!
I first heard it at an Al-Anon meeting. It’s a beautiful and very wise prayer.
My father was an alcoholic during my youth so I heard this prayer as a preteen when my mother went for help.
This was meant just for me ?
I went to Overeaters Anonymous for many years and learned the first part of the prayer over there.
The Serenity Prayer is close to my heart. I first heard and learned the shorter form of the Serenity Prayer at a secular 12 step group for the families of alcoholics when my first husband was in rehab. The longer form of the prayer we use regularly at a 12 Steps for Christians meeting I attend now. I believe that prayer literally saved my life in my first marriage. It gave me the ability to keep silent when to speak would have put me in danger of domestic violence. I had a poster of the Serenity Prayer on the back of the toilet door and instead of confronting my drunk husband, I would go to the toilet, sit on the closed toilet seat and repeat the prayer over and over until I was no longer angry or filled with fear. Praise God for the ways He finds to reach each of us. 🙂 🙂
Comments are closed.