Overcoming

Today is a super exciting day, 1) because one of my best friends, Barb Roose is joining me on the podcast and 2) while this episode marks the end of the “Finding Joy” season of my ministry, it marks the beginning of an amazing new frontier, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to wrap this chapter up than with Barb.

Don’t worry, I’ll still be podcasting, writing and speaking. But I’m going to take a break for a little while as I get ready to share with y’all the NEW THING God has spoken over me and my ministry. I can’t wait until the day comes for me to unveil all of this to you, but until then, don’t miss my incredible conversation with Barb (and while I’m taking a break, feel free to catch up on the other 54 episodes too!) OK, onto today’s show.

Barb Roose joins me today for Finding Joy #55. Barb is not only one of my best friends, but she’s also an amazing speaker and the author of several books, including the recently released Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle book and Bible Study companion.

As you’ll hear in our conversation today, Barb spent years struggling to get a grip on the worries, anxieties and mental movies that attacked the victorious position she had been given in Christ. People told her to “just pray about it and trust God,” but the worries remained. Barb’s journey in overcoming worry led her to write books that would provide others with practical techniques and biblical tools to win the worry battle once and for all.

In this episode, Barb and and I talk about those books and discuss practical strategies to beat worry and claim God’s victory in this fight of faith—day in and day out. We also talk about the value in learning to view uncertainty from God’s perspective rather than our own. Uncertainty can drive us mad if we let it, but Barb has found another way to deal with the unknowns of the life.

I love what Barb had to say regarding the breakthrough she had in learning to change her perspective and get comfortable with uncertainty. “I came to a point where I realized that God has no cliffhangers,” she says. “And if he has no cliffhangers, that means we can trust that the information He’s given us is all we can handle for right now. And the rest of the uncertainties? Well, when it is time, He will let us know what else we need to know and give us what we need.”

I hope you enjoy our conversation, and please don’t miss the chance to enter to win a copy of Barb’s latest book below!

P.S. If you’ve been blessed by the Finding Joy Podcast, or if this episode blesses you, it would mean the world to me if you left a review on iTunes. This will help more people find the show and learn more about the joy of Jesus.

Links from the Show

Kaboom Cereal
Barb’s first podcast episode with me

Connect With Barb

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I watched her laugh as she stacked her plate with enough desserts to feed an entire family.

“I’m probably going to gain five pounds and go into a food coma,” she said to anyone who might be listening.

Others waiting in line joined her in a cackle of laughter. But as I looked at the women standing around the dessert table, I saw their faces told a less happy story than the laughter coming out of their mouths. Because on their faces, I didn’t see joy. Instead I saw fear, shame and sadness.

I’ve been around enough women and fought enough of my own food battles to know this scenario is far from uncommon. When it comes to our relationship with food, many of us either worship or fear it, and neither experience is what the Lord desires for us.

Food is a good and gracious gift from our Father. We need it to survive. We need it to thrive. But it is not the be all end all of our existence, and eating more or less of it will never satisfy our hungry souls.

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” So, while we need food, this verse reminds us that without God’s Word, we will never truly be satisfied. The ache within our heart can only be filled by the one who causes it to beat.

We can eat eight slices of chocolate cake or none at all, but either way, the answer to our deepest longings to feel whole, worthy and loved is not found in the cake. Satisfaction is only found when we seek Jesus with everything we have and ask Him to satisfy us from the inside out.

Food may satisfy us temporarily, but God satisfies us forever.

This truth was made very real to me in February 2017, when I underwent sinus surgery for a deviated septum. After waking up from anesthesia, I realized I had no sense of taste or smell. The nurse gave me applesauce, but if I hadn’t known any better I would have thought it was liquified sawdust. I should have been grateful for the sustenance, but every bite made me sink deeper into sadness and I longed to be able to taste what I was eating. Later that day I cried opening a can of soup. And that’s when I realized: I had a food fixation.

As a former food blogger who still does recipe development on the side, I can’t say I was surprised. I used to make a decent living photographing and making food. I lived for creating recipes. I dreamed about textures and flavor combinations. But, while all of that is fine and good, somewhere along the line I became obsessed. If I’m honest, I looked forward to eating food more than I looked forward to spending time with God.

I wouldn’t wish sinus surgery on anyone, but I don’t regret it, because God used it to help free me from the food fixation trap I had fallen into. After not being able to taste or smell food for weeks, I began to see food through a different light. Instead of being a slave to thinking about food 24/7, I was freed to enjoy food for what it really is — nourishment for my body. And that, sweet friends, was a beautiful and amazing thing.

Food was never meant to satisfy our souls. It sustains our bodies, but the satisfaction piece? That can only be filled by God and God alone.

If you’ve ever struggled with food fixation or any form of idolatry, this podcast is definitely for you! Join Asheritah Ciuciu on the Finding Joy Podcast and I as we talk about how she learned to cultivate a healthy relationship with food in exchange for a bigger appetite for God.
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