We're so excited you've decided to join us for this Restart week! Our heart behind this week was really to give you a space to reconnect with God and what's important. During this week, you'll learn to not only accept, but walk in the love that God has for you, and trust us, it will change you from the inside out! So if you're sick of feeling frustrated or stuck or helpless, then this week is for you. We can't stress this enough - don't skip a day. It is important to do them in order. Let's get started with Day 1!
Click the links below to read our Restart Day's 1 - 7!
I love that quote from C.S. Lewis because it's so true! We've been preparing and building and toiling over these little cottages for ourselves, but God has a much bigger plan - he really is making us into that palace! Today, the first day of our rebuild, we're focusing on who God is. That may seem incredibly basic, but the truth is that so many of our seemingly unbreakable habits and guilt actually come from a misunderstanding of who God actually is. He's God the Father, not The Godfather, and today we're diving deeper into the truth of who our father is!
Now. Try reading that again and replacing the word love with the word God. Because God is love, and if that's true, then God must be all the things that love is!
"Grace means that there isn't anything you can do to make God love you any less. What will drive you crazy is the discovery that there isn't anything you can do to make him love you any more, either." ― (Hustling God by Craig Barnes).
1. What words come to mind when you hear the word 'God'? We know we will never completely understand who God is, but it's important that we try to know Him more and more. The best way to discover more about God is to read His Word - the Bible.
2. As you listen to the words of the song How He Loves Us, do you believe them? Do you believe that you were worth the price Christ paid on the cross? Do you believe that he would have still died, even if it was only for you? If not, will you allow God to show you how true these lyrics are?
Stop trying so hard to "do all the right things" to get God to love you. Stop trying to earn it! If you could earn it, then the cross and Christ's sacrifice are cheapened. Today, just sit and ask God to show you how much he loves you. If there are times in your life where you thought he wasn't there, I want you to ask Him today to show you where He was in those times. Once we see that He's truly never left us or abandoned us, we can start to accept and live in the love He pours out on us everyday. He really is there to help you through your days!
Please don't skip this last step. Watch this video.
Welcome to Day 2! Yesterday, we took a look at who God is, but today we want to dive deeper into our own identities. Once we start to believe that God is who he says he is, then we can start to believe that we are who God says we are! God is the foundation of our house, and our own identities as sons and daughters of God are the building plans for that house. So today, let's dream and allow God to show us who we are. We are no longer orphans and for that we say thank you, Jesus!
If you've heard this story before I pray God reveals something new to you. Something that opens your eyes wider to his love for you.
“But when he [the son] came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
“When we are younger and are wrestling with choices about the future, we are very often asked, and ask ourselves: “What are you going to do when you grow up?” It is the wrong question. What are we going to do is not who we are. When it was time for me to make choices, I should have been wrestling with another question. I should have been asking, “Who am I going to be when I grow up?” (Between the Dreaming and the Coming True by Robert Benson).
“Dear Jesus, Who am I really? What do you see in me that you would move heaven and earth to capture my heart? My life feels like a collection of other people’s expectations and disappointments. I do not even know anymore who I truly am. Reveal to me my true identity, my true place in Your store. Give me grace to hear your voice; shut out all other voices, and let me hear alone. I ask this in your name. Amen." (The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge).
What is holding me back from believing that I am a son or daughter of the King? That I am worthy, valuable and capable, and that my dreams are important to God? How different would life look if I really and truly believed that I am a friend of God?
God Loves you. God asks you to love him back, and to love others like we love ourselves. If you can't love yourself, you'll have such a struggle trying to do either. Today, love yourself. Believe you are worth the time and love and attention and affection of God. You were born to be loved, and that's the truth. Make a list of the characteristics you see in yourself as "unlovable." Take that list in your hand and ask God to release you from the lies of the list, and then rip it up! Maybe you can even burn it! Then, find a mirror (ok, we're going to make you a little uncomfortable with this) look deeply at your reflection and love what you see. Don't look at the physical imperfections and don't think about your flaws, see yourself as God sees you. You are His masterpiece!
We're excited about Day 3! On day 1, we talked about the importance of knowing who God is, and then yesterday we discussed how we can believe that we are who God says we are. We've got a new foundation for our house, and we've got these nice new building plans, and what we need to do now is knock down the old house! Knocking down and rebuilding can be a painful process, but so worth it when you know the beautiful new house that is soon to come. So! With that hope and promise in our hearts, we set about getting rid of the old to usher in the new.
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
“The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do." (Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer).
Today is demolition day, so it might be a little painful. But don't be afraid of that. Joy comes in the morning, and the pain only makes the way for something more beautiful. That being said, what I'd like you to do is to pray these verses from Psalm 139, "“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Then, sit quietly and let God speak to you. If we want to be transformed it's important to know the things God wants us to change. I pray these verses every few weeks and it's been amazing what God has revealed to me as I sit quietly with an open heart ready to hear.
I'd like you now to focus on the things that you feel are holding you back right now? Is there something you are holding on to so tightly that you can't reach out for His hand? Take a few minutes today to journal about the things that God has been asking you to let him tear down. Is it unforgiveness? Is it busyness? Is it fear of other people? Is it an unwillingness to give up control? Is it a lack of trust in God for health, finances, or something else? Ask God to tug on your heart, and give him permission to tear things down and rearrange as he needs to! Jesus is a gentleman, and he won't barge in uninvited. So today, invite him in and give him permission to do the renovating work that only he can do!
So far we've talked about who God is and who we are in God, and we've let God into our hearts to do any demolition work that he needs. The exciting part about the demolition is what we get to do today - rebuild! Maybe there are things in your life that you thought would always be there, and you just gave up hope that they could ever change. You have this amazing opportunity to rebuild and redecorate your house, so don't fill it with the same lies from the enemy that plagued your old house! Today, we're going to be facing these lies head on, and making sure that our new house is absolutely bursting with the truth and love of God. We want a house that can withstand any storm or circumstance that life might throw at us, and thanks to Jesus, we can do that through his word!
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me."
"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete."
What are the lies that you need to cover over with God's truth? What are the areas that you're weak in? How can you rebuild you house so that the lies of the enemy can no longer penetrate it?
Take the things you wrote about above, and then take some time to look up scriptures that can overcome the lies. Identify the things you believe that don't line up with God's word, and then search the scriptures to find the truth to help make your new house strong and unshakable!
Today is the day! We're moving into our new house! We're so proud of the work you've done over the last week, and today is truly a celebration. We're not perfect by any means, but today God has truly given us a restart and a new home and a fresh perspective on life. Be proud of the work you've done this week, and know that this is only the beginning. Welcome home!
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
“I am convinced that we can choose joy. Every moment we can decide to respond to an event or a person with joy instead of sadness. When we truly believe that God is life and only life, then nothing need have the power to draw us into the sad realm of death. To choose joy does not mean to choose happy feelings or an artificial atmosphere of hilarity. But it does mean the determination to let whatever it takes place brings us one step closer to the God of life. (The Road to Daybreak by Henri J.W. Nouwen).
Paul tells us in Galatians 5: 1 "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free". My hope is that you feel free from things that used to hold you back. I pray God has covered the lies with the Truth of His Word. What can you do to make sure you don't go back to your old way of thinking?
You are a new creation! You are wildly loved, and you are now ready to go out into the world and love others wildly. You are free (who the son sets free is free indeed), and so make a promise to yourself that you're not going to go back to the lies and the fear and confusion and familiarity of your old house. God has made you this new house, and in this new house fear does not have the final say. Today, recommit yourself to Christ. Recommit yourself to love. Write down on a piece of paper the three things that most impacted you from this 5 Day Restart. Hang up that paper on your wall somewhere that you'll be able to see it, and know that if you refuse to go back, the only direction to move is forward. Thank you Jesus for new beginnings!!
I'm assuming you signed up for our Restart Challenge because there was some area in your life that you felt needed a fresh start. There was something in your life that you wanted to change. Studies show that change typically happens because (1) the situation we are in is painful or (2) you have a clear picture of where you want to go.
Picture your life in 10, 20 or even 30 years. Imagine you have good health. You have strength and energy. You are at peace and you are experiencing the "Joy Always" that the Bible talks about. You are able to serve God and live fully until He calls you home. I hope that vision excites you and motivates you to change.
Now, grab a sheet of paper and write down why you want to get physically and spiritually. Why are you motivated to make healthy changes? Then, on that same sheet of paper write down your goals for the next 30 days. Make them Action Goals, don't make them about results. Don't write down what you want (I want to lose 10 lbs or I want to grow closer to God), write down what you will do (I will exercise 4 times a week for at least 20 min. or I will read my Bible 3 mornings a week) Hang your motives and goals up someplace where you will see them often.
Last thing for today, what are some obstacles that could get in your way of reaching your goals? In the past, what has pulled you off course? What can you do to to prevent those obstacle from becoming an issue? Who can you ask to help you and hold you accountable?
Today, we just want you to sit quietly with God. Try and set aside at least 30 minutes, but you can definitely sit with him for longer! Try and come before God without an agenda, and just ask him what's on his heart and his mind. Ask him all the questions you want, ask Him to help you in any area of your life that you are struggling with and even if you don't "feel" any different after sitting with him, I can promise you that he is doing a good work in your heart!
Ready to keep your restart going?
If you're ready to make changes that actually last and reach your goals we've got a plan for you.
Our Restart week isn't over yet! We invite you to join our most comprehensive health plan - called f4 (if you're already part of this then you're all set!) Our Faithful & Fit Plan starts with a 30 Day Faith & Fitness calendar. If you're looking for a structured, easy to follow plan that will keep you healthy and on track to your goals, then Faithful & Fit is for you! As a member, you'll gain access to over 150+ online workout videos (for ALL fitness levels) to keep you healthy and active and fit, online cookbook and ongoing weekly menu plans and grocery lists that make healthy eating simple and fast! We've also got podcasts, live webinars, challenges and prizes to keep you motivates and on track with your physical and spiritual goals! If you've benefited from this restart week, and you want to keep your fresh start going, then click below to join our Faithful & Fit plan. You can enjoy it for FREE , no credit card information required! What have you got to lose?