Rest, Restore, and Rejuvenate by Healthy by DesignSample

Restored Like New

Devotion

Let me begin by telling you that I am not crafty. If there were such a thing as anti-crafty in the dictionary, you would find my picture there. It's not that I don't try; it's just that I am not the woman for the job. My kids are crafty; my best friend is crafty; my sister is crafty. It seems everybody around me is crafty.

Despite my crafting disability, I love the idea of restoring furniture that is broken, tired, and lacking purpose and making it new! I'm not good at it, but I still like it. I have learned the hard way that when you have a piece of beat-up furniture that you want to restore, the first thing you do is strip away all the old layers of paint. It's messy and yucky and not fun. However, if you skip this step, the new paint won't stick, and you will have a big mess! (You may also possibly shed a few tears and vow to never, ever, do this sort of thing again!)

Maybe you're like me and are bad at restoring furniture, or perhaps you're ready for your show on HGTV right now, but here's the thing ...

WE ALL HAVE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE STRIPPED AWAY IN OUR LIVES SO GOD CAN TRULY RESTORE US!

God loves you too much to let you stay stuck in a cycle of doubt, despair, and defeat. His desire for you is to walk in total victory—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

God wants to strip you of all the junk that has covered you and TRULY RESTORE YOU. He wants to restore your marriage, your finances, your broken relationships, and your health. He wants you to drop your baggage at the door and surrender to Him fully. Let Him create something new from your brokenness.

GOD IS A GOD OF RESTORATION!

AND ... not only does HE PROMISE TO RESTORE US, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God ALWAYS has a good plan!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" (NLT)

You may not know the plans, but you can always know they are GOOD! He loves YOU with perfect love, and as 1 Peter 5:10 reads, He wants to BUILD YOU UP! I don't know about you, but right now, a little building up sounds pretty good.

So, when you're feeling overwhelmed and just plain old tired, remember that the God of the universe wants to PERSONALLY AND POWERFULLY RESTORE YOU AND MAKE YOU STRONGER THAN EVER! Let the master-builder strip away the old gunk and restore you to the person that HE created you to be. ~ Melissa Motes

Reflect

1. As you go about your day, reflect on what you need to strip off, to be RESTORED by our loving Father.

2. What mindset, habit, situation, or pattern in your life do you need to turn over to the MASTER OF RESTORATION?

Relaxation Exercise

Visualization

As you wake up, take some time and mentally run through your day. Think about the foods you plan to eat today. Think about all the things you have to accomplish. Visualize yourself doing them with ease and grace. Can you picture your heavenly Father there with you? Is He holding your hand? Or maybe you see Him looking down on you or walking in front of you? However, you see Him, create a vivid picture in your mind's eye of His presence with you throughout your day. What is He saying to you?

Worship and Prayer

"Lord, I thank you that you make all things new. Thank you for loving me so much that you will never leave me in my broken, worn-out, and lack-luster state. You are continually stripping the parts of me that are not fruitful. You prune me so I can bear fruit in season. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy. It restores and rejuvenates me. I permit you to strip away anything in my life that is holding me back and robbing me of my ability to rest in you. In your name, I pray. Amen!"

I pray that you will live in excellent health. To find our books, resources, or to sign up for our weekly newsletter to help you discover weight loss, God's way, go to https://cathymorenzie.com/yv.