Inspire! Day 16- Ericka

From Madelynn: Inspire! Day 16 is my Cousin Ericka from Louisiana. Ericka has a strong testimony of Gods faithfulness and her heart to choose HIM! I know, EVERYDAY I’ve said how blessed I am to have this person on but I truly cant get over how powerful the stories we have read are and today is no different. I pray Ericka’s story impact you and challenge you to know who you are in HIM! As always, thanks for stopping by….Meet my cousin Ericka…

My name is Ericka and I’m 36 years old. At my heaviest, I weighed in at 162 pounds. This was after my third child was born in 2007. Although that may not seem like much to many women struggling with their weight, it was a lot for me – about 30 pounds too many for my frame (I like to keep a little meat on my bones! J). I realized that as the years went on and on, my weight gradually went up and up. That concerned me as I’ve seen many women in my family struggle with their weight for so long. So I took action.

Let’s back up a little though. Obviously, loss of self-control in any area of our lives is bad. We know this. But for me, I had no idea at the time what was really going on since “food” wasn’t my primary focus. It wasn’t like I would eat to feel better or constantly munch when I was bored. This for me, like for all of you, was a deeper issue; but just another one to add to my list of issues.

My life wasn’t going so well. I separated from my husband and ultimately got a divorce. Even though I began eating well and exercising and losing the extra pounds that I wanted to, I fell into a depression that resulted in anxiety and panic attacks almost daily. I realized I was trying to fix my life on the outside when I really needed to be fixed on the inside. You know, I was over-eating then I was dieting and exercising. I was involved in a romantic relationship that I should not have been involved in, and then I was alone. I was going out to clubs and drinking, then I stopped that completely and did nothing but go to work and come home. None of this fixed anything inside. I couldn’t take it anymore. I fell to my knees and cried out to the only One who knew what was really going on. And He rescued me.

When my cousin Madelynn asked me to write this blog, she asked me to share a piece of my story that may inspire someone to freedom. Obviously my weight is a very small part of my story – it’s not a main focus either. Actually, it was a symptom of something much deeper. I had all kinds of symptoms, as you’ve read. But I remember sitting and watching TV one day and out of the blue the Lord spoke to me and said, “They’re just symptoms, they’re not the truth. My Word is the truth.” He spoke that to me on January 5, 2013, as I was walking through one of the darkest times of my life. His Word is truth. And by His Word, I know who I am.

Freedom, my friends, comes with knowing who we are. Really knowing deep down, without a shadow of a doubt, who we are and to Whom we belong. When you know, it changes everything! It changes you from the inside out – which is the only way we can see a lasting change in our own behaviors. The change must begin on the inside of us. When the Lord begins to reveal His truths to us in His Word and we allow them to soak down deep inside of us, it changes the way we see our actions, the way we see our circumstances and the way we see ourselves.

For me, freedom from the need to be in a relationship came from realizing who my first love is, who my true husband is: Jesus. Freedom from anxiety and panic attacks came when I got a revelation that Jesus was the Prince of Peace and, as his child, peace belongs to me. Freedom from choosing the wrong foods and not doing what is right for my physical body came when I realized that I truly am the temple of the Holy Spirit and I have to be a good steward over this body that is not mine, but His. Freedom from depression came when the Lord began to speak to me about His love for me and His purpose for my life and I was filled with hope to overflowing!

My prayer for whoever reads this is that you would seek the Lord and allow Him to speak to you about who you really are – what your true identity is in Him. I pray that you would allow His truth to soak down deep inside and change everything from the inside out. Once you really know who you are in Him, you will be truly free.