I haven’t shared too much here or on social media, but almost a year ago I began a quest to take back my health by changing my nutrition plan. Was it easy? Absolutely not. But greater than my desire to do what I could to better my health was my desire to let God take control of my life, rather than continuing to allow food to take control. Every year at this time, people begin contemplating their New Year’s resolutions, but maybe this year it’s time for a New Year’s Revolution. On a recent episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective podcast, Wendy Speake and I talked about what she learned through her 40 day sugar fast. If you missed that episode, you can listen here (Benefits of a Sugar Fast – Episode 90). And just a short while earlier, Wendy and I also discussed her The 40-Day Social Media Fast: Exchange Your Online Distractions for Real Life Devotion and she shared with my podcast listeners here (Benefits of Taking a Break from Social Media – Episode 85) and my blog post readers (It’s Time for a Social Media Fast) what led to that, what it looked like, and the valuable lessons she learned. Today I’ve asked her to share more about her take on wellness, and a New Year’s Revolution.

Read to the end for a book giveaway!

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A New Year’s Revolution: The 40 Day Sugar Fast
By Wendy Speake

My Christmas guests have left. My husband and our sons are celebrating the New Year with a camping trip in the desert. I am home, undressing the tree and packaging our nativity set away for the next 11 months. These are my first quiet moments in weeks, with only the familiar sound of tissue paper crinkling as the soundtrack to my thoughts. During the hustle and bustle of guests and going, little space remained for this sort of pondering. But today, here in the quiet, I have the new year on my mind.

Resolution.

I was thinking of sitting down and writing down a few resolutions today. However, I’m afraid that resolution is too small a word for all that’s on my heart. It lacks power, because resolutions are rooted in my resolve to do better. And I often fail at better. No matter how hard I try to read the Bible more consistently and drink more water and say no to sweets and limit the amount of time I spend on Facebook and increase the amount of time I spend on the treadmill… I rarely make it past January 10th transformed. Though I am desperate to be transformed. No, I don’t need another New Year’s resolution that will leave me unchanged. What I need is a revolution. That’s the word.

Revolution.

It came to me clearly as the Christmas bell I was carefully wrapping and laying in a box. I don’t need another resolution… and I don’t need more resolve. What I need is more of Jesus. Not a resolution that I make, but a revolution that He makes… in me. Christ in me, revolting against me in this world. His power revolutionizing my weakness. His transforming purpose prevailing over all my plans in the new year. What I need this next year is a total Jesus-revolution, way down deep in my fibers. Down in my habits too; my eating and my drinking and my shopping and the time I spend on social media. I need Jesus’ strength revolting against all of the areas of my life where I’ve been too weak for far too long!

My weakness stops me from turning resolutions into a reformed life. But the revolution power of Christ reforms and transforms me day-by-day-by-day, for 365 days as I learn to seek Him first.

I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”. That’s what I’m doing at the start of this new year, and I’m inviting you to do the same. Boast in the One who has the power to completely revolutionize your life this year.

Do you struggle with sugar addiction and food fixation? Resolving again to eat more veggies and less cookies won’t do it! We need a Jesus-revolution in our lives to transform our eating (and drinking too). We need more whole foods, yes. But what we really need is to ingest more of Him and His Word. We need to turn to Him more than we turn into the Starbucks drive-through. We need to run to Jesus, more than we run into our pantries. We need Jesus to crowd out all of the habits and all of our addictions that we’ve resolved to stop for years and years.

Here at the start of a new year, let’s revolt against all of the things we’ve been running to for comfort, when we could have been (should have been) running to the Comforter. Let’s revolt against our tendency to self-medicate with online shopping and run instead to the Great Physician. Do you see what I’m saying? We can make resolutions to stop spending and stop eating and start working out, but we’re simply too weak and lack the resolve to make it work. We don’t need another resolution, we need a revolution of Christ’s power in us as we begin a new year, eagerly anticipating radical transformation!

If you struggle with addiction, whether with sugar, shopping, or social media, join Wendy Speake for her annual 40 Day Sugar Fast starting January. You’ll start by giving God your sugar for forty days, but soon you’ll discover it’s about so much more. God never asked us for a sugar-sacrifice, He wants a living sacrifice. As we lay down all the temporary things that we think we need, He shows us that what we need is Him! Every year thousands of women sign up for forty days of fasting from sugar and feasting together on our sweet Savior and His satisfying word. Waistlines decrease as faith lives increase! It’s an incredible time of physical and spiritual transformation, and it all begins January 84h. Join The 40 Day Sugar Fast by visiting 40daysugarfast.com

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

About Wendy Speake

Wendy Speake is the author of The 40-Day Sugar Fast and The 40-Day Social Media Fast and host of the annual online sugar fast. She also co-authored the popular parenting book Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses.

To connect with Wendy Speake: Website / Facebook / Instagram

Book Giveaway!

In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, Benefits of a Sugar Fast – Episode 90, Wendy Speake is giving away a free copy of her book, The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation.

Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you learned about the need for taking a Sugar Fast and you will be entered into the contest.

You could also share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.

The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, January 11, 2021, here on this post. Continental United States only.

(If there are affiliate links in this post, meaning, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you)).