Becoming the Woman I Want to Be: A 90-Day Journey to Renewing Spirit, Soul & Body

By Donna Partow

In her signature style, Donna Partow encourages and instructs women by combining solid biblical teaching and stories from her life. Written for the busy, often stressed-out woman, this practical, doable plan provides insight and ideas to regroup and renew all aspects of her life. Memorizing Scripture, spending time in prayer, eating healthy, and exercising are all part of the achievable plan laid out in one handy volume for readers to follow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2004
• ISBN: 9781441202178

Book preview

Yams

Week 1

Scripture to memorize:

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:23–24

Passage to read:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;

O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness;

therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

PSALM 130:1–6

Guided prayer:

Dear Lord, hear my voice. You know the weaknesses of my spirit, soul, and body. Today, once again, I realize my need for your mercy. Forgive me for neglecting myself. So often I have failed to cultivate my spirit by not spending time with you in prayer or in the study of your Word. I have allowed my mind to be filled with clutter. I have not trained my will to choose rightly but have instead lived by my impulses. Too often, my emotions have raged out of control, causing me to say and do things I later regretted. My body bears witness that I have not always cared for it as I should. I have treated it like a trash can, rather than the temple of your Holy Spirit.

Lord, I know that if you were to keep a record of all my sins, I could not stand before you. But with you, there is forgiveness. I thank you that, even as I confess these sins, you have removed them as far as the east is from the west. Praise you, Lord! I ask you now to sanctify my spirit, soul, and body, and I thank you that your Word says you will be faithful to fulfill all your good promises to me. Amen.

A prayer from your heart:

Affirmation to recite:

I forget those things that are behind me, including all of my personal shortcomings in the area of spiritual disciplines, diet, and exercise. I am pressing toward what lies ahead: a bright future filled with health in my spirit, soul, and body.

BASED ON PHILIPPIANS 3:13

Action to take:

On the following lines, write out a list of twenty-five things you want to have, do, or be.

For example, you might want to be an awesome mother, have a mountain bike, and memorize the book of James (do). You don’t need to have any certain number of items in each category. And don’t overanalyze your answers at this point. This is a gut level exercise, so move through it quickly, writing down whatever pops into your head.

Twenty-Five Things I Want to Have, Do, or Be

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

Attitude adjustment:

He has half the deed done who has made a beginning.

HORACE

Congratulations! Today you’ve made a start toward improving your spirit, soul, and body. You’ve moved one step closer toward becoming a Brand-New You! The you God intended you to be on the day he created you. Don’t be discouraged by all the areas in your life you think need improvement. Instead, focus on the progress you’ve made just by picking up this book and reading this far. (You did read The Pathway to Becoming the Woman I Want to Be, right? If not, go back and read it before accepting my hearty congratulations!) Rejoice that you’ve made a new beginning! The things you once only dreamed of doing, being, and having should now seem more possible than they ever have before . . . because I promise you they are!

Diet:

First thing this morning, drink an eight-ounce cup of hot lemon juice. (Bring water almost to a boil. Place a quarter of a lemon in the water and allow to steep for a few minutes. Squeeze the lemon. Drink up. I’ll say more about the benefits of lemon water later. Meanwhile, if a quarter of a lemon upsets your stomach, back down to an eighth, etc.)

Take a good multivitamin and Ester-C.

Eat as many raw or steamed veggies (from the approved list, page 23) as you can.

Exercise:

Bounce on your mini-trampoline for two to three minutes.

Walk briskly for fifteen minutes.

Scripture to memorize:

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:23–24

Passage to read:

The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

DEUTERONOMY 13:3–4

Guided prayer;

Dear Lord, your Word reveals that you do, indeed, test your people. I know you have tested me in the past . . . and I have not always passed those tests. I thank you that today is brand-new, another day in which I can choose to follow you wholeheartedly. Lord, I know your heart is filled with love toward me and that every test that comes my way flows from your heart of love. You desire to see—and to show me—whether I will love you with all my heart and with all my soul.

I desire to keep your commands and obey you, to serve you and hold fast to you. Strengthen me, by the power of your Holy Spirit, to live a life that honors you. Open my spiritual eyes to see the tests that come my way today. I know I will be tested to see how serious I am about my commitment to becoming healthy in spirit, soul, and body. I know my own desires will tempt me to take the easy way out. I may not want to follow the diet or exercise program. I might prefer watching television rather than reading something uplifting. At those moments, I pray I will remember what I have purposed in my heart and draw my strength from you. Amen.

A prayer from your heart:

Affirmation to recite:

I have the power to change my life, because the spirit of the Lord rests upon me. I can learn a new way of living because I have a spirit of wisdom and understanding.

BASED ON ISAIAH 11:2

Action to take:

Go back through the Twenty-Five Things list you created yesterday. For each item, indicate if it falls under the category of something you want to have (put an H next to that item), something you want to do (D), or who you hope to become (B). It might be interesting to note how many items you had of each:

H = _______     D = _________     B = _________

What do the numbers listed above tell you about yourself? (There’s no right answer!)

Next, list the top five items in each category in the space below:

Attitude adjustment:

From now on you’ll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make that journey.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE FATHER IN THE MOVIE THE PRINCESS DIARIES

You picked up this book because you want to make positive changes in your life. On the second day of your journey, you’ve gained a clearer picture of who you want to become, what you want to do, and what you hope to have in your lifetime. Please do not be discouraged if it seems like the journey ahead of you is long. Just take it one day at a time. It’s my prayer that by the end of these ninety days you’ll be greatly encouraged to see how much closer you are to that final destination of becoming the woman you want to be. As you become all God intended for you, the doors will open up for you to experience the very best this life has to offer. More to the point, you’ll have a greater appreciation for what you already have. But remember: you’ll never become who you want to be by remaining who you