I don’t always do this, but I decided to turn one of my solo podcast episodes into a blog post.

This is a personal message that felt too important not to share, yet I know not everyone enjoys listening to podcasts. I also know that my podcast, Recover with God, isn’t for everyone. But you might be surprised to find that what you are about to read IS for you.

If you have ever let thoughts about your body dictate how you live your life, you might be able to relate. Let’s find out.

Below is the full transcript for Episode 17 on Season 2 of my podcast.

Hi there! It’s Jayme, host of the Recover with God podcast. This is another solo episode because I want to be transparent with you.

I want to talk about body image and spiritual warfare and how the enemy uses it to distract us. Why? Because when we are distracted and focused on ourselves, we aren’t focused on God.

So, here’s the story.

I made the decision to start this podcast back in September 2023. That fall, I started planning and recording with guests to launch the podcast in February 2024.

During that time of planning the podcast, the devil started attacking me. HARD. He attacked my weakest areas. My value and worth.

I admit I struggle with people pleasing, performance, and the need to be good at what I do to feel valuable and validated. So, the enemy attacked me at work in an attempt to destroy my confidence and credibility — but thankfully, God used it to nudge me toward a better job.

But, the enemy didn’t stop there. Nope. He also relentlessly attacked my body image.

And it makes sense, right? Satan isn’t stupid but he also isn’t that creative. I decided to start a podcast to help Christians find freedom from eating disorders and food and body image struggles — and that made him mad. He didn’t want me to succeed. So, he attacked harder.

Now, I recovered from bulimia over eight years ago, and I have ZERO desire to ever go back to that pit of hell. However, the occasional bad body image day still pops up for me and I’ve learned over the years to acknowledge those feelings and refuse to let them ruin my day or make me feel like I need to change my body.

But during this time of attack, the occasional bad body image day turned into multiple days a week. Almost daily, I found something not to love about my body and I felt more frustrated by how my clothes fit — even though I’m pretty sure my body looked the same.

Those feelings can be so defeating right? I certainly felt that at first, but once I realized the enemy was messing with me, I leaned into God even more. I reminded myself of God’s truth and love and that He did not put me on this earth to obsess about my body. When the negative feelings intensified, I had to stop my thoughts and take my focus off myself to intentionally put it back on Him.

The enemy failed because his goal was to distract me and keep my focus off God.

Why? Because distraction can make us less effective as Christians. One of the easiest ways for the enemy to distract us from God and from living out our purpose is to keep us focused on ourselves.

I firmly believe that impossible beauty standards, constant comparison, and body image struggles are one of the greatest distractions Christian girls and women face. But it’s not just limited to women. I know this can be a struggle for guys, too.

Think about it. Comparing ourselves to the world’s standards is very ME focused. Not God focused.

The truth is, we are beautiful and worthy in God’s eyes. Feelings fluctuate. Bodies fluctuate. But God never changes. How your body looks — or how you THINK your body looks — on any given day doesn’t change anything about who you are and how God designed you to display His goodness and glory on this earth.

Body image is one of those weaknesses that the devil will likely poke at from time to time for the rest of our lives. But don’t let that discourage you!

As the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, our weakness shows God’s strength. I am paraphrasing, so let me read the full verses in the ERV version:

[9] But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So [Paul says] I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. [10] Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong.

So that’s the key. Our weaknesses show our need for God. And when we go to God with our weaknesses and allow Him to carry us through, that allows His power to be used in us for the rest of the world to see.

Let your weakness be your testimony!

That is what I’m here to do. When I said yes to this podcast and the devil went full force on my weaknesses, I have to say, it has brought growth in my life to rely on God even more. It also strengthened my resolve to launch Season 1 of the podcast back in February 2024, because I knew the devil hated the very idea of this podcast existing. And I couldn’t let him win!

Why am I telling you this?

First, because even after you recover, those bad body image days don’t completely go away. But the power of those days fades if you stay aware of your need for God and trust His truth over the devil’s lies.

Second, I’m telling you this because I want you to know I understand. Eight years after recovery, I still understand. You are not alone today.

And lastly, I’m telling you this because we have a real enemy who does not want us to succeed. If you are struggling to recover right now, please know that the devil does not want that for you and will do everything in his power to keep you from recovery. And even if you don’t have an eating disorder, but do have issues with how your body looks — the devil wants to keep you trapped in that struggle, too.

Because Christians who aren’t fully free from the devil’s distractions aren’t fully free to pursue God or live effectively FOR God.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be distracted so God can’t use me. I want to live fully for Him. I want to be His messenger. I want to spread the truth of Jesus and the freedom that is found in recovering WITH God.

That is why I love the word ZEAL. In case you’re new around here, ZEAL is my favorite word, and I talk about it on every episode of this podcast. In fact, I even ask every guest what living with ZEAL looks like in their own lives.

My personal definition of ZEAL is living with a passionate and persistent pursuit of a purpose. I recently added the word “persistent” because I do believe that passion needs persistence to endure.

Part of my purpose in this season of life is hosting this podcast. God trusted me to do it and here I am. Talking to you right now. Spreading the truth of Jesus and freedom and recovery that only comes from God. That is why this podcast is not about me. I talk about that more in the first episode of Season 2.

And today, I ask you? What does living with ZEAL look like in your life right now? I’d really love to know if you’re open to telling me! Send me a message.

But whether you message me or not, I want you to walk away from this episode feeling encouraged that God is stronger than the devil’s attacks on your life. You don’t have to live distracted. God already has a purpose and a plan for your life — and I want you to be free to live it out with ZEAL.

I have one final verse for you that I want you to remember the next time you feel distracted and attacked.

Proverbs 4:15 (NLT version) says this: “Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.”

Turn away from obsession with our bodies. Away from the lies the devil surrounds us with. And keep moving toward God. Eyes on Him.

Let’s go!