The Power of Specific Prayer

Denim Jacket- H&M

Crop Top- Target

Pants- H&M

Handbag- Thrifted

Heels- DSW

Every year I make a list of things I want to accomplish, desires I have and goals I’ve set for myself. This year was no different. I mentioned some of the items here on the blog in my first post of the year. Although I did not cross everything off my list, I am happy that some progress was made.There were three things in particular that I was specific about in prayer in regards to my health. First up, this year I was determined to loose 15-22 pounds. The newlywed life has been good and still is, but I definitely put on some pounds since getting married. We have enjoyed dinner dates, lunch dates and breakfast dates, and my waistline was reflective of that lol. Although small, stress was also a factor in my weight gain. Of course finding ways to manage and eliminate that is so important.Secondly, I wanted to improve my blood pressure. Last year, I went in for my routine physical with my primary doctor and discovered that my blood pressure was extremely high. In fact, it was so high that he immediately put me on a blood pressure pill. We did discover that the primary cause of that was the type of birth control I was on. I had no idea that it caused an increase in blood pressure. Of course, we switched to another kind, which was better, but I still had to stay on the blood pressure pill as a precaution. High blood pressure also runs on both sides of my family, so we wanted to be on the safe side until things regulated.Lastly, my husband and I had been talking about starting a family. We felt that this year would be a great time to try. Before trying, I wanted to make sure that I was in the best health. I’m in my mid thirties at the age where they consider you “high risk”, although I’m not claiming that. I was and still am confident in the fact that God can and will bless me with the desires of my heart, no matter my age. However, since I can’t control my age, I was determined to improve the one thing that I could control at the time, my health.I told God that I wanted these things to happen and I believed they would. I prayed about them by myself and with my husband. Of course it’s great to believe that the things you want in life will manifest, but that’s just the first step in the process. The bible states in James 2:17 that “Faith without works is dead”. I had the faith, now it was time to put in the work. I decided that I was going to honor God and myself, by taking care of the temple he blessed me with.I met with my GYN doctor at the beginning of the year and explained to her my desires. For weight loss, she recommended WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers). She felt that WW was one of the healthier options for weight loss, as it allowed me to eat healthy foods without depriving myself of some of the things I like. With loosing the weight, my blood pressure would get better and with overall great health, the likelihood of getting pregnant would increase. Additionally, I scheduled an appointment for an internal ultrasound. Years ago I learned that I have fibroids. Although I was told they were not serious, I wanted to make sure everything looked okay with my reproductive system. I do still have two small dime sized fibroids, but the ultrasound technician believed that they would not prevent me from conceiving and should not give me any problems during pregnancy, labor and delivery. Receiving that news was very comforting.I joined WW in February. I will be doing a detailed post about my success with WW at a later time, but I am happy to say that in early August I lost 20 pounds! Now 20 pounds was a personal goal of mine, although I knew maintaining it would be a challenge. According to my height and weight with WW, I only needed to loose 16 or 17 pounds to be in the “normal/healthy” range. I maintained my 17 pound weight loss for the required six weeks and became a lifetime member. Two days later on our anniversary, I found out I was pregnant! It was our third month trying, and God said it was our time. Oh, and I’m off the blood pressure pill too…yesssss! You can’t tell me that God isn’t good! When you have faith and do the work, he will indeed bless you beyond your wildest dreams.What are some of your desires? Make a detailed list, be specific in your prayers, do the work and watch God move!