The New You ∙

The New You ∙

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. – Galatians 5:16

John 3:3-7

7 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

The New You Plan: A Path to a Healthier Lifestyle

In October 2009, Julie-Ann Muldoon introduced The New You Plan in Northern Ireland. This program has since transformed the lives of thousands by helping them embrace healthier lifestyles and achieve personal goals. This innovative approach to health and wellness combines nutrition, mindset, and support to create lasting change.

A Nutritionally Complete Approach

The New You Plan is built around a Total Food Replacement (TFR) diet, offering a nutritionally complete solution for weight loss and health improvement. However, achieving a healthy lifestyle goes beyond just food choices. It requires a shift in mindset and intentional decision-making. Many people mistakenly believe that being unhealthy is a natural state, but in reality, it often stems from a lack of knowledge about proper nutrition and poor life habits.

The Five Core Areas of The New You Plan

The program is structured around five essential pillars, each designed to support participants in their journey toward health and wellness:

Meals: With over 40 nutritionally complete diet meals available, participants have a variety of options to suit their tastes and needs.
Motivation: A vibrant online support group provides encouragement and accountability throughout the process.
Mindset: Professional life coaching is available to help individuals reshape their relationship with food and develop a healthier perspective.
Maintenance: After reaching a healthy target weight, participants can join the Momentum Maintainers group for lifelong support to sustain their progress.
Move: Gentle movement, such as stretching and mild exercise, is encouraged to complement the dietary and mental aspects of the plan.

The Inner You: A Parallel to Spiritual Formation

As John Ortberg aptly states, “Just as there is an ‘outer you’ that is being formed and shaped all the time, like it or not, by accident or on purpose, so there is an ‘inner you.’ You have a spirit. And it’s constantly being shaped and tugged at: by what you hear and watch and say and read and think and experience.”

While the outer self can be transformed through diet and exercise, the inner self requires spiritual formation. Unfortunately, the inner self is born in an unhealthy state, physically alive but spiritually dead. To achieve spiritual health, one must undergo a process of renewal and alignment with God’s purpose.

REFLECT & PRAY

Spiritual Formation: Aligning with God’s Goals

Spiritual formation mirrors the journey of developing a healthy lifestyle. It involves intentional focus on the spirit, mind, and choices. This transformation begins with being born again through the Spirit of God, allowing individuals to live in alignment with the Father’s goals for their lives.

As Romans 13:14 reminds us, “Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And do not let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Father, thank You for giving me a new nature and the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower and motivate better life choices.

INSIGHT

The Inner Conflict: A Spiritual Civil War

Before becoming children of the King, we were controlled entirely by our sinful nature. It was the only option available to us. However, when we were born again through the work of the Holy Spirit, we became spiritually alive. This transformation opened the door for the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us. Yet, the sinful nature remains, creating an ongoing internal struggle, a spiritual civil war.

The Struggle Within: A Battle of Opposites

The Apostle Paul vividly describes this inner conflict in Romans 7:14-23: “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate . . . I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway . . . I have discovered a principle of life: when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”

This passage highlights the spiritual schizophrenia we experience. Within us exists the desire to do good, driven by the Spirit of God, and the desire to do evil, fueled by the sinful nature. These opposing forces are in constant conflict.

The Spiritual Parallel to Dieting

Anyone who has ever attempted to diet understands this tension. The desire to indulge in unhealthy habits clashes with the aspiration to live out “the new you.” Similarly, in the spiritual realm, we face competing cravings: the Spirit’s guidance versus the flesh’s temptations.

Paul addresses this struggle in Galatians 5:16-17: “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you will not be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

The Cherokee Legend of the Two Wolves

The Cherokee legend of the Two Wolves beautifully illustrates this internal battle. An elder tells his grandson about a fight raging within him: “One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”

When the grandson asks, “Which wolf will win?” the elder replies, “The one you feed.”

This wisdom aligns with Paul’s teaching in Galatians 5:16: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” The choice of which “wolf” to feed determines the direction of our lives.

The Fruit of the Spirit vs. The Works of the Flesh

The Cherokee legend parallels the contrast between the output of the sinful nature’s production and the fruit of the Spirit. Paul outlines these opposing outcomes in Galatians 5:19-23: “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

The works of the flesh represent the “evil wolf,” while the fruit of the Spirit embodies the “good wolf.” Every day, we face the choice of which to nurture.

Living Out the New You

Spiritual formation is the process of living out the “new you” while starving the “old you.” It requires intentionality, discipline, support, a willingness to change, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Just as a healthy lifestyle involves consistent effort and wise choices, so does spiritual growth.

By focusing on both the outer and inner self, we can achieve a balanced and fulfilling life. Consider how you can align your daily life with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, feeding the “good wolf” and allowing the fruit of the Spirit to flourish.

What would the five core areas of your personal “New You Plan” for living in the Spirit be?

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