I was talking with a friend and I was describing what it was like walking through cancer. I felt like when I received my diagnosis, I had become dead. My spirit, soul and body felt close to death, and through the power of God, He allowed me to watch Him resurrect me back to life.

Even though the journey was hard, it was the greatest honor to be able to partner with God and watch Him bring me back to life before I even reached the grave! That’s the power of God at work!

My journey is far from over. You see, I realized that we are all fighting for our lives every day. As I’ve shared before, I didn’t just get cancer one day. It had been living inside of me for over ten years! My body is now cancer-free, but that doesn’t give me the free pass to stop living from a place of victory!

My body is now cancer-free, but that doesn’t give me the free pass to stop living from a place of victory each and every day!

I learned that there is a vast difference between fighting for your health from a place of rest and fighting from a place of chaos. When I had cancer, I was fighting from a place of chaos because my life was on the line. Now I still fight every single day, but from a place of rest.

We are living in a world full of toxins and foods that are making us sick. Every day, something tries to come at us to jeopardize our health and wellness. I would rather be preventative and on guard to these things instead of choosing to look the other way hoping that nothing happens.

I’ve learned that maintaining our health is similar to maintaining our relationship with God. We shouldn’t just read the Bible when we are in an emergency. We should be reading every day to fill our spirits with hope and life. That way when the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy, we are already prepared with weapons in our arsenal. We need to have this same mindset when it comes to our health. We need to be choosing life every day for our bodies.

I want to encourage you reading this that my journey was a process. I never expected to be diagnosed with cancer, so I was in uncharted waters when it came to recovery. I was thrown into a world that I never wanted to be a part of. It’s easy to fall into the victim mindset and get to the place where you want to just throw your hands in the air and yell, “I guess this cancer (or insert whatever other obstacle that is in front of you) is my destiny!”

Defeat is not your destiny!

Yes, it’s scary and overwhelming to the point where you can feel hopeless, but you were created to be an overcomer! If you or a loved one is struggling with a tragic issue and/or diagnosis, know that I was just like you. I was faced with a paralyzing fear that I had to choose to overcome.

I learned in my journey that it was okay to seek out help and to allow the Lord to lead me to people who could help me. I gave myself over to the process and fully trusted those God had placed in my life to help me overcome.

My next piece of advice is to not stop taking care of your body just because you feel better! It’s important to not recreate the environment that created cancer in the first place. I know that this may sound like common sense, but the truth is that I see it happen all the time. People ask me, “How long do I have to do this for?” My response always is, “Every day that you want to be healthy.” Keep in mind that it’s been proven that 98% of all disease is due to lifestyle!

If we want to overcome cancer and sustain our breakthrough, we have to make these changes a lifestyle. My favorite saying I learned from my health coach Robin Cook is “alteration, not deprivation.” We cannot live our lives afraid to enjoy food again; we just have to learn new habits. During my journey, my daughter began experimenting in the kitchen and created recipes that could be enjoyed and savored while still honoring our health. There are many beautiful cookbooks that you can utilize to help inspire you and keep you healthy at the same time.

My journey in overcoming cancer, and honestly overcoming all the significant challenges in my life, have demonstrated to me, and now to thousands of others, that overcoming really was possible. I believe with all my heart that there is ALWAYS a pathway for me to overcome.

Don’t settle for cancer (or any other prognosis) having to be a death sentence for you or for someone you know and love. Defeat is not the final word in your life.

Every day matters in your journey. So focus on today and make it count.