Do You Glorify God?

     I love my daughter and I am very proud of her; not only how she serves God but for who she is!  Recently, she wrote what God has been showing her and and I wanted to the wisdom with you!
      Glorify! Various definitions of this word include the following: to worship, to exalt, to adore and to give glory, honor and the highest praise. Of course, as Christians we know our purpose is to glorify God. It’s our reason of existence. God says is Isaiah 43:7 “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” God created us for a distinct purpose. Despite knowing this, many times we seek to bring glory to ourselves rather than to God or we flat out choose what we want or desire instead of choosing to glorify God. Because the reality is that it’s not natural for us to glorify God. It goes against our sinful nature. Glorifying God requires discipline, prayer, strength (that only comes from Him) and most importantly a deep devoted love for Him.

     Problem number one…How many times a day do we seek to make much of ourselves? We want to present the perfect presentation to fellow employers so they will think highly of us, we want to be the best athlete so people will know our name, we want to bake most delicious cake so our cooking skills will be admired etc. Don’t misunderstand me here. Striving to make a good presentation or to be a good athlete or chef are not bad things. It’s the motivation behind it. Do we desire to bring glory to ourselves or to the Lord? Does the thought ever cross our mind that we want to do the best we can do in all things so that only God will receive the glory? I recently read about a man who pastored a church and worked with orphans in England. During his sixty years he cared for more than ten thousand orphans. He never once asked for money to support himself, his ministry or the orphans. He simply prayed. He had faith. He depended on the Lord. Not surprisingly, God provided all he and the children needed. He claims his reason for doing this is so that only God would be able to receive the glory and show that He still hears prayers. He lived his life in a way that never sought glory or praise for himself but only for the Lord and for that He was blessed.
      Of course it’s easy to depend on ourselves in the culture we live in. Our skills provide our job that provides our income that provides our house etc. We are the source of our dependency. However, in reality it’s our God-given skills that provide our God-given job that provides our God-given Income that provides our God-given house etc. God is and should be acknowledged as the source of our dependency. We must correct our false beliefs and place a daily dependency on the Lord for all things. It is from Him all blessings flow and it is He who can give and take away.
     Indeed God will bless us when honor Him but this truth becomes crooked when we do so in order to receive something. Throughout our lives we often hear “I’ll give you this if you give me that”, “I’ll do this if you buy me that”, and “I’ll go with you if you promise me this”. We tend to do or give something only if we get something out of it. It’s all about give and take. So if we choose to honor and bring glory to God only to receive His blessing, somewhere we have gone wrong. We are no longer giving Him glory simply because of who He is and what He deserves but because who we are and what we want. We have made it about us instead of about Him.
     Problem number two…we blatantly choose to satisfy our flesh in spite of knowing there is no glory brought to God through doing so. We often rationalize and justify our actions and almost always when we do this we know deep down it is wrong. We decide to deny the fact that we are mere human beings engulfed by weakness, therefore, rejecting the forgiveness of God. We curse at a person who cut us off on the highway knowing that the bible says be slow to anger. We rationalize it because it wasn’t our fault. We seek revenge to those who have done us wrong knowing that God is the Judge and the bible says to love your enemies. We justify our revenge by the need to teach them to no longer “sin” that way again or at least towards us. We have sex with our partner knowing the bible says to wait until marriage. Yet we justify doing so because we love that person. We decide to go get drunk knowing it is a sin but rationalize it because we are stressed and are in need of a good time. There are two things we are all experts at: sin and rationalization. Satisfying our flesh “with reason” instead of choosing to glorify God. We like the idea of bringing glory to God and we even pray that we will daily do so yet when the time comes choose, we repeatedly choose the easy route of giving into our sinful nature.
     So how do we get to the point where we choose and strive to glorify God over satisfying our flesh? To make much of Him and less of us? Love. Mark 12:29-30 says “The most important commandment is this…You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.” Jesus doesn’t accidentally say something. He doesn’t make mistakes. He knew exactly what he was saying when He said this is the greatest commandment. He knows that with obedience to this commandment, obedience to other commandments will be the result. With love comes the desire to glorify Him through obedience. God who is holy and perfect sent Himself to die for us: weak, disgraceful, selfish, sinful humans who in no way deserve a Savior but desperately need a Savior. His love demonstrated on the cross should be enough of a reason to wholeheartedly live our lives in pursuit of denying the world and in pursuit of glorifying Him due to a reverent love we possess for our Savior. Glorify - the reason we were created, the only thing he asks of us and the only way we can respond to the Cross.
     The truth of the matter is no matter how strongly we desire and hard we try to bring glory to God, we fail. We fail time and time again. However, hallelujah that He is a God who is quick to forgive and has more patience and we can imagine. His mercy never runs dry.

“If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11

How Do You Enter?

     Yesterday, we covered the principle of running into the throne room to climb up on our Daddy’s lap. There is another principle of the throne room we need to practice as well. We need to enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise. So often we pour out our needs to God but never tell Him how awesome He is to us. We get so busy going from need to need that we seldom remember to return and thank God for the blessings He already has given us. When we hear the story of the ten leapers who were healed and only one returned to thank Jesus; we are amazed at the nine that did not return, but in reality we are no better. I am sure they were off to live their busy lives and find their next big need! God loves the praises of His people. If we want to show our love for God and give Him something He loves; then we need to give Him praise! However, it is hard to give praise to someone we do not know intimately. We need to spend time in scripture to develop intimacy with God. Studying His names give us many characters of God to praise Him for! They teach us that he is our shepherd, He is our provider, He is our salvation, He is our Sovereign Lord, He sees everything that happens to us, He is our sanctification, etc. There are many things to praise him for! There are many things to thank him for!

     Have you ever had a relationship with someone where they constantly wanted something from you but they never thanked you or praised you for anything! After so long, we start to have a problem with them and their ungratefulness.
     How do you want God to feel about you? Do you want Him to be pleased and love you praises, or do you want Him to be frustrated with your ungratefulness? Do your prayers reflect what you want to portray to God?

Enter with the password be 'Thank You'

Make yourself at home with praise.

Thank Him.  Worship Him.

For God is sheer beaut, all generous in love,

loyal always and ever.

Psalm 100:4 (The Message)

Run to Daddy

     My favorite classic movie is ‘The King and I’. If I ever watch it, I will sing, ‘Shall We Dance’ and ‘Getting to know you’ for days! So it is no surprise to say that I love the movie ‘Anna and the king’. I like the actual story better in the remake but I miss the music, so I am not sure which one is my favorite movie. There is a scene in ‘Anna and King’ that has changed my prayer life. (I never know where or how God is going to show me something! lol) All of the king’s children are in school with Ms. Anna when the king’s son and Ms. Anna’s son start to fight. While the mother and Ms. Anna try and stop it, one of the younger daughters, who is very close to her Daddy takes off running. She runs through the garden, through the outside court, and straight to the throne room. She throws open the throne room doors where her father is conducting business. It is a full room of people bringing issues to the king. His servants and guards are everywhere. As soon as the guards see her they try and stop her; telling her that her father is too busy. She pays no attention to anyone and never slows down. She runs down the aisle straight to her Daddy’s lap. As his assistance tries and gets the little girl, the king motions them away. He stops everything he is doing to hear his child. She whispers in his ear, he sets her on the floor, takes her hand, he follows her out of the room, she leads him to the fight, and he takes care of the situation!

     We need to be that little girl! Our Daddy is the king of this universe. He sits on his throne in all His majesty. Yet, because we have accepted His son Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he gives us access to His throne room. When a crisis hits us in life, we should instantly run to our father. We should enter his throne room, climb up on his lap, pour out our heart, and let our Daddy take care of the issue!

You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of His Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also a heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

Galatians 4:6-7

Please Pray For . . .?

     I have been pondering prayer a lot lately. Dwayne is on vacation for a few weeks, so we were able to visit our home church, where Dwayne was ordained as a deacon and a pastor. Both the Sunday school lesson and the sermon was on . . . prayer! I guess I better figure out what God is trying to show me! lol

     For a while now, I have been paying attention to people’s prayer requests. Before I make my statement, let me say that I do not believe that it is wrong to pray for our personal wants and needs or to pray for others! However, the vast majority of the times our prayer request are “give me” prayers. Help me with my finances, help me with my job, and please give me this and that. During prayer request time, the majority of our requests are for others: my friend, my co-workers daughter, a friends-friends-cousins family, etc. Again, we should pray for personal needs and we need to pray for others. The problem is often we use these request to avoid the real need: a change in us! It is rare that I hear someone ask for prayer for them self and for God to work in them, in their situation. A request like that would make us venerable, it would give others a hint that we may not be the ‘got it together’ Christian. It is risky to ask others to pray for us as we need to be better at . . . ? What would they think if they knew I needed prayer to help me control my tongue, or learn forgiveness, or respect my husband, or stop cussing, or stop drinking, or control my eating, or develop a thirst for God, or open my Bible, or improve my attitude, etc? How long has it been since you heard a prayer request like that? How long has it been since you gave a prayer request like that?
     We are told to carry each other’s burdens. How can we do that if we don’t know what they are? Christian friends are to help us grow, encourage us, share testimony with us, feel with us! Do you have support from Christian friends? If not, is it because they don’t know what YOUR need is?

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

Participanting In God's Work through Prayer

     When I say the word ‘prayer’ what do you think of? The word often brings a variety of feelings from quilt to power. For me, the topic of prayer brings many questions. I know that we are told to pray constantly, to be persistent, and to ask for what we need. Also, I know God has promised to provide for all of my needs. I know I must trust Him totally. I know that He is sovereign and cannot be manipulated. I know that He not only hears the masses; He hears me individually! How do these facts all fit together? I am not for sure if I will ever get the answers this side of Heaven. All I know is, I am taught through scripture to pray and to pray continually. If I don’t . . . I will miss out!

     We each know people we want to know Christ. However, sometimes after praying for them for a while, we give up. We do not see any changes and we really think they will never change; so we begin to think it is useless and we quit praying. That person for me was my father-in-law. Though I gave up, my husband did not. I cannot tell you how much I respect and admire him for the way he consistently prayed for his father. I mean he prayed with passion, with tears, and with his face on the ground. While we were living in Montana, we got a phone call late at night. A friend of ours had visited Dwayne’s father in the hospital several times and ended up introducing him to his new Savior, Jesus Christ! The joy for Dwayne was unexplainable.
     That experience showed me the importance of not giving up in prayer. It also taught me what we miss out on when we do. When Dwayne’s Dad became a Christian, Dwayne got to be a participant in that blessing. His faithful praying made him an active servant in God’s work and blessing. I, on the other hand, was an observer to God’s work and God’s blessing. I so wanted to jump ship and be a participant but I could not because I did not invest myself in prayer previously: I had chosen to be an observer.
     Prayer allows us to have an active part in God’s work and blessing. Don’t cheat yourself by going through life only observing God’s activity. Invest yourself in prayer, in others, and in God. It is your choice: are you going to observe or participate?

Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working”

John 5 17

Are Your Relationships Pure?

     Another drink we need to consume in moderation is juice. Juice is great for us when it is in pure form. It is sweet, refreshing, and gives us many nutrients and antioxidants. Juicing has become very popular. We juice all kinds of fruits and vegetables. We can buy a variety of mixed juices on the shelf in any grocery store. Pure 100% juice is premium fuel for the body. However, as with many things that are good, juices have been corrupted. A large majority of the juices we purchase have tons of sugar and additives added to them. Many times the ‘juice’ has no real juice in it. It is just glorified pop. So, though juice is good for us in its pure form, imitations are not beneficial to us and can actually be deterrents to our health. When we drink juice out of moderation we again do not drink water. Juice should only be consumed in addition to water and never in place of it.

     Today’s analogy for our spiritual juice is relationships. Relationships are great blessings that God gives us. In scripture we see many relationships that God honors and blesses: marriages, friends, parents, and families. He tells us to love one another and to care for each other to the point of carrying each others burdens. When we have healthy and pure relationships guided by God they are beneficial to our spiritual health. They can be sweet and refreshing. They give us nutrition for our spirit. However, we can run into problems in two ways. First, our relationship can be corrupted by the world. It is very hard today to find and maintain pure relationships. We have distorted relationships from the way God designed and created them. Relationships today are needy, non-sacrificial, self centered and self seeking. They operate on conditional love and nobody can live up to its conditions for the long run. Today we see same sex marriages, people living together, divorces everywhere, children not speaking to parents and parents abusing children, friendships that do not last, and marriages full of anger. It appears that people are out to destroy each other. Two, our relationships can take such precedence that we do not have time or the desire for Jesus. When relationships stay pure they are Christ centered. When they are Christ centered they are sacrificial, self-sacrificing, and giving. They give unconditional love. They stay true to the way God created them to be.
     Relationships add such value and joy to our lives. However, they should never take the place of worshiping and serving Jesus. They are to be in addition to the priority relationship we're to have with Jesus in our lives. When they are not pure relationships, they are deterrents to our spiritual health. Never let the relationships in your life rob you of consuming Living Water. No relationship is worth giving up your relationship with Christ, or the blessing of enjoying a pure, sweet, Christ centered relationship. What kind of relationships do you have? Do you have relationships that you should not have? Are your relationships in the proper priority? Are you who you need to be for those you have a relationship with? Is God your number one relationship? Consume the Living Water and enjoy the benefits to your spiritual health. It is the only way to avoid spiritual dehydration.

“For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the Fountain of living water and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

Where Do You Get Your Energy?

     We have been talking about water and how necessary it is to our health and quality of life. We are looking at the things that we drink in the place of our life giving water. We covered pop and how it gives no benefit to the body. The other drinks we will cover, do offer us some benefits but when we consume too much it starts to have a negative effect. Also, the main issue is that it keeps us from drinking what our body really needs which is water!

     How many times have you or someone you know said, “I just can’t get going until I have had my coffee!” Actually, Shonda Pierce calls coffee the ‘Christian's Drug of Choice’. We feel we must have our caffeine and coffee is a great source of it. There are 80-130 mg. of caffeine in just one cup of coffee. Those that don’t like coffee get their caffeine in tea or new to our culture, energy drinks. Our coffee and tea stimulates us, awakens us, and gives us a needed boost. Today we have choices like never before. We can get our coffee in thousands of flavors, plain, with half-n-half, with froth, with flavors, hot, cold, or frozen. We now have fancy names for our coffee: cappuccino, espresso, latte, frappacino, and mocha. Even tea has been expanded. We have different flavors, iced, hot, with spices and fruit. We have black tea, green tea, white tea, and regular tea. We have it bottled in many choices. A few years ago the first energy drink came out which was Red Bull. Now we have a wide variety of choices and many of these drinks are not only exploding with caffeine but they have extremely large doses of sugar.
     Today there is much debate among health experts as to the value of our coffee or caffeine. It has been labeled the culprit of many health problems for years but now the research is showing some great benefits to drinking coffee. However, all experts say it has to be in moderation. The more we drink, the more it messes up our hormones which helps create weight issues. It affects our sleep and even plays a part in depression. Caffeine does give us the boost we feel we need to function but we must remember it is only temporary. It makes our body cycle go up and down. Probably the worst thing about caffeine is that it actually adds to dehydration. We must drink more water to compensate for each cup of caffeine we drink.
     With the stresses of life and the schedules we keep, we need to take some time for us. Time to rejuvenate us! These are the things that keep us going. We all have our hobbies or interests; sports for all ages, shopping, collecting, reading, scrap booking, hiking, running, etc. These things are good for us and I am in no way saying we shouldn’t have these in our life. However, we must consume them in moderation. When our interests keep us from the Living Water, when it makes us too busy to spend time with God, then it is not in moderation. When we focus more on our hobbies than we do on God, we are out of balance. I have seen so many people give up church and fellowship with their Christian family for their hobbies and sports. When they do that, they find themselves needing to consume more Living Water. Jesus Christ can rejuvenate us. When He does, it satisfies. It gives us nothing but benefits. Commit today to never consume more hobbies and interest than Living Water.

“For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the Fountain of living water and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.”

Jeremiah 2:13

Are You Drinking in the World?

     Teaching people about health and wellness has been a part of my job for four years now. I talk to people about the importance of drinking water. It is always interesting to me to watch people’s reactions. I remember my own! I hated water. I would go months drinking everything else but never letting my lips touch water. I was dehydrated and was on an uphill climb of obesity. I have learned the biggest reason people do not want to drink water is that they drink too much pop, aka soda. Pop is changing our taste buds and what we consider “sweet”. Our pop consumption increases every year. Research shows we drink an average of 50 gallons of pop per person, per year. We have tripled the size of a normal pop bottle since the first coke glass bottle came of the scene in the 1950’s. Today, the average young teenager consumes 23-26 teaspoons of sugar per day directly from pop. Also, pop is now our biggest source of calories which is adding to our growing obesity epidemic. Those that drink pop regularly have a 31% greater risk of becoming overweight. The studies show that it does not make a difference whether it is regular soda or diet soda. Considering the calories we consume drinking what some call ‘liquid candy’, it is horrible that there is no nutritional value to it. We call it empty calories. Drinking pop does not satisfy our real thirst, it actually leaves us more thirsty, but it does take away our desire for water. Even diet soda makes us fatter because the artificial sweeteners induce a response of “hunger” from the brain, leading to over eating. As if this is not bad enough, pop takes away our smile because it ruins our teeth. Pop is ruining our health and yet we continue to spend $68.1 billion on this carbonated drink a year.

     It seems so incredible that we consume something that leaves us empty and thirsty; something that robs us of our health. We accept feeling miserable for a drink that is worthless. Yet, the pure water that can give us health and healing, we resist! Basically there are two things wrong with drinking pop. One, it keeps us from drinking pure water and two, it offers us nothing to sustain life; it is of no value to us.
     Again, the situation is the same from a spiritual perspective. We become spiritually dehydrated when we do not drink in the Living Water because we drink in too much of the world, our spiritual pop. It is something that steals our spiritual health. It leaves us empty. It robs us of our happiness, our smile for life. The world never satisfies us, it leaves us more thirsty. It is nothing but empty calories and we can find no sustenance in it. In the end it makes us fat and lazy Christians. We can get so busy doing the things of the world that we do not find time for God. Worse, we don’t even have a desire to spend time with Him because the world changes our desires.
     When we forsake the Living Water for things that are worthless, scripture calls it ‘evil’. That is a hard word to swallow. However, we must not forsake God for the things of this world. It is easy to let the world consume us to the point of abandoning God. We spend time growing our careers, watching TV, reading, cleaning, shopping, eating out, etc. We do pretty much what we want and then say we do not have time for God. I have admitted to you that this has been a problem in my life. My time with God has been squeezed out for the things I wanted to do.
     When was the last time you gave up something you wanted to do in order to spend time with God? In the end, what gives you nourishment, health, and healing? Doesn’t the world leave you empty and still thirsty? Quench your thirst with Living Water which is the only thing that can satisfy!

“For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living water and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.”

Jeremiah 2:13

Are You Dehydrated?

When we allow ourselves to become physically and spiritually dehydrated we have consequences that we have to live with.

Symptoms of physical dehydration:
· Increase in anxiety, stress, impatience
· Hindered mental ability and performance.
· Going long periods without urinating
· Inability to cry tears
· Wrinkled skin
· Fatigue and drowsiness/ hard to awaken
· Dizziness and confusion; inability to focus
· Increased heart rate and breathing
As we looked at the physical symptoms of dehydration, I believe the same symptoms occur from spiritual dehydration.
· Anxious, stressed, impatient
· Build up of the toxins in our lives
· Inability to cry tears; our heart is hardening
· Stressed appearance
· Exhaustion from life
· Confusion as to direction for life, hard to focus on God, dizziness from busyness
· Increase in tension, decrease in relaxation, no rest in Christ
     In addition, it has been documented that a number of aliments, even “diseases’ can be directly linked to dehydration. Significantly, water can also provide the cure, at times superior to medication. In the book “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” the following health problems were listed as having a direct relation to the lack of water and which can be helped with proper hydration are:
· Headache
· Stress
· Kidney problems
· High Blood Pressure
· Thirst
· Hypertension
· Cholesterol
· Ulcers
· Higher risk of cancer
· Drinking your 8 glasses of water a day decreases the risk of colon cancer 45%, reduces the risk of breast cancer an incredible 79%, and makes one 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
     At different times in my life, I have experience all of the effects of dehydration, both physically and spiritually. Today, I listen to my body and when I have headaches and I am tired, I know I am not drinking enough water. When I am spiritually dehydrated, I know it because I am anxious, tired of life, hard-hearted, and stressed. By learning to pay attention to my body and soul, I know when I need to drink more water or spend more time talking to Jesus and letting Him fill me. There is a healing power of water for our bodies and there is an amazing healing power of Living Water to our soul. It is mind boggling that we are so out of touch with our need for water. We do not have to live with the symptoms and ailments of dehydration because the cure is so simple. Drink more water!! Be filled with the Living Water.

Jesus answered, "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.

John 4:10 (The Message)

One of the things I have started doing again is drinking my water each day.  It is so easy to get into the habit of not drinking water.  It is very hard to lose weight and keep it off if you do not drink water.  Dwayne and I are going away this week.  We are going to a cabin with no Internet and no TV!  I am not sure how I feel about that but I am trying to keep a good attitude about it.  We often need what we think we don't want.  While I am away, I will be posting the devotions I wrote on about water.  I often forget what I write after a year, so I assume you don't mind the reminder either!  Have a great week!
    
One of the ways we take care of our health and body is to drink water. My body has not always had the privilege of water. It had to work for it because it had to draw it out of all the other things I drank. Literally, I went up to 5 months without drinking straight water and not just once, but as a way of life. I lived on tea and coffee, milk and juice, and mostly pop. When I chose to get healthy, the first and most important thing I had to commit to is learning to drink water.

Here are some facts about water:
· 50-80% of our body weight is water
· 70% of our muscles are water
· 75% of our brain is water
· We lose 2 cups of water a day due to breathing, another 2 cups when we sweat and still a few more when we visit the ladies room.
· Water plays a very important role in keeping our body cool and comfortable
· The only thing our body craves more than water is oxygen and by the way, you get oxygen from water.
· Water is necessary to eliminate toxins from the body as waste products, to lubricate the joints preventing damage from arthritis, and to re-hydrate the muscle tissue.
· Thirst and hunger can be confused. Often when a person feels hungry, their body needs water! It is thirst, not the desire for food that causes the “need to eat” sensation.
     We can begin to see that we must drink water in order to maintain good health. Yet, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration can manifest itself slowly over a long period of time; if you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated! Our body’s need for water is substantial. Much of our anxiety, stress, impatience, drowsiness, confusion and inability to concentrate are due to low grade dehydration. Dehydration leading to a 2% loss of body weight may affect mental ability and performance. A loss of 10% may cause extreme weakness and heatstroke.
     I don’t think we are only physically dehydrated. I would like to propose that the large majority of us are spiritually dehydrated. The water we so desperately need is Jesus Christ, the Living Water. I believe that one reason we do not reflect Christ in our lives is because we are spiritually dehydrated from the lack of us drinking in Christ daily. Just like our bodies need water to function properly and to maintain health, we must consume the Living Water, Jesus Christ for our spiritual body to function properly and live in a healthy state.
     If we know that our bodies need water so desperately to survive and function, why do we not drink water? Why do we live with a dehydrated body? And why, if our spirit needs the Living Water so desperately to survive and function, why do we drink everything instead of that Living Water? Why do we let our selves live in a state of spiritual dehydration? Maybe it is time we get thirsty!

“they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water”.

Jeremiah 17:13

Is Your Eating Sin? (Part 2)

     There is no way to avoid stress, heartache, and hurt in this life. We have to live in this world where sin is rampant. Also, the way we cram our calendars with activities only magnifies our stress. What do we do when we are overwhelmed with emotions of any type? I find myself turning to a great friend for sympathy, or my husband for a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes I let ‘Calgon take me away!’ A few times, I have tried letting a new outfit heal my spirits. If I want to stop thinking and mentally escape to another place and time, I watch TV. I also have two little adorable dogs that love to cuddle and if I need a little unconditional love, I turn to them. However, there is something magical about turning to some good ole comfort food! Almost all of us have our favorites. If I am sick, I must have mash potatoes and cream corn. If I feel wiped out, ice cream can restore my senses. And when the stress level is high, anything chocolate will do.

     It is now my job and my heart passion to teach, coach, and encourage people (including myself) to achieve and maintain good health. Many times to achieve good health, we have to deal with weight issues. Other times, it is achieving healthy eating. Either way, we must deal with our love and desire for food. I remember when I started my weight loss journey, I struggled to accept the fact that eating healthy had to be a lifestyle. I did not want to give up all of my favorite food for life! I would do it for a short time to achieve my weight goal, but for life was out of the question. Food was too important to me to give up. I now know that I am not the only one who feels this way. I have talked to people from 120 to 400+ pounds who struggle with giving up food. For me, it has been a process. I first gave up certain foods temporarily, and then I realized how much better I was feeling and looking. My taste for the bad food had changed and the pull it had on me was not as strong. Then I started eating for health. Over a year ago, I took a step I would have sworn I would have never taken. I now eat organic foods as much as possible. I don’t want all the pesticides, chemicals, and processing in my body. I have learned they mess up hormones, which messes up weight loss. At 50, my hormones are crazy enough. Anything I can do to quiet them down is worth it to me. Now recently, I am slashing my carbs and sugars; something I have known I needed to do for a long time. I am barely eating red meat, which is what I ate 90% of the time. This changes are happening to continue to eat heatlhier and to get to a healthy weight.
     The real issue with food is the addiction we have to it. When we live to eat, instead of eat to live, we are out of balance. Part of the definition of gluttony was ‘a misplaced desire of food’. When we hold on to a certain food because we need it, maybe it is a misplaced desire, or in harsher terms, a form of gluttony. Last year, my doctor told me to give up carbohydrates and dairy products for a month: I refused. After all, I had already given up my unhealthy processed carbs and dairy. The only ones I ate now were healthy and now she was asking me to give them up for a month! Eventually, I gave in for a month. It taught me that I can live without them. Their power over me diminished. They were no longer a ‘misplaced desire’. What about you? If you were asked to give up sugar for a week, how would you feel? Or maybe carbs? Or maybe dairy?
     Besides the issue of gluttony, there is another area I struggle with spiritually. As a follower of Jesus Christ, should I not turn to Him when I am overwhelmed in life? Shouldn’t He be the One that comforts me, restores me, and heals me? If He is the most important priority in my life, why do I turn to other people, or things, or food to deal with my emotions? That is the role I have committed to Jesus. I should put nothing in front of Him. In the end, He is the only One that can satisfy. I heard a statement many years ago that I have tried to apply to all aspects of my life. “If Christ isn’t Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!” That includes my eating!

You know the old saying, “First you eat to live, and then you live to eat”? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that’s no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

1 Corinthians 6:13 (The Message)

Who Knows You Best?

      Until recently, I always believed that nobody knew you better than you mother!  They had been taking care of you for years!  They watched you grow from a newborn to an adult.  They walked through every joy and every heartache life had brought your way.  For Christmas I took all of our family old VHS home movies and put them on DVD’s.  In the process of converting them, I watch hours and hours of our life.  Some moments were sweet memories, some were totally forgotten, some moments made you laugh (mainly the clothes we wore and my signature pony tail on the side), some moments made you cry, some made you remember the sound and sight of loved ones that have been gone for many years, and some made you totally feel the joy of family and friends.  The thing that bugged me the most was how many things we did that I did not remember doing!  I always believed a mother’s memory is long: I don’t know if I still believe that to be true. I had forgotten a lot!  Some memory was stirred but some was totally gone.  Also, my children have lived away from me know for eight years.  I am not with them day to day.  I only get to see what they want me to see in their lives.  So, you add these two facts together,  I am not sure I know them better than anyone else just because I am their mother and spent 18 years with them.  Spouses are probably the ones who end up knowing more about you than anyone but they haven’t spent their entire life with you.  People at work, only know you at work.  Children have a limited knowledge of their parents.  In the end, nobody totally and completely knows you … except God!       

He created you, He knows you, He knows your heart and your thoughts, and He is everywhere you go. He has been with you everyday of your life, and through every circumstance.  Yet, He still loves you!  Today, rest in that love!  Remember that love!  Let that love warm you on this very cold day!

Like an open book, you watched row from conception to birth; al the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day!  

Psalm 139:16

So thank God for His marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children He loves.

Psalm 107:21

Is Your Eating Sin?

    Last year I wrote devotion on healthy living and shared my jouney of going from obese to overweight.  I am still struggling to get into the normal catagory!  Thanks to our family's Biggest Loser Contest, I am hoping that will be in three months!  As I have reduced the amount of food I am eating, I wanted to review what I wrote about gluttony and decided to let you review it with me!
     I have been in many Bible studies, I have attended numerous women’s retreats, I have sat through thousands of sermons, so why had I never heard any lesson on how God expects me to take care of my body? I had heard of the sin of gluttony, but why had I never heard any teaching on it? Maybe it has become so much a part of everyone’s life, nobody wants to talk about it. This is one reason why I feel convicted to teach about health and wellness to Christians.
    So, I researched the definition of Gluttony. “Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste. In some Christian denominations, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.” (Wikipedia) This definition creates more questions. When does eating become over-indulgent? When is it considered over-consumption? When is it waste? For me, I believe it is when we eat more than our body needs, when we eat to the point of being miserable, and when we eat so much we hurt the health that God gives us. If I stand on what I believe, then I must confess that I still am working on this sin in my life. Many days, I still find myself eating more calories than my body needs. But I am committed to get all forms of gluttony out of my life no matter how long the journey takes me.
     Where do you live in regards to your health? Are you living in a state of denial or are you facing reality? We are not assured of tomorrow, so what better time to start a journey of health than today?

“And put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony”

Proverbs 23:2

Love My Dogs!

     I love dogs! Especially my own! I have two miniature dachshunds and I have Brittne’s sheltie. There are many reasons why I love them so much. They love you unconditionally; they do not care if you have been cranky all day and have bit everyone’s heads off. They are always happy to see you and to spend time with you. We call our dogs wiggle tails because they have long tails that wiggle like crazy to show us how happy they are. Our dogs are usually obedient. They do test us occasionally but they know we are the ‘alpha dogs’. They are totally dependent on us for their care: when they get fed, when they potty, when they spend the day outside, when they get their baths, when they get their flea protection, and when they see the doctor. They do not worry if we are going to meet their needs; they totally rest in our care. Lastly, they love staying close. They snuggle up next to us and enjoy their restful sleep. The love they give me warms my heart and tends to make everyday better.

     I often think that if I possessed these same quality to my Master, I would bring Him much joy! We often speak of God’s unconditional love for us but should I not give Him unconditional love in return. Often our love is tested with trials, hardships, and heartbreaks. Some people turn from God when these times hit. I need to live in such a state of unconditional love for my Master that my love never falters. It is easy to get my thinking backwards and think that God is pleased with me for having my body in church and Bible Study. In reality, He could care less if my body is there if my heart is not happy to be there. It would please Him if I wanted to spend time with Him and was happy anytime I could be in His presence. I know that my obedience to Him shows my love for Him. I wish I could say I was always obedient but that would be a lie. Our flesh continues to test our obedience. Another thing I want to work towards is total trust in God’s care. Why should I worry if God is going to provide for my needs? He has never failed me and left me in need! I need to live in total peace knowing He will provide for all of my needs. Lastly, I need to snuggle up to Him and rest in His constant presence in my life. All is well when I rest in Him. Who would have guessed that I could learn how to better love my Master from how my dogs love me!

    If I claim that Jesus is my Master, then I should trust and love Him with my completely and totally!

One final word, friends. We ask you – urge you is more like it – that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 (The Message)

What Are You Gripping Onto?

     When I previously lost weight, the number that continued to appear on the scale was 1.4 pounds. Week after week, I would see 1.4 pounds. I was in a Weight Watcher class at work and every week others would share how they did not exercise or how they overate the previous weekend. They would get on the scale and lose 3-5 pounds. I would have exercised every day and stayed inside my point allowance and I would lose 1.4 pounds. Are you noticing I have an issue with 1.4 pounds? That number is one reason I stopped getting on the scale. Well, Saturday was my weigh in day. It had been a week since we began our Biggest Loser Contest and once again I was going to have to get on that scale and deal with harassing villain: the 1.4 number! Not only did I not have to see its face; I lost more than I ever had in one week! I lost 5 pounds! That is almost 4 weeks of typical weight loss for me!
     What had changed? The answer is that I finally did what I had always refused to do! I am a carb lover. My perfect diet would be a total carb diet! When I lost weight the first time, all I ate was low-fat, low calorie, high carbohydrate, processed, diet food. For a year now, I have given up that kind of food. I started eating non-processed food that was not always low in fat, or calories, or carbohydrates. I was feeling better but since I did not control my portion sizes and was not exercising like I should, I gained weight. However, this last week, I finally got to the point that I gave up my carbs and sugars. I ate fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, and turkey. The result was 5 pound weight loss! A year ago, my doctor told me that the older we get the less carbs we can handle. Now, I know that to be balanced and healthy in my eating, I will eventually need to eat some whole, good carbs in right daily portions. Whole carbohydrates are fuel for our body! However, taking a little fast from them for a little while will help me with the addiction to them.
     I have seen people walk away from changing their diet because it just didn’t work! It didn’t work because they refused to give up all the food they love: they refused to let go off the grip they have on the food they wanted! I have also seen people walk away from their relationship with the Lord because it just didn’t work! It didn’t work for them because they refused to give up all the sin they love: they refused to let go off the grip they have on their sin; or their sin has on them. I have never seen a one way relationship survive over time and neither will a one way relationship with Christ. Our relationship with Jesus has to be more than what He does for us and what He gives to us! It has to be about what we give to Him and what we become for Him. It has to be a two sided relationship. We say we give control of our life over to Him when we become a Christian. Do we really? Do we give 100%, or do we try and give 80%, 50%, or even 10%? If we don’t give 100% then we really did not give our self completely! If we don’t give our self completely, then we will not completely reap the joy, peace, growth, and blessing from abiding with Jesus.

What percentage of you have you given Jesus?

All who indulge in a sinful lie are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order. Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They’ve got him all backwards.

1 John 3:4-6 (The Message)

The Gift of Health

     In today's culture it is very hard to be well balanced between hating our bodies and the way God made us and being in love with our appearance to the point of having it consume our every thought. The best place to live is somewhere in between these extremes which is a state of learning to be good stewards of the gift of health and life that God gives us.
     I have memories of my 15 year old son getting his license and getting his first car. (in Montana, children get their license at 15 years of age) It was a little gray Honda car we found for $500. At first he loved this car, he kept it clean and took care of it. However, soon that started to change. He started driving through fields like it was a four wheeler. He played bumper cars with the trash cans in the alleys. He played chicken with his friend and he would race stop sign to stop sign. Once when he was racing and then stopping quickly over and over, his breaks got to hot and they quit working. He had to swerve and he hit his friends car and tore the bumper off his car and broke out his head lights. Soon his car started falling apart, literally! Eventually, it died and we took it to the salvage yard for cars who have lived out their days. As, soon as he had no car, he started begging for another car and promised he learned his lesson and would take better care of his new car; if we would just get him a new car! Now before you think we were crazy parents, we didn’t know how he treated his first car until he was older and felt he had to finally confess.
     When it comes to our life and health which God gives us, we do much the same thing with God. We do not take care of our bodies. We have fun and abuse them. Finally one day when they start wearing out or they have issues, we begin to appreciate life and say that we have learned our lessons. If God would just heal us or would make us better, we would take better care of our self! If only we would take care of them from the beginning.

     I lived the first 46 years of my life not caring for my health. I was 50 pounds overweight by eating whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted. I had never been in shape or actually tried to be physical active. I just pretended it was all okay. I never thought of it as a gift and I never realized that I had a responsibility to take care of what God gave me. I have now spent over two years trying to achieve a good level health. It has been a hard battle and it has taught me many spiritual lessons along the way.

     We need to practice stewardship in all things including our bodies, our health, and our wellness. The meaning of stewardship is ‘a person being accountable to God for the acceptable care and use of those possessions.’ Are you a good steward of your health and body? Or do you use it for whatever brings you immediate pleasure? Do you feel you are accountable? Do you think you belong to God? The care you give yourself will eventually show in your health and quality of life. If you want to live the best life you can, take care of 'you' the best way you can.

You don’t get wormy apples off a diseased tree, nor good apples from a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives.

Luke 6:43-44

What Are You Hiding?

     One principle to weight loss that all experts agree on is that you must write down what you eat; every bite! This is called journaling. When we do not write it down we play games with ourselves! We don’t count those few bites of that candy bar or we let our minds tell us that the cup of mash potatoes we ate is really one serving of a half a cup of potatoes. Not journaling what we eat is our way to hide our misbehavior from our self. In the end, it brings inner quilt or denial of what we are actually eating. What we need to remember is that our calories count whether we play games with our self and try to hide them or not! Trust me; I have many hidden calories that have made its presence on my belly.
     We do the same thing with God. We try and hide our heart or we tell our self that our sin really wasn’t that bad. Not only do we hide our sin from ourselves, we try and hide our sin from God; even when we know we really can’t hide anything from Him. Not getting real with God only brings inner guilt or denial of the seriousness of our sin. We need to remember that our sin is damaging to us whether we try and hide it or not, and it hurts our relationship with Christ. We need to confess our sin daily to Jesus and learn to live in a complete openness with Him. Hiding didn’t work well with Adam and Eve and it won’t work for us either.

Job asked the following question:

Did I hide my sin the way Adam did, or conceal my guilt behind closed doors?

Job 31:33

A Routine is Sometimes Good!!!

     I mentioned that I got out of the habit of daily exercise a year ago when I was told by the doctor that I could not exercise because I could not get hot and sweaty. Before that time, exercise had become a daily part of my day; even if it meant being on the treadmill at midnight! When I got the allergic reaction to the Virginia Creeper, I remember going into a panic when the doctor said absolutely no exercise because I would spread the rash even more. Something in me knew how hard it would be to get it back once I lost the routine. It took me 8 weeks to get over the rash; then it was time for our trip to Peru! Then I tried to get back on track and fell on the treadmill! Then I started back and then pulled a muscle!
     Then . . . then . . . then . . .! Now a year later, the routine never returned! Exercise keeps us physically healthy, helps maintain weight loss, and helps to keep us motivated to eat right. Exercise alone cannot create a healthy weight. It takes discipline in what we consume as well as discipline in exercise.
     This exercise journey is the same as many people’s journey on church attendance. I have seen it over and over through the years. People, who are very regular in attending church, slowly become a family that never attends. It happens when something in life keeps them away for a few weeks, then it is something else, then something else, etc. Satan keeps hitting with the 'something else' until it is not part of their routine anymore. Church helps us maintain spiritual health, it helps us learn what changes we need to make in our lives, and it keeps us motivated to live a spiritually disciplined life through the week. It does not make us good Christians by itself. It takes a daily walk with the Lord as well! However, it has a vital part to our maturity as a child of God!
How is your physical exercise routine? How is your spiritual exercise routine?

Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Are You Hungry for the Lord?

     Part of my new discipline (or punishment! Lol) for my recent weight gain is a very strict diet for thirty days. It is a healthy diet of nothing but fruits, vegetables, fish, turkey, and chicken. Today is my fourth day on this diet and I am remembering what it feels like to be hungry! I have endured my sugar headache which was actually better than it has been in the past. The great thing is how good everything taste. Without all the junk going in my body and numbing my pleasure of taste, every bite is nothing but wonderful. Each meal leaves me wanting more and anticipating the next meal!
     Many times we get in the habit of feasting on the world. We stuff ourselves so much that we get to the point where we don’t savor Jesus. The more we get the junk out of our life, the more we taste the goodness of the Lord. It becomes so pleasurable that we crave more and look forward to more and more time with Him.
    If you are struggling with truly tasting the goodness of the Lord, then I challenge you to consider how much worldly junk food you choose to indulge. The more you eliminate the junk the more you will crave the Lord.    

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8

Scales!! YUCK!!!

     I HAVE BEEN VERY HONEST AND OPEN WITH YOU FOR THE LAST SIXTEEN MONTHS BUT THIS IS THE HARDEST DEVOTION I HAVE WRITTEN; I THINK IT IS BECAUSE I AM SO FRUSTRATED WITH MYSELF. IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, I HAVE LEARNED ONE POWERFUL LESSON.
     AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, 3 ½ YEARS AGO I STARTED A WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY AND LOST 40 POUNDS. IT WAS A LONG AND HARD PROCESS: ONE I SWORE I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN BECAUSE I WOULD NEVER GAIN MY WEIGHT BACK. OVER THE YEARS SINCE I LOST THE WEIGHT, I HAVE NOT BEEN AS EMPATHETIC FOR PEOPLE WHO LOST WEIGHT AND GAINED IT BACK AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I SWORE IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO ME! THE JOURNEY WAS TOO LONG AND TOO HARD TO REPEAT. I MADE SURE THAT I STAYED ON TRACK AND MADE THE HEALTHIEST CHOICES WHEN EATING OUT, I GAVE UP SODA, I EXERCISED WEEKLY, I DID 90% OF MY GROCERY SHOPPING AT THE WHOLE FOOD STORE, AND I ATE HEALTHY FOOD FIXED IN A HEALTHY WAY. I WORKED TOWARD A WEIGHT GOAL I WANTED TO ACHIEVE BY MY 50TH BIRTHDAY. THE LAST TIME I WEIGHED, I WAS FIVE POUNDS FROM THAT GOAL. I KNEW AFTER I QUIT WORKING, IT WOULD NOT BE HARD FOR ME TO LOOSE THE FIVE POUNDS BECAUSE I WOULDN’T BE SITTING ON MY BACKSIDE ALL DAY LONG!
     WELL, WHEN MY BIRTHDAY CAME ALONG, I KNEW I DID NOT MAKE MY GOAL: NOT BECAUSE I WEIGHED BUT BECAUSE MY JEANS WERE TOO TIGHT AND MY MUFFIN WAS TOO BIG! I GAVE AWAY ALL OF MY ‘FAT CLOTHES’ SO IF I OUTGROW MY CURRENT JEANS, I WILL BE NAKED. NOT REACHING THAT GOAL WAS VERY DIFFICULT ON ME. IF I HADN’T HAD SO MUCH GOING ON AT THAT TIME, I WOULD HAVE HAD ME ONE BIG, LONG CRYING FIT! SO, I JUST TOLD MYSELF THAT I WOULD GET THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS AND THEN TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AND GET THOSE EXTRA POUNDS BACK OFF. BECAUSE I SET MY START DATE SIX WEEKS OUT, I CHILLED DURING THE HOLIDAY’S. I ATE THINGS I KNEW BETTER THAN TO EAT AND I ATE THEM MORE OFTEN THAN I KNEW I SHOULD! LAST WEEK, MY FAMILY DECIDED TO BEGIN A WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY TOGETHER AND WE STARTED A BIGGEST LOSER CONTEST, STARTING JANUARY 1ST. I WAS
ECSTATIC THAT MY FAMILY WAS GOING TO BE DOING THIS WITH ME; ESPECIALLY MY HUSBAND. IT HAS SEEMED LIKE A LONELY PROCESS TO ME AT TIMES AND NOW I WILL HAVE THOSE I LOVE MOST WALKING ALONG WITH ME! HOWEVER, SINCE I HAVE MANAGED SEVERAL WEIGHT CONTEST BEFORE, I KNEW THERE WAS GOING TO BE ONE THING THAT HAD TO OCCUR THAT I HAD BEEN AVOIDING. I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO WEIGH! AS A HEALTH COACH AND A WELLNESS MANAGER, I KNOW THAT WEIGHING IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF WEIGHT LOSS. HOWEVER, I WAS GOING TO START WEIGHING AS SOON AS MY JEANS WERE LOOSE AGAIN! SATURDAY, I GOT ON THE SCALE AND MY NUMBER WAS TWENTY POUNDS UP FROM THE LAST TIME I WEIGHED! OH, DID I MENTION THAT WAS OVER A YEAR AGO SINCE I WEIGHED!
     SO HERE I AM, IN A SPOT I SWORE I WOULD NEVER BE IN. AS MUCH AS I HATE THE REALITY OF MY POSITION, I AM SO HAPPY THAT I WOKE UP BEFORE I HAD GAINED IT ALL BACK. HOWEVER, I AM SO ASHAMED THAT I AM HERE. I TEACH AND COACH PEOPLE TO BE HEALTHY AND YET, I DID NOT PRACTICE THE THINGS I TEACH OTHERS! OF COURSE THE MAIN THING I ASK MYSELF IS, “HOW DID I GET HERE? I DO SO MANY THINGS RIGHT!” IF YOU REMEMBER, FOURTEEN MONTHS AGO, I GOT AN ALLERGIC REACTION FROM SOME VIRGINIA CREEPER AND FOR SEVEN WEEKS, I COULD NOT EXERCISE. AT THAT POINT, MY EXERCISE REGIMENT GOT MESSED UP AND IT NEVER RETURNED. I EXERCISED EVERY WEEK BUT NOT EVERY DAY. I KNOW THAT YOU ONLY HAVE A 10% CHANCE OF KEEPING YOUR WEIGHT OFF IF YOU DO NOT EXERCISE REGULARLY. THEN I EVALUATED THE OTHER PRINCIPLES OF WEIGHT LOSS: DRINKING WATER DAILY, EATING FIVE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES DAILY, WEIGHING EVERY WEEK, JOURNALING YOUR DAILY INTAKE OF FOOD, MINIMIZING YOUR CARBS AND SUGARS, COUNTING YOUR CALORIES DAILY, GETTING BACK ON TRACK THE NEXT MEAL AFTER A SPLURGE, AND AVOIDING MINDLESS EATING. I HAD NOT STAYED DISCIPLINED IN THESE AREAS. I HAD BEEN SO BUSY PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK FOR THE THINGS I WAS DOING RIGHT, I REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE THINGS I WAS DOING WRONG; UNTIL REALITY ONCE AGAIN SLAPPED ME UPSIDE THE HEAD (OR ON THE SCALE!).
     THESE SAME PRINCIPLES APPLY TO OUR SPIRITUAL WALK. AS CHRISTIANS, WE CAN GET PRETTY COCKY WONDERING HOW OTHERS DO THIS AND THAT! WE PROCLAIM THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WE WOULD NEVER DO. WE KNOW THE BASIC PRINCIPLES TO WALKING THE CHRISTIN LIFE. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES WE GET SO BUSY PATTING OURSELVES ON OUR BACKS FOR THE THINGS WE ARE DOING RIGHT THAT WE DO NOT ACCESS THE THINGS WE ARE DOING WRONG. WE DO NOT LET THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICT US; WE AVOID GETTING ON THE SCALE. THEN ONE DAY SOMETHING HAPPENS AND REALITY HITS. THE FIRST THING WE SAY IS, “HOW DID I GET MYSELF HERE!”
     WALKING WITH JESUS IS AN EVERYDAY WHOLEHEARTED COMMITMENT. WE CAN NOT PLAY GAMES WITH OURSELVES AND LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE! WE CAN NOT GO TO CHURCH EVERY WEEK AND DO OUR GOOD DEEDS AND FORGET THE DAY TO DAY DISCIPLINES!

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE SPIRITUAL SCALE?

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

LUKE 9:23