Posted: 05/31/2008 at 07:23AM |
Run the Race
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
1 Corinthians 9:24 (NKJV)
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
Many self-help programs give us deadlines that are unrealistic, unattainable and ultimately lead us to give up. This race that we are running is one that requires perseverance. Our goal is to be restored to to our right weight and to see God transform us into healthy and happy people that He can use for His glory. As we keep our eyes on that goal, we can run with endurance as He sets the pace for us.
We must be determined to lay aside this weight that slows us down and holds us back. We must continually speak the truth of God’s Word to our mind, will, and emotions. As we meditate in the Word of God we will prosper in what we are doing and find great success. We must speak to our bodies the things that are not as though they were. We must believe that the God who is the author of our faith will also help us to finish the race with a winning attitude.
Pray today that God will help you to run this race of weight loss with endurance and that He will help you to avoid all the pitfalls that could get you off the track. Ask Him to be a very present help when you are in trouble.
Posted: 05/22/2008 at 12:14PM |
Repentance
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NKJV)
There are many words that describe change in the Bible. The most common meaning is in connection with the necessity to transform or exchange one thing for another. In some instances the word is translated repentance, which indicates a change of mind.
As we begin this journey toward a healthy body, one of our first responsibilities is to repent for the way we have misused and abused how much and what we eat. Most of us have developed elaborate excuses for overeating or eating what is not healthy. If we are truly going to find a lifetime of liberty from being controlled by appetite, we must begin with truth in our inner heart. We must expose the hidden eating behaviors we have grown so attached to and confess them to God. He will have such tender mercy on us and He can then begin to show us wisdom for true transformation.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you today as you search your heart for areas that need change. Ask Him to create in you a clean heart and to restore the joy of living in liberty from food and sugar addictions.
Posted: 05/13/2008 at 07:50AM |
Have Faith
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Romans 8:5,8,13 (NKJV)
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
It is possible for us to change! We do not have to be held hostage in a prison of extra pounds any longer. We can choose life and life more abundantly. All it requires is an outlook that is shaped by the Holy Spirit so that our minds will be set on what the Spirit desires. That outlook is a faith walk – it is the substance of what we hope for and the evidence of things not yet seen. We can trust God to help us become the people we are meant to be.
When we come honestly to Jesus and admit our powerlessness to overcome food or any addiction, He quickly comes to our aid and He supplies abundant grace for us to change. He loves faith! We are precious to Him and He wants us to be everything we were designed to be. Instead of turning to food for comfort, we will find the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Instead of reaching for a high calorie snack when we are bored or lonely, we can turn to Jesus who is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He will satisfy our desires with good things that will refresh us.
Don’t let another day pass without determining to please God in your physical body. Make a quality decision to seek God for change in your appetite. Trust Him to help you. Believe that God is able to bring you into a new liberty and a lifestyle of obedience in the area of eating. You will never weigh more than you do today as you take your first steps on the path to freedom.
Posted: 05/12/2008 at 09:25AM |
Choose Life
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;
therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NKJV)
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
John 15:16 (NKJV)
The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. We choose to walk according to the Spirit. When we set our minds on the Spirit, we experience life and peace. When we set our minds on the flesh we cannot please God and we are unable to control our appetites. But the Spirit who dwells in us gives life to our bodies and we are no longer obligated to live according to the strong desires of our flesh.
We have the awesome privilege of crying out to God our Father for help at any time. He is our strength and He is helping us to put to death the habits that have taken over so much of our lives. God is training us to be disciplined and in the end it will pay off in righteousness, peace, and a more mature relationship with Him.
God’s desire for you is to be full of life, health, vitality, and energy. You are no longer spending your time, money and energy on things that don’t satisfy. You are listening carefully for the Lord’s direction so that you will live a long and healthy life. The Lord has promised to sustain you and you are abundantly satisfied with His blessing.
Posted: 05/11/2008 at 02:29PM |
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1 NKJV
We can make up our minds that we will no longer follow the behavior and habits we developed as overeaters. With the mercy of God, we can become new and different people with a fresh outlook on what we can do, the choices we make, and how we think. We can learn from our own experience how God’s ways really can satisfy what we used to believe was hunger. In fact, as we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be filled.
God is able to make all grace available to us so that we always have access to what we need and plenty left over. As we make our bodies a present to Him, he like a master potter, is able to transform our bodies into vessels that are useful for every good work. God already has a design in mind for us and it’s more than we could ever imagine. We will find ourselves doing things and going places that we only dreamed of before.
Pray today for a renewed mind. Let God erase the image you have of yourself, and let Him give you a brand new look. You are no longer obligated to live in bondage to your desires for food. Ask Him to satisfy you all day with His mercy so that you can rejoice and be glad all day long in His goodness
Posted: 05/11/2008 at 02:29PM |
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1 NKJV
We can make up our minds that we will no longer follow the behavior and habits we developed as overeaters. With the mercy of God, we can become new and different people with a fresh outlook on what we can do, the choices we make, and how we think. We can learn from our own experience how God’s ways really can satisfy what we used to believe was hunger. In fact, as we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be filled.
God is able to make all grace available to us so that we always have access to what we need and plenty left over. As we make our bodies a present to Him, he like a master potter, is able to transform our bodies into vessels that are useful for every good work. God already has a design in mind for us and it’s more than we could ever imagine. We will find ourselves doing things and going places that we only dreamed of before.
Pray today for a renewed mind. Let God erase the image you have of yourself, and let Him give you a brand new look. You are no longer obligated to live in bondage to your desires for food. Ask Him to satisfy you all day with His mercy so that you can rejoice and be glad all day long in His goodness