Saturday, April 26, 2008

F A T

The Lord calls those things that be not as though they were!


This is what faith is..."The substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (with the physical, natural eye)".


Why do I share that along with the title of this blog?  You are probably saying, "I don't want to see myself FAT!"


Or do you?


Two years ago, the Lord told me "My church is FAT and I want you to let them know."  

I said, "Lord, I can't say that.  That would be rude coming from me."


Ya know what He told me?


He said, "I Am a God of Faith - I see those things that be not as those they were and FAT doesn't mean what you think.  In My eyes FAT is Fit And Trim. "


Hmmm - can you see things with a different perspective now?  We have a choice in how we see everything around us - even ourselves. The way you "see" yourself is having faith in what will be manifested in your life!  


So the questions is, how DO you see yourself?  

Saturday, April 19, 2008

I GET IT...No Pain, No Gain!


I finally realized something.
Yes, I know it may seem I'm a little slow by the title of this post - I mean after all I've been around for a few years.

I've heard the phrase "no pain, no gain" regarding exercise for years. However it wasn't until just recently that I completely understood what it means.

Let me first share what it DOESN'T mean:

It does not mean that you have to beat yourself silly in exercise until you can't take any more. Yes, when working out doing strength training you should always work your muscles to fatigue but you should never push them to the point of injury. That is not the type of pain that I'm talking about!


Now for what I believe it DOES mean:

There are times in your exercise routine that if you are doing the same things over and over, your body becomes conditioned to what you are doing to it. When that happens, the exercises that once made you walk like you had jello legs or that kept you from lifting a pen off your desk, now does not seem to affect you. This is a sign of progress but it is also a sign that you need to move on. Either focus on different muscles, increase your intensity or the amount of weights you are using. Try something new!

To tell that you are working muscles that haven't been used in a while, you should feel some sort of 'soreness' a day and/or two afterwards. If there is no 'pain' then it could be that there is no 'gain' due to a need of revising what you are doing in order to get maximum results.

So, the next time you work out I encourage you to step it up and make the most of your workouts! Remember...no pain, no gain!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

I Shall Not Be Moved!

I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved! Psalm 16:8

Have you ever worked really hard to stay on track...making the right food choices, tracking and logging your food intake, exercising, EVERYTHING however you aren't seeing the results you hoped for?

Keep in mind that even though you are doing everything right - making right choices and right changes - that you may not always see with your physical eyes the results of those actions immediately. It is at those times that you must remember to not be moved! You must see the results through the eyes of your spirit, the one that has been renewed because of what Jesus has done for you!

If you are only looking through with your physical eyes, it can be disappointing or discouraging and cause you to get off track. By KNOWING that the results will follow with patience, then...nothing can stop you!

Now, if you are not making right choices and changes...well, that is a different topic. However, you KNOW what to do! Go to the Word, build up your confidence and go for it!

Have confidence in the efforts that you are making. And if the results are not immediate, remember...to not be moved!!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

God is on Your Side! Part Four

This week will conclude the fourth and final part of the series, God is on Your Side! I want to encourage you if you are reading this blog for the first time, to please go back and read the previous three weeks' worth of blogs to catch up to where we are today.

Isn't it a good thing to know that we have the Lord's promises to live in? In Psalm 118:6a He tells us, "The Lord is on my side, I will not fear..."

It is reassuring to know that He is on our side and will always be with us - in everything! Even our weight loss journey! Praise the Lord!

Now, the past three weeks we have been looking at Psalm 37. This week we will conclude by starting with verse 34a:

Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land...

Wait on the Lord - The Message version says, "Wait passionately for God" When we have passion for something, it is with great desire and longing. God wants us to passionately wait for Him or to wait for Him with great desire and longing!

And keep His way - I just love the The Message version as it makes it plain. Its translation of this part of scripture says, "don't leave the path". What path? The one we learned about last week - the one that the good man takes action to move forward on. Remember, "the steps of a good man are ordered or established by the Lord." We are to not leave that path or in other words, He wants us to stay on the path that leads to fulfilling the desires of our hearts (from God is on Your Side! Part One).

Now let's go to verses 39 and 40:

But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them,
Because they trust in Him.

But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord - the word "salvation" means deliverance, help, victory, wholeness, completeness, all-in-all! And if you have accepted Jesus as Lord, then YOU are the righteous! So, the Lord (freely) gives you: deliverance, help, victory, completeness, wholeness. Everything you need to be successful in your weight loss journey! Actually He has ALREADY given you those things through Christ because that is where your righteousness comes from!


He is their strength in the time of trouble - The Lord is who's strength? Yours because you are the righteous! And when does He give it? Always! Even in time of trouble. When you are tempted with weakness and lack of desire to stay on track. When you feel like you can't go on in this journey, that is when you can rest assured that His strength is there for you to carry on. He will "help them and deliver them". Who? Those who are in trouble. And not only that, but He will save them! Do you ever feel like you need someone to save you from making wrong choices? Well, He has already provided that for you - it says so right here in His Word! But again, you must be the one to take action to receive from Him! He gives us that right! Hallelujah!

Because they trust in Him - Why does God say He will give you all of these things? Why is it that He will give you the desires of your heart and see to it that you have everything you need to reach your weight loss goals? Because He has already provided these things to you through Jesus and all you have to do to receive them is TRUST IN HIM!

I hope you have gained some knowledge in His Word for your weight loss journey these last four weeks and have assurance in knowing once and for all that...God is on YOUR side!