Fight 4 Freedom

Now that you're free, hold up the banner!

2008-06-21T10:00:00.004-04:00

I've been posting over at my other blog site "HOLDING UP THE BANNER" and I wanted to encourage you to go there to continue to receive encouragement & hear a word from the Lord. Since the Lord truly has freed me from this bondage of food, I've been on a quest to stay close to Him and make my worship & quiet time become more of a priority than it has been. I believe that's the only way to walk in the freedom that the Lord has given. It's something we continually have to fight for because the devil so longs to take it away from us & keep us in bondage.
I'll still post here when I feel I have something important to share pertaining to food addiction, so please subscribe to the feed so you don't miss anything. At this point my focus has been on holding up the banner of victory! It is my prayer that all the the Lord teaches me will be a blessing to you in your own walk.

If you are here looking for freedom from your own food addiction, please read the blog posts here (start from the beginning), browse the links on the right of the page & join the fight4freedom support group (link on the right). There are many ways to freedom, and the ones on this site have been the most effective in helping me obtain my own freedom!

God bless you as you learn to walk into freedom!

Turning the devils attacks into blessings

2008-05-31T06:15:00.003-04:00

I apologize for not having posted recently. I've been on a hiatus of sorts. I've been so very busy I've been behind on my blog posts & so much else. I feel so negligent. I got to the point where I just wanted to shut down & go away for a little while just to escape the frenzy that has been my life recently, but God is faithful & it has been my relationship with Him that has kept me moving forward.
I just learned that my stepmother is getting sicker (cancer taking yet another member of my family), my mother is getting ready to retire after suffering a mild nervous breakdown, I'm STILL trying to finish moving my office to it's new location, I had a flood in my basement due to a theft of copper piping in my neighbors empty house, I had to plan & lead a graduation ceremony at my co-op, then finalize everything for one years end, and prepare for the next years beginning (orientation being this Tuesday & I needed to prepare 4 classes that I'm teaching next year), my daughters two best friends were in a bad car accident this past Friday (totaled the car) and I've been overwhelmed with counseling several Christian friends on a variety of subjects. Add all of this to my regular work of running a home business, babysitting my 5 year old nephew, dog sitting, keeping up on laundry, yard work, housecleaning, raising my own 6 year old, prepping 3 meals daily for my husband to take to work (done before 7:30 am) and I'll tell you there are days that I feel like Dorothy from the wizard of OZ being swept up into a giant tornado.
In the past, I would have taken such situations and turned them into opportunities to eat. Now, however, I have been taking these situations & turning them into opportunities to meditate & draw closer to the Lord. I find the early morning spending time alone with Him to be my greatest refuge.
I don't know what you are going through, and I don't know what you need, but HE does. He'll be everything & more and He will provide ways for you to get through the ever present storms of life so that you may receive the peace He so longs to give you.

Keeping Your Attitude In Check!

2008-05-02T07:06:00.000-04:00

This past week I was attacked regarding an issue at the co-op where I teach. It escalated to a point in which I began to retaliate and I allowed anger to consume me. I was truly out of control within myself, and I could not focus on releasing the anger, as the devil used several people around me to feed it. From the beginning of the point in which I became angry, I opened the door for the devil to latch on to me. I acknowledged to those I had spoken with that I was spiritually weak and I was not handling things properly. Unfortunately, because some of the people I was interacting with are not spirit minded, they did not understand how important it was for me to strengthen my spirit before I was able to deal with the issue in the proper fashion. Those are the people that the devil can use best. It's not that THEY themselves are trying to hurt me. In fact, quite the opposite, some of them love me very much & were only trying to help the situation. Unfortunately, because they are not walking in the spirit, they do not recognize the snare of the enemy. Fortunately, however, I do have one very close spirit minded friend, who knows my heart and encouraged me in the Lord. After talking with her, I spent time in quiet meditation & prayer, and IMMEDIATELY my attitude changed from one of anger & malice to one of humility & love. I was then able to go back & deal with the issue in a calm and rational manner. In fact, I feel that the end result was far greater than I could have expected, and the best part of all is that God received the glory.
Even in a sin filled world we can be lights for Him. By admitting our dependence upon Him, we assure ourselves victory in all we do. When we admit to those around us that we are wretched without Him and allow them to see our faults as human beings, we take the focus off of ourselves & put it on Him, where it rightfully belongs! When we practice humility, our attitude becomes the kind in which God can use to reach those around us.
God truly is good my friends. We can trust Him with even our ugliest sins because He loves & cares for us. Philippians 2:5 teaches, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." In order to develop an attitude like Christ, we must begin by becoming humble and submit to the Father, just as He did.
There's a good article about checking you attitude. You can find it here: Check Your Attitude!

If you're struggling with issues of pride & anger, or any other attitude that has kept you from experiencing true freedom, spend time in meditation & prayer & give it over completely to the Father. You will feel a wonderful sense of peace & a great lifting of burdens!

God bless you as you keep your attitude in check!

Do not abandon your commitment!

2008-05-01T15:27:00.004-04:00

I'd like to say I have been on a sabatical, a wonderful retreat in which I become spiritually renewed. I've always wanted to take one of them, but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me. In fact, the past two weeks have been so busy for me I can't even remember what I did each day! You can read more details here: "Sticking with your commitment"
I don't want to repeat myself, but what I do want to say is this. No matter how busy the devil keeps you, no matter how hard he tries to fill your days & nights with work or issues you need to take care of, there is NO reason whatsoever that you have to abandon your commitment. There's no reason you can't find a small space of time to spend with your Lord. He should be the most important thing in your life. He should come first, before anything else. There should ALWAYS be time for Him! He'll take even the smallest increment you are willing to give Him, THAT'S how much He loves & adores you! Without Him, you will never win this fight.

God bless you as you stick to your commitment!

Once The Battle Is Won From The Inside The Outside Automatically Lines Up

2008-04-21T20:03:00.004-04:00

How long does it take to win the battle from within? I don't know...it's different for everybody. What I DO know is that the battle is always won from within first, if it is TRULY won. You will see people losing weight like crazy, but some of them just can't seem to keep it off. Why?
For a food addict things are more than just diets and exercise & weight loss. We have deep rooted problems that cause us to over eat in the first place. We can't keep the weight off because inevitably the issues we struggle with will rise up again, or perhaps even new ones will come, and once they do we go right back to our comfort...food!
We must win the battle from within first before we can ever hope to achieve the weight loss we so desperately desire. The enemy is slick, and he does not want us to win. He wants to keep us under his thumb for as long as he possibly can. God has given us everything we need, but we still stay stuck. Sometimes we just can't move forward. There are so many reasons. Sometimes we are afraid to face the things we have kept inside. Sometimes we are actually afraid of succeeding because we don't think we're worth it! Can you imagine that? It's true! There are many Christians out there who have succumbed to the lie that they are worthless. Only God can take those lies from your mind and He does it when you read the truth in His Word.
Take the attitude of the Psalmist! Psalm 119:97 says, "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." I really believe that meditation is one of the most neglected disciplines in the Christian's life today. I'm not the only one who feels that way either, there are numerous books & websites dedicated to the subject. Meditation lines your thoughts up with God's thoughts and keeps your attitudes right. When you focus your energy on fighting the battle from within, you can be assured that your body will follow. You WILL lose the weight you've been struggling to lose for so long. For the first time in my life I feel different from within. I fight for freedom, but I win so many more battles than ever before. I'm aware of the enemy's schemes, I recognize his attacks more than ever and I can see the "spoils" of the battles I have won. I get the great pleasure of seeing my "outside" lining up with the changes that are happening within. I am FINALLY losing weight, the RIGHT way...God's way! Today I celebrate a 10 lb weight loss. I have the honor of giving God the glory for it. If you have not taken the 10 day challenge I posted about before, consider trying it now! You have nothing to lose but weight! *smile*

God bless you as you fight the battle from within!

Making a spiritual commitment

2008-04-17T09:34:00.002-04:00

Daniel 1:8 says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."
Daniel PURPOSED in his heart. That means he made a decision, he made a commitment to uphold God's law no matter what. In order for us to enjoy our freedom, we, too, must make the same type of spiritual commitment. When we commit to something and offer it to God in order that He might bless it, we can be sure that it will be much easier to keep. We "purpose" in our hearts to stay on the right path so that we might honor God with our bodies. It is then that He can bless us completely, for He blesses our obedience. Pushing on toward the prize, we must make a spiritual commitment to run this race. If we do, we can be assured we will win.

Last night my husband & I went out to dinner. It was his day off & we try to do something enjoyable together. We usually always go out to eat because we really like doing that, and I didn't want my fast to get in the way of it. I really did "purpose in my heart" to honor God during this fast & I truly did make a spiritual commitment. Having that commitment really did make a difference in how I was thinking. Wanting to enjoy a nice dinner out with my husband without compromising my commitment, I thought hard about what to do & my solution is something I'd like to share with you.

I decided that we should go to a Chinese buffet because I was only eating fruits & vegetables & I know that the Chinese buffet we go to usually has a large selection of these. Likewise, the one I chose had a lot of fish & shrimp as well as a Mongolian buffet, where they cook very thin sliced meats & vegetables on the grill right in front of you, so you can control what goes in it. This is great for my husband who likes to eat his meat, but is on a diet as well.

Let me just say that we had a FABULOUS dinner!! I enjoyed an abundance of fresh fruits & vegetables and left very full & satisfied, all without compromising my commitment to stick with the Daniel fast. I'd like to encourage you to take that step toward cleansing your body from within. Make a spiritual commitment to God to honor your body & see how he blesses you!!

God bless you as you experience true freedom!!

Following Daniel's example

2008-04-15T21:54:00.004-04:00

The Lord has placed heavily on my heart recently that I spend "40 days in the desert to prepare for ministry" just as Jesus did. As you know, Satan has sent many messengers to "buffet" me and receiving this call will open the door for him to send many more. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. I believe that was to build His spiritual muscles, and keep Him focused. I believe that is what the Lord intends for me as well at this season of my life.

When Jesus was led into the desert, he fasted for 40 days. This enabled Him to stay focused on prayer & fellowship with His Father. Jesus drank only water during that time. Two years ago, when my father was dying, I partook of that same fast, 40 days without food, only drinking water. It was the most spiritually exhilarating time of my whole life. This time, however, I was convicted to partake of a different fast. Commonly known as the "Daniel Fast", a person consumes only vegetables & water as Daniel did. You can read about it in Daniel chapter 1. I, however, was not convicted to eat only vegetables, but I was also convicted to eat fruits. Ezekiel 47:12 says, "...fruit for food:leaves for medicine." Since a part of my ministry will be to teach others the benefits of life giving foods, it only makes sense that I partake only of them while preparing for this ministry.

Daniel set an example for us regarding resisting temptation. His unwavering integrity is an example we should strive to follow.

In Daniel 1:12-13, Daniel tested those who opposed him. He said to the guard:
"Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days."

Now see what it says in Daniel 1:15-16:
"At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead."

At the end of 10 days, they looked HEALTHIER and BETTER NOURISHED!!!! Friends, can you not see that God chose to honor their obedience?
God does not want us to live inside these overweight shells we have created for ourselves! He wants us to be HEALTHIER and BETTER NOURISHED!!!

So here is my challenge to you:
You try eating like Daniel did for 10 days, only 10 days! You try it & see for yourself if it doesn't make a difference! Daniels choice to consume vegetables changed his appearance. You are reading this because you, too, desire to change your appearance. Though Daniel was not looking to change his appearance (he was doing it out of the desire not to defile himself with the king's food) the fact is that the direct result of this decision is that his appearance DID change!
I decided to log my experience & results on a separate blog page. If you want to follow that, you can find it here:
40 Days in the desert

Daniel's way of eating is not a "law" for us to obey, it is an example of good stewardship.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" Daniel did just that by taking good care of his body & purposing not to defile it.
Paul tells us that we are no longer under the law, so even if it WAS a law to eat Daniel's way, we would no longer be subject to it. There are a lot of voracious meat eaters that oppose Daniel's way of thinking. I am not here to challenge them.
1 Corinthians 10:23 says, "all things are lawful, but all things are not beneficial" In other words, just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD! There is a lot of death & disease attributed to what a man puts in his body.

I hope that you accept the challenge to follow Daniel's way for 10 days. It is my prayer that you will experience a rejuvenation you never thought possible!

God bless you as you follow Daniel's example!

Your actions & attitudes determine that of those around you

2008-04-10T10:09:00.004-04:00

After my last post, I received a lot of emails offering me prayers, support and encouragement. It was touching and overwhelming. I was very appreciative that God loved me so much that He chose to bless me with such wonderful sisters in Christ.
As I read the thoughts and concerns of others, I felt that I must share what I've learned & how I have been blessed.
At the end of the last post you will remember that I stated "Things did not change between my husband & I, he was still elusive & non attentive toward me, but I knew that I had turned him over to the only one who could change him from the inside out." This seems to have been something that several people focused on. I'd like to share that though things did NOT change for my husband & I THAT NIGHT, as the Psalmist says: " Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5) And joy DID indeed come with the morning.
The greatest thing the Lord has blessed me with regarding my husband is that he has a heart for God & receives conviction. I believe a lot of the fruit of that has come from my own conviction & submission. When I turn things over to God & change my attitude, I am stepping out in faith that I trust God, not myself, to change things. My attitude changes, and I receive peace. When I walk in that peace, my attitude shows it, and those around me feed off of it. Likewise, when I have an attitude of anger & mistrust, those around me feed off of that too.
When I chose to trust in God to take care of my husband, I set in motion a spiral of change. If you knew my husband, you would know that the changes in him since we were first married could never have taken place without his conviction & submission. I believe that if I had tried to change him, he would have fought it to the end. That is the sad truth about the sinful nature, it fights against what's right.
So the "morning after" my husband received revelations of his own, and began his own journey of further change. Realizing that his commitment to his family was more important than his job, he tweaked some small changes to make himself more available. The change in his attitude made me very happy, for I knew that God would bring about the necessary changes to get my husband back where he needed to be.
Change is inevitable, nothing stays the same. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 teaches us that there is a season for everything.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

With that in mind I encourage you to develop this attitude: Enjoy what you have when you have it because you never know when you will lose it. Likewise, persevere when you are being "buffeted" because assuredly this will not last. Always claim the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13:
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it"

God IS faithful, my friend, and the changing of your attitude WILL bring about change. Your submission to God will influence the attitudes & actions of all of those around you. Philippians 2:5 says: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" Get to know Him and see how lining your attitude up with His will bring about the greatest change you have ever seen!

God bless you as you become more like Him!

Gain Control By Submitting

2008-04-09T14:16:00.001-04:00

I'll tell you straight up, I've always been the type of person who likes to take control of things that I'm passionate about. Most times, if I'm right, I can win some battles simply by exercising my knowledge. There are others, however, that I cannot seem to win no matter how hard I try. The word to note in that sentence is seem. What I've learned is that though it may seem I cannot win them, it's simply a matter of changing my approach.
Sometimes you really do have to take the bull by the horns & really do what you know. Other times, however, you have to wait upon the Lord~be still and know that He is God~before you can ever get anywhere with your fight.
As I've been enjoying the freedoms that have been bestowed upon me while exercising obedience, I've also been getting attacked on other fronts. The enemy does not want to see me win, that's for sure! He sees me overcome a struggle & he's right at the door waiting to pounce on the next thing I struggle with. The great thing about this, however, is that though he intends it for evil, God will use it for good. And the beauty of it is that after going through it, the Lord is glorified and I grow deeper as a Christian. Every rose has it's thorn and the thorns that are attached to us "roses" are the things that keep us completely dependent on God. They keep us humble . 2 Corinthians 12:7 remind us of the thorn Paul had. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure".
The messenger of Satan was sent to strike Paul, to attack him, if you will. Evil men, unbelievers, and the like are all messengers of Satan, and he will use them to persecute and attack us. I even believe he can use "religious" people, because though a man may be religious that does not mean he has a relationship with God. Likewise, there are the misguided people. In their ignorance they do not see, and therefore are able to be used by the devil. Perfect example is those who put Jesus on the cross. Jesus said to God, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

It is important to note what areas you are weak in , because that is from where your attack will come. Matthew 10:16 tells us we are "Sheep in the midst of wolves." I find that interesting, because wolves, like most other animals stalking prey, will often search out the weak and the sick. The wolf waits & watches, a part of his stalking behavior, and will pounce at the perfect opportunity. It is always the weakest that are the easiest to catch. If we are not in tune to our weak areas, submitting them to the Lord, we can be assured that we will never gain any control over them. The wolf will overtake us every time. Jesus is our Shepherd. In John 10:11 Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." He does not run when the wolf comes. He laid His life down for us, why, then, would we not submit to Him? Last night I learned a great lesson about submission. Here is the account:

My most recent of attacks has been on the home front. My husband was recently promoted and as part of his promotion he has now acquired more hours. He leaves the house at 9am or earlier & gets home at 11pm or later. He comes to church with us Sunday morning & leaves right from church to go to work. He has one day a week off from work and has to juggle that day with errands, and spending time with me & my son. As I'm sure you can see, my time with my husband has been minimal. A weaker relationship would not survive.
It has been said that it's not quantity of time, but quality of time. I tend to believe that to be true for the most part. My husband & I have to make a conscience effort to make the time we spend together meaningful. When we do, it is better than some of the days we were together consistently. When we don't, however, I am miserable because I know that it may be many days before I get the opportunity to spend time with my husband again. Unfortunately I can tend to be possessive of the time we spend together, because it is so precious and there is just so little of it. With people all around me dying so young, and my husband having health problems of his own, I tend to want to spend every moment I can with him, for I know that our days are numbered. Because I allow myself to become miserable if my husband does not make time for me, or if he seems to be spending his free time (what little of it there is) focused on other things, I leave a door open for the devil to attack. There are many doors to a mans soul, and we have to be careful not to leave them open. One of the doors I leave open a lot is the fact that I suffer from insecurity. My husband is surrounded by young women at his job, and some of them are in the partying stages of youth. He also works with several young males who find their enjoyment in bars & clubs. These are the people my husband spends most of his time with. When he & I are in sync, it doesn't bother me as much. When we are both preoccupied with things outside our relationship, it bothers me a lot.
In addition to this, there is a woman from my husband's past who is trying to reconnect with him. I honestly feel no threat from her, in fact I have a lot of compassion for her as she is a cancer survivor. I pray for her and have a brotherly love for her. However...as nice as she may be, it is not healthy for her or us that she pursues a relationship of any kind with my husband. I was informed by my husband's sister that this woman held a torch for my husband and had a hard time letting him go. I was also made aware that she still has feelings for him now. In light of that, I cannot see any good coming from a relationship, and jealousy has absolutely nothing to do with it. The devil can use things like that & we have to be very careful. I am very much in tune to the fact that the people I mentioned can possibly be the "messengers of Satan" that he has sent to "buffet" me. Though they, themselves, don't even know it. I'm not saying anything bad about any of them as people, so please don't misunderstand that. Some of them I don't even know personally. This is not an attack on them. When I say they are messengers of Satan, I acknowledge only that Satan can use them against me & if he can, he will.

Because I have never had much luck with trusting men (molested by males in the family, my father left my mother for her girlfriend, my first husband cheated repeatedly, my sisters husband cheated repeatedly, most of my family members have been divorced at least once, when I was single many of my friends husbands or boyfriends would try to have an affair with me, and the list unfortunately goes on) it has really been a challenge for me fighting the thoughts in my own mind. Hormones have a lot to do with it too, and sometimes my hormones will be raging, causing me to imagine things that aren't true & to over react to things that are really not that big of a deal. It's hard for us women sometimes. Take the "real" things that attack us, couple it with things from our past which influence our behavior and add to that hormones, it truly is a wonder that we can get through it at all!
Yesterday was a combination of hormones, physical illness, past insecurities & lack of attentiveness from my husband. I was such a jumble of mixed emotions that I felt as if I was being torn in many different directions. What torment! Unfortunately I handled it all wrong at first, giving in to my flesh & responding in ways that did not honor God. The way I reacted showed that I did not fully trust God to take care of things. When my husband said things to me that provoked me, I was not still & quiet, waiting upon the Lord. I reacted right away, playing right into the hands of the enemy. It was unfortunate on my part, but what Satan intended for evil, God used for good. Last night, I grew. Even if only a little, I know that I grew.

In my quiet time that same morning, when I was confessing my faults to the Lord & asking him to search my heart, God had already given me an answer. When I was confessing the mistrust I had in my spirit for those around me, including my husband, the Holy Spirit said, "Michelle, you don't HAVE to trust your husband. The only one you have to trust is ME. I will take care of you." Scripture confirms this in several places. I will give a few.
Psalm 56:11 says, "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me."
Jeremiah 17:5-10:

This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

Many people will get insulted at the fact that I am saying man cannot be trusted, but God Himself said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." It is not wrong for me to acknowledge that sometimes man cannot even trust Himself.

After my husband left in a flood of anger, I confided in my daughter the way I was feeling. She really understood where I was coming from. As I heard her confess her own shortcomings with trust & arguing the facts, I realized two things. 1) She truly DID understand 2)She was not submitting to God either. We had a nice talk about submission. My role had changed from councilee to councilor. I began to share with her the importance of submission. We discussed how hard it is, especially when you know the other person truly is wrong. During our conversation, one statement I made really struck a chord. I said, "The bigger person ALWAYS submits". Jesus Himself submitted, even unto death. He set that example for us. We cannot change the way people think or react, we can only change ourselves. We cannot control others, we must let God convict & correct them & only by turning them COMPLETELY over to God can we do that. If we hold onto them and the anger or pain they provoke in us, we prevent God from doing His work in their lives. Someone has to take the first step...someone has to let go & trust God. It is the one walking closest to Jesus that will do that first. The hope is that each person will walk closely with the Lord but until such time, one person needs to submit. Last night I chose to be that person. Admitting my wrong, and asking God's forgiveness, then apologizing for my part in the argument I immediately felt free & knew that I had given control of the situation back to God. Things did not change between my husband & I, he was still elusive & non attentive toward me, but I knew that I had turned him over to the only one who could change him from the inside out.

By submitting to God every time, we gain control of every situation because we relinquish our own need for control & give it the One who controls the universe. Victory comes when we surrender our lives to God's control.

God bless you as you submit to God!

The Importance Of Setting Goals

2008-04-01T19:23:00.001-04:00

As I've been traveling this road & walking in new found freedoms, I've come to realize the importance of setting goals for myself. I was always a dreamer & thought a lot on what I WANTED to happen in my life, but I never really committed to MAKING it happen. I would wish each & every day that I could have the body I was meant to have & yet I did nothing physical to make it become a reality.
As I've been dealing with my inner man & daily working through each struggle, I see myself changing from within. I also desire to see changes from without. To make that happen, I have to be committed to the task at hand. The fat I've accumulated through years of abusing my body is not magically going to go away. I'm going to have to work to reach my goals. To know what kind of work needs to be done, I need to assess the situation, write down a plan of action & actually make a list of goals for myself. The Lord has been teaching me how to do that. Just as He created a different portion of the world each day of the beginning of creation, I, too, must focus on a different portion of my body as I seek to rebuild it. The Lord let me to a great site called "The Daily Plate"where I've started to keep track of my eating & my exercise. Seeing things written down makes things so much more real. We start by setting small goals for ourselves, ones that are achievable. This way we can gain confidence as we watch ourselves move closer to our ultimate goal. My goal is to completely reconstruct my body. It's gonna take a lot of work, and if I look at it that way, I may become overwhelmed & never move forward. Instead, I set small goals for myself-ones I can definitely commit to achieving- and then as I reach each one I can move on to the next level. An important part of reaching a goal is being motivated to reach it. If you set tiny goals for yourself, you can see the fruits of your labor at each small bend. If it helps, allot rewards for yourself. Each time you meet a goal, do something nice for yourself, like buy a new piece of clothing, visit a spa, or get your nails or hair done. It doesn't matter WHAT reward you choose, just let it be something that you can look forward to. This will increase your motivation.
Paul teaches us that we are ALL running a race & that we should run in such a way that we MAY obtain the prize!! (1 Corinthians 9:24) We all have dreams we'd like to make a reality, but until we commit to making them happen they remain exactly that...just dreams. By setting attainable goals for ourselves & striving to reach each one we can assure that our dreams WILL become a reality!!

God bless you as you set your goals!

Loving yourself

2008-03-29T07:33:00.002-04:00

Do you love yourself? Do you truly understand what it even means to love yourself? Do you realize how important it is?
If you read your bible, you will see that Jesus considers it of the utmost importance.
Matthew 22: 36-40 says:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Do you see it?
One of the Pharisees, an "expert in the law", asked Jesus that question. He knew the law, yet he tested Jesus to see if HE knew. I wonder if Jesus "blew him away" with His answer. Jesus put things in perfect order of priority. Love God, your neighbor AND yourself. So first we must love God. We must love Him with our WHOLE heart, soul & mind. He tells us that this is the first & the GREATEST commandment. No other commandment is as great, however, there is one that is" just like it"- "Love your neighbor as yourself". Jesus said that ALL of the law AND the Prophets hang on those 2 commandments. They are that great. Being lumped into the same category as loving God is a pretty important place to be. There is such a twisted perception in the world regarding loving one's self that most people don't even know HOW to! Yet, it is important enough that Jesus included it is the commandments, and even considered it one of the highest ones! It's easy to see, then, that we must make loving ourselves an important priority. If we can't love ourselves, how can we truly love our neighbors?
Now that we recognize the importance of it, how can we do it?
Well it helps to first see yourself the way that God sees you. For many of us, that is difficult, because we base our love on conditions, and we can never meet the conditions of a person "worthy" of love. If that describes you, have no fear because you don't have to!
Jesus is the perfect example of love, and He is the one who paid our sin debt for us. Because of Him, everything ugly about us is washed pure & clean. We can NEVER be worthy on our own, but we are seen worthy by the Father because of what the Son did for us. That sounds nice, you say, but can you give me practical suggestions?
Absolutely!
To love ourselves as God loves us, we must see ourselves as Jesus does, and react to our faults the same way He would. When you fail, forgive yourself. It's just that simple. Jesus forgives you, why, then should you not forgive yourself? He wants us to be like Him. When you beat yourself up & refuse to forgive yourself, you are saying you don't believe He has the power to forgive, even though scripture teaches that God has forgiven you. When you cannot forgive yourself, you give the devil a foothold, and you are saying you don't love yourself because you simply can't love yourself enough to forgive yourself. God made you, He knows ALL your faults & weaknesses (see prior post) why, then, would He not forgive you? He understands you!
That brings me to my second point...understand yourself! Loving yourself is truly getting in touch with your needs & wants. It is paying attention to your behaviors & correcting or accepting them. You are unique, God made you that way. When you look to the scriptures to guide you in becoming the person God intended you to be, you learn that your uniqueness was a perfect design in the Master's plan & that God will use those things in you to bring glory to Him.
Which brings me to my third, and last, point...see in yourself what God sees in you. When was the last time you TRULY looked? When you took your eyes off the things you don't like about yourself & put your eyes on the things you COULD like about yourself? Look closely at yourself. Chances are you will see a lot of the same things in yourself that you wasted time envying in others. God gave you the talents that He intended YOU to use. He supplied you with everything YOU need to fulfill His perfect plan for your life. When you refuse to look within & see in yourself what God sees in you, what He has created in you, you keep a part of yourself locked up..unable to experience what it is to truly love yourself as He does.

I don't know what you are struggling with, but most of us are struggling with SOMETHING. Beating ourselves up because of our human imperfections. If we're being that hard on ourselves, it's no wonder we are so hard on others. We expect so much from them, and are very annoyed when they do not live up to our "standard" of what a person should be. I tell you true, unless you can learn to love yourself, you will never experience TRUE freedom. Something will always be there, holding on for your next slip up. Learn to embrace this scripture:
Psalm 103:11-12
"For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. " God loves you so much He extends mercy & casts away your transgressions. If we could embrace His mercy & take our eyes off of our transgressions, just as He has, we would love ourselves far more than we ever thought we could.

God bless you as you learn to love yourself!

You Can't Hide From The Lord!

2008-03-28T22:37:00.006-04:00

Psalm 139: a Psalm of David
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me..."
How often have you asked God to do this for you? Most people live in a state of denial because they don't want to have to deal with the things they are struggling with. But when we read that beautiful Psalm of David, we are reminded that God already KNOWS everything we are struggling with. He made us and He knows how we think, what we feel & EVERYTHING we are struggling with! You can't hide anything from God, and since He is the One who will bring you through your struggles, why would you even want to?

The greatest gift you can give to yourself is to trust COMPLETELY in Him. Read His Word & allow it to change you. Hebrews 4: 12 teaches us how powerful the word of God is.
"For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
We need the Word to help us correct ourselves. Instead of placing blame on another, or attacking another, ask God to show you what part YOU play in things, or what YOU can change and then let the Word of God convict you & bring about that glorious change. God gave us His Word so that we will know what He expects of us & so that we will know how much He loves us. If we don't know what it says, we don't know what He says. Likewise, if we don't ask God to search our hearts, allowing Him to bring to the forefront of our minds the things we need to change, we will continue to live our life in bondage, void of all the great & wonderful blessings He has stored up for us!

God bless you as you allow Him to search your heart!

Don't Pull The "Trigger"

2008-03-27T09:02:00.002-04:00

Whether noun or verb, there are two meanings for the word trigger that are very important to note.
1) noun: an act that sets in motion some course of events
2) verb: put in motion or move to act; "trigger a reaction"; "actuate the circuits"

For a food addict, the "trigger" can be one of several things. It could be any particular food that, once eaten, causes us to binge or to over eat. For some people, these trigger foods can be sugar, bread, flour, wheat, pasta, chocolate, and even cheese! It's important to pay attention to what your particular trigger foods are. What may be a trigger for you, may not be for me. Once you determine what your trigger food is, it is important to avoid it at all costs. Once you indulge, you can be assured it will be hard to disengage that trigger! Replace the desire for those foods with exercise. A simple walk when you feel tempted will give you the same "high" as that bag of Doritos, only there won't be any regrets later!

Another common trigger for food addicts are our emotions. Certain emotions cause us to run to the cabinet! There are those who eat for comfort & solace when they are sad, depressed or stressed, then there are those who eat "celebratorily"...whenever there is cause to celebrate you can find them eating over zealously. To keep this trigger disengaged, we have to learn how to respond to our emotions in an entirely different way, completely unattached to food. Replace it with meditation, which will keep you in control of your emotions & "allow" you to feel.

The trigger that we often overlook is the trigger of a specific place. For instance, I want to eat every time I go to my mother's house. I feel very relaxed there & I have learned to identify that relaxation with food, as my mom was always offering it to me when I was a kid whenever I came home and again as an adult whenever I went to visit her. Like the alcoholic going into a bar, certain places that are identified in our minds with food should be places we try to avoid. I choose to have my mom at my house more than I go to hers and IF I go to her house, I have to let my mom know that I am watching what I eat so I make myself accountable (she doesn't like when I over eat). I also bring in something to drink, usually orange juice, to keep myself in check. There have been many times that I'd wait until she went to the bathroom & then I would raid her cabinets (a little from each item so she wouldn't notice).

Triggers are clever little vices, and they can set off a domino effect. We eat, we feel guilty, we feel like a failure, we beat ourselves up & more times than not we stop fighting & give in. The ideal way to combat this is NOT to pull the trigger in the first place! If a man pulls the trigger of a gun & aims at something, chances are he's gonna hit his target, unless he's a really bad shot. When we "pull" our triggers, chances are we're gonna get hit as well, as we are a lot more proficient. Getting to the point in which you no longer are affected by these triggers takes time & discipline, so don't beat yourself up. Baby steps will get you where you need to go...you can't walk until you crawl...so for now, identify your triggers & then come up with alternative solutions in how to deal with each one. In time your triggers may be gone, and even if they never go away completely, you will be able to master them! Heed the words in Genesis 4:7; " If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

God bless you as you seek to disengage your triggers!

Don't Let The Past Dictate Your Future

2008-03-25T14:54:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I had just gotten into the car and was waiting for my 6 year old to get himself settled in his car seat. The door was still open on my side. It was a beautiful day, alive with smells of fresh air & flowers. As I was looking back at my son, a slight wind blew the smell into the car & for a moment I was transported. For just a quick moment my mind took me back to another time and I sat there for a moment & breathed it all in. I had no visual memory, just a strong feeling of happiness & a knowledge that this smell reminded me of it.
What if all of our past memories made us feel that good? I wonder how many of us would walk confidently with a passion for our future if we didn't have a past that we couldn't let go of. Holding onto the past keeps us locked in a place and prevents us from moving forward.

When we become Christians, we accept that Jesus is our Savior and we want to become a new person, but so many times we do not surrender our past to Him. Without that surrender, we are unable to walk forward onto the prosperous future the Lord has for us.

For each person, the past is different, but because we were born into a sin filled world it is inevitable that there is SOMETHING in our past that has affected us. The degree to which we allow that to affect us is the height to which we will soar. Some of us get stuck in mid flight, then we are plucked from the air & crash land.
Did you ever see a program in which it shows a person (most times a child) running toward something & then they look back? When they look back there is usually something in front of them that they just missed and they bang right into it. Usually when they include a scene like this, it is meant to make the viewer laugh, but the reality of it is that if this were REALLY to happen, it would not be funny at all. Yet, my friends, this is exactly what happens to us when we are running forward in our race and we look back. Usually something from our past hits us head on & we get knocked down. For many of us, we find it almost impossible to get back up again. And as Satan is watching OUR "show", he is the one laughing. Look at Luke 9:62 "Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Wow!! That seems pretty harsh, huh? Only to those who do not realize that God is trying to protect us by teaching us that holding on to anything from the past prevents us from moving forward.
Living in the past robs us of a future. Even if your past was great & your present seems bleak, looking back will not change your future. A lot of people become more depressed if they hold on to a "great" past in hopes of getting through their current situation. Unfortunately that only intensifies the feelings of defeat because there is no focus on a future, therefore the person cannot move forward. We DO have a future, God promised it to us in Jeremiah 29:11, it says: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We DO have a future, and it was one that was ordained by God, but our enemy wants to keep us locked in the past so we are unable to move forward into that future. It's a foothold that some of us are willingly giving to him! If you are giving the devil a foothold by allowing your past to affect who you are today, you are playing right into his hands. Pray that God will show you what you are holding on to & ask Him to help you let go of it. He will not let you down. He will go THROUGH it with you, and when you are able to put it behind you, you will be able to walk forward toward your freedom.

Paul teaches us in Philippians 3:12-14
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (emphasis mine) Paul had an alarming past, but through Christ he was given an amazing future!

If you are struggling with your past, the first thing you must do is acknowledge that. Once you do that, you've taken your first step toward freedom from it. Next, seek help from Christian councilors, and get support from brothers & sisters that are strong in the Lord. Do whatever you have to, because the enemy is just sitting there lurking, ready to pounce and you have to be one step ahead of him. A great starting point is by reading this article by Michael Bradley:
Letting go of your past
It is a great article with awesome helps & references.

Whatever you do, don't let the past dictate your future! Until you break free from your past, you will never experience true freedom.

God bless you as you "let go & let God"!

If We Can Think It, We can Become it!

2008-03-24T20:51:00.008-04:00

I've heard so many different versions of the power of positive thinking. It is a strong principal that many great leaders & successful people put into practice. C. W. Longenecker wrote a great poem on the subject:

You CAN if you THINK you can!

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

I must confess, I have not really "arrived" regarding exercising the "power of positive thinking". I don't know if it's because I'm actually AFRAID to win, but I do know that something is stopping me from experiencing TRUE freedom. I DO believe that the mind controls a lot of who we are. We often think of the mind as our brain, but they are different. The brain can be explained scientifically, but the mind is so much harder to understand.
Look at the "mind over matter" theory. I can't even begin to touch on that, as it has so much to do with psychics & the like, but I will never be so closed minded to deny such things exist. The bottom line is that the mind is something that holds great mystery.

I cannot claim to be a specialist in the "mind field", but what I DO know is that the way you think affects your life deeply. My prior posts "Different Strokes For Different Folks & Ready To Face The Next Day" both discuss the power of "Taking Every Thought Captive". 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (emphasis mine) This does not just happen. We don't wake up one day & all of a sudden we are seasoned in taking our thoughts captive & making them "obedient". It took us years to get this way, and it's gonna take intensive training to get our thoughts under control again. Disheartening? Perhaps. But at the same time it's exciting, because if scripture tell us to do something, then that means it CAN be done!

Because we are sinful people, with a natural desire to sin, we have a challenge to train ourselves NOT to sin. Because our battlefield is in the mind, we can BECOME what we THINK we are. Proverbs 23:7 says about man, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" That is such a great scripture verse, as it really solidifies the precept that "If we can think it, we can become it".

We can retrain our minds by simply replacing every bad thought with a good one. When we think, "Man, I'll never lose this weight" we can replace it with, "I WILL reach my goal weight".

We CAN change our lives by changing the way we think. Not one thing we do is done without thinking about it first. At some point, we had to put the thought into our minds. If we fed it, chances are it grew. So if we've spent a lot of time feeding our negative thoughts, it's no wonder why we cannot believe anything positive about ourselves!

Our minds need to be retrained, but that won't happen if we are not meditating on God's word. We need to know the truth of His word in order to put it into our minds to begin with. We can recondition our minds if we begin to spew out all of those bad thoughts & constantly reaffirm the good things. I can tell you firsthand that there are so many times that I can be doing something and a random thought will pop into my head. It seems like it comes out of nowhere! Suddenly, I'm entertaining that thought and I'll stop what I was doing & take off with the new thing I just thought about. A lot of times, unfortunately, those thoughts are sinful. I get sidetracked & then it takes me a few minutes to come to my senses. I am, after all, a sinner by nature and sinful things are appealing to that nature. However, I am also a new creation in Christ, therefore that sin cannot reign in my body. I am constantly convicted of it and at that point it is the choice I make whether or not to obey Christ. If I choose to obey, I learn & am blessed. If I choose NOT to obey, I still learn, however, I now have consequences to bear. Seeing it laid out, why would I choose to take the consequences? Is my sin really THAT fun? Is it THAT worth it??

I often wonder if I actually LIKE feeling lousy. If I didn't like it, why would I keep doing things that make me feel that way? What a battle, and it all takes place in the mind! Do you realize how strong we would be in the Lord if we could retrain our minds to the point that doing the right thing would become second nature to us? Perhaps that's why Satan works so hard at controlling our mind. Perhaps we are somehow afraid of success, and so we've taught ourselves to live with a defeated attitude. If we don't change our way of thinking, we will never rid ourselves of the control we have given to Satan over our lives. We must IMMEDIATELY take those negative & sinful thoughts captive. There is no way we can get away with entertaining those thoughts even for a second. We MUST rebuke those thoughts right away, or they will lead us into sinful or negative behavior. Likewise, if we immediately replace those thoughts with promises, or encouragement, or positive affirmations, we will NOT give in to sin, and we will, in fact, feel wonderful! We will quiet that little voice inside our minds that we have fed for so long & eventually we will no longer hear it. We CAN win! We CAN be free from this low self image & this self defeating behavior! We don't have to believe the lies, it is a choice we make.

Next time you hear, "I can't do this!" Replace it with, "I KNOW I can do this!" To doubt yourself is one thing, but you can never doubt Him. Philippians 4:13 teaches, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

God bless you as you repeat..."I know I can, I know I can, I know I can"!

We Don't Get Well By Ourselves

2008-03-19T06:52:00.005-04:00

I was reading something from the celebrate recovery materials & I wanted to share this principle, "We don't get well by ourselves". We need each other. It went on to say "Fellowship & accountability are 2 important components of spiritual growth". I thought a lot about that. I've always been the type of person that has drawn my strength from the support of others. Once I became a Christian, that support meant so much more to me. I remember another season of my life in which I had started a women's group with a dear friend. We called it "Sister's in Christ" and it truly was a wonderful group in which women shared their burdens & their pains, their joys & their triumphs. It was based on the scripture in Matthew 18:20 "For where 2 or 3 are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Every time we gathered, we truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. When life took us elsewhere, that "official" group dissolved, but the Lord still kept us in different fellowships in different places, and we still recognized the importance of "fellowship & accountability". Both of those things are key to any man's happiness, regardless of what it is they are involved in. In our case, fellowship & accountability are a very important part of our freedom as well as our growth through this life changing time.
Acts 2:42-47 gives us a great example of the Fellowship of the believers. It says:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (emphasis mine) I particularly like the parts I made bold, and I'll tell you why. The first sentence I underlined states they "had everything in common". Well, as believers who are struggling with food addiction, so, too, do we have things in common. The Lord will draw even more people to us that have things in common also. Now look at the next sentence I made bold, "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved". What an awesome testimony? Do you realize that your struggle is also a testimony in the making? A testimony of God's grace, His mercy & His faithfulness, as well as His power? We are living testimonies every time we overcome the enemy with the power of God through the Holy Spirit!

The Bible also teaches us that not only are we to love each other, but we are to show that love and refresh, encourage and uplift one another.
Philemon 1:4-7 (NKJV)says: " I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother."
When Paul speaks to Philemon, he first tells him that he thanks God for him, and that he prays for him all the time. What a friend! Paul cares so much for Philemon that he includes him in his prayers always. That is one of the first things we want to do too, as fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. We are fighting a foe that desires to sift us as wheat and we need the support & fellowship of those brothers & sisters in Christ that can uplift us in the Lord! Paul also acknowledges in verse 7 that Philemon has "refreshed the saints". This is very important, for this is something we really need as we fight this battle. There are so many times we become weary and disheartened and thus we become doorways for the enemy to walk in. We need to strengthen one another's spirits & revive one another so that we can go on with our work here. In the case of those of us battling with eating disorders, or food addictions, we need to catch each other when we fall and we need to lift one another up.

Now for the accountability factor. Being accountable to someone else can be scary sometimes because it means you have to let someone see you at your worst as well as your best. It requires you to remove any masks you are hiding behind & show who you really are. Being accountable does not have to be scary when you are in fellowship with people who are like minded & struggling with the same things. God draws men together in order that they can become stronger. When we become Christians, we become partners in the faith. We should then strip off any preconceived notions about each other & embrace one another for who we are in Christ. We need to step out of the judgment seat & accept one another as brothers & sisters, equal in the sight of God. We need to love one another, support one another & strengthen one another in the Lord.

To be accountable means we must become willing to share the times we fall down with one another so that, in love, we can be built back up BY one another. When we agree to be accountable to another, we make ourselves vulnerable and that can be scary. We are essentially giving someone else permission to hold a mirror up in front of us & tell us what they see. For those of us who avoid the mirror as it is, that can be truly frightening! Take heart my friends! Hebrews 12:11 tells us, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." I love that verse! Do you see what one of the products of discipline is? PEACE!! How long have you searched for peace? Is it possible that you do not have it because you do not accept discipline? Is it possible that you still hold a secret place within yourself that you will not share? This keeps you from experiencing true freedom & this prevents you from having peace. Let it go! Share it, lift your burden by allowing your brother or sister to help you carry it! Healing comes when we become accountable to one another. James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed."

Howard Hendricks makes a really wonderful statement in his book As Iron Sharpens Iron. He says, ""After more than forty-five years of working with men in terms of mentoring relationships, I can tell you without reservation that the men who are making the greatest impact for God in this generation are men who have placed themselves under the tutelage of other godly men. If you care about making any kind of difference with your life — in your work, with your family, in your community, in your faith — then find someone who can help you grow and realize your life goals." Proverbs 27: 17 says it so well, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We can become so much more effective when we allow ourselves to be taught & to be disciplined by others in the faith. If you need a place of support & fellowship, consider joining Fight4Freedom ~ an online Christian support group for people wrestling with food addictions.

In closing, let me reiterate, we DON'T get well by ourselves. That is why God calls us into fellowship. Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." We are part of a great fellowship & we are lucky to have one another. As Paul said, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." Truly, we have much to be thankful for!

God bless you as you learn to lean on each other!

Becoming a "Man after God's own heart"

2008-03-17T15:36:00.001-04:00

I was meditating in the quiet of the morning & began to think of this whole situation I'm in regarding my struggle with weight loss, food addiction & following God. I realized as I was still & quiet before the Lord, that I am not as obedient & trusting as I need to be. I have not COMPLETELY given up my own hold on my sin. I have not yet experienced TOTAL surrender. Sure, I trust God, but I have not COMPLETELY trusted Him, otherwise I would have submitted myself to Him completely & I know I have not done that. How do I know? Because when I'm struggling, it is not as automatic as it should be to go RIGHT to God. I hold onto a little of my own will and do not completely submit. That's why I still struggle so much.
I've been meditating on David most recently, and the description the Lord gave him "a man after My own heart" is something I desire for myself. It is apparent to me that God desires me to lead a group for the Christian struggling with addictions, but I fear I have been more like Saul than David & therefore it is not at the point of bearing much fruit yet. The bible says in Samuel 13:13-14;
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."
Wow! I read that & it really spoke to me. I began to ask myself questions like "Do I keep the Lord's command?" I refer to things He has directly show me or spoken to me. I know I do not always follow the right path, or follow things through to the end and as a leader, wandering will cause the people to stray.
So who was Samuel speaking about in verse 14? He was speaking about David. God called David "a man after My own heart"! God chose David to lead! Yet, was David perfect? Absolutely not! One only needs to hear the name Bathsheba & is reminded of David's imperfections. The good thing about that for me, is that God is not looking for me to be perfect! Whew! Then what IS He looking for? How CAN I become a "man after His own heart"?
To see why David was considered a "man after God's own heart" we have to look at the scriptures. We know that David was a sinner, and we know that as a sinner, he did things he should not have done (just as the rest of us do), but what did he do when he was confronted with his sin? We see it in 2 Samuel 13: "Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
When Nathan confronted David with his sin, David did not try to hide or deny it, he admitted it. So many times we hide behind our masks so that the world does not see who we REALLY are. We live in a state of denial and that denial prevents us from experiencing a true healing. My church bulletin had a great acronym in it this week for the word Denial. It went like this: D disables our feelings(2 Peter 2:29)*E energy drains(Psalm 146:7-8)* N negates our growth(Psalm 107:13-14)* I isolates us from God(Genesis 3:7-8)* A alienates us from all our relationships(Ephesians 4:25)* L lengthens our pain. (Jeremiah 30:17)

I read & re-read that & I realized that I have lived in a state of denial for some time now. Maybe not COMPLETE denial, but denial nonetheless. If I want to be "a man after God's own heart" I have to admit that I cannot do it without Him & TRULY let Him take over.
If any of us want to lead, we MUST be willing to follow. Acts 13:22 tell us EXACTLY why God chose David & why he called him "a man after My own heart".
It says: "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'" God testified that David was a "man after His own heart" Why? Because "he will do EVERYTHING I want him to do" (emphasis mine).
He didn't choose him because he was the greatest(David was the youngest, and not qualified to fight yet he killed Goliath with a stone), or because he was the most worshipful (David wrote many of the Psalms & played the harp), or because he was the most skillful(David was successful in many battles). God chose David for one reason, "he will do EVERYTHING I want him to do "

If I want to be a "man after God's own heart" I must do what God asks me to do. I must not live in a state of denial, but openly admit my weaknesses & my sins. I must completely rely on Christ's power to help me. It's only then that I will experience TRUE freedom & in that freedom bring complete glory to God.

God bless you as you seek to become a "man after His own heart"!
Michelle

Are You An Easy Target?

2008-03-14T06:18:00.003-04:00

I was reading my devotional this morning & the subject was "Easy Prey". It spoke of David & how at one time he shared a great intimacy with God, yet at another time he was falling into the trap of sin with Bathsheba. If you read the Psalms, the beauty of the relationship between him & our Lord fills the pages. He evidently had a deep spiritual connection with the Lord. So what happened? How did he stray?
When David became King of Israel, he no longer spent as much time with the Lord. When we read about David at that time, we don't read about him worshiping. Perhaps he'd become too busy with his new responsibilities. Perhaps he'd become over-confident. Whatever the reason, it happened, and it is the very same thing that happens to us, especially in this age of busyness & selfish distractions. The worst thing we can do at any point in our lives is to stop spending time alone with the Lord. We were, after all, created for his pleasure. Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.".
What?? You mean I wasn't created for MY own pleasure? I wasn't created so that I can enjoy all the things the world has to offer? It's not ME first, THEN God? Isn't that funny when you read it? We can often times get so confused about what our purpose is in life, and yet Revelation states it clearly, we were created for His pleasure. The problem is that we were given free will because God didn't create a bunch of robots. He wanted us to CHOOSE to love & obey Him, and that's the part of us that the devil continually waits for the chance to pounce on.
During the time that David was King, he needed to spend time alone with God more than ever before. God had elevated him to a high position, but when he tried to go it alone, he got caught in a trap of his own making. He let his guard down & made himself vulnerable. Once his guard was down, he became easy prey! The rest, as they say, is history.
While fighting this demonic attack, the one thing you must never forget is to spend time alone with the Lord. Each step you take, remember that He is walking right beside you. The Bible has all of the resources you need to combat this enemy, but it is YOU that needs to call upon them when you need them. The devil wants to destroy you, my friend, just as he wanted to destroy David through his sin with Bathsheba. David's lust for women was his downfall. For us, it is our lust for food. Just as David could not take his eyes off of Bathsheba bathing, it is often times difficult for us to take our eyes off that one food that will restart our bad eating cycle.
What could David have done differently? He could have stopped and prayed, asking God to remove the temptation from him. He could have walked back inside, got down on his knees & asked God to forgive him for lusting. Unfortunately, he did not do any of these things, and he walked right into the snare of the enemy.
How many times do we do that regarding our gluttony? "Man that bag of Doritos looks good!", "I just gotta have that bubbly, cold, thirst quenching soda", or how about the infamous, "Oh, just one piece". Hey listen, unless you are strong enough to fight against that second piece, you need to stay away from the first! Do not give the devil a foothold! This sets you up for a bigger fall. The devil knows what he's doing, he's been doing it for a LONG time! God is the only one that has never been defeated by the devil, and He promises to walk you right on through to victory. You must never let your guard down. The one way to ensure that, is to never let loose your grip on the Lord. I promise you, the minute you do, the devil will pounce faster than you will ever notice. He's been watching you & he's been waiting. He knew just when to step in on Eve in that garden, and he knows just when to catch you too. Don't let him catch you off guard! Don't become an easy target!

God bless you as you walk in your freedom!
Michelle

We need to support & uplift one another!

2008-03-12T14:59:00.002-04:00

I am currently reading a book entitled "The War Within You~ A study of the believers two natures" by Craig Massey. Needless to say it is opening my eyes to many things. One very important thing it has reminded me is how very important it is that we support & uplift one another. I have not posted the whole month of February, simply because I was getting myself in line & trying to incorporate many new things into my life. I've gone back to light weight training, yoga & brisk walking. In short, I have been trying to remake my body and have been focusing on that, while learning all I can about the two natures I possess. While doing that, there were days I could have used some encouragement & support. It's so hard to get back on track when your flesh is fighting your spirit. In light of that fact, I've started an online Christian support group for people wrestling with food addictions and trying to get their lives back.
We must encourage, uplift & support one another in order to be strengthened in our fight. That is the goal of this group. God gave us sisters & brothers in Christ, and when we come together we are a mighty force against the enemy. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." All throughout the Bible you will find examples of brothers & sisters building one another up. Paul made it a personal goal of his & he spent a lot of time uplifting his fellow brothers in the fight. It is my desire to do the same, that we might share in the victory that is ours in Him!
If you are interested in joining this group, please visit Fight4Freedom's Yahoo Group

God bless you as you seek to grow closer to Him!

Surviving Attacks

2008-02-01T06:25:00.001-05:00

Once you decide to be obedient, you can rest assured that you will be under some major attacks. You have now made the devil angry & he wants nothing more than to take you down. Always remember Luke 10:19, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the powers of the the enemy; nothing will harm you." Nothing can harm us friends...nothing. But I'll testify to you first hand that when you're in the middle of those attacks you sure don't feel so invincible!

My last post was on January 25 and it was titled "The Blessing of Obedience". I must have really twisted the devils horns when I wrote that because that very same day began an attacked so fierce it left my head spinning!
The morning of the 25th, I wrote my post, then went about my day. That afternoon I got a phone call from the mechanic that my husband's truck was done. 385+ dollars. I'd say I was angry at having to pay so much money for an old truck, but annoyed would better describe it. That same night my van, which had been running fine, decided not to start. My earlier annoyance had turned to intense aggravation, but I knew that I was under attack. The car would not start, hence would not move, so a tow truck trip was in order. My husband worked it out so that my neighbor would fix it right in front of the house. Still just frustrated, I was at least thankful that he could fix it. After an hour outside, my neighbor informs me that it is indeed my fuel pump, which will cost 170.00 plus 30.00 for him to put in. Sickened to my stomach, I knew I had no choice but to get it fixed, as I need my van, so I said "Fine, please fix it" and I sat down to figure out where all this money was coming from.
To understand why the devil chose this particular attack, I want to share some information.
For as long as I can remember, I've had financial problems. I was never taught to be a good steward of my money, as I mimicked my father who did not know the meaning of the term. As part of my obsessive compulsive behavior I became a shop-a-holic. I married a fellow shop-a-holic and we headed for the financial pits together. Being convicted of our poor stewardship, we sought to correct it by fixing our financial mistakes. Once we got on the right track, the Lord blessed my husband with a wonderful job(he spent 3 years "job hopping") and we started to pay our way out of financial distress. We've really gone through some frustrating times, as we tithe faithfully off of our net and we believed that this ensured us protection against financial attack. It didn't. Though God continued to provide for our needs, He wanted us to be better stewards of our money, so we had to budget better and start to pay off old debt. After feeling this sense of freedom regarding my addiction to food, I wanted to start correcting other areas of my life. Finances were next in line. I had JUST figured out our new budget and was quite excited, when just a few days later the car problems began. The devil was weaving a web and I was about to fly right into it.
My neighbor began fixing my van Saturday morning. He spent many hours out in the cold. Feeling that 30.00 just wasn't enough for his time, I gave him 10.00 more, for a total of 40.00. After many hours working on my van, he finally gave me the good news that it was done. He told me he had to empty my gas tank (which was half full) and that he needed more money for gas. I told him that I would go get the gas myself, as I had to go pick my daughter up (she just returned from winter camp & was anxious to get home). He told me that he wanted to test drive it first, to be sure it was running right before he returned it to me. That seemed logical to me, so I gave him my last 20.00 and off he went. He did not return until 1hour 40 minutes later. My car now had a flat tire and was making a terrible noise. There were a great many details of the story that I could add, but the bottom line was that apparently I was unaware of the fact that my neighbor was a drug addict and now, not only was I out 230.00 (he never put gas in the car) and 1/2 tank of gas (worth 20.00), I still had a broken down car! Well, my aggravation now became anger and I felt consumed by it. The devil was winning. Funny thing was that I did not stay angry with my neighbor. I understood that he was a drug addict and I actually began to pray for him, but I was angry at my situation and I had a hard time containing that anger.
The next day, I had my car taken to the same auto repair shop I'd just given 385+ to for my husband's truck. I did like them, and were it not for the fact that I was trying to save money, I would have brought my van there to begin with. Funny, it wound up there in the long run. It took 3 days to finish my van. Three agonizing days of me borrowing a vehicle to take my daughter to & from school. Finally, it was done. Apparently my neighbor had done something & locked up my antilock brake system, and thus, he dragged my tires along during his great spree with my car. He messed it up so bad that the whole brake system needed to be replaced, as well as my tires. So, 180.00 for the tires and 390.00 for the van to be fixed brought me to a grand total of 1195.00 in less than a week. I was stuck in the web and the "spider" was on his way to devour me.
I could have chosen to stay angry , but at that point, I recognized that I was just entangling myself worse. I knew that this was the devil's work, but I also knew that God had allowed it. Perhaps it was a test to see if I'd eat my way to comfort. Perhaps it was the devil taunting God by saying, "mess with her finances & see if she still praises You". Perhaps it was God protecting me & my children from a possible fatal accident. I cannot pretend to know "why" this happened. However, I am confident in what Paul says in Romans 8:28-31
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" If God is for us, who can be against us? Who, I ask? NO-ONE!!! Paul went on to say, in verse 38-39, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "
Degarmo & Key sing a great song called "If God is For us". Very empowering, if you get the chance to listen to it, by all means, do!
Here are the words:
If you're weary, don't lose hope in fighting the good fight
Just remember, God is with you through the darkest night
In the heat of battle keep your head up high
God is marching with us. He's always at our side

If God is for us, who can be against us ?
No power on earth can take his love away
If God is for us, who can be against us ?
We can live in victory today

When you worry, when you feel like the world is caving in
He is stronger than our weakness, faithful to the end
Like the Master taught us, there's life beyond the cross
Even though we're weary, our battle won't be lost

If God is for us, who can be against us ?
No power on earth can take his love away
If God is for us, who can be against us ?
We can live in victory today

Amen! So I decided to walk in that victory, not to stay angry, and to accept that God did allow this, and I will be better for it. The bottom line is that I do trust God, and I know that my life could not be in better hands. It is with that attitude that I walk today, with my head held high. I've been freed from the web that was woven around me, and not only was I able to fly away, but I was able to fly higher than I had before I was caught in the web! During the attack, when I normally would have consumed mass amounts of food to comfort myself, I allowed Jesus to be my comforter. Today, I am a size smaller than I was 4 days ago, and God receives ALL the glory for that! THAT is a victory in the midst of trials, and that is exactly what Jesus promises us in His Word.

If you're facing a trial or temptation, or you are in the middle of an attack that seems to have no end, remember, trust in Him and let Him be your comforter. There is no greater joy than to know that He loves you and that He is with you.

Walk in victory today!

The Blessing of Obedience

2008-01-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." The Lord Himself commanded this and He said, "for this is right"! Do we really want to do what is right? Sometimes I wonder. Why is it that it's so much easier to do the wrong thing than to do the right thing? Paul had that very same struggle and he walked with Jesus during His time here on earth. Paul says in Romans 7:14-8:4 " For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

When I read that I am comforted by the thought that a great Christian leader like Paul had the same struggle as I do.

I often wonder about honor. It seems so archaic, as man has developed this callousness that makes him forget all about honor & righteousness. If God is our Father (parent) and we are His children, then should we not obey Him? Is this not right? Obedience brings about great blessing, and disobedience holds us back from receiving all God wants to give us.

My struggle regarding disobedience has always been with gluttony. The bible says in Proverbs 23:19-21 "Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Don't be among ones drinking too much wine, or those who gorge themselves on meat: for the drunkard and the glutton shall become poor; and drowsiness clothes them in rags. "

The book of Proverbs is so full of wisdom. Why, then, do we want to discount what it says? I thought about that verse a lot these past few days. I know I have been a glutton for so many years, but I learned something this past week that has really changed my way of thinking.
Ever since I got that rash (see previous post) and the Lord led me to cleansing and eating nothing but fruits, vegetables, water & juice, a real change has come about me. The health in Jesus diet I've been following tells me to "eat all the fruits & or vegetables I can eat" at certain meals. I struggled with that in the beginning, because it still felt like a form of gluttony. A glutton is one who "indulges in eating to an extravagant excess." Websters Dictionary says gluttony is "extravagant indulgence of the appetite for food; voracity of appetite." Voracious means to devour. Well I thought about that, because I didn't want to be gluttonous while I was trying to break free from this bondage. It felt like I might just be trading one form of gluttony for another. I ate the fruits & vegetables, and I ate them in abundance, but that just meant I ate a lot more fruits & vegetables than normal. I never felt ravenous, and I never felt like I was over eating. I simply felt like I was eating to fuel my body & I was taking in what my body needed. The truth is, I got full on a lot less fruits, juices & vegetables than I ever got on my usual eating sprees. I started to think a lot about this, and then I heard Michael Card sing a song in which he said, "And we will all eat freely from the tree of life." Something occurred to me when I heard that. God gave us the food in the garden of Eden in order that we might eat of it "freely". We were given permission to eat as much as we wanted, and it wasn't considered gluttony. Notice that in Proverbs 23 it says, "gorge themselves on meat" and it speaks of "drowsiness". It's not a coincidence that after consuming a meatball and spaghetti dinner the first thing we want to do is go lay down! Those foods weigh us down! There are some of us that do not eat to live, but we live to eat & it consumes us. We get tired & run down & are unable to work. Is it any wonder that the scripture says we shall "become poor"? The foods we eat, the wine we drink, all in excess, become addicting to us & we cannot get enough. We become drunkards &/or gluttons, and food becomes our master. The devil is cunning, and he is laughing at us. He loves that we have allowed the very thing that was given to bring us life become the vessel that brings us death. Death, disease, dehabilitation. Food addiction~ gluttony~ brings about death. If we make the choice to "eat freely" what God gave us in the garden (fruits & vegetables) we are, in fact, strengthening our bodies and instead of feeling tired, we feel energized. Foods in their natural state were not addicting because they were not processed, filled with unnatural ingredients and an over abundance of sugars. These processed foods we consume were designed to become addicting . They are missing nutrients we need and are filled with extra sugars and as a result we crave them. Good news for the manufacturers of such products, but bad news for us! In a world of fast paced living & fast food conveniences, man has traded the whole food fuel for the garbage that makes us tired and drains us of what we were designed to be...."Free" . We are free to eat what we want in God's garden.

The thing that amazed me more than anything these past few days is that no matter what, I never once felt like a glutton when I was eating that abundance of food. John 10:10 says, "...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." I believe that is true for the wonderful life giving foods He has given us as well.

Being obedient to the scriptures is so important in our walk with the Lord. God gave them to us to bring us life, and when we obey them we truly do receive so many blessings. When we disobey, we bring consequences that sometimes take years to overcome.

In my obedience to Proverbs 23 this week, I have received the blessing of losing 1 pant size & being able to get myself into a pair of jeans for the first time in almost 9 months. My stomach is flatter & my hips have gone down. Eating the foods from God's garden have given me strength & energy. They have, in effect, given me life just as they were intended to.

If you're struggling with food today, or any other addiction for that matter, look to God's word for a truth you can hold onto and then obey! The blessings associated with obedience are much better to receive than the curses we bring to our own heads through our disobedience.

God bless you as you walk in obedience!

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

2008-01-23T06:48:00.001-05:00

There's a saying, "Hard work pays off". When you see the fruits of your labor, you know that this is true. Sometimes, however, the tunnel is so deep that you don't think you can keep boring through to the other side. When the darkness seems greatest, that's when you must fight the hardest. It's always darkest before the dawn. You must never forget that there IS a light at the end of that tunnel. No matter how deep it goes, it leads to somewhere, and if you give up, you'll never reach the other side and perhaps you will miss the greatest blessing God has ever desired to give you. Psalm 128: 1-2 says, " Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours."

About 12 years ago I went through one of the darkest periods of my life. My husband of almost 1o years had left me for another woman. It was a complete shock to me, as I didn't even know we were having any problems. He gave me a wonderful surprise party for my 30th birthday and left me 2 months later for a woman he'd been seeing for 9 months. I cannot put into words what that did to me. I was filled with so many emotions, it was hard to get a hold of them. I was thrown into a tunnel that seemed too big for me to get through, and the world around me seemed to be caving in from all sides. I spent a lot of time crying those first few days. I was just so shocked. I knew, however, that this was something the Lord had allowed and I knew He was the only one who could get me through it. He placed within me a determination that gave me strength from deep within. My husband left me to raise 2 daughters, aged 7 & 5 and I knew I could not give up.
The problem I faced was getting through the emotional grief. The devil was speaking many defeating words to me and I knew that the only way to fight through those lies was with the word of God. During that time of my life, I relied on God completely. I adopted Isaiah 54:5 as my mantra. "For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of armies is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is he who takes up your cause; he will be named the God of all the earth." I reminded myself of it often, and even placed a ring on my finger to remind me of our "marriage" and my commitment to Him.
To keep strong, I knew I had to rely completely on Him. I knew I had to trust Him through it all. I knew I had no strength of my own, and that I must stay firmly rooted in His word and communicate daily with Him in prayer. My hope was in Him and I knew that I could not take my eyes off of Him or I would surely fall. I was so afraid of falling and I felt such comfort hiding in the shadow of His wings.
One of the things that I knew about myself is that music had a deep profound affect on me. I knew that music would minister to my spirit, so I sought to get something that would "speak" to me & soothe my inner man. I went off to a Christian bookstore & went to the music section. I didn't have a lot of money, as I was now surviving without the help of my husband, so I went to a clearance bin where all of the cassettes were marked down to $5.00 and under. I didn't know what I was looking for, as I was unfamiliar with most of the artists in that bin, so I grabbed a couple of cassettes based on what the covers said & what the names of the songs were. One of the cassettes I grabbed was by Allison Durham and it was called "Walk into Freedom". It sounded promising, so I put the cassette into my walkman & set out for a walk. I went out very early in the morning when the distractions of life around me were the least. Each day I walked with that cassette and each day it ministered to my spirit in such a deep & vital way. Those songs somehow changed me from within. They spoke such comfort and such truth, and they spoke to the core of my very being. I was being transformed by the renewing of my mind. Music can truly change your life. I listened to that cassette so much, that to this day, almost 13 years later, I still hear the words when I am feeling like I am going to drown. One of my favorite songs from that cassette was "When you walk through the water", it goes like this:
Lord, I want to be led by Your Spirit
Sometimes I feel so afraid
There are times when this river
Seems to flow against me
And it makes it hard to not be swept away
Even when I feel I'm strong
You know I'm weak and frail
Then You gently remind me
That Your faithfulness to me will never fail
You say...

When you walk through the water
I will be with you
And the river will not overflow you
Though you walk through deep water
I will be with you
Through the flame or flood you won't be burned or drowned
I am the God who lifts you up
And I'll never let you down

Oh Lord, You are a shield for me
You're the glory and the lifter of my head
When I'm facing fear or doubt
From within or from without
I'm reminded of the hand by which I am led
You said...

When you walk through the water
I will be with you
And the river will not overflow you
Though you walk through deep water
I will be with you
Through the flame or flood you won't be burned or drowned
I am the God who lifts you up
And I'll never let you down
(Words & music by David Baroni & Allison Durham Spears)

That song helped lead me through the deepest darkest tunnel I'd ever been through. And as I was boring through that tunnel and found myself close to giving up, I would hear that chorus and I would push on.

I came through that season of my life a much stronger person. I learned so much through that struggle, and I grew that much more. I remember how the devil tried to destroy me, and how many times I gave in to the temptations that were presented to me. When my husband left me, a whole different door was opened and I was forced to deal with issues that marriage allowed me to hide from. I remember times that I felt like someone else was pulling my strings, and after giving in to temptations I brought about consequences that were very hard to bear. I was confronted with sins of my past and had to face head on some sins I thought I had put away. Those sins could have destroyed me, as they were sexual sins. God warns us about sins against the body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, " Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." It's hard to believe that I ever got through that season. God brought me through that tunnel, and He freed me from the slavery of sins I was bound to. He made a way of escape when it seemed there was none. He opened the rivers so I could pass through. Surely it did not feel like there would ever be light at the end of that tunnel, yet now I can truly see it, as I walk in that light. It's the same for this struggle with food addiction. The Lord is with me, walking me through it every step of the way & He has assured me that I will walk into freedom.

Today I saw the first signs of light at the end of this tunnel.

When I had my rash breakout (see my last post) I was led to things that would help relieve the rash. One of the things I was led to was cleansing my body from within. Colon cleanse, liver cleanse & kidney cleanse were all things that were presented to me. One of the big things I had to do, in addition to these cleanses, was to consume foods & juices that would help cleanse my body and release the toxins within me. I was willing to do whatever I had to do just to relieve the itch, as it was so difficult to bear.
I started with water & juice cleansing as I took an herbal colon cleanse formula. After about a week of that I began to follow a plan designed by Daniel C. Docto, of Health Ministry in Jesus. In order to adequately cleanse, it's good to bring in as many high fiber fruits, vegetables & juices as possible. I started to follow his food plan, but I found that it was just too much food, and I could not consume it all. I did as much as I could, however, and after only 3 days I am seeing the benefits already! My itch has reduced considerably and today I noticed my stomach has begun to shrink! Today, I saw the light at the end of my tunnel!! The devil tried to use that itch to wear me down & bring about defeat, but God used it as a direct passage toward the light at the end of my tunnel. Usually when things like that hit me I go right to my source of comfort...food! This time, however, I put into practice what the Lord has been showing me (see previous post) and in doing that I achieved a major victory!
Oh dear friend, when you tire or grow weary, don't give up! Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." I am here to tell you that this is so true!

Remember, there IS a light at the end of EVERY tunnel. Some tunnels are longer than others, as sometimes we have further to go on our journey & much more to learn. Rest assured, however, that "When you walk through the water, He will be with you and the river will NOT overflow you. Though you walk through deep water, He will be with you. Through the flame or flood you won't be burned or drowned. He is the God who lifts you up & He'll NEVER let you down!"

May God strengthen you as you get closer to the light!

A New Day Has Dawned--Don't Look Back!!

2008-01-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

Last week, right after my last post, I was attacked with an unexplainable rash. The itch was unmerciful, and it wiped me out. I was so uncomfortable and miserable and could not function properly. I spent a week feeling awful, avoiding certain activities and generally feeling low as can be. Wearing clothes made the itch worse, so I'd get dressed when I HAD to go out, then I'd go back home & put my pajamas back on. The looseness of the pajamas made me feel more comfortable physically, but it wreaked havoc on me mentally. I started to feel lazy, and had symptoms of depression. Each day was a struggle just to function. Since then, I've needed to lean on the Holy Spirit to direct & correct my thoughts.
Yesterday I felt brand new. Still suffering with my itch I had decided to just accept it and do whatever I was led to do to help it, but not to let it affect me in such a way that it would consume me. It is definitely an affliction, and if I allowed it to, it could drag me down to another place.
But God knows what He's doing, and He is there through this whole thing. My affliction has caused me to seek Him more continually, and rely on Him completely. If I don't, I will fall tremendously. I believe that complete reliance on Christ is the exact reason we are so afflicted. A test of our faith & a reminder of our continued dependence on Him. Have you ever felt strong, yet helpless at the same time? It's possible to feel that way, I assure you, as that is exactly how I felt when I got up today. I felt so strong of mind, but as my body failed me I began to feel so helpless. I had a headache and I was so very very tired. All I wanted to do was sleep, but yet, I just couldn't. I had way too many things I was responsible for today. I turned to something that has been giving me strength these past days...music.
It has been said that music calms the savage beast. It has most surely proved true for me this past week of suffering. Worship & meditative music has kept me in line this week as the devil has sought to use this affliction to paralyze me spiritually. Today, when I was feeling completely worn out and I had to force myself to leave the house & pick my daughter & my nephew up from school, I turned on my music to seek comfort. The Lord gave me 2 songs in a row on the drive to pick my daughter up, and the words spoke to my Spirit something the Lord is showing me through this whole journey.
The first song was "His Strength is Perfect" by Stephen Curtis Chapman. Read these words:
I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength,
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me;
No great success to show, No glory on my own,
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know . . .

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone;
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong;
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes;
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end.
He hears our humble cry and proves again . . .

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone;
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong;
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

As I was listening to those words, my Spirit was testifying that this is what God wants me to know. I was especially affected by the part that says,
"We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes;
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end."
Yes, through this affliction I realize that He has been my strength through this time of suffering & struggle. We really DO get to know the power that He holds when we see how very deep our weakness goes. I was pushed to a point where I felt so very weak & I had no choice BUT to rely on His strength. Would I have done that honestly, relied on Him so much, if I was not so weakened? Most of us don't. When we feel strong, we revert to doing things in our own strength and then we forget God. And so often, when we are suffering, we think God has removed Himself from us. What a lie from the enemy...a tactic of his that he uses to draw us away from God. I know this is a lie because He has not left me, nor forsaken me, just as His Word promised. I feel physically weak, but I feel spiritually strong! THAT is God!

Isaiah 41:10 says; "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Deuteronomy 31:6 says ; "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:8 says ; "And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

Joshua 1:9 says; "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

God also gave me another song. It's called, "The River Will Flow" by Whiteheart. Here are the words:

There inside my dream
I heard the river roar
I stumbled through the darkened mist
But I couldn't find the shore
Then a voice within the mist said,
"Tell me what do you seek?"
I said, "I have a mighty thirst,
but I feel so tired and weak"
He said, "I am the river
full of power and truth
you've been looking outside yourself
when it's there inside of you"

And the river will flow
The river will flow
Through all of the times of your life
The river will flow
And the river is love
The river is peace
And the river will flow through the hearts
of those who believe

So put your hands in mine
Oh, put your hands in mine
And let us all go down
And kneel by the river's side
we'll cry our tears of joy
Cry our tears of pain
We'll let them fall down from our eyes
to be washed in the sacred stream
Even the secret tears
buried in our memories
Let them all be swept away
to the depths of the endless sea

And the river will flow
The river will flow
Through all of the times of your life
The river will flow
And the river is love
The river is peace
And the river will flow through the hearts
of those who believe

We must remember that He is there for us to cry out to, to lean on, to carry our pain & our hurts & to hold us tightly through it all. How often we forget that HE is the river of life. John 7:37- 39 says; " On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus was standing in the temple courtyard. He said loudly, "Whoever is thirsty must come to me to drink. As Scripture says, 'Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.'" Jesus said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive." Well we who are believers HAVE received the Holy Spirit & He testifies within us all of the truths found in Gods word. If we make God's Word a part of our daily life, if we read it & meditate on it just as the scripture commands, then the Holy Spirit can call it up to the surface of our minds & allow it to work the power it holds. When I heard the words to that song, I was reminded that I was safe in the hands of my Savior. The words, "I have a mighty thirst, but I feel so tired and weak" really spoke to me and when I heard the 'answer' in that same song, "I am the river full of power and truth you've been looking outside yourself when it's there inside of you" I was jolted into a reality. How often do we seek our answers in other books and self help measures and how often do we search for what we THINK we need when everything we need is right there within us. We possess the Holy Spirit, the greatest power available, and we willfully CHOOSE not to use it! How frustrating that must be for our Lord as He watches us struggle. We are fighting a powerful foe, that is true, but we have THE power on our side and He has already defeated the enemy! Consider the story in Mark 1:23-27. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and those there were "astonished at his doctrine". Why were they astonished? Because "He taught them as one who had authority". Apparently they never heard someone teach with such authority, as that was not the way the scribes taught. Well He gave us that same authority, as He told us in Luke 10:19; "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the powers of the enemy: nothing will harm you"
There is a great lesson in Mark 1:23-27. Hear the scripture; "Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He [Jesus] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."
As we have already established, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. I heard a bible lesson this morning that said, "When the gospel is being preached, the power of God is on hand to take the devil out." It pointed out that the devil spoke to Jesus and asked, "are you here to destroy us?" The devil instantly recognized Jesus...He KNEW He was the holy one of God! What was Jesus doing? He was preaching the word! When the word is preached, the devil is exposed. He is fearful of God's word because he knows that when it is spoken that is how we get the victory against him. The power is in God's Word. As soon as we speak the Word, we show the same authority that Jesus did. We have authority only because Jesus gave it to us, and when we speak the Word, we exercise that authority. The devil had possessed that man with more than one spirit, evidenced in the words "let US alone." We can be attacked by many different demonic spirits and that's important to recognize. The devil can tell you things, and you can choose to listen, not acknowledging that it is he who is speaking these lies to you. Maybe you don't even recognize that it's him that is telling you these lies, but ANYTHING that sets itself up against the truth of God's Word is a lie from the enemy and that's why we have to test the spirits.
If the devil doesn't know who you are in Christ, then he will continue to hang around with you and attach himself to anything he can just to get to you. He can succeed in getting you as long as you are weak and if you are not drawing your strength from Christ and His Word, then you will fall as easy prey. You are, at that point, like a weak or wounded gazelle. You no longer possess the cunning to escape your enemy, and because of that, you have fallen prey. The devil, like a "roaring lion" has been prowling around. He's been waiting to pounce. He has been seeking someone to devour, and you just gave him exactly what he was waiting for. I think it's interesting to note that in 1 Peter 5:8, the devil is described as a roaring lion. Did you know that a male lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away? If the prey heard the lion roaring, do you think he would make himself available to be caught? Yet isn't that exactly what we do when we get the warnings that the enemy is near, yet we choose to give in to the lies that cause our defeat? We see that something is from the enemy, yet we give in to it, and we do not use our greatest defense, God's Word, against it. When the devil cried out, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!" note what Jesus did. He rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" Jesus stopped the devil IMMEDIATELY! He didn't argue with him, and he did not let the devil get a foothold. Ephesians 4:27 warns us, "do not give the devil an opportunity" We do that FAR to often, and because of it we succumb to the trap & are snared. Each day, God gives us a new opportunity to exercise our faith & the power He has given us. When the attacks weaken us, He is our strength. He has given us all we need to win. We must not dwell on our failures, but on our victories. Each failure is an opportunity to learn. In this affliction, I have learned to embrace He who is my strength. I cling tight, for I know that if I let go, I will truly fall. We never look back, we only look forward, and when we feel like giving in or giving up, we remember that we have the authority that was given to us in Christ. There is no retreat, no surrender! We must be in it for the long haul and claim the victory that is ALREADY ours! If you are struggling with something today, if you are afflicted, cling to Christ and lean on Him for your strength. Then embrace your affliction for it is what has drawn you to Him, and it is what will keep you relying on Him. James 4:8 says; "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you". He will use your afflictions to develop great things in you and you will be used by Him to fulfill His great purposes.

Remember, a new day has dawned! Don't look back!!!

God bless!

Onward Christian Soldiers!

2008-01-08T06:39:00.000-05:00

Last night, while studying God's Word, I was led to verses regarding sin, and it's dominion over us. It's so easy to give in to sin, as we are a sinful people.
Genesis 4:7b had a profound effect on me, and I could not let go of it. It seeped right into my core almost instantly after I read it. It says, "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Emphasis mine) Right after reading that, I read of Cain killing his brother Abel. Even after being warned, Cain did not heed the warning. Sin mastered him, and he did not fight it. Oh sadly we do that far too often. I am ashamed to admit how many times I've fallen.
I couldn't let go of that verse, and then this morning, while doing my devotions, I received this:
Luke 22:31-32
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
Can I tell you that I broke down in tears? It was as if Jesus was speaking directly to me, and as I read it I heard, "Michelle, Michelle, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail;and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." I saw Jesus as I read those words, and He looked sad. I saw Satan, standing before God, demanding permission to sift me, just as He stood before God & asked to do the same thing to Job. And I saw the faith & confidence of Christ, as I realized that he knew I would turn back. I knew for sure that I would come through this sifting and that Jesus wanted me to encourage & strengthen you, my brothers & sisters. I felt so many things, all at one time, but the thing I felt most was that my purpose was clear. I was made for this. Just as God knew that Cain would kill Abel and Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him, He also knew that I would give in to my sin of gluttony, and that I would fall many times. He also knew, however, that I would get up again, because Jesus Himself was praying for me. Jesus Himself stood at the right hand of God in proxy for ME! A lowly sinner! Oh how undeserving I am! Yet Jesus had faith in ME! He knew I would turn back from my sin! There was a confidence in His words that I never received before. Jesus had asked ME to strengthen my brothers! Suddenly, this trial was no longer a defeat to me. Suddenly, this bondage I have been in became a blessing. Suddenly I felt my chains fall off & I was free! Satan had a hold on me for so long, I never received the freedom that is in Christ. I was reminded of what Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." It became clearer than ever to me, something my Spirit has been testifying to me for so long, yet I, like Cain, would just not hear it. Satan asked to sift me as wheat, and God did allow it. God's desire was to prove to Satan that through it all I would remain faithful. Satan sought to destroy me, but Jesus Himself stood before the Father & presented me as blameless, because I was covered by His blood. The picture is just so clear for me now. It's amazing how 1 verse of scripture can come so alive for you and suddenly change the way you see things. I've read that verse many times before, yet it never hit me as hard as it did this day. The confidence of Christ in me, well...it just makes things different. I cannot let Him down. I don't want to be like Cain, who did not heed the warning regarding the enemy. I want to be like Peter, who once was in denial, but then after he learned the truth devoted His life to strengthening God's people. Even though He denied Christ, Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18-19, " And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Jesus gave Peter power! And it was Peter to whom He entrusted His church! Peter! The one who denied Him!
Oh my brothers & sisters, this is great news! What a great revelation to us! Why would Satan waste his time sifting us if we were not worth sifting? Why would he try to take us away from Christ if we were not going to do mighty things in His name? We need no glory of our own, we are but sinful people, but through us, we can bring glory to God!
Take up your swords, a new day has dawned! Keep your eyes on Christ, and don't take them off of Him, for He will lead us into victory! In the words of Arthur Sullivan,
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.

What the saints established that I hold for true.
What the saints believèd, that I believe too.
Long as earth endureth, men the faith will hold,
Kingdoms, nations, empires, in destruction rolled.

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.

Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honor unto Christ the King,
This through countless ages men and angels sing.

God Bless you as you fight the good fight!!!

The Offensive Weapons

2008-01-07T07:57:00.000-05:00

I woke up today feeling stronger than I have in a very long time. I woke up several times last night, but every single time I woke up, I laid back down & began to meditate on the Lord. I would close my eyes and as thoughts would enter, I would push them out & bring to the forefront images and thoughts of Christ. I want my focus to be on Him, and meditating on His Word, and envisioning Him helps retrain the mind. I want my thoughts to be filled with Him. I want my attitude to be like His. Philippians 2:5 tells us "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." How is that to happen if we do not meditate on His Word or retrain our minds to focus on Him?

We have a very important weapon in this battle against the enemy. It is a sword. Not the traditional metal sword that you see used in battle scenes depicting war, but a sword that is much sharper. The bible says In Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." WOW! If it helps to give you a visual, imagine a sword actually forming when you speak God's word. As soon as the Word is spoken, God's power is accessible. Isaiah 55:11 says, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." There is power in God's word. It is a power like no other. You want to be powerful? You are mighty THROUGH God. He has given us authority. Luke 10:19 (one of my absolute favorite verses, by the way) reminds us, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the powers of the enemy. Nothing will harm you." We can have confidence that if God's Word says it, we can trust it. We need to use His word when we are in the throes of temptation, or if we are angry or afraid. We have to hold fast to it because it is the greatest offensive weapon we have.

It has been said that it takes 21 days to develop a habit. Once a habit is ingrained, it becomes automatic. To develop a habit, you must perform the activity consistently for the 21 days and your brain will automatically convert. Repetition is the key. There is nothing you have learned, whether good or bad, without having repeated it several times first. If you have not ever meditated on God's Word, or you do not read it regularly, it cannot take root. We need to read God's Word over & over again until it is burned into our minds. Once we do that, it will influence our first response to a situation. With God's Word as our sword, we can be victors. We must NEVER let our guard down. We must remain alert. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; " Proverbs 24:5 says, "A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power." We MUST remain alert. We MUST. What good soldier would let his guard down? As soon as your guard is down the enemy can & WILL pounce. He sits there just waiting for the perfect opportunity. He sets up the circumstances for you to fall & he is pleased when it happens. Without God's Word as your sword, you are sure to fail. Satan's desire is to prove to God that we will stray, that we will fall. Satan has to ask God for permission to tempt & to attack us. God gives Satan this permission because He wants to prove that we will not stray & that we will stand firm. Without God's Word as our sword, it is almost impossible to stand firm. Joshua 1:8 says, ""This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

There is another weapon we can use in our fight against the enemy, and that is the weapon of praise. Psalm 150:6 says, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Singing songs of praise, especially in times of trial, breaks down walls that the devil sets up and sends him fleeing.
David says, in Psalm 138:1, "I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods." Psalm 57:7 says, "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!" There are so many scriptures that speak of praising God. The Psalms are filled with songs of praise, and since we were created for praise, we should acquaint ourselves with it! Isaiah 43:21 says, "This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise." God has commanded us to praise Him, but at the same time, He ALONE is worthy of all praise! Hebrews 13:15 says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name." There are times when we are under severe attack & the last thing we want to do is praise God in the midst of it. But see, that is exactly the time when we MUST praise God! He is Sovereign, and He knows exactly what He is doing. He knows what that trial will produce in us, and He knows that through the trial we will gain perseverance. We praise Him not just for what He has done, is doing & will do, but for who He is! He is worthy of our praise! Psalm 34:1 says, "I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." When we make praising God a habit, just like meditating on His Word, it will become second nature for us to praise Him in all things. We will find ourselves doing it everywhere, all throughout the day, in all circumstances. There are so many things to praise God for and if we focus on those things, taking the focus off of ourselves and our circumstances, our minds will be transformed & our attitudes will change from complaining to thanksgiving!
We can look at God rather than our circumstances by praising Him for His grace, His mercy, His goodness, His salvation, His sovereignty and His forgiveness. Once you begin to praise Him, you will see that there are endless things to praise Him for. I'm not just talking about things to thank Him for, I'm referring to things He deserves praise for. Praise Him for Who He is! He is worthy of all Glory & Honor & Praise! The Bible teaches us that man is not the only thing that praises God. Psalm 148 encompasses everything that gives the Lord praises, and it is absolutely eye opening & wonderful to see everything that praises the Lord! It is a praise to the Lord from all creation.
Psalm 148: says,
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For He commanded and they were created.
He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
And He has exalted the horn of His people,
The praise of all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
A people near to Him.
Praise the LORD!

Matthew 21:16 tells us that even INFANTS praise Him! "From the lips of children and infants, I have ordained praise!"

Amen!!! Today, when you put on your battle gear, be sure to grab your sword & practice the great art of praise! Do this every day for the next 21 days & it will become a habit that will be worth keeping!!

God bless!