Tag Archives: Christ

The First 100 days – day 29 – keep your vows

Today is Saturday, January 29, 2011.

On January 1, 2011, I committed to writing a blog every day for 100 days.

Some would think that was a walk in the park for me…because I seem to have so much to say…but, on the other hand, I have spent the last 20 years having trouble walking in the park!

Actually, it didn’t have anything to do with ability, or things to say…it had everything to do with —————————–> timing.

So, to whom did I make this commitment? To myself, of course. And I am totally familiar with disappointing myself…so I’m not really a good accountability partner for myself.

To Jim, because I love him so much I’m going to write 100 blogs? exercise 30 minutes a day for 100 days? Read the Bible in 90 days? Well, that doesn’t really fit, and everyone knows that committing to losing weight for someone else doesn’t fit here, either.

Seriously, when I make a commitment, it’s to God. I wouldn’t use the term VOW…because then, I’d really be responsible to fulfill the commitment!

I recently posted this definition in a blog, Commitment Day.

From Dictionary.com –

commitment – noun

the act of committing
the state of being committed.
the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
a pledge or promise; obligation:
engagement; involvement:
perpetration or commission, as of a crime.
consignment, as to prison.
confinement to a mental institution or hospital:
an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.

I really don’t understand where these dictionary people went to school. I was never allowed to use the word in the definition…DUH! But for good measure, here is the definition of commit:

–verb (used with object)

to give in trust or charge; consign.
to consign for preservation: to commit ideas to writing; to commit a poem to memory.
to pledge (oneself) to a position on an issue or question; express (one’s intention, feeling, etc.): Asked if he was a candidate, he refused to commit himself.
to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance; pledge: to commit oneself to a promise; to be committed to a course of action.
to entrust, esp. for safekeeping; commend: to commit one’s soul to god.

I still don’t see the word: VOW

From Thesarus.com:

Commit:

Part of speech – verb
Definition – perform an action
Synonyms: accomplish, achieve, act, carry out, complete, contravene, do, effectuate, enact, execute, go for broke, go in for, go out for, offend, perpetrate, pull, pull off, scandalize, sin, transgress, trespass, violate, wreak
Antonyms : cease, desist, end, idle, loaf, rest, stop, wait.

Just for good measure…what does VOW mean?

a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment: marriage vows; a vow of secrecy.
a solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition.
a solemn or earnest declaration.

Commit means – a pledge or a promise

Vow means a SOLEMN promise or pledge.

The Bible says:

Ps 22:25 My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

Ps 50:14-15 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Ps 66:13-14 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

Ps 116:12-14 What shall I render unto the LORD [for] all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

and also Ps 61:5 & 8

Moses really explained the importance of keeping vows in Numbers 30.

Deut 12 includes the vows as part of the offerings, sacrifices and such brought to the altar. It happens to come after:

Deut 12:1 These [are] the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

Deut 12:6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

Deut 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

Paying vows to the Lord IS part of worship and sacrifice. IT’S SERIOUS BUSINESS!!! That’s why I don’t want to think of my commitments as vows…because then, I need to give account to the Lord for my actions. And I have to see it as part of the sacrifice of praise at worship(Heb 13:15). Hmmmmmm. That sounds like semantics!

Matthew 5:33-36 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Matt 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

The word ‘oaths’ is the greek word horkos, Strongs G3727.

1) that which has been pledged or promised with an oath

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

This verse, by Jesus’ brother, explains “falling into condemnation” is the consequence that ‘comes from evil’ brings into a life. I’m all for escaping condemnation! The Bible is FULL of examples about how to escape condemnation, but here’s one:

Ps 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

Ps 15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Ps 15:3 [He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Ps 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. [He that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.

Ps 15:5 [He that] putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved.

‘Shall never be moved’…that is an AWESOME promise. Wait…promise…God gave us a promise!

Do I want God to keep his promises, commitments, vows or oaths to me? DUH!!!

I want Deuteronomy 28 to be true…

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Of course, I have a responsibility…

Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

And I am to have faith in HIS promises:….Just read through Heb 11.

Heb 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

I want to obtain God’s promises…..

Phil 1:6 ESV And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here is a promise:

1 Cor 1:7-8 NLT Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (8) He will keep you strong right up to the end, and he will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

verse 8, in ESV says who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

verse 8, in KJV says Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

verse 8, in NIV says He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God promises to sustain, confirm, keep strong, free from all blame, and guiltless – WOW!

1 Cor 1:9NLT God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(In case you do not like the New Living Translation, here it is in KJV; NIV & ESV)

What do we know about God?

Numb 23:19 God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

This passage makes a difference between doing what he says and lying. If one doesn’t do what they say, they are lying. Let your yes be YES and your no be NO WAY!

God makes promises, and keeps them. He is faithful to His vows, for good and bad. And what He says, He does. His word is His bond, and it is followed by action. So it should be with us.

Col 3:23-25

A COMMAND (23)”And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
A PROMISE – (24)”Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
AND A WARNING -(25) “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

How does keeping your commitments, promises, oaths, VOWS…keep you from evil, or condemnation?

First – it prevents you from all the consequences of lying, and being a liar. Since God was serious enough about lying to put it into the 10 commandments, it’s something to seriously consider.

Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

We KNOW in our hearts when we are not right with God….

1 John 3:21-22 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

I KNOW I want to KNOW that my prayers will be answered! The consequence of sin is that our prayers are hindered. That’s a tough consequence to not keeping your oaths.

Second – It makes us faithful to HIM. We can trust HIM because HE is faithful. Remember the story about the servants, in Matthew 25? The faithful ones heard this:

Matt 25:23 Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

The wicked, unfaithful one heard this:

Matt 25:26 [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Matt 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We need to be faithful servants, to the best of our ability. And even doing what is asked is only what is asked of us.

Luke 17:10ESV So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; [fn] we have only done what was our duty.'”

Third – We are ambassadors of Christ. We need to REPRESENT. We are the only Jesus that some people may ever see – so what does OUR faithfulness to our promises say about God’s faithfulness to HIS promises?

Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Our Word needs to be followed up by action:

1 John 3:19 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

I started this out with my struggle with what I have committed to do this year. I realize, when I make a commitment to God, to Jim, to me, I am making a vow. And a vow is a very serious thing.

Breaking a vow, breaking a promise = lying in God’s economy.

Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Owe and oath sound like they are very similar. If I give an oath to do or pay for something….I OWE that person whatever I gave an oath to. Let my YES be YES, and my NO be NO. OWE no man anything.

Vows are serious business. If there is any question left, one must consider a couple of foolish vows given:

King Saul and his son Jonathan:1 Samuel 14-15

Jephthah’s daughter: Judges 11

And yet, the greatest vow given, was given to Adam and Eve, right after they sinned:

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God made a vow, to us, that He would provide a deliverer. When Christ was born, lived, died and resurrected to sit on the right hand of God to intercede for us…God fulfilled His vow.

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son…and Abraham immediately obeyed. And then, God provided the sacrifice for both of them.

God kept His vow…His oath…His promise…His commitment. It came at a VERY high cost. But He kept His WORD.

Therefore – so should we keep our word also! So should I keep my word, also. It’s my daily worship!

Ps 22:25 NLT I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

Heb 13:15 NLT Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

{Oh no – here’s another long study…the fruit of my lips…they are supposed to be sweet…how can blessing and cursing come from the same mouth (James 3:10), good and evil from the same tree(Mat 7:15 ; 12:33), good and evil treasure from the same heart (Matt 12:35), or sweet and bitter water from the same spring( James 3:11-12)? My mouth is supposed to show forth the praises of God…that is what my mouth was created for. So, my words, my commitments, my promises, my oaths, my VOWS are very important between ME and GOD!

Matt 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

When I face the Lord, face to face, in HIS presence of Glory – what words do I want to give account for? I really do need to think before I speak – in my heart or out loud(because Jesus does know the thoughts of our hearts). I need to think – “do I want to give Jesus an accounting for what I’m about to say? Do I want to see His face, when he reads back that nasty stuff I said about Jim? Do I want to be in front of Him when He asks me about the commitment to ….well, anything?” If I don’t want to explain it to Him, face to face…I ought not be doing it. But that is another blog!}

By offering up this sacrificial commitment in praise – I obtain another promise:

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Partaking of the DIVINE nature…THAT is the new creation, we escape the corruption of the world.

Rom 8:1-2 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The way to avoid condemnation is to be a new creation, partaking of the divine nature, and walking NOT after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit – Gal 5:22-26 & Eph 5:8-14

The fruit of Righteousness – Heb 12:11 & James 3:18

And if our hearts condemn us not we may ASK what we will and it will be given us.

Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

That is the bottom line for me. I want everything I do to be acceptable in the sight of the Lord. If I make a promise – I promise to the Lord. If I make a commitment – I commit to the Lord. If I make and oath or vow – I do so as unto the Lord. And before I do so, I need my heart in right relationship, so that it will be pleasing to the Lord.

That right relationship is so easy, and yet, so hard.

2 Chr 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24-25

We can only do it through Christ Jesus! and Praise God that HE had a plan, He committed to the plan, and HE acted on the plan to fulfill the plan!

My commitments for this year are good ones. But they are commitments to the Lord, therefore, when I feel like quitting, I need to be ready to tell the Lord, sorry, I can’t keep my promise to you.

On the other hand, if I have made some foolish vows..all I have to do is humble myself….

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

When coming before the Lord for repentance, James 4:7-10 is a very good passage to keep in mind! Psalm 51 is great, as well. What a peace to know that even though I WILL mess up – HE is faithful that called me. In all things, I need to desire to be faithful to Him.

author note: the comment button is after sharing buttons, I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days moving challenge – day 30 -my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – 2 Kings, going into 1 Chronicles
50 days T-Tapp – day 30 – check
30 days – T-Tapp January Jumpstart- day 3 “Play Day”

The First 100 days – day 26 – commitment day

commitment – noun

the act of committing
the state of being committed.
the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
a pledge or promise; obligation:
engagement; involvement:
perpetration or commission, as of a crime.
consignment, as to prison.
confinement to a mental institution or hospital:
an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.

Today, I am making a 30 commitment to T-Tapp January Jumpstart, which runs from January 27th to February 27th. Please don’t blame me for the January Jumpstart beginning almost in February.

That will be 30 days of T-Tapp – eating right – weekly workouts with a trainer and walking 30 minutes a day.

Many people have had great success with this exercise program, created by a rehab person, Teresa Tapp.

I’m scared….but excited. I will be posting scriptures that will help me to stay committed – and I will post my losings here. It is my hope that my weight loss and inch loss will be an encouragement to others that have body image issues.

Right now, the verse is I can do all things through Christ Jesus Who strengthens me.

and of course:

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, AMEN! (Jude 24-25)

Thanks for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days challenge – moving – check my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – I’m in the Samuels
50 days T-Tapp – check
30 days Jumpstart(1/27/11) – check – trainer meet up today

The First 100 days – day 25 – depression

Job 3:1-4 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night [in which] it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

In my life, I am responsible for my choices.

In my life, my choices affect others.

When my choices affect others in a negative way, I get sad.

When my choices affect others in a negative way, and I cannot fix it…I get depressed.

Depression is a disease. I have what is called Major Depressive Disorder, or Unipolar Depression. In me, it’s mostly under control now, but sometimes, it sneaks up on me like a snake in tall grass..

The problem with an issue that causes depression flare ups, is that sometimes, the issue doesn’t make any sense to anyone other than me(the depressive person). It’s like a washing machine going around and around in my head…getting faster and faster…and everyone else is on the outside saying “just turn it off”. Hello – there’s no off switch on the inside of the washer!!!!

Job 3:20-24 “Oh, why should light be given to the weary, and life to those in misery? They long for death, and it won’t come. They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure. It is a blessed relief when they finally die, when they find the grave. Why is life given to those with no future, those destined by God to live in distress? I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water.

I’m not suicidal – this time. Though as I wrote in my prior essay on Job, I have been there…countless times.

So – cutting doesn’t work.

drugs doesn’t work.

alcohol doesn’t work

Suicide won’t work.

Binge eating won’t work.

Movie marathons don’t work.

Crying just comes…tears just roll down my cheeks….

I can’t concentrate on my blog in progress.

I don’t want to eat(not a really bad thing for me).

I am overwhelmed with “I HAVE FAILED, AGAIN” feelings.

The ‘silly’ issues are so huge.

Giving up my books – they have been a grounding point for me all through my struggles since the memories triggered the depression.

Not being able to provide Jim with a lovely home in the RV…

Not being able to be focused in one mindset….being double minded(in more ways than one).

I have no faith in me.

Which means, I have no faith in God’s ability to work in me.

Well – there’s another Christi failure.

Sarah.

Rachel.

Rahab.

Three female failures that God used.

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Depression is a valley in the shadow of death. That’s the truth.

Jesus walks with me in the valley. That’s truth.

I have spent money on things that stare me in the face…money that could have been spent on something better…money that could have done more good. But I chose to spend that money, because I thought it was the right thing to do in the circumstance. I made the choice I thought was right, given the information I had at the time. So, now, looking back, I regret that I didn’t have prophetic wisdom?

So, now my cry is…am I hearing God’s voice?

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

The Israelite’s knew when God wasn’t with them…they went out and fought, and if they lost even 1 man…they came back and fell on their knees to the Lord. But even after repenting.. that one man, 10 men, 30 men, were still dead.

That’s the thing about messing up…circumstances remain.

Sarah had Hagar and Ishmael to deal with – and look at what that has done to our world.

Rebekah deceived her husband, and didn’t live to see Jacob and his children, and the deception send Esau towards the Ishmaelites…more enemies for the Jews.

Rachel brought the idols away from her father’s house…interestingly, she died in childbirth.

Peter denied Christ…and almost gave up.

Stephen was still dead when Saul turned to Paul.

Our circumstances always follow us…as signs saying

DON’T DO THAT AGAIN!!!

Prov 26:2 As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

I’ll straighten out that KJV –

a curse doesn’t come without a cause.
A curse that comes is not without cause.
If a curse comes, there is a cause.

I’m not saying that I am cursed….I’m saying that circumstances come for a reason. Deut 28 is a great chapter to see cause and effect. Proverbs is good, too!

Prov 26:6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage.

Prov 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly.

BUT GOD!

As I was looking at the cause and effect of my choices, an angel called. Yes, an angel named Faith called me on the phone. Since she is my daughter, with a newborn baby, married to a soldier that is away for the week, I had promised her that I would answer the phone when she called. I try to always keep my promises, no matter how sad I feel.

Faith was my Elihu. And because of her ability to speak the truth, in love, I was able to hear the Lord’s voice and walk out of this valley of the shadow of death.

I have had to endure the Lord speaking to me out of a whirlwind before…of course, I think I was the one that created the whirlwind of chaos!

Today, through prayer, and crying out as I searched through the scriptures, God answered me through the sweet sounds of our daughter. She was even used as a rod in God’s hands to point out a blind spot – that I was able to repent over, and be freed from that bondage. I was also able to hear the real size of the issues, and rest in the Lord, to be content in peace.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

I have a thorn in my flesh – like Paul – though not for the same reason: 2 Cor 12:7 – 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.

But more so that in my weakness, I can turn to HIM. 2 Cor 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

This ‘infirmity’ may never leave me. But neither will the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is 41:10 NLT Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Is 41:13 NLT I am holding you by your right hand–I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, `Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior be honor and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24-25

With this kind of God – and the enormous love He sheds upon me – how can I give up? How can I quit? I can…but I am compelled by His great love – to love. I love, because He first loved me(1 John 4:19).

I do have past mistakes, and I’m pretty sure I will make future mistakes, and I have even made mistakes today. But God knew all about them, and MY God is BIG enough to handle MY mistakes, an make sure that all things work together for my good and His glory! Anything less is a lack of faith…as in, my God is too small. I got to let Him out of the box I keep putting Him in! It’s when I let HIM be God that I truly enjoy the joy of the Lord.

I praise God that He had Faith call. I praise God that I had a human voice that was Jesus to me. I praise God for His great love, compassion, and patience with me.

A year ago, this may have turned out differently, but by God’s grace, I am here, and I shall live to declare the glory of God!(Ps 118:17)

Thanks for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days challenge – moving, a dog walk
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – catching up
50 days T-Tapp – check – HD & AL

The First 100 days – day 23- burn that fat

Since this Fasting-For-Food project, I’ve been enlightened a bit about my eating habits. I’ve been enlightened a whole bunch!

Exodus.

Captivity. Slavery. Bondage.

It just kind of happened.

First, everyone loved Joseph…then, generations forgot Joseph…and then, “why are we bein’ so nice to these people?”

First, I just ate…it felt good, it never argued, and, with fast food, it was always there!!!!

Why didn’t the Israelites just get up and say “No More”, and walk out of Goshen? Why didn’t they just quit taken’ the stuff…and just leave?

Why don’t I just get up from the table and say “No More?” Why don’t I just stop eatin’ the stuff that’s killin’ me?

Captivity. Slavery. Bondage.

I have been held captive by food ads.

Seeing that Wendy commercial,

I can taste the fries! (side note – the new ones just aren’t as addicting to me…but then, I’ve eaten them anyway.)

THIS USED TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM!!!!!!! Well, true confessions, it still is.

The thing is…sugar, caffeine, chocolate, ice cream, french fries, Mike-Sell’s Potato Chips……

Yeah, a bag of Mike Sells, a tub of bacon cheese dip, a 2 liter of some diet pop….to make up for the calories of course…and I was in fat heaven! Comfort Food Chaos!

These are my issues. These are my food idols. These have held me captive.

Writing about this now, having not eaten any of these for 23 days, I can taste the banana split, I can smell the potato chips…and I am struggling to say NO – even though they aren’t even here!

I am 130 pounds overweight – at least. That’s the weight of a normal sized woman of 5’2″ stature. I cannot move like a 120 pound woman. That’s right, I’m over 100% excess person.

Here's my fat face!

Me at a campground with Gabriel

Sitting on the beach wall at Lake Livingston, TX

As is obvious, I need some help. I am trapped by my ‘addiction’ to my ‘idols’.

~it is now January 30, and I have since eaten a banana split, and pancakes for the sake of research. I even went to Wendy’s, but I could not bring myself to eat the french fries…so, I ate the salad!

I have suffered with health issues, because of the food I eat.

About.com has an article about how diet and disease correlate in a few cases. What does your doctor say when you have a major issue? Stop the high sweets, caffeine, fatty foods and eat more fruits and veggies.

MedicineNet.com has an article, Healthy Diet for Disease Prevention, about what foods TO eat for Healthy Living.

If we consider disease as a path to death, and health as a path to wellness and living life…then fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes type 2 are all consequences of choosing ‘death’ in our food.

CHOOSE LIFE!

Deut 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Deut 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

The Bible does have a few things to say about what we eat….not just the legalistic following of the Jewish Kosher Diet.

The first thing – is fasting.

Deut 29:5-6 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I [am] the LORD your God.

Part of the Israelites’ process in the wilderness was not eating bread nor drinking alcohol. It was part of knowing that God was their LORD.

Isaiah talks about reasons for fasting:

Is 58:5 NIV Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

Is 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

God doesn’t want fasting for fasting sake…but there is a promise for fasting to set the oppressed free…and break every yoke. Consider fasting as part of your sacrifice to God. There are many studies about it’s benefit…one is The Daniel Fast.

That brings me to a variation on fasting, the Daniel Fast, taken from Daniel 1, where Daniel refused to eat anything other than plant based foods, and water.

This book, The Genesis Diet, by Gordon Tessler, explains a lot about the types of food from the garden.

BUT HEAR THIS!!!! After the flood – God gave MEAT to man to eat!!!! Genesis 9

Romans 14 & 1 Corinthian 8 handles many of the discussions about what to eat.

And if anyone tells you that you should NOT eat meat…it is a doctrine of a demon! 1 Tim 4:1-5

1 Tim 4:1 -2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Tim 4:3-5 Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

My point, in all of this, is that God is interested in what we eat. And it IS between US and God…

Rom 14:5 Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. with

Rom 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

It is IMPORTANT, because we are putting it into HIS temple – because WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit!

1 Cor 3:16 – 17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

I admit, I’m in an Egypt of eating, I have idols of food, I have addictions to additives. I confess that I am the temple of the Holy Ghost, and that I want the Godhead to dwell in me fully! And I have read how carefully crafted the temple items were made that were put into the Tabernacle and Temple. I admit, I do not take that much care, nor do I take care of myself as if I AM the temple of the Almighty God.

Exodus

Captivity. Slavery. Bondage. IDOLATRY.

It just kind of happened.

But what do I do now?

2 Cor 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Cor 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Glutton is sin. It is one of the most accepted, if not THE most accepted sin in the church today. God commands me to put off sin…tear down the strongholds and high places and go no more to them. For me…that means….Wendy’s. Yes – I’ve said it. That means to NOT start up the Steak-n-Shake habit again. No more drive through Cinnabon Pecan messes. BECAUSE they pull me down a path I do not want to go!

Pr 23: 2-3 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [be] a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful meat.

Remember the verse – let every man be persuaded in their own mind. I have no problem passing cigarette displays. I have no problem passing Captain Morgan or a Budwieser Poster. I do have a problem passing the apple pie at Krogers!

My definition of idol is anything that comes between ME and God. I am going to have to adjust it.

Idol: Anything that comes between me and God, or hinders my ability to be ready when God calls me.

Idolotry: choosing anything over what God has asked of me.

Ps 106:36 And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

1 Sam 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee….

But with confession, with repentance, comes forgiveness.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

My life is a living sacrifice to God. I do not know why I thought eating didn’t have anything to do with it! The great thing about God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, is that HE loves me enough to continue to call me further on and further in!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

The First 100 Days – Day 21-WLVS

At a Counseling Seminar, Dr. Marcus Warner of Deeper Walk International, taught the WLVS process of working through issues. Here is my first attempt, with references to Job. This is a very personal reflection.

WLVS 06Jan09

This is my first attempt during this journey to follow the Wound/Lie/Vow/Sin process of removing giants. First, I must identify a problem. I found one as I was reading Job today.

Problem:

Suicide, desire death, echoing Job’s cries:

And for 26 verses.

Similar thoughts: Why died I not from the womb? (Vs 11)

My thoughts: The same, or each time I have had a near death experience, I wonder why I was resuscitated. Following every suicide attempt, at the next attack of giants, I’d think “why wasn’t I better at my attempt the last time?” “Long for death but it doth cometh not…”(vs 21)

Job talks about the blessings of the peace of heaven in vs 13-19. Even the wicked cease from troubling (vs 17).

The freedom of heaven….the rest of the next life…to be loosed from the oppression of this life…this has been my cry. The pains that have wracked me mentally, spiritually, and then physically has brought me to the place many times, that I would rather die than live another minute.

NLT follows that with this:

I have cried this…prayed this…..breathed this. Lord, this is too much for me to bear!!!!! (there’s a lie in there I’ll have to deal with!)

Then – here’s Job’s cause:

Job 3:25-26 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

NLT: Job 3:26 I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; instead, only trouble comes.”

So – what is my cause?

Fear…..fear of failure, and in the face of failure, total collapse.

THE WOUND:

What’s my wound? The horrible memories of monsters in the night, then the failure of my mother to protect me, and having to be the adult at 13, and care for my brother…and I had to do it right…because everything I did, had to be right. Nothing was ever good enough…and I was told to go do it again, and get it right. I thought if I was good enough, such things wouldn’t happen to me.

THE LIES:

I didn’t do it right, and monsters came in the night.

I didn’t do it right, and I chose to forsake a scholarship for art and music at OSU

I didn’t do it right, and I went into the Navy, got paralyzed, and was discharged with missing medical papers.

I left my mom and my brother to join the Navy. That wasn’t what I was supposed to do.

I didn’t do it right, and my brother got drunk in high school.

I didn’t do it right, and my mother committed suicide.

I didn’t do it right, and my husband was angry.

I didn’t do it right, and my house wasn’t as clean as Martha Stewart’s.

I didn’t do it right, and my brother fell away from his walk with Jesus for a while.

I didn’t do it right, and my children became free thinkers with minds of their own that did not follow the path of Christ as I had envisioned.

I didn’t do it right, and all three daughters have life long diseases, as well as memories and scars that they will carry forever.

I didn’t do it right, and I turned to food and food and, well, food for my comfort, my emotional support and I am 120 pounds overweight.

I didn’t do it right, and I have health issues.

And, I can go on and on and on…..I can even explain the sin in the world as a failure of mine (oh yes, I can!).

THE VOW

The vow is that I should die, to relieve the world of my burdensome, failing self. Or, I will stop failing, and succeed at ONE thing – to die.

THE SIN

Suicidal thoughts and attempts. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…so even to think of suicide is a sin – if you entertain the thought. Those thoughts that come and were kicked out were just temptations.

Attempts, including – eating stuff that is not good for me, because I’ll eventually die from it, and maybe God won’t notice I killed myself.

Red Lobster’s all you can eat shrimp feast looks like a great way to die! It only takes 6 to start my mouth and tongue to swelling…….

Over dosing on chocolate – 2 pound bags….yes, that says bagS.

A friend’s mom or Dad went to the hospital for heart issues, because of eating too many Fritos…

I could go like that…just get me a bucket of dip or salsa! Maybe a 2 liter of pop to wash it down!

Basically, not taking care of myself has been a passive way of killing myself. And you know what? It hasn’t worked. My heart is strong, just under exercised. “Deconditioned.” My bones have lost density…but I still can turn that around. My liver, though fatty, recovers very well. Gall bladder is fine, lungs have recovered from pneumonia twice. I do have Fibromyalgia (a dormant, then trauma induced, progressive chronic illness). BUT God has gotten me to a doc that prescribed some good meds that are making even that manageable. I barely have an official Dx of Diabetes 2 – my insulin stuff is just messed up.

The messed up parts? My mind.

Other methods have included an overdose, and intense cutting on my arms. Mostly, I have been hospitalized for suicide ideations….my mind has gone wacky and tried to kill me. The spirit within, that has been trained to turn to God, found ways to stop me. I have learned to call out for help when needed. It would have been great if my body had reacted to the pain in the right manner, but like I said, my mind went a bit wacky.

What’s the Solution?

FORGIVE THOSE THAT CAUSED THE WOUND

REPLACE THE LIES WITH TRUTH

RENOUNCE THE VOWS

REPENT OF THE SINS.

FORGIVE THOSE THAT CAUSED THE WOUND – Done(or so I thought)

REPLACE THE LIES:

I didn’t do it right, and monsters came in the night.

No child is responsible for what happens to them in the night, or day by adults.

I didn’t do it right, and I chose to forsake a scholarship for art and music at OSU.

For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance. Romans 11:29

I didn’t do it right, and I went into the Navy, got paralyzed, and was discharged with missing papers.

There is forgiveness for our sins...1 John 1:9-10

I left my mom and my brother. That wasn’t what I was supposed to do.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

I didn’t do it right, and my brother got drunk in high school.

It was not my responsibility to raise my brother, he had a mother and a father.

I didn’t do it right, and my mother committed suicide.

My mother was an adult, and she made her own decision…I was where I was supposed to be, with my husband.

I didn’t do it right, and my husband was angry.

I cannot make someone happy or sad, angry or calm. That comes from the fruit of the Spirit.

I didn’t do it right, and my house wasn’t as clean as Martha Stewart’s.

I’m still working on this….but I try to remind myself, she has servants. Besides, I am not going to be judged by the cleanliness of my house….but on whether I have trusted the Lord Jesus as my Savior.

I didn’t do it right, and my brother fell away from his walk with Jesus for a while.

But, my prayers, our grandmother’s prayers, and prayers of others brought him back…it wasn’t my responsibility, it was his story with God.

I didn’t do it right, and my children became free thinkers with minds of their own that did not follow the path of Christ as I had planned.

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Tim 1:12 among many promises to save our children.

I didn’t do it right, and all three daughters have life long diseases, as well as memories that they will carry forever.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Rom 8:28

I didn’t do it right, and I turned to food and food and, well, food for my comfort, my emotional support and I am 120 pounds overweight.

I didn’t do it right, and I have health issues.

For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:23

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Rom 6:22

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2

Here’s what God can do!

Eze 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones,

Eze 37:2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry.

Eze 37:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

Eze 37:4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

Eze 37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

Eze 37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.

And I still have sinews and flesh and skin…..but this is my ‘put on’(what I need to ‘put on’ to move forward).

Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

RENOUNCE THE VOW & REPENT OF THE SIN

In the name of Jesus, I put off the old man’s ways of death, suicide and self destruction.

I renounce my vow of self destruction and declare it of none effect in Jesus’ name. I confess these thoughts and actions as sin, and place them under the blood of Jesus. Please forgive me, cleanse me and make me whole.

In the name of Jesus, I put on Life, and I pray that YOU, Lord will breath upon me, and I shall live, just as the dry bones, just as Elijah and the widow’s son, Just as you did at creation when you breathed life into Adam.

The only person left to forgive in all those wounds and lies is……….ME.

How does one forgive themselves?

Have I repented? Yes, then:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

He Who? The God Who will sit on the white throne of judgment, to judge both the living and the dead.

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Moses sinned – and God forgave him, before the law of the sacrifice was known.

David sinned – and God forgave him, before the blood of Christ was shed.

The woman at the well sinned – and Jesus forgave her, when she didn’t even have the promise.

The woman caught in adultery sinned – and Jesus forgave her, and said go and sin no more.

Peter sinned – and Jesus forgave him, before He went to the cross.

The thief sinned – and Jesus forgave him, as they hung dying.

Jhn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Jhn 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jhn 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jhn 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jhn 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Rom 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Rom 8:34 Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Who am I to think that I can hold a grudge against my self – when the Most High God has declared it null and void?

Psalm 103, especially:

Psa 103:8 The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Psa 103:9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep [his anger] for ever.

Psa 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Psa 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

And this was written BEFORE Christ’s blood was shed…so how much more NOW will He deal with me in mercy?

So, I repent of my false humility that held a grudge against myself, which in truth, called God a liar and dismissed the efficacy of Christ’s blood to cover MY sin. What arrogance…and I repent, and ask the Lord for forgiveness….and I accept it, for me, and I release myself from that burden.

Psa 103:1 [[[A Psalm] of David.]] Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name.

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Psa 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Psa 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Isai 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

Psal 46:10 Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psal 46:11 The LORD of hosts [is] with us; the God of Jacob [is] our refuge. Selah.

Lord, I will wait upon you….and believe that you will heal all my diseases, redeem my life from destruction, my youth will be renewed and I will mount up with wings as eagles…I will run and walk and not faint. Lord, upon you, I wait. ~Christi

This was a journal entry that was at a turning point in my life. My suicidal issues did not get resolved until I arrived non-responsive in the ER, November 17th, 2009. That day, something in me died…but it was something that needed to die so that I could move forward. My husband, my pastor Earl and my best friend Sue were instrumental in helping me move forward, and to this day, I have no suicidal thoughts. For the first time, as long as I can remember, I have spent a year with NO suicidal thoughts. The meds aren’t different. The people aren’t different. My head is different, because my heart is set on Jesus.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days challenge – moving – check walked 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – I’m going to reset my program.
50 days T-Tapp – check
21 days Fasting for Food – check – Done.

The First 100 days – day 20 – 20%

WOW! 20% done. 1/5 of the way there.

If this were a marathon, 20% is 5.2 miles….of 26.

If this were an ultra-marathon, 100 miles…this wouldn’t even be the first 26 miles.

Of the people that start the HURT (Hawaiian Ultra Running Team) 100 race, over 20% or so finish. But that is like 21, 22, 29 out of 100!

In my 100 days, I’ve already fallen very behind in my Bible reading. I’ve had to compromise on my Daniel Fast because I need more protein, and I am not getting enough from plant protein. I’ve missed one day of 30 minute movement, because I was so sore from the previous day’s walking on the beach. I’ve messed up my continuous 100 days.

So – quit. Why bother? What’s the point? I’m behind on the race! I can’t catch up!

Ah – diets…a good example of quitting. I have no idea how many other people start diets and then give up because they mess up…BUT, me, well, I know I do. “I ate two cookies, I might as well finish the bag so they aren’t a temptation tomorrow!” HA!

Millions of people make New Year’s Resolutions on Jan 1, and by Feb 1(at the latest) they are broken. Hmm, how did they get broken? Did they fall off the mantle, and crash to the tile floor? Oops! No. They weren’t broken, like some accident, they were thrown away. Sometimes gently, sometimes with full angry force, thrown against the wall with screams of ‘I CAN’T DO THIS!’. But even that scream didn’t BREAK the resolution…the next day broke the resolution, the resolve of the person. Waking up, with the headache, the stomach ache, whatever, and thinking “I’m a failure.” THAT BROKE THE PERSON’S RESOLVE!!

Then there are the little voices in our heads from childhood, and the photos on the magazines of those that kept their resolve and lost 100’s or more…or tackled the Appalachian Trail – barefoot…or climbed a volcanic mountain – while erupting…or whatever. “Wow – that person really had resolve(self-control, will-power)!”

Maybe. Every person that succeeds first fails. Repeatedly fails. The difference is that they get back up, and do it again, and again, and again, until “Oh look! they made it to the top of the mountain!”.

20% doesn’t seem like much.

20 days doesn’t even make a new habit! (referring to, “it takes 21 days of consistent behavior modification to create a new habit”).
The majority of 20 year olds will not make it to be 100 year olds.
20% of a year is 2.4 months…January is only 1/12th, 8%!
20% of the way to my son’s house is 229 miles.
1 in 5(or 20%) of people having gastric bypass surgery will develop severe complications or death.(this was told to me by the doctor that was going to do my gastric bypass – I passed!).
20% off is a good discount, right?

The value of 20% depends upon the circumstances to which it refers. The other way to look at it is, if I were on my way to my son’s house, I would be 229 miles closer than when I started. If I lost 20% of my weight, that would be 50 pounds. THAT’S A FIRST GRADER! And losing 50 pounds would almost get me half way to my goal weight! That 20% would be almost 50% of my goal. 50% is a BIG percentage!

What value is your life? And what in your life do you value? We’re told it’s shown by our priorities.

Priorities….what is the number one thing in my life? I say Jesus, but then I yield to the flesh (or someone inviting me to play a game on facebook, or take me out to dinner, or whatever excuse to turn me away from my focus).

Rom 7:15-17 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

Rom 7:18-20 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Rom 7:21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

This is Paul writing – one of the most devoted followers of Christ. He was chosen by Christ…not by men, after Christ’s death and resurrection. Paul shares the story in Acts 26. Paul struggles with doing the right thing! Paul lists all his fleshly credentials in Phil 3.

I want to do the Bible reading in 90 days…to wash my mind with the water of the word in the first 90 days…but I fail. I choose to watch stupid TV shows.

I want to move for 30 minutes of every day. I have a dog that needs a walk every day. I have videos that would get 30 minutes in every day. 30 minutes out of 1440 a day = 2%. I struggle with just sitting down – and doing nothing.

I want to eat right – to take care of my temple(a blog coming) and to glorify God and feel better. I still struggle with wanting whatever is sold to me in commercials, magazines, or even store flyers!

I feel better when I eat right, move right and read right. I thought that positive reinforcement should strengthen my resolve! I feel sick when I eat ice cream. That type of negative reinforcement should strengthen my resolve.

THEN TELL ME WHY AM I CRAVING CHICK-FIL-A PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE CHIP MILKSHAKES?

These photos were my true confession last November…for my 1 time guilty pleasure. Yeah, right. Then another, and another, and another…all through the season. In fact, I even ate one on Dec 31, as my last peppermint chocolate milk shake….like my last meal. I got terribly sick! My stomach told me that ice cream is NOT my friend. And still, we drive past it, and I think, hmmm, do they still have them?

I missed 1 day of movement during this 20 days. 5%

I am 3 days behind in the Bible Reading – 15% of what I’ve supposed to have read. 3% of the whole 90 day reading plan. And it only takes 30 minutes…or 2% of my daily quota of minutes!

So, I’ve messed up…in this 20% of my 100 days. I am tempted to quit. Until I do the math.

DO THE MATH!

People die because they eat the wrong stuff and don’t move. It cuts down a person’s odds for living any kind of life. Just read the statistics for heart disease, diabetes and such that often comes hand-in-hand with life choices.

Christians fail to grow into Christ by not reading His word.

Ps 119:105 Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Ps 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Pro 29:18 Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he.

People go to hell because they don’t know the Lord. Matt 7:21-23

We struggle. Period.

Rom 7:22-23 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

At first glance, Paul’s writing here is depressing!

Rom 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

THANK GOD WE HAVE THE ANSWER!

Rom 7:25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

HERE IT IS…THE BIGGIE!

Rom 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

AMEN! HALLELUJAH!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Rom 8:10-11 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Jesus said “It is finished.” There’s a period at the end of his statement. He IS the author and the finisher of our faith. All we have to do is run the race. And if we fall, he’ll pick us back up…I said, HE’LL PICK US BACK UP!!! and then, we brush ourselves off, and keep on running.

The one that doesn’t make it in is the one that never got in the race, or the one that quit and walked away.

It doesn’t matter how many times we fall down, what matters is that we keep putting one foot in front of the other…working and walking towards glory, closer and closer each day.

Do I sin like I did when I was 18 and in the Navy? No, sir!

Do I sin like I did when I was an exhausted mom of 5 toddlers? No, Ma’am!

Do I sin? Yes sir and ma’am, every day. But by the grace of God, my sins are forgiven, and I …..well, I’ll say it with Paul:

Phil 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

All that matters, once you have that saving relationship with Christ, is that you get back up after you fall down. Grab a hold of HIS words for you, and cling to them like they are your life, for they are.

When the devil comes around to condemn you…find your scripture to answer with. If that’s what was good enough for Jesus did, then it’s good enough for me!(tic) We are seated in the heavenlies..we have been given the victory…let’s not give it away, whether in life, health or spiritual walk. Jesus bought this victory because he said we were worth it – we are worth it because HE chose us – therefore this race is worth running, to the very end.

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)

1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Rev 2 and 3 talk about all the rewards for overcoming…and holding fast to the end.

Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

What is 20%? What is 50%? What is 80%? What counts is where we stand on the day we meet Jesus face to face. I’ve written about races before…the crown isn’t to the first…but in our race, everyone that finishes receives a crown..the crown of life. These verses were written by the same Paul that talks about having trouble with his flesh.

1 Cor 9:24-25Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1Cor 9:26-27 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Christianity is a race. A race is hard work. It takes training. It takes a plan. It takes daily, bringing yourself under subjection…which means that something doesn’t want to submit! The race isn’t to the strong…or the pretty…or the most vocal. The race is to those that keep on keeping on…until the end. To Him that overcometh…..

Heb 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jude 24-25 Now unto Him that is able to KEEP YOU FROM FALLING, and to present you FAULTLESS before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. AMEN!

I know this one is VERY long…but I hope it’s been worth it for you, it has for me. I’m going to complete day 20, and walk on to day 21. Then, on day 21, I’m going to walk step by step, until I wake up to day 22. And I’ll just keep doing that over and over until I see Jesus!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days challenge – moving – check my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – I’m going to reset my program.
50 days T-Tapp – check
21 days Fasting for Food – check – 1 more days!

The First 100 Days – day 17 – Cut it off!

Our grandson, Brayden, just had a tonsillectomy today. He’s had years of earaches and sore throats and it was keeping him from doing what he needs to do. He has a job to do. He’s a 3 year old. He needs to be playing to learn! If he can’t play, it’s harder for him to learn! So, the doctor said:

CUT THEM OUT!

Years ago, a friend’s son got sick. He didn’t get better. They took him into the doctor, and he rushed him to the hospital…his appendix had ruptured, and the doctor said:

CUT IT OUT!

Twenty-one years ago, I was minding my own business, sitting down on the edge of my bed when something went pop in my knee. When I got to the doctor, he said my meniscus was torn, and the only way to relieve the pain was to:

CUT IT OUT!

Twenty-two years ago, I was in so much pain with cramping that the doctors had me on narcotics 24/7. After a month or so, I asked the doctor what we could do to cure the endometriosis, and he said:

CUT IT OUT!!

Jim’s grandmother couldn’t see – cataracts. When she saw the doctor, he said:

CUT THEM OUT!

One of our daughters found lumps in her breasts. Praise God they were not cancerous, but to make sure the doctor said:

CUT THEM OUT!

Everyone of us, after having the surgeries, were more capable to function. If we had not cut off the troublesome, infected, blinding item, life would not be the same moving forward…if there was life at all.

Matt 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matt 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.

I like my right eye – especially since I am an artist. I like my right hand – especially since I am right handed! So, they don’t offend me at all!

NKJV takes my excuse away:

“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”Matt 5:30 NKJV

Jesus talked about the eye causing you to sin, following his dissertation about seeing a woman and lusting after her. Body parts can’t cause us to sin…but IF you have a problem lusting after what you see – cut out your eyes so that you will not have that temptation. If you have a problem with taking things that are not yours – cut off your hand so that you will not have that temptation. That used to be the Muslim way of handling thieves! In some areas, they still do!

CUT IT OUT! CUT IT OFF!

Matt 18:8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.”

Matt 18:9 “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”

This past summer, I had three surgeries on my right foot/ankle. I ended up actually walking, with out a boot, about 4 to 6 weeks from May 5 through October 30. I spent most of the summer in a wheelchair. I was not able to drive or take myself to my doctor appointments. I was at the mercy of anyone that was willing to help me out. I like my right foot. I like my left foot. Two days ago was the first day I’d been able to walk on the beach without a boot of some sort.

I just walked a mile, Barefoot on the Beach!

I've completed 2 miles in the sand

A wonderful cold walk in the water!

Today, I walked on the beach barefoot.
Today, I skipped on the beach, barefoot.
Today, I waded in the water, barefoot!

Today I could stand because when my doctor looked at my ankle on the MRI, he said “we need to cut out the bad stuff, and graft in good stuff.”

Cut out bad stuff so that it can be replaced with good stuff.

I had horse heart grafts in my ankle for two different shredded tendons.

I had shots in my knees to replace the torn, shredded miniscus.

Jim’s grandmother had lens implants that helped her see.

Our daughter has peace that she’s not going to have to fight breast cancer.

My friend’s son had antibiotics to help fight the infection. He did not die.

Brayden will be able to function. He will be healthy.

As a Christian, we are told that if something is causing us to fail, we should cut it off.

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:25-27 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

Col 3:8-9 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

God intends for us to be separated from our sin…

Heb 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We don’t have to cut off our feet, hands or eyes. God’s point is that sin is so detrimental to our relationship with Him, that it would be better to have the sinning part cut out. Of course, we know that it is the heart that is deceitfully wicked….and that our heart motivates our hands, eyes, and mouth.(Jer 17:9)

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

When the surgery healed for my knee, I had to go through rehab…I had to believe that I had a ‘new’ knee.

After Nana’s surgery – she had new sight.

After the horse grafts in my ankle, I have a new ankle.

After Brayden’s surgery, I pray he will have new health.

After choosing Christ, and turning away from sin, we are new creatures.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And God does His part, as the great surgeon:

2 Cor 5:18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And then we have the duty to do the rehab:

Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Eph 4:23 – 24 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Infections can kill, breakdowns can lame, lumps can cause fear, malfunctions can immobilize, but God has provided medical knowledge to remove these, fight these.

Sin maims, lames, immobilizes us as Christians. There is a passage that even indicates it could keep us out of the Kingdom.

Rehabilitation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a journey. I had to learn to walk with my new ankle step by step.

As Christians, we have to learn to walk as Jesus walked, step by step.

Gal 5:24-25 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Gabe and I were here!

Even in our walking – we are NOT ALONE!

Ps 37 : 23-24 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.

Is 41:10 Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Is 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Some will say that life is a beach…and I say ‘bring it on’….I pray that I will walk each day of the rest of my life walking with Jesus!

Thank you for joining me in my journey!

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days challenge – moving – check- 60 minutes, 2 mile walk on the beach
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – check-I’m in Deuteronomy-will catch up with CDs on the way home.
50 days T-Tapp – check – I did SATI walking – WITH ARMS!
21 days Fasting for Food – check? I have to compromise a little, but I’m staying as total as I can.

The First 100 Days – day 16 – Jesus Rap

For this Sunday, I’m going to share this video…..

The Lord bless you and Keep you and make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace!

Thanks for joining me on this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing beneath the shadow of your wings.

The First 100 days – day 14 – CHALLENGES

I have so many things to do today. I have to do things that I have not stacked together in a long time. Sometimes life is like a storm, with all sorts of responsibilities.

Martin Luther said, as quoted in Good Reads, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

I admit, I am not spending the first three hours in prayer…though, I am convicted to go spend more time in prayer.

In October, 1997 I wrote about being still. And that message rings true today. Enjoy.

I’m a simple Jew, raised in the simple Jewish ways…….but I get sort of fired up at times. Let me tell you a bout a few of those times.

One day, my friends and I were sailing across the sea of Galilee. We were on our way to the other side. Our Lord had just gone up into the mountain to pray, and we were going on without Him. Suddenly a storm came up, and the boat was tossed to and fro. I know what these storms can end up as and there we were, tossed back and forth, waves crashing around up, up and down with the water, rain everywhere, thunder crashing and lightening flashing…….and then we saw a ghost coming on the water right at us, I thought I was going to die and the angels were coming, then I heard “Do not be afraid, It is I”. In the stillness of that voice, I knew it was Jesus, my Lord. His still voice gave my heart peace, and I knew this was my God, and I said, call to me and I will come out on the water to meet you! And His still, quiet voice said, “come” and I came! I was walking on the water, looking at His calm and quiet face, full of peace! I was walking on the water…….in the midst of a storm…..THE STORM! It was all around me, lightening flashing, thunder rolling, water splashing and down I went!

If I had kept my heart quiet, and remembered my Lord, I wouldn’t have sunk.

Another day, we were all in the boat. Jesus was sleeping. Poor guy, He rarely got anytime to just rest, so here He was taking a nap as we sailed across the sea. Then the winds came up, the waves started beating the boat, water was coming in every side, rain was pouring and pouring, lightening was crashing all around, thunder pounding in our ears……How could He sleep! “Master, don’t you know we are going to die?” I screamed! He said quietly “Oh ye of little faith, Peace be still” and the storm stopped. All was quiet. All was peaceful.

If I’d been still and quiet, remembering my Lord, I wouldn’t have feared for my life.

Yet another day, I was with a group of people, they were all talking, yelling, and clacking like chickens around a fire…….Who is he, what is He, where did he come from, crucify him, kill him, and then to me “ aren’t you one of them?”

“No.”

“ Sure, you were with them”

“ NO”

“You’re a Galilean, of course you were one of the ones”

“ NO I DON”T KNOW HIM!”

Then it became deathly quiet, as I heard the cock crow three times, and I looked up and saw my Lord.

If I’d been still and quiet, I would not have denied my Lord.

Scriptures say, Be Still and Know that I am Lord, and through Jesus Christ, we are given the Peace of God which passes all understanding, and keeps our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

When was the last time you and I were still before the Lord in order to be filled with His peace in the midst of the storms?

Taken from Matt 14:22-33; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25; Matt 26:69-75; Mark14:54-72; Luke22:54-62 and:

Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Thank you for joining me in this journey,

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

100 days challenge – moving – check
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – check-I’m in Deuteronomy
50 days T-Tapp – check – 2AL down, taking DVD’s
21 days Fasting for Food – check? how to pack for a campout?

The First 100 days – day 13 – Are you taking your vitamins?

What are the simple things we do every day?

Get up, wash our face, brush our teeth, get dressed, drink coffee, and go to work?

Get up, wash the children’s faces, make breakfast, dress the children…pick up dishes….get the children ready for school, make sure their teeth are brushed…then get dressed and maybe go to work, or go to work teaching the children at home.

I’m focusing on something that the government, society, and all the people that have tested our foods have said. Multi-Vitamins. Just google for “does everyone need a multi-vitamin?” and there are a lot of opinions. One thing is certain – everyone needs vitamins daily. That’s the whole purpose of food! And the government tells us what we should eat with the Food Pyramid and USRDA.

Here’s a food pyramid for diabetics from Diabetes Diabetic Diet:

The Diabetic Food Pyramid

An interesting article on Discovery Health explains a bit about multi-vitamins. They have good points, and bad. The bad being, one can lean on the multivitamin, and become malnourished by not eating.

A vitamin A capsule cannot replace the benefits of a carrot.

A vitamin B complex cannot replace the benefits of whole grains.

A vitamin C tablet cannot take the place of a fresh orange.

They are for supplementing, because, it is hard to gather and eat enough food to provide the complete nutrition. They are to fill in the gaps between good meals and snacks.

BREAD –

Matt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Jesus said that we needed ‘bread’ daily.

God gave the children of Israel “manna” every day. (Ex 16)

Even as important as bread is, when Jesus was tempted after 40 days of fasting, he said “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt4:4)

I have a collection of Daily Vitamins of God’s word:

: Some of my favorite things

These are daily vitamins. When I need some extra help, an extra reminder….here are a few more:

A few more of my favorite things

Those Truth Tags available at CBD are cute, and so easy to keep around. Put the little tag on your key chain, and you will see it all day long. The circle necklace is Ps 23, and this was a very special necklace that helped me to remember Ps 23 through a very hard time. The leather bracelet comes in handy when I am talking about salvation with someone. It keeps me focused on the plan of salvation. I also have a key chain that is an eagle, reminding me that if I wait upon the Lord, I shall renew my strength, I shall mount up with wings as eagles!

There are apps on the phones, FB and twitter that will send you a Bible thought a day. All of these are VERY good! These are like the Vitamin C that we take every day and the Zinc and the Echineacea that we pop when we are sick…these are hiding God’s word in our heart, as Ps 119:11 says:

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

These are like the flashlights we carry in our purses so we can see in the backseat of the car, find the door lock, or read the menu in a dark restaurant.

Ps 119:105 Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

It is a good thing to keep the Word of God before our eyes….but even better to keep it in the midst of our heart.

Pr 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Pr 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Pr 4:22 For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Which would you rather do at a restaurant dinner table?

Eat a great prime rib dinner, with lobster on the side, with a baked potato with sour cream, butter, chives and maybe cheese, perfectly cooked green beans on the side, and a huge portion of triple chocolate cake with fresh made ice cream for dessert.
A multivitamin, maybe some specialty vitamins, and a glass of water.

I think most would rather eat the meal. But so often, I get hung up on the little sound bites of scripture, that I get lax on the memorization. Sometimes I get so hung up on memorizing ONE passage(green beans), that I forget READING(the whole meal plus dessert).

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jude 24-25.

This is my memory verse for the first two weeks of January. I just flubbed it up, typing it into the computer. Today is the 13th. I’m supposed to be able to recite it on the 15th. This is a GOOD tool…keeping me active in memorizing scripture, but, this is the green beans!

A third option at that dinner table – just a menu.

All you have to ‘eat’ is the menu. Someone else telling you what the food has in it, and what it’s going to taste like. But you walk out, saying the menu says the prime rib is delectable…I’m satisfied that the prime rib is delectable…the menu knows what it’s talking about!

Did you taste the prime rib? No? then how do you KNOW the menu was RIGHT?

Do you read my blog, Beth Moore’s blog, or Billy Graham’s blog, and say “the Bible says this because Beth Moore says it does” or “I know that Jesus lives because Billy Graham’s book says the bible tells us so”?

That’s not nourishment – that’s vicarious – that’s like walking away with the menu…and saying the food was delicious.

Reading the Word is the meal! Faith is a muscle. It needs exercised, yes…but muscles also need to be NOURISHED!

Rom 10:17KJV So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I’ve heard this all my Christian life…hearing, and hearing…what?

Rom10:17 NIV Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Now, that makes sense. Hearing the message of the word of Christ.

A side note…I am so frustrated with the people that go to sporting events and hold up the sign “JOHN 3:16”. That’s like holding up a sign that says “I-10 W”. Only those that have been on I-10 have an idea where that is, but it doesn’t tell them much at all! THE CHAPTERS AND VERSES ARE NOT DIVINELY INSPIRED!!! They are NOT the Word of God!

Another frustration is those that do have signs that say “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”. This is scripture. BUT THERE IS NO MEAT!!! Someone sees this, and, so what? What does repent mean? Which God?

To me, this is like sitting down at that prime rib dinner, and letting someone sit at the table, and only giving them one green bean or giving them a piece of the menu! You have this huge, fantastic meal, and all you hand them is a green bean? They are going to starve to death…and you pat yourself on the back saying “I shared my dinner with them!”

But that is not my point in this blog. My point is are WE eating the whole meal? Jesus said man shall live by every word that proceeds from the fathers mouth. Mat 4:4

EVERY WORD.

The food pyramid falls apart if you don’t eat part of every section. That’s the point of the food pyramid, to show you what you need to eat in what proportions to get WHOLE nutrition.

The Bible falls apart, if you only take one piece, and then another – because you do not get the whole story.

2 Tim 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The word of God, in it’s fullness, provides, from Prov 4:22 and 2 Tim 3:16 –

Life
health(to all our flesh)
wisdom
instruction

Well, here, I’ll let God say it through King Solomon (Ps 19:7-11)

The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul
the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
[and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.

God has given us a buffet of wondrous words with which to nourish our spiritual selves. God has promised that as we nourish our souls, our bodies will see benefits.

We need the tools to remind us – they are like snacks that help us over difficult or rough times.

We need the tools to help us memorize – they help us build spiritual bones to hang our faith upon.

We also need to read the whole Bible – cover to cover, to get the fullness of the gospel of God. There is milk. There is meat. There is dry toast. And there is the water of the Spirit that will wash over us. It is all necessary.

There are several ways to start reading through the Bible.

Get a Daily Walk Bible – or
Through the Bible.
Daily Walk and One Year both have a Chronological Bible
Stormie Omartian has one called The Power of Praying Through the Bible

Online there are quite a few options. Here are two that I am familiar with:

The Blue Letter Bible has a selection of Bible Reading plans.
I am using YouVersion to do my Read the Bible in 90 days goal. ~I am stuck in Numbers right now…but it is ALL God’s word, I’m working through it.
Stormie Omartian has a blog for praying,
Beth Moore has a blog for Memorizing Scripture,
The Father’s Business has weekly devotionals.

However you choose to nourish your soul and spirit – just do it. A person that is dehydrated doesn’t register thirst – but they are dying all the same. Take time, 10 minutes, 15, 30 – whatever you have and just read the Bible. Your thirsting soul will thank you for it!

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:31-34

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. …The Prince of Peace… Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ: 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Numb6:24-26; Phil 4:7; Is 9:6; Phil 1:6; Rom 8:38-39)

In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi

Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.