Wednesday Weigh-In: Pressing On

(I stopped blogging on Wednesdays about my weight partly because of time demands with my schooling but so many of you let me know how much you missed it that I've decided to start up again.)

So here it is 10 months after I started at the beginning of the year saying I wanted to lose 100 pounds and well let’s just say it’s been an up and down battle.



To date, my total overall loss for the year is 7 pounds.


Seven.


That’s it.


At one point I’d lost close to 20.


But despite the lack of overall weight reduction, a lot of my personal habits have improved:


• I’m walking more consistently.


• I’m no longer bingeing


• At least half the time I’m not eating anything after dinner.


• I’m asking God more consistently for help.


• I’m journaling more about the inner issues that may be triggering my over-indulgence.


So there is progress.


Not perfection, but progress.


I’ve been quoting Philippians 3:14 over and over again lately as I contemplate the idea of progress, not perfection:


“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”


I press toward, I’m working at it, I’m making a continual effort.


I like the way The Message puts it:


“I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.”


So for today, that is enough. I don’t have it all together and I’ve stumbled much but I am well on my way.


And what about you? What are you pressing towards today? What achievements have you fallen short of that you’d like to keep trying to reach?


We can’t do it alone, but together, hand-in-hand with Jesus Christ we can make it.

Praying Outside the Paper Bag

Have you ever felt like you can't pray your way out of a paper bag?

Would you like to know how to pop the bag and have deep, meaningful prayer every time?

Then keep reading.

It's true that sometimes prayer can be difficult. Even E.M. Bounds, that great man of prayer had this to say on the subject of prayer:

"Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest;
the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range of human possibilities - they are limited only by the omnipotence of God."
And while it's true that prayer indeed can be all of these things:


Easy and hard.

Simple and sublime.

Weak and powerful.

There is a secret in breaking through to sweet communion with God each and every time we bow our knee.
The secret is in surrender.

The more we surrender, the more of Christ and His truths fill our mind.

Our hearts become  fixed on Biblical truths.

Our will becomes Christ's will.

Joy flows.

Peace fills our being.

Anxiety dissipates.

And because at those moments our spirit is in sync with the Holy Spirit of God prayer is easy.

So the challenge, the struggle, the hardness that E.M. Bounds speaks of is not in getting to God - He is always with us. It is in the breaking of our self-will, our agenda's, our pride.
If we are angry and really don't want to forgive, or if we are more worried about all the things we have to do as soon as our prayer time is over, then prayer is a chore.

An obligation.

A drudgery.

A duty to be fulfilled.

The more our minds are focused on our needs, our wants,  and our discomfort the less awareness of God's spirit we feel.

Perhaps that is why we are instructed in scripture to "... 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." (Hebrews 1:21)
Because we must first let go of everything that is not like Christ before we can truly come into close, intimate fellowship with Him.
So if you, like me, feel like  you're trying to pray yourself out of a paper bag look inward. Search your heart and see if there are any attitudes or grudges that you're holding onto. And if you discover that there is, let them all go, ask Jesus to purify you, to help you to overcome.

Then look around you and discover that while you were asking for Christ's help, He removed the paper bag.

Lord Jesus, we want to live every day in a way that glorifies You. Forgive us of our selfish ways. Help us to let go of hurts and resentments. We want a deep fellowship and closeness with You and we know that is only possible if first we lay aside the sins that beset us. In Jesus Name. Amen


 

A Fool For Christ's Sake

Check out this video.



These people are making fools of themselves for a chance to win $10,000. What would you be willing to do for $10,000?

But more importantly, what would you be willing to do for the cause of Christ?

Would you be willing to dance like a chicken in public if Jesus asked you to?

It's doubtful that the Lord Jesus would ask you to dance like a chicken, but He might want you to do something equally humiliating. The book of Jeremiah is rife with the uncommon things God asked the prophet Jeremiah to do: walk naked through the streets, eat a scroll of paper, wear an oxen's yoke on his neck.

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church that he was made a fool for Christ's sake:



"We are [looked upon as] fools on account of Christ and for His sake, but you are [supposedly] so amazingly wise and prudent in Christ! We are weak, but you are [so very] strong! You are highly esteemed, but we are in disrepute and contempt!" (1 Corinthians 4:10 from the Amplified Bible)

And King David, danced in a public place, similar to  what the people in the video did, but it wasn't for money, it was for the worship and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ:

"David, ceremonially dressed in priest's linen, danced with great abandon before God. The whole country was with him as he accompanied the Chest of God with shouts and trumpet blasts. But as the Chest of God came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, happened to be looking out a window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before God, her heart filled with scorn." (2 Samuel 6:13-15 from The Message)

And as you just read, Michal, who was Saul's daughter and David's wife was not happy about it at all. The Bible says that 'David returned home to bless his family' but Michal says;

 "How wonderfully the king has distinguished himself today—exposing himself to the eyes of the servants' maids like some burlesque street dancer!"

Oooh, how I love David's reply to her:

"In God's presence I'll dance all I want! He chose me over your father and the rest of our family and made me prince over God's people, over Israel. Oh yes, I'll dance to God's glory—more recklessly even than this. And as far as I'm concerned...I'll gladly look like a fool...but among these maids you're so worried about, I'll be honored no end."


And then check out the consequences of scorning those who are willing to be a fool for  Christ's sake: "Michal, Saul's daughter, was barren the rest of her life." (2 Samuel 6:23)

So today, on this October Monday I ask you, what are you willing to do for the cause the Christ?

GUEST POST: Gianna Jensen

This is such a powerful video, I had to share it with all of you. It's not just that Gianna survived being aborted at 7 months, it's her bold declaration of Jesus being the Christ and the way she tells her enemies, "I am God's girl. I refuse to bear the anger and hatred that you hurl at me because Jesus Christ died on the cross to bear it all."

May we all learn to live everyday with Jesus the way Gianna has.

Oh God, grant us the courage to stand strong for what is right and give us a voice to influence our world.

If you had an audience today, my dear reader, what would you tell them?


Until next time,


Debbie

MONDAY MUSINGS: Putting God First

Do you feel fully alive in Christ this Monday morning? Are you filled with antcipation, wondering how God will  use you today? Joy and excitement can be yours when you live every day with Jesus. He promised in His holy word that He came to give us life and that more abundantly. (John 10:10)

The abundant life is available to all who seek it. There are no tricks or gimmicks. It is yours for the asking. Jesus had only one requirement:

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:32-34 from The Message)

The King James version of this same passage puts it succintly:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

So that's all there is to it. Put God first and the joy will come. Put God first and you'll be able to manage your work load better. Put God first and the people around you will notice.

People are often drawn to me. Most of the time they don't why,but I hope it is because they feel God's love flowing through me.

One person says she comes to my office to get her "daily dose of Debbie." She says she feels better after she spends time with me.

One day, I hope to share the gospel with her. But until that time comes, I will keep praying for her and being a friend to her.
Loving others for the cause of Christ  infuses us with joy.

Let's put God first today!

It's a very real part of living every day with Jesus and it will fill you with encouragment and unspeakable joy!

Affecting Others

"Walking with God down the avenues of prayer we acquire something of His likeness, and unconsciously we become witnesses to others of His beauty and His grace." -E.M. BOUNDS

Stop right now and write down the first ten people that come to mind.

Now, look at that list and write down which circles of your life  they come from. Family? Friends? Co-workers? Neighbors?

These ten people, and if you had time to write down the next ten people and so on, are the souls that God has entrusted you to influence for His kingdom. Think about it. In Christ's infinite wisdom, He planted you in the job you have, the home you live in, the community you raised your kids in etc. And this planting wasn't by happenstance. God had a specific purpose in it all.

God knew for example that your best friend would need your unique giftings and personality traits to cope with life a little better. And God also knew that if He had a pesky neighbor live nearby, you would grow in patience and learn to lovingly serve despite their small annoyances.

Do you see where I'm going with this? A very important part of living every day with Jesus is to recognize that He is involved in every part of our life and has ordered every detail.

So look around you today at the people God has chosen to be in your world. Thank God for them. Pray for them. And let your light shine brightly for the cause of Christ. It is your duty, if you want to live every day with Jesus.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

WEDNESDAY WEIGH-IN: Strength From Others

It amazes me how quickly Wednesdays roll around.


I started this year proclaiming that I would post each Wednesday my determination to lose 100 pounds. Well to date, I've only lost about 20 pounds, which is not much for being 8 months into it. But one of the best things that has come out my commitment to blog about it is how others have reached out to me and offered encouragement, affirmation and support.


Readers like you, and my family and friends have really gone out of their way to encourage me - not only in losing the weight, but in telling me what I mean to them or how my writing has helped them. In short, they let me know one way or another that if I never lose another pound, that's okay with them because I'm a beautiful person just the way I am.


Take for example an email I got from my mom just this morning. Now I know she's my mom and  you're probably thinking that mom's are supposed to be all mushy-gushy etc. And to a point that is true, but what you may not know is that my mom is ver attractive and always has been. She is not quite 5' tall and weighs probably 110 pounds soaking wet. While I am 5'4" and weigh more than twice that. So as you can see, for her to acknowledge my inner beauty means alot to me because I've always admired her outer beauty. Here's just a part of what she wrote:


"... Maybe, just maybe your genetic makeup isn’t to be a thin person.  As long as you are healthy etc. that is what is important. ... We open magazines, turn on the telly and fashion is about thin.  I look at the latest fashion and all the clothes are designed for people who are size 0, that is slowly changing ...real women have curves...."


A mother's wisdom is always good isn't it? And she's right about the fashion magazines etc  portraying very thin women. Even the majority of the plus size stores use thin models.


And then there is my precious friend Vlatka who gave me a delightful little book this weekend called "How to Eat Like a Tree" by Dara Boland. In the flyleaf Vlatka wrote: " I can't wait to see the fruits that this book, Jesus and our friendship is going to bring forth."  What words of strength and refreshing! Vlatka is also very thin and beautiful. She sincerly prays for me and my weight issues and often offers encouraging words to me.


So today, on this particular Wednesday Weigh In, I give honor to you my reader for caring enough to stop by my blog and see how I'm doing. And I give honor to my mother, my friend Vlatka and all my other friends and family who see something in me that I'm not completely convinced of yet. And interestingly enough, this drawing strength from one another is part of living everyday with Jesus. You see God created us for community. We need one another. At least I know for sure that I need you.


Blessings and strength to you today my friend.


Until next time...


Debbie