Knowledge Is The Fourth Stone

Don’t Forget Your River Stones – Part 8

“And Jesus answered him saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
- Luke 4:4

We have talked about three river stones, Motivation, Conviction, and Understanding.  Now we continue with our fourth stone, Knowledge.

Knowledge Is The Fourth Stone

Many people don’t know the truth about their body’s survival system or how the food they eat affects their energy.  Most people don’t know the truth about the content of the food they are eating.  They don’t know if their meal is full of fat or is vitamin deficient.

You can gain knowledge of the truth simply by reading nutrition labels on the food you buy.  You can also gain knowledge by asking waiters and chefs in restaurants how many calories and fat grams are in the food they serve you.  Many food establishments have printed menus with calorie and fat-gram calculations for those who ask for the truth.

Knowledge of how many fat grams are in the foods you eat will give you the conviction you need to make healthy choices.  You can know when you’ve have enough calories for the day.  Choose the foods you eat by what you know to be true, not by what you think is true.

You will be surprised at the truth of what is in some of your favorite foods.  You will find that the bread pudding you think is your enemy only has seven grams of fat.  The salad, which you thought was good for you, is actually fully of 56 fat grams by the time you put four helpings of dressing on your otherwise healthy greens.

Knowledge Is Power

David knew he could defeat Goliath because God was with him.  God had helped him to defeat a lion and a bear.  He was highly skilled with the slingshot.  He had the knowledge that fueled his motivation, conviction, with the understanding that God was on his side.  God is on our side also.  He desires us to defeat the giant, and gaining knowledge will fuel you as well.

As the “R” in DREAM states, you must “Realize where you are today.”  Start by paying your doctor a visit.  Get a complete check up.  You need to know your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight, all these things.  Tell your doctor you are wanting to lose weight.

 If you are sick and having health problems, you should not try to lose weight unless your physician has told you to do so and is actively involved with your plan.

The information I am sharing is testimonial in nature.  They are based on standard health rules and personal experience, which are restoring my body and enhancing my walk with God.  If you have special needs and concerns, always seek the counsel of your physician.  Then use the Word of God to encourage you in the program that your doctor designed for you.  Here are some tips that are universally effective.

During your initial attack against your weight, you will need to eat fewer calories and take in fewer fat grams.  When you reach your normal body size, you will need to increase your calories and fat grams to maintain the weight you become.

Your doctor will tell you what those counts should be for your level of activity, age, and height.  Please understand, we are not wanting to present this information as a diet plan, but as information for a balanced lifestyle with teaching that leads to a better way of life.

We want to simply pass along the truths that have worked, as well as tips for the body and even some healthy recipes.  For that reason we will avoid stating how many calories and fat grams you should have.  There are too many variables for us to try to make such a calculation.  Your doctor will supply that information.

We want to give you some basic tools of knowledge you can apply to any weight-loss program.  Many diets give you methods to pull off the weight, but they don’t impart knowledge so you can understand how to maintain the loss.

Most weight-loss programs want you to be dependent on their food sources so you will continue to buy their program.  True knowledge will give you the power to make choices without depending on someone else to dictate what you should or shouldn’t eat.

Weight control is simple math.  If you eat more calories and fat than you need, you will become overweight.  And if you don’t eat enough, you will become underweight.  But if you balance you intake of food and output of energy, you will become and maintain the size your body frame was designed to carry.

After establishing how many calories and fat grams you should eat each day, the next step is to keep and honest record of how much you are eating.  You may want to keep a food journal for a while, where you write down everything you are eating each day.  Refer to the label or a nutrition guide for details of calorie counts.  Keep an accurate assessment of the portions you are eating so you will know when you truly have had enough food for the day.

There are many calorie counters in the health and nutrition section of your local bookstore.  You can even find nutrition apps for your smart phones.  Either way, keep a record of what you are actually eating, it might surprise you.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Are You Convinced of the Truth?

“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 Timothy 1:12

Motivation alone isn’t enough to lose weight, although it does contribute to the commitment of finding health.  We must add understanding which keeps us from changing our minds.  But understanding lacks action that enforces our diet.  So then conviction keeps us fighting until the fat giant is overcome.

Are You Convinced of the Truth?

Food Truth # 1

We must balance our intake of food with our output of energy.  If we eat too many calories and consume more fat grams than we can use, our body must store the leftover energy somewhere.  The body was designed by God to store the extra energy in fat cells.  To defeat our giant, we must balance our output of activity with our intake of fuel.

If your activity is not demanding enough to necessitate your consumption, you must cut back.  One of the biggest problems is that we see food as entertainment instead of fuel.  Most of the time our entertainment leaves us with excess fuel.

Food Truth # 2

Starvation is not balance.  If we withhold food from our body, it is designed to shut down its metabolism and conserve energy to extend its life-span.  Our metabolism works better when it is busy digesting low-fat foods than when it shuts down from starvation.  Therefore, give your body frequent supplies (five times a day) of low-fat nutritious food to energize it and to stimulate your metabolism.

Food Truth # 3

Your body needs four hours of exercise each week.  Balancing exercise with sensible eating keeps the fat giant from rising up against you again.  Remember: More food is all right, but its going to mean more strenuous activity.  You would be shocked how much walking or sit-ups it takes to burn off that fried chicken!  After a while you will conclude it is not worth it.

Food Truth # 4

Believing the truth will save your life, your DREAM, and your ministry.  Face the facts, believe the truth, and stick to it.  The greatest weapon is information, and when you have the truth, do not allow your temptation to dull your convictions.  You must have health and energy for anything you want to do with your life.  Your strength is dependent on the fuel you feed your body.

Who Is Your King?

The story of the fat King Eglon in the third chapter of Judges fascinates me.  A new generation of Israelites were tested to see if they would obey the Lord’s commands which were given to their forefathers through Moses.  This young generation had never had to fight for anything like their forefathers had.  It seems fair to say, they were immature and self-indulgent.

They did evil in the sight of the Lord by serving other gods, so He left them until they cried out for deliverance.  In His mercy he gave them a king who kept them in peace for forty years.  Then, once again, they became selfish and did evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave Eglon power of the people of Israel.  Eglon took possession of their city and ruled them for eighteen years.

The children of Israel cried out for help again, and God sent Ehud, a left-handed man to Eglon.  He came with a double-edged sword about a food and half long and told Eglon he had a message from God.  As Eglon rose from his seat, Ehud plunged the sword into the king’s belly.

The king was so fat, the entire sword disappeared in his gut!  Even the handle sank in as the sword came out the back.  Verse 22 says that Ehud could not withdraw the sword, and dirt came out of King Eglon.  What a disgusting sight that must have been!

Ehud escaped and later returned with the children of Israel to fight the men of Moab.  These robust men of valor slew ten thousand, so that not one of Moab’s men were left.  They beheaded their giant and remained in peace for eighty years.

How Long Have You Been In Bondage?

Eighteen years of bondage was a long time for the Israelites to be oppressed before they were willing to fight for freedom.  How long are you willing to submit to the lusty king before you are ready to fight for your right to peace?

Jesus, the King of Peace, stands ready with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, to impale your enemy with truth.  That’s why it is so important that you include the Word of God in your fight.  It is God’s Word that gives you the power to slay the giant and let all the dirt, candy, pies, and greasy foods spill out of your life.

The truth is too many pizzas, cookies, and cobblers really can kill us.  But before taking our lives, they will destroy our zeal and enthusiasm for the work of God.  We need to let the truth cut away our deception and drain the dirt out of our diet.

To be continued…

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Leave The Extra Baggage Behind!

Leave The Extra Baggage Behind!
“Confidence consumes cowardice when you are convinced of victory.”

“God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
- 2 Timothy1:17

Courage is only needed if you aren’t sure of yourself.  If you doubt you can resist tempting food when you begin the fight for your health, your battle will be unnecessarily difficult.  Doubt is heavy baggage to carry into war, so you may need to be convinced that self-control wins immeasurable rewards.

Once you understand that what you eat will either help or hinder your success in winning freedom to enjoy the best life, you won’t need to depend on willpower to resist the foods that aren’t healthy for you.  Conviction will keep you on the winning side of the battleground.

David was convinced God would support his acts of faith.

David was convinced of the truth when he confronted Goliath.

David was convinced that his slingshot was sufficient, because he had conquered other foes with this simple weapon of defense.

David was convinced that smooth stones washed in water were better than dirty ragged rocks.

Likewise, we know that knowledge washed with the water of God’s word (the Truth) is better than facts dug up from worldly experience.  David was convinced that by acting on what he knew to be true, he would be set free from the threat of the enemy.  And the same is true for us.  Our part is to believe – God’s part is to do.

Conviction Is the Third Stone

You must have a conviction that this time you take on the “Fat Master,” you are going to succeed.  The enemy will try to weaken your constitution by reminding you of past failures.  The Lord knows the devil is a master at bringing up your past!  But you must have a conviction that this is not like those other times.

Why?  Because this time you are going to fight with the weapons the Lord gave you.  This is not a battle that is to be fought through some secular-devised program that people who do not believe in the power of prayer run toward.  This is not a battle to be won through pills and drugs.

This is a battle that is going to be won by faith in God’s Word while maintaining a conviction that His principles for your life work.  I know your weapons might seem meager, but just because they look meager doesn’t mean they are not mighty!

What we believe in and are convicted of has power of us, whether it is the truth or a lie.  Some may argue, “But doesn’t truth rule over us whether we believe it or not?  Doesn’t truth always win?”  Let me tell you a parable that illustrates the power of believing the truth or a lie.

There was a man who lived on an island hat had only one grocer who imported food for everyone who lived there.  The man had no way to leave the island to purchase additional food and was totally dependent on the provision of the store in order to survive.

Then one day an evil, rumor-bearing neighbor told him the shelves of the grocer were bare, and because of famine on the mainland, there would be no more shipments of food.  Instead of walking the few miles to the store himself, the man believed the report and simply laid down on his bed and waited for death to come.

The man was weak and near to death when a kind islander passed his hut on the way to the island’s grocer.  Glancing through the open door, he saw the very think man lying his bed in the middle of a bright and beautiful day.

Seeing the man’s condition, he called to him, “Why are you lying there?  Why are you starving here alone?”

The man explained that because there was no food on the island, he had decided to die quickly in the comfort of his own hut.

“But there’s plenty of food to eat.  There’s no famine, and the ship comes every week as it has always done,” the good neighbor explained.  “There is plenty of nourishing food for you.  Look at me and you will see that I am strong, well-fed, and nourished by the abundance of food I have received from the store.  Your food is within an hour’s walk from here.”

But the man had been blinded by his starvation and could not see the truth.  In his last breath he scorned the kind neighbor and demanded that he be left alone, “You only torment me with the hope of food that is not there.  Leave me now and let me die.”

Why did the man starve to death?

Was it because of the lie, or was it his conviction about an untruth?

Why didn’t the truth have the power to save him?

To be continued…

Tomorrow, Are You Convinced of the Truth?

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to all those who have served and are currently serving to keep America free.

God bless you and God bless America!

Happy Memorial Day

In reverence to Memorial Day our weekly DREAM meeting has been canceled.

We will meet again next Monday, June 4th.  Weigh-in begins is from 6 to 6:25 pm with the meeting beginning at 6:30 pm.

For more information please email: dreamweightloss@gmail.com

Don't Forget Your River Stones - Part 6

How Clear Is Your Understanding of This Battle of the Bulge?

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:
and with all thy getting get understanding.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee:
She shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.
She shall give thing head an ornament of grace:
a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”
- Proverbs 4:7-9

The war on our weight is much the same.  Our weapons can be as simple as having the right motivation and an understanding of how food affects the way we feel about the things we want to do in life.  When you understand the person you want to be and the things you want to do have a direct relationship with the food you choose to nourish your body, you will begin to view food differently.

One of the things that will help you in getting an understanding is the effect of your culture on your eating habits.  Most cultures around the world celebrate most major events with food.  From weddings to birthdays, promotions to graduations, and even funerals we bring food.  When babies are born, we bring food.  We celebrate every holiday with food, and most of our family outings and events are surrounded by lots of fat-filled, sugar-loaded, festive-type foods.

Do you realize how much of our good times are associated with eating?  Wow!  Our first challenge here is to develop good times that are not inundated with fatty foods.  In some cases it is possible to celebrate without food.  We have all been conditioned to associate food with good feelings.  The problem with that is some of us are feeling a little “too good.”  Food is given for nourishment, we are to “Eat to Live, Not Live to Eat” (the “E” in DREAM).  We eat to supply our bodies with energy, not because we associate food with fun.

Beyond cultural influences, I was raised with pot lucks and church dinners.  My dad even stated one time that the “REV” in Reverend stood for “Rest, Eat, and Visit.”  As Christians we need to learn the difference between fun and fuel.  Now I’m not saying to cut out everything, but use some common sense.  Just because there are 15 different types of fried chicken on the table doesn’t mean you have to try them all.  I even heard a dear little lady at my church tell someone, “Oh, honey, a little bit of everything won’t hurt you.”   In fact it actually will.

Your body is like a machine, a very smart machine that takes the food it is given and turns it into energy.  It is simple mathematics.  If the body gets more calories and fat than it can use, it has to put the food somewhere, faithfully believing that you want to store it away for some future famine.  Then you will call for the extra energy to be used.  For most of us the future famine never comes, and the fat account keeps drawing interest until we can see it “growing” dividends bursting over our belts.

In other words, our bodies start saving the fat for a rainy day that never comes.  It stores all the excess it could not use into fat cells.  As we begin to understand this, we will be better prepared to liquidate the fat accounts and lay aside the weight.

Take an honest look at what you are eating.  Think about this, a typical cheese burger contains about 63 grams of fat.  When you add mayo, it adds another 23 grams of fat!  Throw in a milkshake with another 27 grams of fat and you’ve just eaten 113 grams of fat in one meal!  We are all told hamburgers and French-fries are bad for us, but most of us don’t understand why until we take an honest look at what we’re eating.

Our ignorance of the truth can be devastating to our waistline and our energy.  Most of us don’t understand what we are eating is doing to our bodies.  When you come to that understanding, you will understand why your body has to work so hard just to digest a meal and put the extra fat somewhere for later use.  Imagine the amount of fat grams we are eating every day without even realizing it.  Then you get into sugar, salt, and the list goes on.

Start reading labels on the foods you love to eat.  It is amazing how quickly the fat grams add up.  On the contrary, a great deal of food can be eaten before the calorie limit is reached.  Understand there are many foods that are low in fat and high in flavor, and easy for an overworked body to digest.  As you begin to eat better food, your body will begin to rejuvenate and become strong again.

Make better choices.  Learn to understand why certain foods help you achieve the tasks you’re determined to accomplish.  Also understand why the enemy would like to throw your flesh to the birds of the air.  Choose to stay alive and fight for the Kingdom of God.  There will come a time when your body will no longer have to turn food in to storage buckets of fat.

Understand if you eat too much, you owe your body the service of finding ways to help use up those calories with refilling the fat cells.  There are ways you can work this out.

Until next time…be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Don't Forget Your River Stones - Part 5

Don’t Forget Your River Stones – Part 5

“And David said, “…Is there not a cause?”
-1 Samuel 17:29

David defeated Goliath with a slingshot and five water-polished stones.  He refused Saul’s armor and didn’t seem too impressed with the rewards the king offered to the one who killed the giant.  Goliath had bellowed his challenge for forty days, but no man wanted to marry a princess badly enough to fight this ten-food mass of ruthless flesh.

David spoke to the men and said, “But what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?”

And the men repeated the recompense again, perhaps thinking, “What part of riches, fame, and the easy-life do you not understand, brother?”  Maybe David just didn’t hear them the first time, or maybe he was saying, “All those promises could be won without killing giants.  So, what’s the real reward?”  Either way, David understood something the other men didn’t.

David understood that killing the giant was part of a much bigger purpose and plan of God than the gratuity the king could offer.

David understood that killing this giant won freedom for all of Israel and glorified God.

David understood that Goliath wasn’t any more powerful than the lion and bear he had fought in earlier battles.

David understood that it was the Lord Who had delivered him out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear.

David understood that the Lord would deliver him out of the hand of the Philistine.

When he marched onto the field, David took his faithful slingshot, the one he had used in the earlier battles.  He chose river stones he knew would be accurate, top-flight performers when hurled in the air.  And he trusted God to be his only shield.  He had his faith in his hand, truth in his pocket, and God’s impenetrable protection encompassed about him.  David’s understanding set him apart from all the king’s men.

“Understanding” Is the Second Stone

Imagine Goliath’s surprise when, after forty days of boasting and challenging Saul’s men to a play-off, he sees a young unarmored boy walk on the field with what appeared to be a stick.

Goliath said the same thing to David that we have heard the devil say to us, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and beasts of the field.”

Then David replied, “You come to me with powerful looking weapons, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Whom you have defied.  Today, the Lord will deliver you into my hand.”

David understood Who God was and what His will was for His people.

David understood that God did not want His people to be slaves to the Philistines.

David understood God’s bigger plan.

David understood that truth was the jab that would weaken his opponent.

David understood that’s God’s glory was being challenged.

David understood that God would defend His own name.

To be continued… tomorrow “How Clear Is Your Understanding of This Battle of the Bulge?”

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Don't Forget Your River Stones - Part 4

Don’t Forget Your River Stones – Part 4

  

“He was fully convinced that God is able to do what He has promised.”
-Romans 4:21

The First Stone is MOTIVATION…  What Is Your Motivation?

Finding the right motivation is the first step of psychological preparation for any battle.  Saul tried to find ways to motivate his men to fight Goliath.  He declared, “I’ll make you wealthy if you kill Goliath.  Yeah, and you can marry my daughter.  And I won’t even charge you taxes on the deal!” (See 1 Samuel 17:25)  But no man wanted any of Saul’s rewards badly enough to fight the giant.  They were terrified and dismayed by the giant’s words.

When David heard Goliath chant his usual threats, David asked, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel?  Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)

As soon as David proclaimed his interest in killing the giant, his own brother, Eliab, rose up against him, challenging his motives.  In verse 28, he accused David of being conceited and irresponsible.  “You’re supposed to be watching the sheep.  You aren’t even supposed to be here.  Who do you think you are anyway?”  Doesn’t sound like the accuser who attacks our resolutions to change the unfavorable circumstances in our lives?

David’s father was worried about his sons who were at war, so David came to check on their welfare.  Before leaving the sheep at home, he put them in good care of another shepherd.  His reason for being on the battlefield was to take food from their father’s table to his brothers. (See 1 Samuel 17:17-18)

David wasn’t afraid of the giant, as his nest response revealed, “Let no man’s heart fail him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17”32).  David was the youngest, but his actions showed maturity and responsibility towards others.

What was David’s Motivation?

David loved God with all his heart, and he loved others more than his own life.  I guess you could say that David loved God and his fellowmen more than he loved his mother’s home-cooked meals.  He didn’t say, “I would fight you Goliath, but I have to be home in time for dinner.”  No, David wasn’t afraid of missing a meal, but he did fear the name of the Lord – and he didn’t want God’s people to fall into bondage again.

David’s motive was love, and love casts out fear. (1 John 4:19)  You need motivation that is bigger than your fear of the giant, so choose love.  Find someone or some dream to love more than life, and let it motivate your mission to become a person whose life is a testimony to what God can do with those who trust Him.

I love my family more than I love satisfying my appetite for old foods that were detrimental to my health.  I want to be around to see my loved ones enjoying God’s blessings.  The food we are eating is robbing us of our health and energy.    The bigger we become, the more opportunity there is for fear to come in.  Fear that we won’t be around to play with grandkids, children, nieces & nephews, fear that we won’t be able to enjoy being outside and missing out on the blessings that God has in store for use on a daily basis.

It’s time for us not to be afraid of giants anymore!  God is able to do what He has promised, as Romans 4:21 says, our job is to be fully convinced of that truth!  This stone of motivation is your first weapon against the thief who wants to take your life.  Take up your weapon!  A bag of stones may not look intimidating to a giant – Goliath laughed at David – but a small stone in the hand of someone who believed God won freedom for an entire nation!  Though David was only a young boy at the time, his motivation to slay the giant was stronger than any temptation to run at the last minute.

Goliath made a deal with Israel.  Look at the store in 1 Samuel 17:9.  The giant’s wager read something like, “If you kill me, then all my people will serve you.  If you lose, you and your people will serve us.”  Doesn’t that sound like satan?  “If I win, you serve me; if you win, I serve you!”

 David’s motivation was clear: If he won, he kept freedom; if he lost, he became a slave.  How hard would you fight if the stakes were that high?  David knew the battle wasn’t about making him look good in the eyes of those who watched.  He fought to keep his entire nation free from bondage to the Philistines.

Satan hasn’t changed.  He still challenges you to serve him or defeat him.  It doesn’t matter what the battle is.  You could be fighting with your weight, or an impulse to spend money you don’t have, or time-wasters that keep you from investing in steps that lead to a more fulfilling life.

Use the right motivation of love to encourage yourself to face the giant.  Killing giants saves more lives that just your own!  Go ahead, throw this first stone of motivation at the devil.  Catch him by surprise and refuse him the next time he tempts you.

Rejoice and celebrate even the smallest victories over him.  Pat yourself on the back when you’re out to eat and you make a healthy choice for your meal.  Celebrate even the smallest loss in your weight, every loss counts!  Remind the devil that it is written: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (See Matthew 4:4)

To be continued… Next time we explore stone # 2, Understanding.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Don't Forget Your River Stones - Part 3

Don’t Forget Your River Stones – Part 3

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:4

River Stones… David’s trust wasn’t in the river stones or his ability to use the slingshot, his trust was in God.  Knowing that he needed no other shield of protection, David laid aside the weight of Saul’s armor and marched to war with weapons he could trust from previous experience.  Saul wanted David to wear a bronze helmet and a coat of mail, but David took them off.

What weapons are you using against your giant?  There are five “river stones” we have and need to fight the giant of obesity: motivation, understanding, conviction, knowledge, and trust.  These five “stones” will defeat your enemy.  I call this a “transferable truth,” which you can always carry with you into future battles.  Keep your slingshot of power, which is your faith in God, and arm yourself with these five stones and prepare yourself for the next war.

Stone # 1: MOTIVATION

Be motivated by the truth of God’s plan for you.  Jeremiah 29:11 God tells us He has a plan for us, a plan for good and not evil, a plan for a future and a hope.  His plan is not for us to be sick because of our weight.  God wants us to be healthy and prosperous.  Jesus said that He came to give us abundant life.  God created so many things in this world for us to enjoy, mountains, streams, lakes, but most of us can’t enjoy them because we are not healthy and wouldn’t make it around the mall, let alone a hike up a mountain or hill.

Having the right reason for losing weight advances your success in winning the prize you are after.  You must determine exactly what it is you want so that when the enemy laughs in your face (and he will), you won’t forget your reason for standing firmly against him.  Motivation is the first stone you need to pick up for your battle.

Let me ask you this:  If you were already fit and healthy, what would you be doing that you aren’t doing right now?  What would you do if you felt good enough to do it?  Would you take your children to the park more often?  Would you say yes when they ask you to join in a game of volleyball in the front yard?

Would you keep a tidier house?  Would you exude more confidence in your relationship with your spouse?  How do you think weight control would help strengthen your other relationships?  The enemy wants to keep you from enjoying a quality life.

Decide What Game You Want to Win

The first phase of training for your new lifestyle is psychological preparation.  You need to know why you want to make a change.  You need to find a motivation that is big enough and strong enough to defeat the tempter when he tries to take away your mission.  You may never train for the Olympics, but this race we’re running is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need to be able to finish the race set before us and not die an early death because we are not healthy.

Romans 12:1-2 tell us, “(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2) And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

It is a sacrifice we need to present to God.  God is more glorified by living sacrifices than by shortened lives.  God wants to use you, but you need to make certain changes for the stamina to serve Him.  It’s really not for image that it needs to be done, but for health.  But, who doesn’t want to look their best?

No matter what the challenge is in life, you cannot meet it without being motivated to succeed.  When God was preparing Israel to conquer the Promised Land, He required them to send spies over to view what they were going to conquer.  He knew that motivated people are conquering people.  He knew that whenever we are motivated to succeed, we are relentless to conquer.  So He wanted them to taste the grapes from where they were going.

Don’t be afraid to see yourself at the size and in the shape you want to be.  Get a clear picture of your DREAM in your mind.  Make plans for it.  This battle will not be won at the table or in the gym.  It will be won in your mind.  It is won when you set your face toward the Promised Land and decide you are going to drive that giant back out of your house.

The battle is won by holding up your promise of abundant life and saying, “I want it.  I want it now!  I don’t want to get ill to lose weight. I do not want to staple my stomach or mutilate myself through strange drugs.  It want it by faith.  The just shall live by faith.  I will have it by faith.  Amen.”

To be continued…

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!