Time Is On Your Side

Time Is On Your Side

 

“The Lord will work out His plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.”
- Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

 

You’ve heard the saying “there is no time like the present.”  Often we don’t rise to meet challenges because of the time it will take to finish the task.  Many things we want to do take a lot of work and usually more time than we anticipate.  This can be very frustrating.  Here’s a little secret: time moves on with or without you.

 

I have heard people talk about wishing they brave enough to leave their job and attend college.  One particular person I heard about had the dream to be a doctor all his life, that was his life-long goal, but it would take a lot of time to get there—eight years of schooling and residency.  This was way too much time for him, so he chose to keep his current job and forgot about his dream.  Thirteen years have passed since and if the man had not given up on his dream he could have been in his fifth year of being a doctor.  Instead, he continues working the same job.  Time will pass whether you accomplish your goals or not.

 

Now is the time to remind yourself that you did not put on all your weight in three months, so you can’t expect all of it to come off in three months.  If consistently stick to the program, in time you will reach your dream of being fit and thin.  It will just take time, maybe even a little longer than you expect.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that in three months you can make pretty good progress towards your weight-loss goals.  Be inspired to be fit and healthy!

 

God has plans for you that include you being healthy and living a long full life.  He will help us accomplish what we set out to do, even weight-loss.  God is faithful to complete what He has started in us.  Trust Him to do it.

 

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Promise yourself to live one day at a time.  On some days it will be hour by hour, or even minute by minute.  If you do this, you will eventually reach your goals.

 

Tip of the Day

Find a Bible verse or positive affirmation that is inspiring and meaningful to your life.  Memorize it and say it out loud every morning after you brush your teeth.  Here’s an example: “It’s more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating.”  Keep positive.

Believe in your DREAM!

Dream A Little Dream

Dream A Little Dream

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
- Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

 

When you were a little kid, did you dream of having an average, mediocre, or boring life?  I suspect not.  When I was a little girl I wanted to be just like Loretta Lynn.  I would stand in the living room and sing “Coal Miner’s Daughter” at the top of my lungs, pretending to be her.  My dad was a radio announcer, and when I turned six, he gave me the best surprise.  He took me to a country music show where I had the opportunity to go back stage and meet my idol.  Loretta even let me sit in her lap while she waited to go on stage.  I will never forget that day.  I remember every detail of it, even what she was wearing.

Unfortunately, I was no Loretta Lynn.  I couldn’t sing at all.  So I let go of that dream and moved on to other things.  But I never stopped dreaming.

Early in our lives most of us dream big dreams.  We want to do things that seem impossible.  We want to live a life that contributes to mankind in an important way.

I am convinced that we allow setbacks in life to cause us to stop dreaming.  When we experience heartbreak or difficulty, or inclination is to protect ourselves by not trying to reach a goal or commit to something that might bring us pain again.  My challenge to you today is not to give up; keep your dream alive.  If you got knocked down, it’s time to get back up.  If you failed many times with getting fit, it’s time to try one more time.

I know it can be easy to get stuck in a routine, especially if you’ve lost your desire to dream.  And let’s be honest.  Sometimes life can be mundane and boring, the same old stuff every day.  Don’t let life get you down; it can become exciting once again.  Your life can be completely changed!

Mini-challenge of the Day

Think about the dreams you may have had that have disappeared or are stored away somewhere in your heart.  What do you still dream you can become or do with your life?  This can be about your weight-loss goals or something unrelated to your health, such as starting a new business, learning a new hobby, or getting a master’s degree.  Whatever your desires, write them down on a piece of paper and put it where you can see it and be reminded each day.

Tip of the Day

Studies have shown that people who write down their dreams or goals have and 80% greater chance of achieving them.  Grab a bunch of Post-It notes and write something on them that relates to your dream.  You can write down whatever you want as long as it is goal-oriented and centers on your desires.  Then put them all over your home, your car, at work.  Seeing them written down will encourage you to keep going.

-Amy Parham

This was from the book “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil & Amy Parham, former contestants on “The Biggest Loser.”

DON'T GIVE UP!

What is the main reason a person's weight loss journey fails?  They simply give up!  Giving up is easy, it means nothing is required.  If anything else, I hope this is an encouragement to you.  Sometimes a little encouragement is all the motivation we need, but sometimes we need a good kick in the pants, or as my dad would say "a 2 by 4 between the ears."

Let me explain...  Growing up I heard my dad used an illustration in his sermons about a stubborn old mule they had when he was a kid.  They used the mule for different jobs around the farm, because they did not have a tractor.  One of the jobs was plowing the garden spot.  Sometimes the mule would cooperate without any encouragement, but most of the time it had to be "encouraged" to cooperate.  When all else failed to get the mule's attention, my dad found that a smart smack with a 2 by 4 between the mule's ears would do the trick and get the mule to cooperate.  It was all a matter of getting its attention to accomplish the task at hand.

The same is true with us.   We can be just as stubborn as my dad's old mule, and sometimes we need, what people have labeled as, a "wake-up" call.  These can come in many different forms depending on the situation.  Sometimes all we need is a little "encouragement" to get us motivated.  Once we're motivated, there is nothing that is too impossible to be accomplished.  There is positive motivation and negative motivation, and it is very important to tell the difference between the two.  One will build a person up, the other will tear down.  One will cause happiness and joy, while the other sadness and sorrow.

Recently I had one of those "2 by 4" moments.  This one particular day my wife and I went to the gym to work out, I really wasn't in a good mood and my intention that day was to do as little as possible, but to get by for the day and say that I had done my "work out."  Our usual routine upon arriving to the gym is to head for the treadmills, but I needed to use the restroom, so I went that direction while my wife went to the treadmill.  Upon completing my business, I headed back across the gym to the treadmills when something caught my eye.  Our gym has personal trainers for those who wish their services.  I noticed one of the trainers helping a lady, who didn't look older than me, out of a wheel chair.  I also observed the lady had what looked like to me as multiple sclerosis.  I'm not sure if that is truly what she has, but that was what I guessed.  With the trainer's assistance, she made her way to one of the elliptical machines and began her workout.  By the time I reached the treadmill where my wife was, I was in tears.  I told her about the lady I had seen.  Boy, did I ever feel that "2 by 4!"  That got me motivated that day to stop whining around and get to work, and I did!

Sometimes we need these little "motivations" to get us going.  I want to encourage you today, don't give up because something seems hard or you're not seeing results as quickly as you'd like.  If you are faithful to your workout, you will see results!

Until next time, be blessed!
Remember to DREAM!

Our Confession...Part 2

"I Will Prosper and Be in Health As My Soul Prospers"

In thinking about "Our Confession" which we speak over ourselves at each DREAM meeting, and praying about what to write this morning, I find myself looking at other areas of my life.  The second part of Our Confession is "I will prosper and be in health as my soul prospers."  This is taken from 3 John 1:2 which says, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

Now, I know that God's view of "prosperity" is different from our view.  I looked up the word "prosper."  Dictionary.com defines prosper as... "to be successful and fortunate, especially in financial respects; thrive; flourish."  We've all heard the "prosperity message" so I will not be getting into that, but I want to look at the last two words of the definition..."thrive" and "flourish."

I looked up "thrive",  it means to be "fortunate or successful."  I like that.  I also looked up "flourish", it has several meanings, some of which excited me a little bit.  Here are the meanings: "to be in a vigorous state. thrive. to be in it's or one's prime; to be at the height of fame, excellence and influence.  to be successful; prosper. to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant."

2 Peter 3:18 tells us we are to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."  Accepting Christ is the beginning of our spiritual journey, not the end.  When a person, especially one who has never been in church, accepts Christ, there must be training so they can "grow" in their faith.  The thing that excites me is that Jesus said that He came to give us a "more abundant life." (John 10:10)  One of the definitions for "abundant" is "richly supplied."

As we teach our kids in Super Church here at Abundant Grace, once you accept Christ, its time to grow.  There are three way in which we grow.  1) Reading your Bible.  2) Praying.  3) By attending church.  How else are we going to learn God's will for our lives, and His purpose and plans for us, if we're not in communication with Him, thus the Bible reading and prayer.  We also learn from other Christians in a church setting.  Our faith can be and should be strengthened by the testimony of others.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us, "as iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."  Our Pastor is in prayer and study most of the week to bring us the message straight from God's heart, there is teaching that helps us understand the scriptures better.  This is all a part of "growing in grace and knowledge."

There are so many avenues we could take at this point, but then this would turn into a book instead of a blog...lol.

So what is the "bottom line?"  The bottom line is, God wants us to flourish, to grow luxuriantly, he has given us the tools for our souls to prosper.  As our knowledge grows, so does our understanding.  As our understanding grows, so does our wisdom.  With wisdom comes the ability to make wise choices, about every area of our life.  But it all comes from growing.  I remember a slogan from when I was a child, "The more you know, the more you grow."  It still rings true today.

What does that mean for our weight loss journey and our confession?  Good question.  The same "theology" can be applied to our weight loss as our spiritual life.  Learn what you can about healthy living.  Long term weight loss is not accomplished by a "diet program."  Yes, you will have some success while you are following the "program" but what happens when you stop?  You got it, the weight begins to creep back on.  This is because your "understanding" about weight loss has not been fruitful.  Many programs use pre-packaged food, which number one, does not teach portion control.  So when you stop eating the packaged food, the weight comes back on because there is no understanding of the actual size of the portion.

Learn what the proper portion size is for the food you eat.  Remember we are to "Eat to Live, not Live to Eat."  If you do that, you are well on your way to a healthier you.  Being healthy is a lifestyle.  Being a Christian is a lifestyle.  Once you became a Christian your "lifestyle" changed.  To become healthy our eating "lifestyle" must change.

So from here on out our number one thing to change is the word "diet."  When someone asks you how your "diet" is progressing, be sure to correct them and tell them you're not on a diet, but it is a lifestyle change to make you a more healthy person.

Say to yourself today... "I Will Prosper (be successful, grow luxuriantly) and Be in Health As My Soul Prospers."

Remember to DREAM!

Our Confession

While I was thinking and praying about what to write on our blog, it occurred to me that we should talk about the Confession we speak over ourselves at every DREAM Meeting.  So over the next few blogs we will do just that.  We'll look at the scripture for each item of our confession.

Here is Our Confession as we speak it over ourselves each week:

"I have a DREAM for my Life"

"I will prosper and be in health as my soul prospers"

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

"I know my body is the Temple of God and is bought with a price"

"I will glorify God with my body by being healthy"

"I will allow the fruit of the spirit, especially self-control, to work in my life"

"I will not use food to be my Comforter, but depend on the Holy Spirit"

"I know I can accomplish anything, because I am more than a conqueror"

"I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength"

"Amen"

Each day the Holy Spirit will bring back portions of this confession to my mind, especially when it looks like I'm going to stray from the "path."  I know that has happened to others in our DREAM group as well.  This is a good thing.  The more you put God's word inside you, the more it will come out when the need arises.

Years ago I had an object lesson with the kids in my children's church, where I talked about what we put into our minds and hearts.  If we put "garbage" into our minds, like the wrong types of television shows, music, etc., in our times of testing or "trials" we're going to have "stinkin' thinkin'" as I called it to the kids.  Whatever we put inside us will eventually come out.  If we are putting the Word of God inside us, then that's what is going to come out when we are tested and tried.

I am reminded of a story my Dad, who was a Pastor and Evangelist, used to tell about two men.  Both men attended church, both men loved God.  One day while both men were in the front of the church another person came by and began to throw eggs at the church and the men, both of whom just happened to be struck by the flying eggs.  One man began to cuss and curse as he was being hit by the eggs.  The other began to praise God.  Puzzled, the first man asked the second why he had praised God instead of cursing.  The man simply replied, "If you have cursing on the inside of you, that's what is going to come out.  But if you have praising on the inside of you, that's what is going to come out."

That is exactly true with everything in life.  Yes, I know the parallel to health and weight loss with this story.  If we put good, healthy food into our bodies, we will be good and healthy.  You know, "You are what you eat."  It is also true with how we view ourselves.  If we look at ourselves, concerned what others may think of us, we will not be living up to the potential God has for us.  There are only two opinions that matter, and if you get right down to it, only one... God's opinion and ours.  God's opinion of us is the most important.

This is the reason when I was praying about Our Confession, I asked God to give me specific scriptures to help us see us through His eyes.  If you attend our DREAM meeting and have a copy of Our Confession, down at the bottom of the page is the list of the scriptures used for the confession.

The first line, "I have a DREAM for my life", we've already covered in previous blogs.  Starting tomorrow we'll begin to look at each line of Our Confession and hopefully we'll be able to see ourselves more as God sees us.

If you would like more information about our DREAM Weight-Loss Group, please feel free to leave a comment below or email us directly at dreamweightloss@gmail.com.

Until tomorrow, my friends, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

DREAM Meeting Moved!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that our DREAM meeting has changed locations.  We are now meeting in the "Ladies Discipleship Class" room in the front of the AGCC Chapel.  Weigh in will still be from 6 to 6:25 and the meeting starting at 6:30 pm.

If you have any questions post it and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Back to daily blogging tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Remember to DREAM!

Happy Wednesday!

Hello there!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since the last posting.  Life gets crazy sometimes, as July usually is for us around here.  But, we are back on track and will be posting again.

Just want to be of encouragement to you today.  Losing weight is tough, I know that full well.  I also know that if we allow God to help us on our weight loss journey it can be easier.  You see, Jesus told us to "cast all our cares" on Him, some things we can't do alone, we need help.  From our previous posts we've looked at losing weight from a spiritual perspective or for some a "mental" perspective.  Most personal trainers will tell you that losing weight is 80% mental, if you think you can do something, then you can.  If you think you can't do something, you're right there too.  These "mental" aspects of weight loss that play tricks with your mind cause us to be anxious, fearful, timid, and will eventually cause us to give up because "it's just too hard."

I've heard from a lot of people that didn't show up at a weight loss meeting because they knew they had not been good and were afraid of what the scale was going to say.  You know what I have to say about that...be responsible for your weight loss.  If you gain, and you know you haven't been good, own up to it, face the scale and then go on.  Many people are defeated so easily by one little set-back with a scale.  You have to remember, the scale is only a tool to measure your progress, nothing of which to be afraid or even anxious about.

What I've seen happen is a cycle...you're not eating or exercising the way you should, you feel guilty about that, you don't want to be embarrassed when the scale tells on you, so you go into hiding.  The fear or anxiety isn't really about the scale, it's about how you think you will be perceived by others.  If you belong to a weight loss support group those folks aren't there to judge you, if they do, they're in the wrong place.  In our DREAM Group we don't judge when someone gains, hey, we've all done it at one point or another.  DREAM is there to help encourage you when you gain to get back out there and get back on track.

God does the same thing with us, that's why He's given us support through His Word that tells us to "cast" our cares, worries, fears, anxieties, stresses, whatever on Him because He is able to take care of us.  The Bible also says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  And, hey, with God on our side, we can't loose.  We might mess up from time to time, but God is always there to help us each time we do and get us back on the right track.

So, now that you've had your "Pep-talk" for the day, be encouraged.  We're in this weight loss journey together!

Happy Wednesday and until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!