Happy, blessed Monday!

You may have noticed that for a while now, my posts have evolved from strictly “healthy eating” to more healthy, spiritual living.  I try to follow God’s lead and that’s where I feel I am being led.

That being said, I will always believe they walk hand in hand.  What I have discovered in years of “dieting” is that it doesn’t work.  A diet is temporary, a lifestyle change is permanent.

My journey will never be your journey, it has to work for YOU!  Some things that I think are common though are these:

• Willpower doesn’t work.

Well, that doesn’t seem right, does it?  If you make up your mind to do something, it should happen.  Right?  Not for me.  My strength and determination alone will never be enough.  But if God can create the earth, the sun, the stars and everything else, I believe He can help me.   I have to focus on God’s strength and that is a continuing journey.

• Eat more food, not less.

Yes, you heard right.  You can eat delicious, healthy foods in abundance and never feel hungry!  If you are trying to get by on a couple of tablespoons of this and that, often times, not so healthy this and that, you will find yourself digging through the fridge or pantry within a very short period of time and never feeling satisfied.  On the other hand, you can eat a larger amount of fiber, protein and vitamin rich foods and feel completely satisfied until it’s actually time to eat again.

• Eat only foods you enjoy.

Note to oneself – I am not saying help yourself to a half gallon of ice cream.   Neither am I saying you have to eat salad and chicken day in and day out.  Unless of course, that is what you truly love.  We have such a wonderful variety of good, healthy food available to us.  Snack idea:  Cut a fresh, crispy apple into wedges and sprinkle with cinnamon.  So easy, it’s a perfect travel companion and delicious!

If you have a day that you look in the mirror and see guilt and shame looking back at you, remember guilt and shame are never from God.  I am a child of God!

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

 Isn’t it time we give up our struggle to God?

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

Happy and blessed Monday! 

 Here we are, into the final quarter of 2021!  The busiest time of the year is almost upon us. 

 With that comes a lot of stress and tension.  With stress and tension, it is very easy for the negative thought process to start.  Soon, everything changes.  Thought patterns, what we feel internally and what comes out of our mouths.  Suddenly, what is the busiest time of year and what should be a joyful time of year, becomes just another thing you struggle to get through. 

 So, what do you do with all of that?   

 I am not downplaying the stress that you may feel but I do think that when it becomes bad, we need to reevaluate our values and our priorities.   

Where is the stress coming from?  

(1) Is it lack of time? 

(2) Is it finances? 

(3) Is it family/friend pressure? 

 What do we do about it? 

1. Are we doing what is necessary or what others pressure us to do? 
2. Is it NEED or is it want?   
3. Refer to #1.   

Always remember to straighten your crown and go to your Father.  Don’t just lean on your own capabilities, lean on the Father who defines what is possible!  Remember, you are chosen, forgiven and given a fresh start every single day!

And always:

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

Lysa TerKeurst

Sometimes negative thoughts get stuck in my mind’s filter. Do you struggle with this too?

One by one, these thoughts seem benign. But piled on top of another, they start to form a faulty filter that taint and clog everything.

Suddenly my attitude grows a little sour, my heart a little cold, my desire to be around others diminishes, and my prayers become canned obligatory statements to God.

I need a fresh wind. I need to let God peel away the layers of untruths. I need an encounter with Him. I need His reminders:

– even when I feel uninvited by others, I am chosen by Him.

– even when I feel terrible about the mistakes I made yesterday, I am forgiven and given the gift of a fresh start today.

– even when I want to lash out at those who hurt me, I am given grace and the ability to extend grace.

– even when I question my abilities to fulfill the tasks set before me, I am reminded to stop depending on myself.

– even when I wonder, “am I really pleasing You, God?” I am covered by a love so lavish it really has nothing to do with my performance at all.

Yes, we are chosen, forgiven, given grace, reminded and covered with His love. What a gift Jesus really is.

Happy and blessed Monday!

Have you ever gotten so busy that your focus changes completely?  Our lives go through so many changes and, before we even realize it, our focus may go from God and family to, oh, let’s see, holiday menus, holiday shopping, holiday decorating, Facebook, the internet, and the list goes on and on!

I don’t believe there is anything wrong with any of these things.  I participate in all of them.  The problem arises when any or all of these things become your only purpose.  When you live and breathe these things, putting aside our real purpose for being on this earth, to glorify God and spread the good news!

Idolatry comes in sheep’s clothing, pulling us in and making it feel perfectly normal.  We can justify it by honestly believing that it’s normal, everybody does it.  Even when we feel that persistent nagging in our minds, we can overrule it by saying everyone else is doing it so it must be alright.

Here’s the thing though, when we are so overwhelmed by things of the world, where is there room for God, our creator?

The busiest time of the year is coming up.  I pray that we can define limits.  Remember what we should be celebrating and focusing on.  The holidays are temporary, eternity is forever.  Where do you want to be?

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

Worship Must Resist Idolatry

Ana Cuevas

This year’s Alliance Women theme, “Belong”, is about inviting us to come just as we are to the table that Jesus has set for us. When we accept Jesus’ gracious invitation, we find the sense of belonging we all yearn for. Oh, how beautiful it is to take our place at Jesus’ table! There, we can relinquish all that keeps us from worship and a close relationship with the one true God.

However, our focus can easily turn away from His table. If you’re like me, you may have found yourself walking towards Him, only to become easily distracted. Other things that seem to offer safety and comfort may earn my trust, but then they misguide me and ultimately drive me away from Jesus. When other priorities become of more value and importance to us than God, we are placing them above Him, thus making them our idols.

We all have idols. Growing up in a country where Catholicism is predominant, I thought that idolatry meant only the worship and veneration of statues. But idolatry involves more than that. Any time we offer our adoration and attention that belongs to God to other things, we are guilty of idolatry. The real danger is not in worshipping a specific object, but in anything that keeps us away from having a genuine relationship with our Lord Jesus, fully surrendered to Him.

Too often, despite my desire to worship God, I struggle with letting go of things that bring me pleasure. I may say that I love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind (Matthew 22:37), but not all of me is surrendered in worship to the One who deserves it all. These things I cling to are what have taken over pieces of my heart. They have become my idols.

For some, an idol could be a general need for control, or specific things that make us feel accepted, such as busyness, family, or work. When these things take precedence, there isn’t room or time for God to be the center of our lives. We are unable to submit our hearts and souls completely to the One that can truly and genuinely satisfy. Our worship may be incomplete because Jesus is Lord in only certain areas of our lives.

  In his book Beautiful Resistance, Jon Tyson states that “God is not interested in our behavior. He wants our hearts.” We should earnestly search for a relationship deeply rooted in Scripture and true confession, inviting Jesus to come and free us from the idols that have taken His place. Total submission, relinquishing all areas in our lives that keep us from offering Him true worship, allows God to search in the deepest and darkest corners of our hearts. With full assurance of His grace, we can, in return, fix our eyes on Jesus alone, discovering His beauty and fully experiencing His unfailing love for us.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24, KJV)

Happy and blessed Monday!

Over many years, I have heard “I’m not good enough”, “You don’t know what I have done”, “He could never forgive all I have done” and many more reasons why they can’t have Jesus in their lives.

I kind of get it.  I’ve kind of been there for a time.  What finally sunk into this hard head of mine though, is the fact that Jesus loves me.  He didn’t need for me to wait to clean up my act or make myself “good enough”.  He just needed me to open up my heart and accept His love fully.  When you are loved so fully and unconditionally, your life changes.  I can’t say Jesus breathed on me and I became a perfect Christian but I can say I really wanted to be a better Christian.  I wanted to serve Him and do His work in whatever capacity I could.  Oh, what an incredible feeling it became!

I still mess up.  I still fail Him.  I know now though that He wants to forgive me.  He wants me to draw nearer to Him.  He wants me to run back in repentance and accept His unconditional love and forgiveness.

Do you know what else He wants?  He wants you to mimic Him and pass on that unconditional love and forgiveness.  That’s how the world will be a better place.

If you know the doubts listed in the first paragraph all too well, if you feel alone and helpless,  call out to Jesus and follow Him.  He knows the way home, right down to the tiniest detail.

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

Sins Too Great

Lysa TerKeurst

Has the enemy ever tried to convince you that your sin is too great? That God surely must be done with you?

Oh, friend. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Sin doesn’t get to have the final say in your story. You have a Rescuer. A Redeemer. A Savior who was sent to restore you to right relationship with the Father. No matter what you’ve done, you don’t have to run or hide from Him. You can cry out to Jesus today.

Lord, I am overwhelmed by Your goodness toward me. You know my every sin, my every failing, and yet You still found me worth pursuing. I’m so thankful You’ve never given up on me. Help me to live this life humbly obedient to You, knowing that anything You ask me to stay away from is for my own protection. I love You, and I trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Happy Labor Day! 

As I sat contemplating what I wanted to write for today, I kept thinking about when I worked a Monday through Friday job.  I always tried to show up, be on time and do the best job I could do.   

Now, I’m retired.  How does that change my life?  Do I quit “laboring”? 

I did quit “my job” years ago.  It gave me the opportunity to care for my mother which was a labor of love.  The only thing I would have done differently would have been to take her to places she loved more often. 

It was after that when I became a little lost in my labors.  It was an adjustment, but I finally realized I didn’t have to go to a 9 to 5 job. I attended church, but still didn’t feel satisfied. God finally revealed to me that I had to do my part too.  It wasn’t until I got involved that I felt like I belonged.  As a Christian, there are so many opportunities to labor for God’s kingdom. 

That is where I finally found true fulfillment.  I’m not a master of many things but I can still serve.  I can call, I can listen, I can cook, I can love, and best of all, I can pray!  And pray I will. 

My father used to say “no matter what you do, do it like you are doing it for Jesus”.  (Refer to Colossians 3:23) I have never forgotten that advice.  Even if I am not an expert, I can serve in some capacity. 

As Christians, we should view our jobs as an opportunity to serve God through perseverance and patience, and serve others through a Christ-like attitude. 

Pray Unceasingly!! 

Lois