Putting on the Armor of God

And so God created Man in his own image; male and female did He create. And God looked upon Man and Woman and saw that they were lean and fit. And the Devil said, "I know how I can get back in this game." And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. And the Devil created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 79-cent double cheeseburger. And the Devil said to Man: "You want fries with that?" And Man said: "Supersize them." And Man gained 5 pounds. And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And the Devil brought forth chocolate. And Woman gained 5 pounds. And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad." And the Devil brought forth Ben and Jerry's. And Woman gained 10 pounds. And God said, "I have sent thee heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them." And the Devil brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained 10 pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof. And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds. And the Devil brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And Man gained another 20 pounds. And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil." And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And the Devil peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And the Devil created sour cream dip. And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And the Devil saw and said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And the Devil canceled Man's health insurance. Then God showed Woman how to peel the skin off chicken and cook the nourishing whole grain brown rice. And the Devil created light beer so Man could poison his body with alcohol while feeling righteous because he had to drink twice as much of the now-insipid brew to get the same buzz. And Man gained another ten pounds. And God created the life-giving tofu. And Woman ventured forth into the land of Godiva Chocolate and upon returning asked Man: "Do I look fat?" And the Devil said, "Always tell the truth." And Man did. And Woman went out from the presence of man and dwelt in the land of the divorce lawyer, east of the marriage counselor.

Okay, I had to post that little story that I read. I thought it was funny, yet SO true in what we're trying to learn here. Good things come from God yet Satan is always there trying to tempt us and use it against us and turn it into evil because he wants to destroy us, our marriages and families and ultimately our lives. That is why we need to put on our Godly armor everyday and be prepared to fight the spiritual battle that is going on all around us.

Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils' schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:11-12

Rumbly in my Tumbly

Okay, Pooh Bear is going to be my reminder this week to wait until a GROWL or as he would say "Rumbly in my Tumbly" until I eat anything! I've found that a lot of times when I eat I am feeling hungry but I know I could wait longer and I don't always wait until my stomach is growling before I eat and although I'm eating less I'm not letting my stomach completely empty out before I eat again. That is so important to see weight loss. So my theme song/reminder this week is good 'ol Pooh Bear: "I'm so rumbly in my tumbly time for something sweet!"

Jesus loves me this I know...

So Thursday was my weigh in day and I prayed about it before I did it because I didn't want the outcome of whether or not I had lost any weight to in any way affect the path that I'm on. I weighed and I had lost almost 1/2 pound (my scale is digital). My first reaction was, "okay, well at least it something" considering I had not had a great week but I'm not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed at first. The good news is is that the disappointment didn't last. The more I started thinking about this past four weeks I got more and more excited about what I've been through and how much I have accomplished emotionally, physically and most importantly-spiritually! Here is a summary of things I am SO happy about from this past month:

1) I've lost just about 5 pounds!!! That's something I had not done after four straight months of jogging almost every single day faithfully. That is also without dieting of any form. I did not count a calorie, look at a label, take a diet pill or stress about trying to squeeze a workout in my day somewhere. I was freed from even thinking about any of that!

2) I am eating A LOT less food every day and thus I feel like I have more energy because of it and I can tell my stomach has shrunk as well because I've been cutting most of my portions almost in half. I've also noticed that when I first started doing this I would eat and still feel hungry and it was really hard not to eat more. Now I've noticed that most of the time not only is it enough, the old portions that I used to eat are starting to seem like WAY to much food now! That is awesome to me!! A breakthrough for sure!

3) Above anything else that has happened this past month I am most excited about what God has shown me. During this time of emotional vulnerability God has used it to draw me closer to Him! A few years ago I read my bible from cover to cover but I hardly took anything out of it. I've often thought that I would open it up more if I thought there was something specific God was trying to show me but every time I did nothing really spoke to me. Well let me tell you my friends, God has changed all of that. I feel like every time I open it up verses are jumping off the pages at me and I feel like God is speaking to me personally through it! Like I've said in my previous post, He is also speaking to me through music and people and prayers and all in all I feel SO overwhelmed with His love for me right now! He is taking all of the time that I used to use thinking about food and working out and dieting and He is filling it up with HIM, His love and His truths and I've said it before but I will say it again; "My cup runneth over!!!" That's how I feel right now after I sum up this first month! I'm a work in process and I can't wait to see what He has to show me this next month! I LOVE you Jesus! THANKS for everything!!! :)

...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37: 3-6

He demands all of us

Whew! Where do I even start?! This past week has been a very emotional one for me and looking back on the last few days I can now see exactly why I went through the emotions I did and how God has used that already to draw closer to Him!

I have been getting on the Weighdown message boards every day and connecting with the women there and that has been amazing to me. To talk with other women who are going through exactly what I am and to be able to vent and get feedback and encouragement has been exactly what I needed. Last weekend when I prayed to God and told him that I just didn't feel connected anywhere and really felt like I needed to be, he immediately answered my prayers by taking me there. I also got an invite from a women from my church to join a women's bible study. I knew that too came straight from God. Yesterday was the first day I was going to it and I almost let Satan have his way by not going but I just felt such a push to go so I got up, jumped in the shower and got ready in record time. I was glad I made it too because the study they're doing is called He Speaks to Me and everything it is teaching is right in line with what Weighdown is also teaching. Here is a paragraph from this weeks lesson:

To move into the calling the Lord has for us, we must willingly leave some things behind. God will not share our time and attention with other gods. Anything or anybody that receives more of my worship than God does is an idol, including tv, books the internet or even a relationship. Even necessary and good things like food and sleep can become idols if they become more important than God. God will not share us with anything or anyone that takes our eyes off of Him. He demands all of us.

So was it a coincidence that I made it there? I think not! I am SO excited to add this bible study to what I'm already studying. Furthermore, I'm looking forward to also make some connections with the women there as well, which I know God wants me to do. God has been desperately trying to just get me to BE STILL so He can tell me and show me what He has planned for me! Tomorrow is my weigh in day and I'm trying not to worry about it. That's hard to do, but I don't want that to be my focus at all. Here are a couple of verses that really spoke to me the last few days:

Be still, and know that I am God...Psalm 47:10

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires...For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:12,14

Tips to Remember

1) When I am not hungry and want to eat anyway, run to God! Open His word. How exciting to think that this will allow me to draw closer to the Lord!

2) Wait ALL THE WAY TO A GROWL. When we don't wait for hunger we don't burn off all the food or ANY excess weight and can possibly gain weight. If I wait to a GROWL I can be burning excess weight each time!!

So then, let us not be like others who are asleep but let us be alert and self-controlled. 1Thessalonians 5:6

Divine Pruning

This past week has been very emotionally draining for me but also AMAZING! There have been some hurts from may past that have been re-surfacing for some reason and I finally just got really honest with God and poured my heart out to Him. The first day I prayed I was almost angry. Not at God, at the situation. He immediately started answering my prayers the very next day. It's a long story and kind of personal but let's just say, this past week He not only answered two specific prayers but He also showed me over and over how much He loves me. He spoke directly to me through people, songs and Bible verses this past week and I have never felt so vulnerable yet so loved all at the same time!

I didn't loose any weight this past week and yesterday I was down a bit from it but when I got honest with myself I only had myself to blame for that. I let some of the basic rules of Weighdown slip and wasn't as focused as I was the first two weeks. My hormones have been going crazy since my miscarriage and trying to get back to "normal" and let's just say, it hasn't always been fun.

I was in my car running some errands yesterday and I put in the audio and listened again and that was encouraging. I also got into my Breakthrough book and answered a lot of the questions in the lesson too. That also helped me to re-focus. I'm so excited too because I also got connected with a group of women on a message board on the Weighdown website and it was just what I was looking for. It's so encouraging to read what they are going through and their encouragements and be able to relate and have someone hold me accountable. I'm SO excited to have connected with them! So all in all, things are GREAT! God never ceases to amaze me! I am a work in process and He is doing some "Divine Pruning" on me right now and although it can be really emotionally hard at times, I know that I need to yield to it because it is for my own good and is because He love me!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" John 15:1-2, 4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Head Hunger Prayer

This is from a Weighdown Class. I'm posting it because I want to remember it:

When you feel an urge to eat and you are not hungry, it is hunger for God! Go to His Word! Do not hang out near food. Do not long for the food. Do not look for the food.

Pray, “God, clean up my mind.” Pray, “God, in the name of Jesus Christ, take away this nagging head hunger, this longing, and turn that back into a longing to be inside Your will and to have Your approval. Amen."

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5