Ready or Not Here Come the Holiday's!!

2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

     Soon the smells of the holiday's will be sweetly filling the air of homes across America. I love the holiday smells, Cinnamon, apple pies, pumpkin pies, cooked turkey's, ham's - aaawwweee I can smell them now- real hot chocolate, and so many other smells I'll not tempt myself anymore. Along with these smells comes FOOD. Here is a quite from better health USA: http://www.betterhealthusa.com/public/273.cfm

 If we allow ourselves to lose control completely over the holiday season, there is a high risk that we will continue to eat unhealthily long after the holiday season has gone. Falling into the trap of unhealthy eating is a hard habit to break. Despite millions of New Year's resolutions that are made each year regarding our diets, many people never get around to breaking the habit at all.

     Our verse today is Paul telling Timothy to be ready to preach the Word at any given moment. It is the Christians duty to be prepared to share the gospel at any time. It is also wise to be prepared for anything that can harm our testimony, and the holiday's are certainly a time where we can ruin our testimony by overindulging our favorite pie, cookie, desert, or extra snacking that will be done over the next two months. I will be using information from the above mentioned web site over the next several days/ weeks. I believe it will be a help to here from experts on this. Let's start right now to begin to get focused and not quit. Let's NOT fall of the bandwagon this holiday season. Set your goals and go for them, don't quit

REJOICE!!

Phillipians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."

     There are many things to rejoice about. I have been thinking and have come to the conclusion that I should a little more time rejoicing for God and what He has done for me. I recorded a lesson I taught at church last night, as I reviewed I decided to watch something I had done before I began my blog, and WOW I could tel I have lost weight! It is always exciting to see with your own eyes the progress made!

     I was feeling a bit discouraged last night until I saw the difference. God has given me strength to have victory so far. Those who have been following me from day know that I have had set backs, but one lesson I've learned through my War on Weight is that I FAIL miserably but God is FAITHFUL consistently. I will keep this short, I just want to encourage you today to rejoice!!

Halloween: Scary Sweetness

Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

     Oh, the sugar, the sweets, the candy! Whether you participate in Halloween or not the fact remains that candy is EVERYWHERE. This can be a candy lovers sweet dream. I can't say that I personally like a lot of sweets, but I certainly won't turn them down. This weekend candy will be given out by the tons. People will be collecting candy to eat until thanksgiving! With all the sweetness around it can be very difficult to "Just say no" to overindulgence of sugar. 

     I do not personally get involved with Halloween traditions, but the rivers of candy in the store is awfully hard for me and my kids to pass by and not get "just a little". I will remember this year, however that I am God's creation, His workmanship. In remembering this I will also realize the shame in ruining his creation for simple pleasure. I WILL eat some candy, but I must learn that enough is enough. 

     If you struggle with the eating of candy during this time of year here are some ideas to help:

1. Remember that, as a Christian, your body belongs to God and you are a physical representation of Him to the world. Let's not ruin that any worse than it already is.

2. Predetermine that you will not eat too much candy. Maybe even set an exact limit. This would depend on how much you like candy.

3. If you see you have more candy than you can stomach try either giving a good portion away, maybe to your churches children's ministry. I know that when I worked with children I would many times stock up on candies for the bus kids, quiet seat prizes, etc.

4. Pay conscious attention to how you're eating. Many times the old adage that candy will ruin your appetite rings true during this time of year. Make sure you are still eating properly.

5. Stay focused, if we stick together I believe we can make it through the new year even with a weight loss!

Complete Obedience

Genesis 22:3 - "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him."

     Oh the pain, the fear, the torment deep within, the trust, the obedience. Abraham was up at the crack of dawn with one thing on his mind. He had a goal to accomplish, a place to get to, words to obey, he was focused. What was this mission he was on? To sacrifice his only son, Isaac. We have the privilege to look back and see that because Abraham obeyed God, even when it didn't seem "logical", Isaac was spared and Abraham was blessed. I can't imagine what I would do if God asked me to offer Corban, my son. What would I do if God asked me to give up something that precious? With God's Supernatural strength I hope I would be obedient as Abraham was.

     While God has not asked for my son, He has asked me to give up something to which I have been clinging to; food. I have run to food when I have been discouraged, when I have been celebrating a victory, when I have watched t.v., when I have been hungry, when I have been nervous, do you get the point? I ran to food ALL the time. I have just recently realized that food has been my god! Yes, I have not run to God in times of need, but food. I have come to rely on the "power" of comfort food and I am here to tell anyone who is bound by that power that your god of food WILL let you down and leave you full of doubt and, ironically, discouragement. ONLY the true and living God can free us from the bondage of food. So, today I renounce my obedience to food and commit to obey God even if starvation is the result. GOD IS FIRST.

The BIG Weigh-In Month 2 Week 4

James 5:16 - "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
     Last week I weighed in at 366.6, this week.... well it wasn't pretty, I gained up to 371, but battled my way back down to 368.8 a gain of 2.2 pounds. My goal of 323 pounds by November 29th is becoming more and more difficult to reach, I will now have to lose a little over 9 pounds a week for me to reach my goal. I will not give up though. I would rather come short of my goal than not have one at all. I look toward the week ahead with determination. I will admit that I have struggled a bit with some depression. I have noticed that when we, Christians, begin to do what's right, Satan will attack with everything in his arsenal, and he did just that this past week. I will pick myself up and go on for God. My goal for this upcoming week is to weigh 359.6 pounds, this will get me back on track.

     I would really like to make this blog a greater blessing and a much more useful tool. Do you have any ideas? What would you like to see on my posts? Maybe an expert? Some recipes? What do you think?

More than conqueror

Romans 8:37 - "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

     When Satan attacks we can run to God and doing so we gain strength to become more than conquerors. We may be tempted with our words, thoughts, reactions, and deeds. The question is WHEN the temptation comes how will you and I respond? Will we try to fight in our own strength or will we run to God and let Him fight for us? I have been tempted this week to give in and I have failed a couple times this week. I gained up to 371, however I have worked that back off and am down to 368 and am trying to end this week with a positive weight loss. I don't think I will lose my 7 pounds I needed to to stay on track, but I will lose as much as I can over the weekend.

     I want to be more than a conqueror when it comes to my self control. I want to lose weight and be able to look back and see God's hand moving in my life as I grow in Him. Holly has told me, several months ago, that  when I lose down to 250 lbs I can get me a motorcycle. If I am able to stay focused I will be able to reach that goal by this spring or summer! I will, at that point only have 50lbs to lose to get to what my ultimate goal weight is. 200 pounds is still a little big according to my charts, but I plan on working out with weights when I get a bit smaller, so I think 200 pounds is a good ultimate goal, and I know that through Jesus I can become more than a conqueror!!

Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6 - But godliness with contentment is great gain.

    People in today's society are concerned about gaining the goods of this world. We work extra hours so we can save up to pay for the new boat, new car, new big screen HGTV, or new toy - By the way usually these have been placed on credit cards or they have been financed. Not only do people work longer to THINGS, but they can't get enough, never satisfied with what they have. While having things is certainly not sinful, it often cost us time with our family.

     You are asking, "What does this have to do with eating?" Well, I have come to understand something about Satan. He places a carrot in front of us that looks good, but once we get there to get it, it turns out to be rotten. He thrives on our discontentment. He does opposite of God, God ca;;s for order, he loves chaos. God is Holy, Satan is Unholy. God is truthful, Satan is a liar, God desires for us to be content with what we have, Satan wants us to be discontented so that we will say, "Just a little more." - ever striving never reaching that for which we strive. The same is true for when we eat.

     God wants us to eat and be content with the food we have. It doesn't matter if we have the nicest steak or peanut butter, we are to be content. Satan uses discontentment when we eat. As we begin to get full we think... "One more piece won't hurt me." or "I've already ruined my diet, I'll just eat a little more." or as I have heard preachers say, "I may die fat, but I'll die happy with a big mac in one hand and a large fry in the other hand." These are all statements straight from the pit of hell. The above statements all have one thing in comon; they are all SELFISH statements that puts me first; selfishness is sin. We are to eat until we are content, then exercise self control and stop eating. In the end whether it is food, money, or things if we learn to be content and godly we will gain that which is most important, time with family and good fellowship with God. Godliness with contentment truly is GREAT gain.

The Temple

1 Corinthians 6:19 - "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

     A temple is a holy place, a place where God himself dwells. My body is God's temple, He lives in me. In the old testament the temple was always one of the nicest, most beautiful places to go. A temple in the Old testament was decorated with gold, extravagant woods, and many beautiful items throughout the temple. Today the temple is compared to the church building. I have heard the church building called "The House of God" and that is why we don't run in it, disrespect it, take food or drinks in it, and many other things I have been taught since just a child. It is also why we wear our best "Sunday clothes" to church, because we are going to the house of the King of kings. I agree that we should not run, eat, drink, etc. in the church, I also agree we should wear our best clothes to church, however God does not just live in the church house He lives in US. If we should have such respect for the church house where we go three times a week to meet with God corporately, how much more should we respect the house God ALWAYS lives in.... our bodies.

     As I think about how my body is God's temple, I begin to fall under conviction. I should make His temple the best place to live. It should not be crowded with sin, which gluttony is, or fat. No His temple is to be holy. If I consider the verse above I realize that I am not my own, so I am simply in trusted to take care of His temple. I must ask myself, "How am I doing with that?" Honestly I must answer, "Not to well, I am letting it fall apart sooner that it should." So, how are you doing with God's temple?

What is a Glutton?

Proverbs 23:21 - "For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty : and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."

     As I have been reading about gluttony I came across a sermon called "What I eat is Eating Me". It was preached June 7,2009 at Sterling UMC. The question was posed by the preacher...

So what is gluttony? Well it comes from the Latin word gluttio, which means 'to gulp down'. And if you think about somebody gulping something down, it means they didn't even stop to taste it, they didn't stop to enjoy it or experience it. They just sort of crammed it in their mouth as fast as they could. And so that begins to paint a picture for us of what gluttony is.

     That is not a picture that I like to see, especially when it refers to me. I will admit that this has been a problem I have wrestled with, and st times still do. I "like" the food so much that I try to eat as much of it as I can so I can get more - I know that's pretty sad. However while at church last night the preacher preached on "Don't Quit" and that is what I must remember. I do good, then fail, repent, do good, fail, repent etc. but I must not quit. Yesterday I failed, I gained 3 pounds! OUCH! However, a righteous man will fall seven times and rise again, so.... up I go with the prayer support of you. Thank you. Off I go again - to do good!

P.S. I need to get down to 358 to stay on track with my "Thanksgiving goal"! With my 3 pounds gained I sit at exactly 370 lbs. so I have some work to do.

The BIG Weigh-In Month 2 Week 3

James 5:16 - "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
     O.k. 1 week down on my new 7 week diet. I want remind you that my goal that I have set is for me to weigh 323 by the Monday - 11/29/10 - after Thanksgiving. When I started my war on weight I weighed 380 lbs. since then it has been quite a ride. I lost about ten pounds, then vacation happened and I gained it back. When I came back from vacation I renewed my declaration on my "War on Weight". Now I am refocused and have started a 7 week diet (Curves Diet) that will end just before Thanksgiving week. 1 week is down and God has richly blessed my efforts. I lost 11 lbs!! I now weigh 366.6 lbs. This is the lowest I have been in a long time! PRAISE GOD!

     I was not perfect on the diet and I did not exercise. Last week I consumed an average of 1200 calories a day, this week the diet adds 400 calories, so the weight loss will slow down a bit, but I will add exercise this week. In order for me to reach my Thanksgiving goal I need to lose an average of about 7.5 lbs. a week. I am very excited about this passed week, but I must not lose focus. I have recently talked face to face some friends that are keeping up with this war and I did not know. It amazes me what God will use to bless people, I serve a wonderful God!! He has been my strength this past week and I am anticipating another good week. If you find yourself stuck in a rut of any kind declare war on it and see what God will do!   

I Love Bread!!

John 6:35 - "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."


     One of the worst thing someone could say to me is "Don't eat much bread." or even potatoes. I LOVE bread, toast, rolls, biscuits - + Gravy, oh yeah, cornbread, and especially HOMEMADE bread! There are three staples to my meals meat, potatoes - more meat, more potatoes-, and bread. Yeah my problem isn't so much the candy, sweets, or things of that nature. You give me a choice between a good dessert and a good meat, I'll take the meat; at least most of the time. Bread is the same way, yet I have been reading and seeing more and more that we should not eat a lot of bread especially white bread. So I have tried giving up some of the "bad bread" and it has helped me out quite a bit.

     I am glad however that there is bread that I can have as much as I want and it will actually HELP me. Jesus said he is the bread of life! ALRIGHT a bread to feast on! I can go to Jesus when I am spiritually hungry, actually even physically (fasting) and he will fill me. He is my bread of life. So many times we depend too much on the physical breads and forget to feast on our spiritual Bread. The bread of this world goes stale, but He never does, he is always fresh everyday, every hour, every minute! PRAISE GOD! I can go to Him when spiritually drained, hungry and He will fill me. He will fill you too simply go to Him and feast on your spiritual Bread!

Ptting on the Armor pt. 7

Ephesians 6:18 - "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

     Let me take this time to thank everyone who has been lifting me up in prayer and holding me accountable. I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

     Every army needs support. The world uses money to support their troops. God uses prayers of others. Prayer is key to victory. This verse tells us to pray for other saints. We spend so much time giving our "Cosmic To Do List" that we don't make the time to pray for others. We begin to pray and next thing our mind is brought to our own needs, our  own problems, our own circumstances, and we pray for "Me, Myself, and I". Support must be given to OTHERS by prayer.

    I have begun a new tactic in my prayer time, I try NOT to pray for myself until I have prayed for others on my prayer list. I try to put others FIRST. This is difficult, I have found myself praying for others, then all of a sudden I have found a way to put me in there somewhere. Once I realize what I have done I ask God to forgive my selfishness and continue praying for others. I challenge you; today pray for OTHERS FIRST. God will bless and give you clarity in your own situations.

Ptting on the Armor pt. 6

Ephesians 6:17 - And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

     As a soldier prepares for battle there are two EXTREMELY important pieces ANY soldier would be foolish to leave of or forget. 1. His helmet and 2. his weapon! Everyday, as we wake up, we are ALREADY in a war. It would be foolish for us to think otherwise. We must guard our mind. Have you ever woke up with a bad thought,maybe toward someone? Only a few days ago I had a very vivid dream about me getting into a very heated argument with someone. I woke up very mad! I had to wake up repenting at my bad attitude for the day. Had I not done so I would have been effected all day by the feeling I woke up with. Satan does not wait until you are ready to begin fighting, sometimes/ many times, he begins waging war on our thoughts, mind, and emotions even through out the night.

     We must not only always keep guard of what goes through, and stays in our mind, we must also keep our weapon close by. Many Christians have more than one Bible in their home but how close is your weapon to you. You may say "It's in my night stand so I'm good." WRONG. When I say it must be close I mean it must be close to our hearts. How many soldiers do you suppose gets sent into battle without knowing how to operate their weapon? I'm going to guess little to NONE, so why do Christians assume we can go into a spiritual warfare without knowing our weapon, the Bible?

     One of the first things I do when I wake up is weigh in for the day. This helps me get my mindset ready for the day for losing weight. I get my helmet on through prayer. I ask for strength, and wisdom throughout the day. After I talk to my commander I open His Word and let Him speak to me. I figure it is probably pretty important to hear from Him. I don't always do this first thing, but I do it through out the day and I do have a specific time and place that I pray to Him. God wants to hear from us, He is ready and willing to hear and help. When we wake up in the mornings we should make sure all our armor is on first thing, this will help in every aspect of life including weight loss.

Putting on the Armor Pt.5

Ephesians 6:16 - Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

     Day 1 down of this seven week diet. Yesterday was pretty tough. I realized that even if I went to bed a little hungry, I wouldn't die! - Imagine that. I think I'll live. This diet takes much focus. One food I REALLY dislike is Tuna Fish! However I got to eat a can of it yesterday on my diet, this was hard to do while the people around me were eating other foods I DO like. It's o.k. though I am alive, the tuna did not get the best of me, although I didn't eat all of it.

    Satan tempted me yesterday with food. It was tough to stay focused, but I picked up my shield of faith and kept on. I made it through a tough battle. I know many Christians would say "What?! The shield of faith for food?" Yes, we Christians have a bad habit of saying, "O.k. the Bible is good for 'spiritual' things, but it has nothing to do with the physical." We are WRONG. The Bible is effective for EVERY aspect of our life. So I used the shield of Faith and did what the Bible instructs to do in situations of temptation... I RAN AWAY! Corban got a chocolate chip cookie - by the way I love chocolate chip cookies- brought it to me and said "Here daddy, eat this." Inside I said AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Outside I said, "I don't want that, go give it to mama." Then on the inside I said AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! I sent to temptation away and God gave me strength. Whatever your temptation is and no matter how forward the temptation is send it away and RUN TO GOD!! He will help, I know from experience.

The BIG Weigh-In Month 2 Week 2

James 5:16 - "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

     I began this week excited and even looking forward to today. I had a plan to work the slim fast system. I did not exercise as I should. I could give you excuses and make them sound good, but they are excuses and that's it. I had reached down to 373 at one point last week. Yesterday I went on a church activity where we walked and walked and walked. We walked at least two miles. After everyone left I took the family out to eat at Wendy's where I lost control and had a double cheeseburger large fry, and 2 large cokes - yea, I said two, I got a refill.

     As I stepped on the scale today wondering what it would say, I was a little nervous, but soon the nervousness gave way to mixed feelings. As I looked down I saw that I had indeed lost weight, this is always good, but I noticed that I weighed 377.6 which is only a loss of 1.6 lbs. I should probably be enthusiastic, but I am a little disappointed in myself. I should have exercised more, which I plan on doing this week. I will not be doing slim fast this week it was only a warm up for the Curves diet. It is a six to seven week diet that while I lived in Arkansas helped me lose 30 pounds in six weeks. My goal is to get down to 323 by the Monday AFTER Thanksgiving. This gives me a total of 7 weeks to reach that goal. I am currently 54.6 pounds from that goal. In order for me to reach that goal I will need to average a 7.8 pound loss a week! The first week of this curves diet significantly cuts my calorie intake to 1200 a day, so I should lose quite bit this week. After this week I can go up 400 calories so I will get 1600 calories a day. They are broken up into, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper. I am focused and will lose the weight needed. I will be jumping for joy once I get below 373. I have not been below 373 in a VERY long time and I can't seem to get below that weight. By the next weigh - in I will be below 373.

Putting on The Armor Pt. 4

Ephesians 6:15 - "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"

      Part of the armor is to be ready to tell others the gospel of peace. We are to be ready to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This piece of armor is very important, yet one of the most difficult to put on. Are you prepared to tell others? Having the "shoes" of PREPARATION of the gospel is very important. Without proper shoes our feet begin to hurt and we become VERY ineffective. So it is in the spiritual warfare, without the proper shoes your spiritual feet will begin to hurt and you will become ineffective for God.

     I do not want to be ineffective for God as a matter of fact my greatest fear is that of Paul's that I would become ineffective and put on a shelf. It is for this reason that I hold very high standards for me and my family. I have seen recently that the more weight I lose the more effective I become, because of the confidence boost it gives me. Being prepared to share the gospel includes having confidence, and that is something I lack when I am so overweight. If I want to give my best I must be healthy. It doesn't matter how much a soldier is prepared for battle, if he is sick or injured he cannot give 100% he must be healthy, I assume that is why there are no overweight soldiers. Can you imagine an army of "fat" soldiers? I sit and chuckle at the thought. So why do we Christians allow ourselves get out of control? It is because we have separated the spiritual from the physical, when in fact the spiritual life should impact ALL aspects of the physical life. So, yes I want to be prepared to share the gospel and part of that takes confidence which comes with a healthy spirit and body. Are you prepared?

Putting on the Armor Pt. 3

Ephesians 6:14 - "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;"

     It is the duty of a soldier to stand firm, shoulders squared back, and face the enemy head on. A soldier is not to cower in fear and run away. The verse here plainly tells us that as Christian soldiers we are to stand. We are not to run, cower, sleep, sit, or lay down; we are to stand and face the foe - in God's power. We cannot fight in our own strength we must draw our strength from God.

     We are not only to stand, but we are to be gird about with truth. We should be armed wit the truth of God's word and see the truth of where Satan attacks us. So many times we know the Bible, but we don't apply it to the place in our lives where it is needed. So, take just a moment to ask, "Where is Satan attacking me? My thoughts, attitude, money, what I look at, or food?" There are numerous ways Satan may be attacking. It is our duty as a Christian soldier to take inventory of our lives and be aware of where we are being attacked and then attack with the truth of God's Word. We cannot say, Well that's a physical thing, or this is spiritual. Christians do not have two lives, spiritual and physical, that we divide up into pieces. No, we have one life - Jesus - that is to be apart of EVERY aspect of our "Physical and Spiritual life".

     Today, I have decided to look at my weak areas through the eyes of truth and I will be honest with myself as to where I need help. I will then apply God's truth to my life and fend off my arch enemy - Satan. Today let's gird up with truth.

Putting on the Armor PT. 2

Ephesians 6:13 "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

     Do you get dressed in the morning? I know, you're saying, "What?! Are you crazy? Of course I get dressed in the morning!" Now, I ask, do you get fully dressed? We put on our clothes everyday, but there is another set of clothing that is often left off; it's  called the armor of God. Putting on the  armor of God should be as natural for Christians as getting dressed.

     Satan is not playing games, he is out for blood. While he has us fooled into thinking that everything is o.k. He is reaching for a dagger that will ruin our thought life, testimony, or our "eating" life. He wants nothing more than to sneak in through t.v. , movies, music, and yes, food and destroy us. Now before you count me as "Legalistic", I did not say t.v., movies, t.v., or eating was bad. The question we should ask ourselves is "Is the t.v. shows I watch, the movies I like, the music I listen to, the amount of food I'm eating, bring glory to God?" If there is ANY part that says "not quite" it's wrong. God expects and deserves 100% not 80%, 90%, or even 99.9%.

     Satan is a very smart adversary. We cannot fight him in our own strength. We would think it ludicrous for our military to show up for battle in their p.j.'s, or blue jeans and a t-shirt, with only a knife as the weapon. I have not been in the military, but I suspect the officers expect soldiers to be fully dressed, fully armed, and fully prepared. I also suspect that anyone not ready 100% gets in trouble. So why do we think the army of God is any different? Christians, God calls and holds us to a high standard. So as we face today and the temptations that WILL come, let's get fully clothed, physically as well as spiritually. See you on the battle field.

Putting on the Armor

Ephesians 6:12 - "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

     This passage in Ephesians has become my passage for the next 8 weeks. I have come to realize that I don't fight my physical body, it is a spiritual warfare that I face. As I begin to lose weight, I gain more confidence in God and His strength and become more bold. Satan does NOT like when any of God's children become bold, so he will fight tooth and nail to keep God's children "satisfied". I was listening the other evening to a preacher that said we are not to be satisfied, he was speaking of spiritual growth. I began to think about the verse that said godliness with contentment is great gain. Then it struck me, we are to be satisfied, content, with the physical - what we have, where we live, the house we own or rent, the car we have, no matter if it is "top notch" or not, we are are to be content physically; yet at the same time we are never to be satisfied with where we are spiritually. We are not to become "content" with our relationship with God or our growth spiritually. No, we are not to be satisfied there at all. The sad fact is that MANY Christians have it backwards, we are satisfied spiritually, but not physically.

     Satan knows that if he can keep us "satisfied" spiritually - which by the way the Bible refers to as lukewarm - then we will not be effective as Christians. I have been caught in the snare of lukewarmness long enough. It is time that Christians stop looking only at the physical, but look through to the spiritual. My, and your, weight loss can be a great weapon in our arsenal because it shows God's power in our life. I do not fight; nor do you for that matter; against flesh and blood, no it is MUCH deeper than that we fight Satan. Our war on weight is more than looking good, feeling better, or fitting in the clothes we used to fit in, it is about God's strength being shown in and through us.

Weigh in - Month 2 Week 1

James 5:16 - "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

     This verse speaks of accountablity so I will be using it every weigh day this month. That said, I weighed in last week and it wasn't pretty I had gained ALL my weight back I lost last month. I weighed 381.2. I was a little discouraged to begin the week, but after pulling myself together, I set a goal to weigh 323 by November 29th. - The Monday AFTER Thanksgiving. This gave me 9 weeks to reach this goal. This week was a real struggle for me but at weigh time this morning I had LOST 2 lbs. I weighed 379.2. I am 56.2 lbs away from 323 lbs. I have a plan that will help me reach this goal. Last week I began to do 5 push ups and 15 crunches in the morning and 5 push ups and 15 crunches at night.

     My plan to reach my 1st goal weight of 323 by November 29th begins today. Yesterday we went to the store and picked up some vitamins - Mega T Green Tea capsules. We also picked up 1 package of 12 Slim Fasts.This week I will drink a Slim Fast for Breakfast and lunch, I will take my new all natural vitamin and will eat a salad for supper. I will also eat small healthy snacks such as fresh vegitables and fruit. I am excited about weigh day next week. I will continue my push ups and crunches and will add a short walking video called "Walk Away the Pounds". I thank you all for your prayers and acountability.

     I know a few have contacted me about your weight loss and exercise goals, please keep me informed. I know of one who is training for a first time run, this will be very exciting.

A Good Soldier

2 Timothy 2:3 - "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

     Being a soldier means discipline, work, and focus. As Christians we are in a war against evil. We are in a war against sin. We must be focused on the cross of Christ and as we do we find victory. I have been learning more and more that I struggle myself with letting Christ reign in EVERY aspect of life. I have been learning however to let go of myself and let God have me. It is until we reach a point of total surrender to God that we can truly be equipped to fight the sin that does so easily beset us.

     Losing weight means discipline, work, and focus. It is not easy to lose weight. Satan knows just when to tempt me. Yesterday I gave in to temptation as I was give a chicken biscuit from McDonald's and about an hour later a sausage biscuit from McDonald's was given to me. Yea, I ate them. This is after I had eaten my 1st breakfast earlier in the morning. I once again gave into temptation as I ate at McDonald's for lunch and got a foot long sandwich from subway for supper. The worse thing is that I ate my kids left overs. This has become such a habit that I have found this to be one of the most difficult thing to stop. Please pray for me to have the discipline and focus I need to "Just say no" to extra left overs. I have begun a lite exercise routine, but I will be adding to it this next week. I will also begin a seven week diet the week after. I have used the diet before when  in Arkansas and lost about 30 pounds. I am excited about starting this new diet. I will be using the up coming week to focus and get myself pepped up for the diet. I WILL endure hardness as a good soldier. I'm committed to victory.