Keep on running

2 Samuel 22:30 (ESV)

For by you I can run against a troop,

    and by my God I can leap over a wall.

I remember watching Superman as a young man and thinking how cool it was how quickly and easily Clark Kent turned into Superman. Pretty much the transformation was instant.

Wouldn't it be cool if losing weight was like that? All you would have to do is spin around, God would zap you, and all of the weight would disappear. But it doesn’t happen that way.

Instead God gives you the endurance to run against troops and leap over walls. That’s what King David discovered.

David wrote in the scripture after God delivered him from King Saul, who had been trying to kill him for years. Even though David had defeated Goliath and God had anointed him King over Israel, he still had to fight battles before he could claim what was his.

A strong, healthy body is yours. But you will have to fight for it. Scripture tells us that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12).

God has strengthened you with the endurance to run against troops, like your habits of the past.

The way you can run with endurance is by giving yourself a vision of what you are running toward, keeping a clear picture of your future healthy self in your mind’s eye at all times.

God has given you the ability to leap over walls, like your fears and limiting beliefs.

For example, you might have the fear of failure to leap over. But if you consider failure as a learning opportunity to grow, then you never fail.

Or you might have a fear of success. You might fear if you lost weight, you wouldn't fit in with family or friends anymore.

But leap over that fear by recognizing that every person is responsible for him or herself. The best thing you can do for them is to be a good example and demonstrate that there is a better way to live.

Dear Lord, help us to recognize that You have given extraordinary abilities to us.  Help us every morning by faith use them in our daily decisions.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Build your house

Proverbs 14:1 (ESV)

The wisest of women builds her house,

    but folly with her own hands tears it down.

When I read Proverbs 14:1, I can’t help but think about the story of the three little pigs. In the story, the big, bad wolf was hungry for a pork sandwich and he knew where the three little pigs lived.

He went to the 1st pig’s house, which was made of straw, and begged for the pig to let him in. But the little pig would not, so he huffed and puffed and blew the straw house in. But the 1st pig escaped by running to 2nd pig’s house.

Then the wolf came to the 2nd pig’s house, which was made of sticks. But the 2nd pig wouldn’t let the wolf in either. So the wolf huffed and puffed and blew the stick house in. But the two little pigs escaped and ran to the 3rd pig’s house.

Then the wolf came to the 3rd pig’s house, which was made of bricks. He asked the 3rd pig to let him in but the 3rd pig would not either. So the wolf huffed and puffed and blew with all his might. But the brick house stood.

The wolf blew all day but the house never budged. Finally the hungry wolf went away, determined get an easier meal elsewhere.

Is your house (body) made of straw, sticks, or bricks? Your body is only as strong and healthy as the materials you put into it. Your body turns the food you eat into your bones, blood, skin, liver, and other organs in your body.

Wouldn’t you have more confidence in a body built on lean protein, vegetables, and fruits than one built on Twinkies, Ho-Hos, and candy bars?

Now I am not saying that you can’t eat such items, but if you want to lose weight and live according to Christian health principles, then I wouldn’t advise a regular diet of them.

My goal is to eat healthy 90% of the time or more, saving the other 10% for the other stuff. You get in trouble health-wise when the percentages are reversed!

With your hands, you have the ability to feed yourself with foods that turn you into a brick house.

Make it your goal today to be a wise person by building your house with the highest quality building materials, which is eating foods as close as possible to the way God made them.

Dear Lord, we thank You for the bodies that You have given to us. Help us to take care of them and build them up to be strong eating the things that are healthy. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (ESV)

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

The other day I read an interesting fact. Every day, we have to make over 200 choices that impact our health and weight…choices like what to eat, whether to exercise, how to respond to stressful situations, and others.

It was hard for me to fathom the number was that high, so for one day, I decided to count the choices I had to make that would impact my health and weight. I counted over 75 choices. I was still surprised because I was thinking that it would only be around 30. That is a lot of choices to make in one day!

The scary thing is that most of us make these health choices without thinking about them…influenced by advertising, other people, or just simply repeating the habits of our past.

But there is a bright side. You have between 75-200 opportunities every day that can change your health for the better. Every choice moves you closer to where you want to be. That is…if you choose wisely.

In today’s verse, we are advised to cling to God because He is life and the length of your days. Without God, it is impossible to gain the wisdom we need to apply health knowledge to our unique situation. Plus, only God knows about the mental strongholds that may be sabotaging our good intentions – and only He gives you the power to take them down!

So today, let us make a conscious decision to choose life regarding your health. Decide that we are determined to be strong and healthy no matter what. And then seek God’s wisdom in every choice that we make. That way, you can live to the fullest and inspire others to do the same.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would make wise decisions when it comes to our health. Help us to always seek Your wisdom. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Choosing the right path.

Proverbs 3:6 (ESV)

In all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make straight your paths.

In every area of our life we need focus on God and leave it to Him. He has your back.

In life there are so many paths to choose. Some people chose the path of college, others go to the armed forces. Some go to a professional school to learn a trade, while others stay home and work. Whatever the case, these are all paths that, right or wrong, people have chosen to walk. And like all paths, they sometimes make unexpected twists and turns along the way. Solomon is teaching that as children of God, we must acknowledge Him. This means we must really get to know God. Once we do, then He will make our paths straight. This really means that God will guide in the ways that we are to go, and help us along the way. The key, however, is that we have to acknowledge God in ALL of our ways, not just the areas we feel comfortable. So, not just in Church on Sunday, or during Bible Study, but in every place including at school, work, the mall, everywhere. Then, God will make our ways straight, which is another way of saying God will make our lives better, and help us out. I don't know about you, but help from God is something I always want.

Today, as you walk your path, look at the areas where you're not acknowledging God. For just one day, switch up and acknowledge God in those areas. If that works, then do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and on and on...

Dear Lord, help us to acknowledge You in every area of our life. God help us to allow You to make our paths straight. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Trust

Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

    and do not lean on your own understanding.

Trust in God and stop trying to make sense of everything.

Trust is something that we do almost every day. We trust that our beds will not allow us to fall on the floor, and that our parents will provide us with food or our kids will do their chores. We trust that our favorite internet sites will allow us to login and chat with old and new friends. The statement that Solomon is making here is that we must trust in God, and trust enough for us not to know what God is doing in our lives. Solomon is also urging us to believe He is working on our behalf even when we feel like it doesn't make sense or the situation is not right. But, we have to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, with all that is in us and lean not on what we understand because God's ways are higher than our ways. Some things may not have gone the way you wanted them to go, but you still have to trust in God and stop trying to figure it out. If we could figure it out then we would not need God, and we need God, so stop thinking and trust!

Today let us focus of trusting God for the problems we are having at home, at school, at work, in those private areas that no one knows about. Trust God and don't try to figure it out. Give it over to God fully and trust that He is working on your problem, even though it doesn't feel as if anything is happening.

Dear Lord, help us to trust in You today more than we have ever trusted in You. Help us, Lord, to stop trying to make things work out by our self, but to turn the whole situation over to You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Hospital stay not wasted

Romans 8:28  (ESV)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

January 5^th, I found myself in the hospital with severe chest pains. As I always try to do, I looked to see what I could learn from God though this hospital stay. Not wanting to waste this experience, I wanted to share some lessons learned and benefits received. My prayer is that my thoughts might be helpful to you when you are faced with similar situations.

1. Don’t murmur about delays and inefficiencies in the hospital. Instead of focusing on the fact that your nurse isn’t responding, or the man in the next room is snoring, or the IV hose is twisting, or the ice chips ran out, think about the fact that 150 years ago you would probably be dead. And, if not, you would be groaning in unrelieved pain with no morphine to help, and you would have no clue what’s wrong with you, or whether you were dying or not.  “Do all things without grumbling” (Philippians 2:14). Paul said that the effect of not murmuring would be that we shine as lights in the midst of a crooked world — including the needy world of medicine (Philippians 2:15).

2. Pray for the patients near you and, if possible — without undue offense — see if your floor mates will let you pray for them, and tell them words of hope in Jesus. You are nowhere by accident. These are divine appointments. You have no idea what the simplest witness to Christ may bring.  “You will be brought before kings and governors [and doctors and nurses and patients] for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12–13).

3. Realize that physical pain makes focusing on God’s promises more difficult and demands greater concentrating effort. It’s not just the barrage of sounds that disorient our souls; it’s the pain. We don’t want to be blindsided by this.  “You have no idea what the simplest witness to Christ may bring.”  At this point, it is so important that you have in your heart some very simple, short biblical truths about God that you can declare to yourself. Long complex reasonings about God’s sovereignty and goodness won’t work in this situation, because the pain is too disorienting. It doesn’t allow the mind to work at full capacity. What is needed is: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Period. “Christ gave himself for me.” Period. “I will never leave you.” Period. “Nothing is too hard for the Lord.” Period. “Everything works for good.” Period. These are like white stones with your name on them. And you hold them in your hand as you groan and wait.

4. Reach out to a friend or family member to help you. Usually the suddenness of a hospitalization leaves the patient disoriented and unable to think clearly about all the aspects of what’s going on. Questions needed to be asked, and often the mind of the patient is not at full strength. I needed an advocate. My wife was there and full of good questions for the doctors. Doctors cannot think of all the things we might need to know in order to understand what has happened, and to live wisely in the days to come. We need help to ask all the right questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and to give your friend permission to ask everything that comes to mind. “We are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25).

5. Let the self-revelation of Jesus as the good Physician be sweet to your soul, and preach to yourself that this light momentary affliction is working for you an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). Christ is all-sufficient for every situation. In the hospital, he is preeminently a Physician. Matthew 4:23 says he was able to heal “every disease and every affliction among the people.” And at the last day, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore” (Revelation 21:4). We should ask him, without hesitation, for healing and for relief. We should trust him with the timing of his answer. But mainly we should realize with joy that, beyond all doubt, he has healed the deepest disease of all who trust him: the damning disease of sin. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31–32).

6. Pray that none of these hospital hours, none of this pain, none of these fears, none of these relationships, none of this life-altering season will be wasted. Satan wants to make your experience in the hospital meaningless and empty and trivial. Don’t let him win this victory.

Pray. Pray as you go. Pray in admissions. Pray on the gurney. Pray in the bed. Pray in the morning and in the middle of the night. Pray without ceasing.

You will probably not be able to formulate long, well-articulated prayers. The mind and body are too embattled. The prayers you need to pray are short outbursts of the heart.

“Help me, Lord, to trust you.” “Have mercy, Lord, I need you. I can hardly think.” “Save me, Lord, from unbelief and sin.” “I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.” “Thank you for your mercy.” “Thank you, Jesus, that you loved me and gave yourself for me.” “Thank you, Father, that there is no condemnation for me in Christ Jesus.” “Use me, Jesus, to magnify your great worth.” “Satisfy me in your steadfast love, no matter what happens here.”

I hope some of my thoughts will be an encouragement to you when you are faced with a hospital stay.

Love and faithfulness are the key

Proverbs 3:3 (ESV)

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

    bind them around your neck;

    write them on the tablet of your heart.

Love and faithfulness are very important in life. You should always have them.

Most of us carry many things with us. We have ID's, driver licenses or permits, pictures of friends, family and pets, iPods, phones, or other gadgets, all of which we feel we need, and that, if we leave the house without them, then we feel lost. Well, in this scripture, Solomon states what we really can't leave home without is love and faithfulness. The love Solomon is referring to is the love of God and God's creation. The Faithfulness, or truth, Solomon discusses is being faithful or true to God and God's people, as well as the gifts God has given you. So, we need not leave home without our wallets that have ID's and other important information because we don't want to pay the cost, but there is a bigger cost to pay if we don't carry love and faithfulness with us.

Today, as much time as you spend preparing yourself to go out with all the things that you think you need, don't forget to carry with you love, even when someone does something to annoy you. Don't forget to be faithful and truthful to who you are and who God made you to be, not who everyone else wants you to be.

Dear Lord, help us today to be mindful of Your love and how we can show it to people even when we don't feel like it. God also help us to be faithful in every area of our life, in school, at home, at work, in my private time, everywhere. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.