Living In The Promise: Made To Crave

Showing posts with label Made To Crave. Show all posts

27 February 2014

Intentional Sacrifice

**Intentional Sacrifice: Lysa talks about lasting, sustainable discipline and the importance of making one wise choice after another. What will this look like for you after our study ends? Do you believe it is possible?**

As I read the chapter 17 in Made To Crave (The Very Next Choice We Make), I found I needed to understand what sustainable means. Its a word I've used over my life time but never put it and discipline together. Do you know what I'm saying? We are looking at "maintainable" discipline. We are looking at an "encouraging" discipline. Is it even possible to "maintain" such a discipline? Is it possible to "maintain" discipline when it comes to the food in my life?

Well, to answer that question, I need to look at the other disciplines in my life. Is it possible for Vivian to have sustainable discipline when it comes to other choices? YES!

Why?

1) I don't want to rotate men in and out of my children's lives, therefore, I choose NOT to bar hop, pick up any Tom or Harry that gives me some sort of attention.

2) I don't want to displease God who has been so faithful in providing for me! I know there's not a man who can fill me nor complete me the way God can. If He wills for me to marry someday, He'll make it happen. If He doesn't want me to marry, then contently single I'll remain! :)

There's other disciplines I maintain too! Each one of these isn't by my own strength! Each one has two part accountability. There is God's Holy Spirit and then there is a person or people I do not wish to disappoint. It's God's Holy Spirit Who gives me the strength and reminds me there is something better in store for me when I choose to listen to His guidance, teachings, and shepherding. It's family, both my physical family and my spiritual family, who love me and want the best for me and I want the best for them.

So, why can't I have a sustainable discipline with food? All I have to do is apply the same concept!

1) I'm powerless on my own and need to rely on God's special gift ... The Holy Spirit.

2) I want to be around for my children's future stuff: graduations, weddings, even their children

3) I want to show God's faithfulness to others but I also want to show my faithfulness to Him; I want to be faithful to God's promptings and walk in His Spirit.

4) I want to be strong (physically) enough to help my elderly mother; and to help her quit worrying about my weight ... it really stresses her out because she knows I'm destined to have what she and my siblings have: heart disease and diabetes. My mother has NEVER been over weight BUT if she were, she wouldn't be able to keep her blood/sugar in check.

5) I want to present my body as a living sacrifice to God. (I heard a joke about living sacrifices! "The problem with living sacrifices is they crawl off the alter!" LOL Oh, how many times have I crawled off the alter?) A living sacrifice pretty much means what have I been willing to give up for Jesus Christ? If I were to be thrown in prison because of my faith ... And the guards rolled in this tray of good smelling food ... And said "In order to eat till your stomach is content, deny Jesus Christ" ... Would I be able to withstand the smells, the growling stomach, and say "Jesus is my Savior and LORD!" OR "Would I deny Jesus just to be able to eat?" Well ... I won't be able to withstand that temptation in prison if I can't withstand that temptation now!!

What choices do I need to make?

1) I need to plan my days better! Have bananas, apples, or something healthy to reach for when I am hungry but it's not time to eat the full meal

2) Don't buy junk food to be in the house that triggers my nose.

3) Breads. I LOVE BREADS! Name it! Know what my two favorites are? Pizza crust from like Domino's or Papa John's. AND Those croissant rolls from Sam's Club! Those are the top 2!! So, don't buy them! LOL If I have only one, I can't stop at one.

4) When making choices, include God in the decision making. Pray. When the cravings hit, pray.

5) One of the things I struggle with is scripture memory. I have managed to memorize some verses BUT what I have found is when the cravings hit, the brain shuts down. Keep scripture cards or verses written in a handy dandy purse size or pocket size book. Keep "go to scripts" on me at all times. When the cravings hit and the brain can only recall John 3:16, I can whip out another verse to go with it! Especially here in the beginning stages!

I love how people say "God will do ALL the work". Well, that's only partly true. There is something I have to do. I have to make the choice, the intentional sacrificial choice, to obey God. It's a contract. IF I'm willing to live in obedience and mercy, He's willing to give me the strength to live in obedience and mercy.

3. Intentional Sacrifice ~ Lysa talks about lasting, sustainable discipline and the importance of making one wise choice after another. What will this look like for you after our study ends? Do you believe it is possible? - See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/current-study/#sthash.veeX00YO.dpuf

19 February 2014

#Beneficial

The nice thing about Thursday's Blog Hop with Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study is ... there are 4 topics to choose from. I always think "I'll go with ____" and then change my mind last minute!

When you think of "beneficial", what comes to mind? What images does it project on the movie screen set up in the back of your brain? Does it conjure the thought "What do I get out of doing this?" What? That sounds selfish doesn't it? Well ... that's okay! Know why? God wants us to benefit from Him being our Daddy!

Beneficial means "producing good or helpful results" OR try this one on for size! "receiving or entitling one to receive advantage, use, or benefit"

Here's what I'm learning. Because of who I am in Christ, I receive an advantage from God to do THIS life! That "advantage" is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the "ace up my sleeve", "the 8-ball in the corner pocket", "the secret ingredient of the family recipe". The Holy Spirit is about "producing good" fruit in me and a slice of that fruit is self-control (Galatians 5).

On Sunday, I lost a lot of weight. I was on my treadmill, listening to my iPod. I'd raise the incline, lower the incline. Speed up, slow down. The tunes landed on "White Flag" by Chris Tomlin. As I listened to the song and huffed along ("huffing" not "singing"), I found that I had cranked the treadmill up to 4.5 (speed). At 3.8, I'm at a very fast walk or jog, 4.0 my short legs have a hard time keeping up so I have to move them in a running fashion. I'm at 4.5 changing the words to personalize the song "I raise my white flag, I surrender all to You, all to You. I raise my white flag this war with food is over ... I'm tired of fighting and it winning .. It's over, over". I was stomping my foot down and I think my treadmill thought I was going to kill it! In that moment, it was like the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders and I heard a Voice tell me to cut the speed down a bit. The Voice I know full well because I have heard this Voice speak in my heart many a time over the last 10 years ... that nudge, that push from the Holy Spirit. For the first time in years, I feel free! For the first time in years, I do not feel trapped by food!

Self-control / Self-discipline, whatever you want to call it is 1) A slice of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and 2) It's only beneficial if I choose to do it. Self-discipline is embracing the boundaries God is setting up for me and not seeing them as a bunch of rules to keep me from enjoying His delicious gifts BUT seeing them as beneficial to me. Boundaries to be more aware of what I'm eating, how much I'm eating, when I'm eating. Boundaries to say "no" to certain activities that rob me of not just exercising my body but that rob me of exercising my spirit ... those quiet alone time moments at the feet of Jesus!

God doesn't want to starve us of good things. And I think the best way to see following God's ways are beneficial for us is to end this little blog with His Words of Truth ...

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

For He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9 (NIV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

12 February 2014

My Pity Party

The Question .... "What clues you into the fact that you are relying on your own strength in your battles with food (or any other struggle)?"

**Edited** I didn't like what I wrote so I'm starting over.

I like what Lysa says about a pity party. However, after I have had some time to think about what my clues are I have a better answer.

One day not long ago, I had "one of those days" where I had left my Bible home. I have this handy dandy New Living Translation that IS perfect to pack around. At work, I'm a custodian and I have to wear a smock. The smock has BIG pockets and I slide that handheld, large pocket sized Bible down in it. That way I always have God's Word with me. When on break of any kind (including potty break), I can read it. I don't always read it but CAN read it. Just knowing it's within reach settles the ole brain. So, my Bible was at home. It was also a day when EVERY minute felt like it was consumed by "other things". Name it! I bet it was distracting me, bidding for my attention. I didn't pray as much. By the end of the day, I was feeling "mean". Tired. Exhausted. All I wanted to do was go home and go to bed and forget the day had existed. That did NOT happen!

Long story short, I blew up at my son! Monster Mom came out with a vengeance! Should he have been disciplined? Yes. Should I have acted the way I acted? No.

I was running on empty. I hadn't taken time with God most of the day. I did my morning prayers and devotional but that was it! When you think about it, we are told to eat 3 healthy meals a day and have 2 or 3 healthy snacks in between. What makes us think we can make it all day on just ONE meal with our God? If we are suppose to eat (healthy) through out the day to keep our physical strength up, shouldn't we be feasting on God's Word and God's Presence through out the day so we are NOT relying on our own strength to carry us through out the day?

My signs are: frustration, irritability, lack of control of the tongue. I can have pit parties but when I really step back and look at how I respond on a day when I haven't spent time, that precious time with my Savior and LORD, I see where things "get on my nerves" more ... I can see my tolerance level is a lot lower ... I can see how my tongue lashes out at people closest to me. These are ALL signs that I have relied on my own strength through out the day ... PERIOD. I don't care if it is food choices, shopping choices, name it ... I've lived on my own strength for that day and it has WORE me out!

When it comes to food, I think I'm past the pity party stage. I don't care there are skinnier women out there. The only thing that bothers me is the stupid commercials for ChristianMingle.com and Eharmony.com. They always use these slimmer men and women for the ads. Instead of having a pity party like I use to, I now get a little upset. Why can't they show the plus size woman or man finding her/his match? Not only that ... how can it be a successful match until they've been married 10 to 15 years at least? Most first time marriages end after 7 years. .... Oh, wait ... That's ANOTHER blog! And as you can see ... that is how Vivian ends up relying on her own strength instead of focusing on Jesus and what He wants me to do NOT focusing on how lame those commercials are. It's THAT fast folks! The second we take our eyes off Jesus and put our focus on something else, we begin relying on our strength and that will wear us out each time.

05 February 2014

Delighting In Obedience?

Is THAT even possible? To "delight in obedience"?

YES!

When the kids' father and I divorced, we "dated" for a little while afterward. I use the word "dated" loosely. There was a part of me that wanted to put our family back together. I wanted to provide my children with a "whole" family ... complete with Mom and Dad ... Dad and Mom. Then something happened that scared me to death! The kids' father and I had sex. Yes! You read that right! We had sex outside the bonds of marriage. The little voice inside my head kept saying "It's ok. He was your husband. Aren't you still married in the eyes of God?" Then there was another voice. A disappointed voice ... "You AREN'T married now."

For 3 days God did not talk to me. Want to know what Hell on Earth is like? Folks, I can tell you! It is not hearing God's Voice. Not being in God's presence. It is a black moment when God is hurt and disappointed. I cried. I begged. I pleaded. When God opened up to me and spoke, it was stern, "matter of fact", and to the point. "Who provided means for you to get your car? Who provided you means to purchase much needed clothing? Who has put a roof over your head and food on your table? Who provided you the job you have? Who has opened the flood gates of Heaven and poured out blessings on you and has showered you with true love?"

Now, to some ... that might not sound like God. If you ever read the book of Job, you'll find a Voice just like that! God will be honest with us! At that point, I didn't care about how He sounded like a stern Father or a jealous Lover! I was so happy He was talking to me!

I had a problem. How would I get out of the tangled mess I was finding myself in? How was I going to avoid becoming the woman of "yesterday" again?

Obedience! Complete surrender of my desires ... that desire to be in a physical relationship. That desire for "me to fix my family". ALL my thoughts about what a perfect family is and should be surrendered.

I delight in obeying God because I have found when God says "Don't do ?????", He is looking out for my best interest! I have found when God says "Go ahead, do ??????", He is looking out for my best interest! Obeying God isn't about ALL this list of things I have to give up, it is about trusting God knows better than me. I have also discovered when I disobey God, I find myself in a world of crazy mess! Sometimes its not even the story I have described. It can be as simple as allowing the busy to take over my prayer life. I had that happen not long ago and my reaction at the end of the day didn't reveal a woman who walks in delightful obedience to the Living God! I'm not sure who that woman was THAT day! Some kind of ugly!

Now ... what I talked about at the beginning of this post IS a long time ago! I'm not defined by that moment. Even the other day when "the ugly" came out, I'm not defined by that moment either. However, I'm at a new place. Food and entertainment do not define me either!! God is calling me out to trust Him and lean on Him even more! I will delight in obedience to God's will and desires because He IS trustworthy, IS faithful, and DOES know what is best for me. It's time to surrender the gods in my life that keep me from experiencing the full Presence of God. When I find myself in a stressful situation and I choose whatever food is available to consume for comfort, that is me by-passing God and choosing food over Him. When I have had a long day and I don't want to deal with what is going on at home and I choose to lose myself in several episodes on Netflix, that is me by-passing God and choosing entertainment as an escape instead of sitting at the feet of Jesus and finding rest. God is now saying "Vivian, it's time. It's time to take our relationship up several steps. You are able to do it! I've been with you through many other hard patterns to break and I WILL be with you now. It's time. I want to tear down the idols on the shelf of your heart."

I was only going to share part of Isaiah 55. However, the whole chapter is more fitting! If you don't have time to read the whole thing, read the the bold parts:

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

30 January 2014

My Identity In Christ

Who am I?

Vivian the abandon? Vivian the rejected? Vivian the divorcee? Vivian the heavy set lady?

NO!!!

Vivian is God's workmanship! Depending on the version of the Bible, I am God's masterpiece!

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Vivian, the forgiven child of God.

Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24 (NLT)

Vivian, the set free child of God.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)

Vivian, the accepted child of God.

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 1 Corinthians 1:2 (NLT)

Vivian, the holy child of God.

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT)

Vivian, the made-new child of God.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

Vivian, the loved child of God. AND CHOSEN by God!

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)

Vivian, the close child of God.

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 (NLT)

Vivian, the confident child of God.

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Ephesians 3:12

Vivian, the victorious child of God.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37 (NLT)

Oh there is so much more!!! These don't even touch the "tip of the iceberg" of my identity in Christ! These are good promises for me to cling to. These are good promises for you to cling to! I am made for so much more than what the voices of my circumstances yell at me! I am made to crave God! I am made to love God! I am made to serve God with all my heart, soul, and strength! Sometime in like choices were made by others that hurt me. Sometime in life choices were made by me that hurt me. God is like ... "Let Me redeem that hurt and use it to help another who is hurting. Let Me have it, heal it, redeem it, and use it."

You are made for more!

I'd like to share a link with you. This lady isn't a part of the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study BUT she is the first person I read who's list started making me see me the way God sees me. Here is a direct link to Sharon Jaynes page with the list called My New Identity In Christ:

http://sharonjaynes.com/my-new-identity-in-christ/#sthash.BhYtss8m.dpbs

23 January 2014

Permissible But Not Beneficial

First, I'm enjoying the study on Made to Crave (M2C) byLysa TerKeurst through the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study. It is affirming another book I am working through called Lose It For Life (LIFL).

In LIFL, the writers mention once we turn 21 we are adults and can do WHATEVER we want. We can smoke cigarettes. We can have sex. We can go where we want and when we want. HOWEVER, many of these things cause problems. Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Let's talk about the issue with sex. Just because our parents are not hovering over us doesn't make having sexual relationships outside of marriage beneficial. In my personal experience, many years ago, it left me feeling empty. I wanted to be loved so bad! There wasn't any security. The guy can go anytime he wanted and never hear from him again. No accountability. No responsibility. Emptiness. Rejection. Then there's the moment of complete desperation and fear no one would ever love me that I settled for someone who poured all kinds of physical attention on me. We did marry and we did divorce. That's my personal experience! It's a miracle I didn't contact a disease!! That's the other down side to sexual relationships that aren't in a sealed, committed marriage. Both men and women run a HIGH risk of getting a sexual disease. Another goes back to responsibility. What if a child is born? The "un-beneficial" could go on and on. Just because "we can" doesn't mean "we should". There are emotional, physical, and spiritual consequences to the mentality of "I'm an adult and I can do whatever I want!". Just because it is permissible doesn't make it beneficial.

Now, I'll move to food. I'm 36 years old. I work for a living. I earn my money. Why can't I eat whatever I want to eat? Oreos are delicious! Nutella on waffles are a delight! Oh ... those chocolate chocolate chip muffins from Sam's are to DIE for! Then there are the potato chips. And the cheese sauces and dips. Oh the dinners a church can throw! Along with ice cream socials!! Thanksgiving and Christmas, oh, so delicious! I'm a good girl. I'm a single mom. I give up so much for my children and for God. I do all these things so right! I quit drinking alcohol years ago because I saw the path I was on. I've never smoked. I haven't ever abused drugs. I haven't been with a man since the divorce .... since the kids' dad. Why can't I have something that taste good? Why can't I have some pleasure?

Well, here's the problem. Just because it is permissible doesn't make it beneficial. You see ... heart disease runs in my family and so does diabetes. In 2012, I lost 50 pounds on Weight Watchers Online. Life happened and I lost interest, lost my drive to want to. I gained it ALL back in 2013! I actually had a scare over the week end, thought I had gained more!! Turns out it was the swelling from being sick. Over the week end, the scale said 268. This morning (1/22/14) the scale said 261. I'm tired. I'm cranky. My mother is worried half to death I'm going to have a heart attack any day (my brother did have one at age 42). Just because I can eat whatever I want doesn't mean I should.

Food isn't evil. It's needed to nourish our bodies. There's nothing wrong with enjoying what we eat as long as it is in moderation. Food is a gift from God to us!

As far as the comment about how much I already sacrifice for my children and God ... Truth is ... God wants what is best for me! He wants my heart to be healthy and my blood sugar to be under control. He wants me to live the days He has numbered for me to the fullest. If I don't make changes, I won't get to do that. I may not live to see my daughter get married. I may not live to see my son graduate. The benefits of changing ARE far better than the the consequences of this mentality "It's my body, I can do what I want!" Just because it is permissible doesn't make it beneficial to me ... to God ... to my two beautiful children ... to my poor mother!

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Hebrews 12:11-13 (NIV)

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