Proud Of Me? You Bet Ya!

Proud Of Me? You Bet Ya!

You see the Lord has been dealing with me on my health situation. I have been doing better but I started using that as an excuse to eat this or that and some more of this. Really?!  I know better than that. I’m not improving my health and losing weight to celebrate with food and laziness. That’s going backward not forward.

One of the neat ways the Lord began to get my attention has been during the tithe at church. Yep, you heard right, the tithe messages at church.

You see our tithe messages have been on sewing up the holes in our bag and one of those holes are spending too much money at the grocery store on food we don’t really need and/or eating out more than we should.

As we advance in the tithe message we begin to see the sin of gluttony has been left out of many messages in the churches.  (for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.  Proverbs 23:21) Much like adultery, divorce, the Holy Spirit, baptism, and others truths of the Bible are being left out, after all people don’t want to hear that kind of truth they might quit coming to church or tithing. Okay that’s another blog so let me get back to ‘eating’ and my health.

In these tithe messages I began to see just how much food and flavor have control over me, more control than the Holy Spirit and that’s not a good thing. 

Then I began to see how lazy I had become and the excuses I had begun to use. 

It is too easy to fall into this pit when you don’t allow the Holy Spirit to help you. I started bringing junk food back in the house knowing I did not have good self-control and would eat it, sometimes all in one setting.

God is so good and I love the way He equips us to handle temptation. We just have to be listening and willing to obey – to trust Him for the strength.  So today the Lord spoke to my husband and me during our Bible reading and prayer time about our ‘addiction’ to food.  The Lord also spoke about our need for organization in our home. I have a confession here – the Lord has been dealing with me on this for 6 months if not longer – I have repented and that’s another blog story too  lol.

So with this information I bring it back to my blog title ‘Proud of Me? You Bet Ya’ …..

because chocolate chips cookies were calling out to me all night!

I had a meeting at church and the person having this meeting brought in pizza, potato chips and soda, and thankfully a vegetable plate; someone else brought in homemade chocolate chip cookies – did you hear what I said ‘homemade’ ! 

So my flesh was all up in this….you have to have at least one and I hear my mind already reasoning for a second and  a third because I knew if I had just one I’d eat several more. So I walked away. Okay, I walked up to it again and almost gave in the second time...almost but I didn't, I walked away again.

They had 6 or more pizzas and I did have 2 small slices – one was just cheese and the other pepperoni. But I did NOT have potato chips, soda or CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. That is why I’m proud of me. I remembered what my husband and I talked about this morning,  it was truly from God and I resisted the temptation to give in to the food that causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol and an oversized stomach So even though the pizza was not the best choice I only had 2 pieces, water to drink and several carrots and cucumber slices.

The neatest thing about all this – my husband and I heard from God this morning and with this confirmation I was able to turn away from overeating and the temptation of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t have to unbutton my pants or come home feeling tired and bloated. I gained strength from being in God’s Word, in prayer with my husband and then in our talking about what we heard from the Lord. How awesome is our God!

Be willing to make the change God is telling you to make.

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2 Amplified

Exercising and Eating - Is That All I Need to Do?

It's a new year and lot's of people are deciding this is the year to get in shape, to drop some weight.

But I believe there's more to getting fit than exercising and watching how much you eat.





"Dear friend I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even
 as your soul is getting along well."  3 John 1:2

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."  Proverbs 3:7-8

'health' here in the Strong's Concordance means - cure.

As I study the Bible I begin to see that God's warnings are not to keep us from having fun but to protect us. We lose our mental, physical and spiritual health when we don't shun evil; when we think we know better than God. 

There are more Scrptures that talk about health but I just wanted to put a few out for now.

I personally believe I should be in God's Word daily, talking/praying and listening to Him; making sure I obey what His word says.

I can tell you after the initial ouch or hesitation, there is such a joy, a strength, and energy that comes in and this helps me exercise and helps me to say no thank you to those tempting foods.

Sit before the Lord and ask Him for guidance on getting healthy and make sure it's in all areas of your life - not just food and exercise of the body.

Fruit Your Deeds Actions Are They Rotten or Good?

Fruit – what is it?

Are you thinking apple, orange, blueberries or watermelon? Those are yummy but when God speaks of fruit in John 15:2 and Matthew 12:33, this is not the ‘fruit’ He is talking about.

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.

 John 15:2

The fruit He is talking about is a deed, action, result, or profit.

 In the Strong’s it’s #2590 - everything done in true partnership with Christ, i.e. a believer (a branch) lives in union with Christ (the Vine). By definition, fruit (2590 /karpós) results from two life-streams – the Lord living His life through ours – to yield what is eternal

So our ‘fruit’ will be what we are doing, how we are speaking, how we are treating people; what our actions are, are we lazy, do we keep our word when we say we will do something? What is the result of our actions? Do we profit, does the Kingdom of God profit?

It says He prunes the branches that bear fruit.

Prune in the Strong’s #2508 - make clean by purging (removing undesirable elements); hence, "pruned (purged)"; eliminating what is fruitless by purifying.

I’m not sure about you but when I’m getting ‘pruned’ sometimes I let out a yelp!  There are times I know I need to let go of a relationship because it draws me away from God or I need to stop watching a certain program because it causes wrong emotions to rise up in me and that affects the relationships in my home. 

Sometimes He prunes me because I’m speaking negative things to myself and believing the lies rather than the truth of who God says I am and the power I have to change because ‘the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me’. WOW I want to understand that more. I ask for wisdom on this one verse Lord. That’s power!

The ‘more fruitful’ is awesome too, it is greater, of higher value.

So as I (we) are pruned, we repent and let go of the bad fruit and begin to see increase. This increase can come in the form of better relationships, finances, health, peace and faith.

When God begins to prune the bad fruit of laziness and over eating, it doesn’t feel comfortable at first and it does take some work to move forward. But as you begin to give it over to God, rely on Him knowing you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you and then you begin to see the positive results – you begin to desire those pruning’s! You can even see an increase in your finances because you are not eating out as much or buying all those cookies and cakes you thought you couldn’t live without.

Then in Matthew 12:33 I looked up ‘good’    

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Good - Definition: beautiful, as an outward sign of the inward good, noble, honorable character; good, worthy, honorable, noble, and seen to be so.

In Strong’s - 2570 – attractively good; good that inspires (motivates) others to embrace what is lovely (beautiful, praiseworthy); i.e. well done so as to be winsome (appealing).

Don’t you want to be ‘good’, one that inspires, one that embraces what is lovely and praiseworthy? Don’t you want a person to know you as one that has honorable character? I sure do.

Now when I looked up ‘bad’ --

Definition: rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved.

In Strong’s - 4550  – properly, rotten (putrid), over-ripe; (figuratively) over-done (ripened); hence, corrupt. --, expresses what is of poor quality, unfit for use, putrid"– "of poor or bad quality"

Do you (do I) express what is of poor quality?

I looked up ‘poor quality’ in the dictionary (The Free Dictionary on-line) and it said - Not adequate in quality; inferior Lacking in value; insufficient.

I know if this is where I am at it's because I’ve started believing/living a lie. God tells me in His word that I have value, I am not useless! Satan wants me to have this ‘bad’ fruit so I’m too ‘self-centered’ to be ‘others-centered’. The evil one knows if he can keep me in the poor me or even in the pride arena, I will have rotten fruit because I’m stuck in the ‘me, me, me, it’s all about me’ syndrome. Anything I do will not be in excellence, it will begin to stink because it doesn’t inspire anyone. Living the way God tells me (us) to live is the good fruit, fruit that inspires and motivates and blesses!

Now on to ‘is known’ (is recognized).

Definition: I am taking in knowledge, come to know, realized.

1097 ginṓskō – properly, to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance).

You will be known by your fruit, there is no way around it. As people begin to know you, especially outside the Sunday sermon, will they be intrigued by your good fruit or repulsed by the rotten, bad fruit?

Remember your fruit will show through in the way you treat your spouse, your children, people you work with, the way you handle a frustrating cashier, etc. Are you the loudest AMEN on Sunday and then Sunday night or Monday morning you are belittling and controlling your spouse? Or maybe talking about someone because they are not on the same faith level you are? Do you gossip or whine? I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. I know I do and just in writing this I have had a conviction and have repented – ouch got pruned again, but thank You Lord because I know the good that will come from it. Good in my life and in the life of others, because You are Light in me for all to see!

If any of this has spoken to you and you need to repent and turn away from the bad fruit – do it now. So with eyes opened or closed, you’re your hand folded or lifted up to the Lord; however you are called to do it – cry out to God now, tell Him you know you have fallen short in this area and you are sorry. Ask Him to forgive you, He will. Then ask Him to give you the strength to change whatever it is, as you read His word He may give you Scriptures He wants you to dwell on so they become alive in you and give you what you need to change your bad fruit to a good fruit.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14