Day 129.......Is Grace jealously awaiting my surrender?

1 Peter 5:5 (New Living Translation)

5  In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for

“God opposes the proud

but favors the humble.”[a]

James 4:5-7 (New Living Translation)

5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?[a] 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud

but favors the humble.”[b]

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jonah 2:8 (New International Version)

8 "Those who cling to worthless idols

forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

Could this mean that if I am not submitting to God or my elders authority, God may be frustrating my situation due to my pride!  I have heard the saying, "surrender invites grace".

I Surrender !!!!!

I am learning that God has envy/jealousy for us.  He desires for us to know and seek only after Him.  He is our ultimate gift and He desperately wants us to continue on the path toward Him.  I watched the movie, The Ultimate Gift www.theultimategift.com/  then, came to a realization that God also puts us though a series of gifts (tests),  because His desire is for us to succeed in each gift to obtain the ulimate gift on earth which will only get better into our eternity.  What is the way to obtain it.....Surrender to His will, He is ready to lead us into His pefection, all it takes is surrender!  What's to lose, only the Ultimate Gift.  If you don't want it He won't force it, but He longs (envy/jealousy) for us to have it!   A Big Lesson, but to get it is the Ultimate!

1 Corinthians 10:21-23 (New International Version)

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

The Believer's Freedom

23 "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.

 

Lord, keep my thoughts on You, keep my actions Godly...Let me never arouse Your jealousy that You should oppose me....but let me always surrender to Your will and recieve your grace for my everyday circumstances. In Jesus name, Amen!

Day 126....My Tool Box

On weigh in day, I lost 2 lbs.  I realize that I have developed a wonderful tool box of great tools that work for me when used.  I just need to revisit my past posts and take a look at the tools that have helped me get this far.  I bit my nail off this last week, so I grabbed the ol' tool of dark nail polish (see Day 34 post), starting over is the perfect place to start.  In two weeks I will have long nails again.  I totally enjoyed Christmas and allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted as long as I did not over eat, I stopped when I was full.  I put my napkin on my plate and pushed it away (even when my plate still had food on it) WOW! (see Day 87 post).  Best of all I am in peace, God has given me a new level to dwell on and it has nothing to do with food.  I am no longer a slave under foods control.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I still love food, but it is in moderation because I know who I serve and who I want to think about and it is not food.  (see Day 107 post) 

Day 120......Stay on Track or Fall off Completely

On weigh in day I had gained 2.4 pounds. Ouch!  What I realized is my focus has not been on God this past week, it has been on my circumstances.  I needed to realize that if I lose my focus I will fall completely off the track. To stay on track I need to listen to my body signals and stop snacking when I am not hungry.   It is so easy to get caught up in daily insecurities, all the why, how and where's of lifes unknowns, but I am learning to give it ALL to God especially my thoughts. Then I need to trust that He is working out all the worrisome details for me, all I need to do is keep on being faithful and diligent in my discipline.  WoW!  I don't like set backs.  I am fighting feelings of failure and wanting to give up; however I have come so far.  God has shown up along the journey so many times, just to remind me, that He cares and wants me to keep Him my main focus.  Coincidently I am studying the Fruits of the Spirit with a book study group and I just read the chapter on Self Control.  Boy, did that one sting a bit! 

Galatians 5:17-18 (Amplified Bible)

17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do

So in short, it is HARD!  Our only saving grace is....Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible)

13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who [a]infuses inner strength into me; I am [b]self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].

I can do this, but I MUST tap into God's strength with a can do attitude, and with humility knowing that I can not do this alone.  God has to infuse me with His strength.  Also, the strength to not think.  I am my own worst critic, when I allow my thinking to be negative, so I must replace those negative thoughts with God's encouragement.  Encouragemant that reminds me that nothing is impossible with Him. 

Matthew 19:26 (Amplified Bible)

26 But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.

God understands that our flesh and spirit are at war.  He delights when we overcome the flesh with Self Control. The self control that produces fruit and where there is fruit there is a harvest.

Galatians 6:9 (Amplified Bible)

9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

Yeah.....Hope renewed!

Day 110......Weigh In

I lost .6 lbs.!  I am actually celebrating that I lost and did not gain.

Day 107........Pursue Peace

It is difficult to start something new, when your life is full already. It is double hard when that is topped with a difficult situation that takes your thinking in a million different directions.  I am in that place.  However, I am up this morning, just got off the treadmill and I am not going to think about anything until I am out of the shower and my first cup of coffee is in my hand.  This is how I am maintaining my discipline, by refusing to get so sidetracked that I lose the important things.   Calm in the mist of a storm, that is the definition of Peace, it is up to me to pursue it.

Week 15 Weigh In

I lost 2 lbs.!

Day 103.....God Tailor Fits My Journey

I am up and just got off the treadmill! 
My husbands employer implemented a wellness program with a monetary incentive to participate.  The old me would've been angry and insulted, but the new me wants to embrace the experience.  I went about a month ago to have the health screening with results that day.  I am healthy in every area except my BMI and Body composition.  I didn't need to be enlightened to that fact, but what is beneficial is they appoint a health coach to help bring the problem areas back into the healthy level.  I was remaining skeptical until the first  phone appointment with the health coach.  She called yesterday and we talked about 20 minutes. I am excited, my very nice health coach was an inspiration.  Now, here is the God thing.  I needed the freedom from food restraint for awhile so that God could rein me in for further discipline.  The great and awesome way that God is, He allowed me to continue to lose weight which shows me that changing my thoughts from food to God works.  I can and will always use that, but now I am convicted about the food in a verse I read.

James 4:17 (Amplified Bible)

17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.

You see I know that to be healthy I have to eat healthy foods.  If I want to live a pleasing life to God then I need to take what I know and apply it.  The health coach is just what I need to refine my goal.  I will eat good healthy food, in thankfullness that God provides everything for me.  I will not overindulge or let food rule over me, but I have to eat the right food and learn what those foods are to know what is right.  Joyce Meyer descibes our journey under God's authority as labor pains.  True to my own labor and delivery with my babies for both I need to have the labor room tailor fit to me, the room needed to be cool, I needed to be mobile so I could move around or get in the bathtub, listen to music, have a support person, ect.   God knows me, He knows I need some breathing room in His labor pains of disciplining me.  That is why these103 days have not been a clear cut plan from start to finish, but a tailor fit journey full of adventure and excitement as well as hard "labor" pain, but I know the new improved, healthy me will be the baby born.

Day 101......That's a Lot of Dalmations!

I am up early and did my first Couch to 5K warm up podcast while on the treadmill. My legs are pulsating right now so I know something wonderful is happening. I look back at my journey and it is full of side tracks and off the beaten path treks, but I am so grateful that it is tailor fit for me. I am a person that needs things changed up and fresh, this journey is definately that. I am not thinking about the 10K. I am only keeping my focus on God and letting Him help me in the baby steps. Wow, 101 days and I am not even 1/3 of the way thru the year. That is a lot of dalmations.