Day 29: Conformed or Transformed

If you weren't able to make it to church yesterday, you missed a good sermon by Pastor Alan that started out with some sad facts about how many Christians actually read the Bible. Maybe he will share a few throughout the week to remind us why it's so important for us to do this devotion with motion. Not just to read a devotion everyday, but to use it to also add a little of God's Word to it to create that healthy habit. Let's not be in that minority. From today's devotion Romans 12:2a-"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

We make it a priority and we will make the time. Even one line of scripture. You can learn so much from it if you picked one scripture and read it each day, but not just read it, but also study it. I can give you some methods if you're interested. I hope you all had a good weekend. Tomorrow we reach 30 days which means you should be on Day 29 today in our devotion. I want to add some things to the group to hopefully get more posting out of you. ;) Sorry I haven't been keeping up with my blog, maybe I can work a better plan for myself in posting and have it be one of my goals for out last 30 days. Time to workout now!

Day 23: I Need ______!

Do you often find yourself saying, "I need ______ so I can be satisfied?" I try to think about if I do and nothing comes to mind specifically, but I'm sure I do just maybe not in those exact words. Maybe something like, "If we start making more money, then we can buy some land and build our own house." I don't really say, if we build our own house, I'll be happier. I can't say I'm really an unhappy person or expect to have things and I'm pretty good about being content with what I have, except the extra weight right now on my shoulders... and on my legs and hips and... :) That may be an area where I would say, "If I can get toned again, I will feel more comfortable wearing not so baggy clothes." I wish the devil wouldn't cloud our mind with thoughts like that.

Day 22: A Supernatural Fix

I always try to stress.... Be your best! I've found many people say it often as well and I am happy to know them because it's a great thing to do. God made you. You are his masterpiece, so be your best. But now I can have my own saying, "Be your best and let God do the rest." Practice may not make perfect, but almost perfect. Trust God to help you get there, but go into this believing in yourself, being true to yourself trying your best. Let God then do the rest. 

Day 21: But Victory Seems So Far Away

What is something positive you have gained from your weight loss journey so far?

Lysa says to be joyful, prayerful and thankful. I like this because I use the quote a lot,

"Don't think about how far you have to go, but how far you have come." 

When we continue to pay attention to what hasn't happened yet, we lose focus on the present and what progress we have already had. We also tend to give up because we feel that it is taking too long or nothing is working. This is why those small goals she talks about are so important. Also why I say to make those goals realistic. We are going to fail sometimes, but we should try harder not to set ourselves up for failure. It's trial and error trying to figure out what works best for you personally and physically. Hopefully you saw my photo I posted of my new goals in our Facebook group and remember I'm looking forward to seeing yours written as well. I found those things are important for me right now to be able to get to the losing weight or seeing definition process. They are also common every day things that all of us should do. Once I create some better habits, I can make more personal goals that work just for me.

Now tell me, what positives have you gotten out of this journey so far as we end our third week together?

Day 17: The War Against My Soul

The goals of this accountability group are not only related to increasing our fitness and better eating, but to dedicating time aside just for God. Trusting Him in this process instead of relying on ourselves. Fitting time in for exercise can be difficult, but also doing a little reading from the Word can be when it's not already a habit. Stay devoted. I can't believe we are already at Day 17 when I post this (actually we are on 18, but I wanted to make a post for this day too.)

Day 12: Emotional Emptiness

Your past mistakes do not define who you are!!

Day 11: A Grace Place

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (HEBREWS 4:16)

Day 10: Why Do We Crave?

God created the world and saw that it was good. Adam and Eve sinned and now the world is broken. Those are two sentences summed up from two lessons I have taught the Sunday school kids that are part of a four part study. God did not at first intend for us to have all of these cravings/issues. The world was perfect. He has given us the choice to be fixed by Him by receiving Jesus instead of making us have to love Him, He wants us to choose out of our own free will (lesson three). The world is our serpent these days making us crave the things that arent' necessary. Thanks to Eve, it makes it that much harder for us to crave more of God, but we can. Jesus showed us. That's why God sent him. Jesus was perfect yes, but he felt our cravings, our temptations. He just chose not to give in. Instead, he let his focus be on God and not on the ways of this world/Satan. Let's try to remember this. We can be more like Jesus. He knows how difficult it is, he's walked in our shoes. We may not be able to walk on water, but we can make decisions on healthier eating or adding ten minutes of exercise to also strengthen our temple.

(Sorry for the lack of photo today. I realize I'm a day behind and so I wanted you to know I'm still with you in reading. I will either post a photo later or just move on to today's devotion. I pray that you are all doing well and continuing on this journey. Don't be frustrated.)

Day 9: Compromise & Promise

We have just started this journey and we are all already falling short somewhere. It's not intentional. We mean well. We need to remember why we are reading this blog right now and not let time rob it from us. God wants good things for us. We need to trust his promises and look to him for help when we are struggling. 

Day 8: Isn't This Just A Small Thing?

Don't lose focus on God. My workout today called Focus T25 reminded me when I wanted to stop that I needed to stay focused. And then I thought, instead of trying to find that momentum myself, why not ask God? I need to do my workout for his temple and to show those who want to give up that if you keep pressing on, you will build that endurance, persevere and win that race! Keep the focus on he who gives us the ability to do the things we can do and to make it through what we cannot control. 

Day 6: It's All in the Family

I had posted this photo on my facebook page Friday and found it appropriate for Day 6's post. God already sees us as perfect and is our biggest fan, our true audience. Just like our family. The little boy in the devotion for today was cute. He saw his mom no different in the picture and at that moment. They look past our imperfections. Our children, spouse and God are our true audience and no one else matters. If someone is making your feel like you're not good enough, they're not worth being around. My body has changed significantly since I've had the baby, some of those things may be temporary, but some will stay. I notice these things of course and have a hard time even though I shouldn't. My husband, however, doesn't and treats me the same. That's the way it should be. By the way, thank you, Justin. 

"Surround yourself only by those who will lift you higher." -Oprah

As we get older, even if we don't have babies, our bodies change. We must move forward and continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle. After all, our bodies are only temporary, but we still need them to work as well as they can to get through every day life by taking care of them. We only get one temple.

Day 5: Blessings Ahead

Yes, we will be perfect one day in heaven. This journey we are on is a lifestyle change and we strive for the rest of it to be our best for God. Lysa mentioned one of the phases to reaching perseverance (endurance as NIV uses) is a process. It's ongoing, sometimes fast, sometimes slow depending on our body types. This is what I created the group for--developing endurance physically and spiritually.

I often wonder how in the world do people eat healthy 'cuz some of the things seem to taste yucky. She also said how she now craves the hummus and veggies and such. I noticed last week I was trying to include more raw veggies that is definitely an aquired taste. I tried a bite of green pepper in hummus and was not sure about it. I enjoy peppers cooked on things, but not raw like that. By the third time I had a few bites, it seemed to start to taste better. Believe it or not. Did I eat a whole pepper? No. Was what I ate worth it? Maybe not a lot, but a little. Do what you can to work your way up to eating better, even if it means a couple bites each day. This week I'm trying a red pepper to see how I like it. 

Day 4: Consider It

I like how Lysa explains the "consider it" part of this scripture today. I never thought of it that way. When we are going through something difficult, it's hard to think about what may come of it that is positive when we aren't feeling happy or good during that moment/time in our lives. 

The other night Justin and I got Popeyes for dinner. We knew it's not on the good list for healthy eating, but we also can't beat ourselves up about not having a meal planned. I had worked late that night. Anyway, I could have at the time thought about how it will make me feel later, but that thought didn't cross my mind. Someone came in to work with a box and I thought, "Yum, I know what's for dinner tonight." The crap that fast food places inject into their food is what makes us crave it. Like sugar. Eating enough of it will make you crave it more. You have to try really hard to break that habit. Remember though,  there are good sugars, but that's a subject for another day.  Let us try to consider it more often in all circumstances. It will be very difficult, but we have great help. :)

Day 3: The Right Questions

Before you allow the scale to tell you your weight, answer these questions to determine if it will be accurate:

1. Did I overeat this week on any day?
2. Did I move more and exercise regularly?
3. Did I eat in secret or out of anger or frustration?
4. Did I feel that, at any time, I ran to food instead of God?
5. Before I step on the scale, do I feel that I had a successful, God - pleasing week?

Don't weigh yourself every day. I had to tell my husband that yesterday. Our bodies fluctuate up and down throughout the day depending on so many different things that I'll save for Tip for Tuesday or Thursday. If you must weigh yourself (I've personally given up for now), then pick one day to weigh once a week. Same time of day and same clothing. I prefer Friday mornings.

Another way that the Word of God can change your life is by elevating your mood.

"When you get discouraged, you don't need a coffee break, you need a Word break."       --Rick Warren 

Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled.  Romans 15:4

Today's devotion was not just about being disappointed in the scale, but also about obedience to God. This morning I was actually able to get out of bed at 5:00 a.m. like I want to every day (except the weekends), to have my quiet time before the baby wakes up. Usually I have to wake him, so it works out for me to have a half an hour before feeding him, then after he eats, I plan for an hour workout (which still has to happen because I end up playing with him too long :)). Following this structured plan would give me a half an hour to get ready for work. That is the sacrifice I make in the mornings to fit my workout in. I'm not a big fan of makeup anyway. As I was lying in bed at 4:55, I got on my phone and couldn't keep my eyes open. At about 5:15 I turned it off and then I remembered why I need to get out of bed at 5. Not just so I can keep a better schedule, but to be obedient to God. I was wasting time that I should be spending with Him. Now it had to be cut short. It is now 5:30 and I shall move on to a very important priority. I will get my schedule straight. And you will too.

Heavenly Father, as we come to you today with our crazy schedules, our frustration about the scale reading us that number we know is wrong, help us to remember that what's most important is the time we spend with you and to be obedient. The scale lies and is temporary. You are faithful and forever. As long as we are doing what we know and learn to be better, that is what matters.
Amen.

Day 2: What If I Let God Down?

I've been listening to Rick Warren's 40 Days in the Word study on oneplace.com for the past couple weeks and it has been helpful in giving me things to share with the group. Yesterday I was listening to "How the Bible Can Change Us." One of the ways relates to today. It can simply eradicate (or remove) our guilt. This is exactly what today's devotion is about. Feeling guilty about letting God down because we stopped eating well or did not continue to exercise. We have to try to let go of this feeling. What's the quote often used? Let go and let God? Let's try that today and in the next 60 days and on when we skip a meal or over eat or miss our exercise. We have to have faith that it will fall in to place if we rely on God to help us.

Here are some verses to add to your devotion today:

1 John 1:9

Romans 8:1

Heavenly Father, I pray for the group today as they read their devotion and hopefully meditate on it. Allow them to remember not to feel guilty or fear because you will not leave them.

Amen.

Day 1: Unsettled

Day one of 60 days reading "Made To Crave Devotions." Unsettled we're making time to read the devotion, pray, exercise and eating healthier. By turning our focus towards God and allowing the devotion to be our top priority, I pray that all the others fall in to place through prayer and relying on God to help.

"Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."  Joshua 1:8 NLT