EATING WITH FAITH

I am starting my third week of the Daniel Fast. In a nutshell, the Daniel Fast is based on Daniel in the book of Isaiah who refuses to eat the spread of food the king provides but faithfully, stays committed to eating what God wants him to eat. It doesn’t specifically say what these foods are or what he was avoiding but interpretations of it say it is the sweets and meats. Ouch.  The guidelines I am using are from the book The Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola.

In my two weeks thus far, I have found that meat although yummy is set apart from other foods and put on a pedestal. Meat eaters worship their meat. The main component of every meal is the meat but I have found that I am sustained without meat and my feelings towards it are becoming more realistic. It is a food God provides but it should not be worshipped.

The sweet part has been easier only because of my Paleo eating which I think really helped prepare me for this fasting. I have discovered dates and making date honey from one of the many recipes in the book. My favorite breakfast smoothie is with dark chocolate hazelnut coconut butter, banana, whey protein, date honey, almond milk and ice. Yum.

Many people will stray from their diet New Year’s resolutions because of all the temptations, lack of total commitment and lack of faith. Our bodies are at war with our souls. Our bodies want the meat, the sweets, the caffeine, the bottle of wine but our soul which is part of our mind is wanting to do well and not eat the chocolate bar or gorge on a prime rib dinner. It is a constant battle that we cannot win on our own. Like the United States of America in the war with Britain for her independence, they needed help. God brought them the help they needed through the French.  We too need the help of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome sin and the evil that wants to control us through our bodies and our minds. Faith is the key to overcoming and conquering the worshipping of our food we eat and so much more.

If you have started a new way of eating and want it to succeed, your faith is the key factor in this success.

Romans 7:22-23 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Date Honey recipe:

6-8 Medjook dates, pitted

1 cup water

Slice and take out pits, put dates into saucepan and combine with water. The water should cover the top of them so add more if necessary. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Pour the whole thing into a blender and blend. Store in fridge for up to a week.

Costco has a good deal on them!

   

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 256

In my bible reading the word “alert” caught my attention. Alert means being aware, being prepared and being ready with all the tools we will need to fight the devil and his temptations. I have had a problem with eating as you know so after a conversation with my brother and sister-in-law yesterday about eating based on the Paleo diet I was intrigued and wanting to do something about my eating. The Whole30 challenge is a 30-day challenge that gets rid of foods that are hurting our bodies. I went to bed with all this on my mind and had one of those light bulb moments that makes you think well “duh”. The devil is using all the processed foods and all the convenience foods against us. He us laughing at us as we devour our too-large a bowl of pasta or our nightly bowl of ice cream. He loves it when we are in the grocery store and we end up tossing in an apple pie and a candy bar just in case we are in need of chocolate. Pleeeeeeease! I am so aware now of what the devil is doing so now it is time to get prepared and be ready with my arsenal of tools. What are these tools? Three things come to mind: community, prayer and commitment. The Whole30 challenge has an on-line community for support and I have my brother and sister-in-law I can call up when the temptation to make an unwise choice creeps up but I am also thinking about starting a bible study support group who would like to do the challenge with me and we can also read and study the book Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss by Kara David, MD that explores the fruits of the spirit and how the Holy Spirit can help us in our fight against the temptation of food. I will let you know the plans for starting this group as soon as I have time to contemplate it all. If you are interested in being in the group, let me know. Have a wise-choice making Sunday.

1Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 244

What are you waiting for? This question is said usually because there is hesitancy, fears or unsureness seen in the person this is said to. This question is a motivating question meant to encourage the person it is said to, to take action, let go of fears and do it. My studies on temperament have shown me how certain temperament weaknesses can cause this inaction. Only God can help a person overcome their built-in weaknesses and turn them into strengths. I have looked at my own built-in weaknesses within my temperament and can see how with the Holy Spirit within me I am able to conquer my fears, have confidence and take action. Conquering these built-in weaknesses is an on-going effort. With commitment to working with the Holy Spirit through prayer, worship and study anyone can overcome their built-in weakness and have them transformed into strengths that will glorify and serve God. What is keeping you from inaction? Take courage and ask the Holy Spirit to give you whatever it is you need to overcome.

Acts 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 128

Have you ever seen someone do something to someone that was disrespectful and as soon as they left the room, you reacted with negative words about the person who just left? That was me yesterday. I have talked to God about this one as it is an issue I have had all my life to react to something before thinking about it. It is the control part of my temperament that is leading me in this. I have to let go of all control and give it all to the Lord. This will have to be a daily commitment to let Jesus put the yoke on me and guide my steps, actions and words. For a more contemporary feel, I get a visual of squeezing lemons into a colander sifting out the seeds so we can make lemonade. Lord, be my colander today and let all things go through you.

1Peter 1:13-16 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 204

I have been struggling with my weight the last couple months. I have gained to that weight some of us set for ourselves that tell us, Uh Oh, time to watch what I am eating and get moving. I reached that weight a couple months ago after my trip out to Texas with my mom and sister. To make matters worse, instead of going down it's gone up more. Ugh. Last Friday I committed to myself to not eat desserts for a week. No chocolate, candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, NOTHING. I did it which is great but the weight is still there. I know it's only a week but I have been use to doing good for a couple days and see my weigth drop a pound. I have been getting in some excercising too so maybe I am just building muscle back that I lost and that's counter-acting the weight loss I had hoped for? In any case, I am thankful to God for the abundance of food options we have and I am praying that he will provide me with the self-control and to be prepared. That was one of the things I learned from Weight Watchers, to be prepared. Plan ahead on what you will eat. My planning has been very piece-meal so I know I can improve upon that. I will have to keep holding on to the three P's. Patience, Persistence and Prayer.  I will get my weight back to a heathly level with God's help.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 167

Yesterday at my job, I had the challenge of talking to an alarm company that thought they knew the law. The man was pretty adamant that he did not need to be paying just because, in his mind, no other alarm company was paying. I had to lead him to the truth in the kindest but firmest way I knew by simply stating over and over again, it's part of the ordinance. What I really wanted to do was yell at him and say look it's the law so just pay it. However, I need to keep my job... So, I kept on with kindness and firmness and ultimately the guy said can I pay with a credit card. I just chuckle about it now but in the moment, I was sweating it out dealing with this adversity to the truth. It makes me think of how difficult people probably are towards hearing the truth of the gospel. Their walls are up and their life experiences have cemented in their beliefs but we need to be persistent like God is with us. Never give up, never, ever. I think we can take down those walls people build up around themselves brick by brick with our kindness, our example, our conviction and commitment. Do you have someone who doesn't want to believe in Jesus? Doesn't want to hear the truth? Keep at them and let God work through you to take down the wall so they can see the light.
1 Timothy 2: 3-4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 109

Commitment is a wavering thing in our culture today. That word has been on my heart the last few days. The definition of commitment is the act of commiting or the state of being committed. Interestingly, the second defition is dediction and application. When I look at the things in my life that I have been dedicated to, I have grown more and that 'thing' has been successful. My first mememory of dedication goes back to my high school days when I was in drill team. I didn't make the drill team the first year I tried out but all my friends did. In looking back, I can honestly see I am a late bloomer in most things. I was dedicated in that next year to perfecting my skills and getting on the team and I did it with flying colors. I ended up getting awarded with the Most Dedicated award in my second year with drill team. My marriage is another thing that both Nathan and I went into with hearts that were committed to endure until the end and beyond. On a smaller scale, I went to a dentist cleaning appoitment one time and they said things weren't looking so great, I needed to do more. So, I committed right than to flossing every night. I have only missed two nights in the last two years. It made a difference! Committment brings success, blessings and growth. Committing to doing this praise challenge has been a glorious thing. I am in His Word everyday, thinking about Him all the time and am more open to seeing Him in everything. It is an amazing blessing. Commitments can be challenging but they are worth the effort. Have you committed to doing something to help you on your faith journey? Reading the bible everyday, praying more, memorizing scripture, bible study, faithbooking. Pick something today and say I am dedicated to doing this everyday and enjoy the fruit of God's blessings upon you.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose herts are fully committed to him.