"As He [Jesus] traveled through Galilee, He came to Cana, where He had turned the water into wine [at the marriage supper; His first miracle]. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went & begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die. Jesus asked, 'Will you never believe in Me unless you see miraculous signs & wonders?' The official pleaded, 'Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.' Then Jesus told him, 'Go back home. Your son will live!' And the man believed what Jesus said & started home. While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive & well. He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, & they replied, 'Yesterday afternoon at one o'clock his fever suddenly disappeared!' Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, 'Your son will live.' And he & his entire household believed in Jesus" [NLT; words in brackets added by author, for clarity & context].
The government official demonstrated faith in Jesus by humbly asking Him to heal his son. He believed Jesus' word to be true, even though he hadn't yet seen the results. Our faith is expressed in similar ways. We can begin by humbly & honestly seeking God's help. He will help us, even though we may not see immediate results. We can believe that God is working, & persevere, even when the results are not immediately evident.
What this has to do with weight: You can ask God to partner with you, to help you lose the weight you need to lose &/or exercise regularly, to help you become & stay healthy. It is a process that will take time. Keep believing that God is working, & persevere, no matter what. If you do, in time, you will see great results.
Today, what can you believe God to do for you? Listen to the lead singer of Delirious sing "Miracle Maker." Note: The word you see, in different languages, is the word "holy."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FOPKkQmJog
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Life Plan Devotion #156 [No Greater Love]
John 3:16-18
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” [NLT].
Faith says “yes” to God’s loving overtures to each of us. God cared enough to send His own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins. True faith has nothing to do with our human efforts, social achievements, or material wealth. True faith says to God, “I’m a helpless sinner, in need of a Savior. I trust Your forgiveness, which You freely offer me in Jesus Christ.” This faith delivers those who believe and have asked Jesus to enter their heart from the ultimate consequence of our sins--eternal separation from God.
What this has to do with weight loss: Not only does faith in Jesus Christ give us salvation’s assurance of an eternity in Heaven, but it also empowers us to make changes in the present that will plant the seeds for a new life. As a believer, you have access to all the power of God, to enable you to make good choices, even in the area of eating and exercising. God cares about every detail of your life. He is ready, willing, and able to help you. He loves you and wants you whole, in every way.
Today, know this: If you had been the ONLY person on the face of this earth, Jesus would still have come and died just for you.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Life Plan Devotion #155 [Get angry]
I don't know about you, but anger is my least comfortable emotion, yet, it is God-given. The Bible says, "Be angry and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26a). That's the key. Even Jesus got angry, yet He did not sin. Let's see how getting angry can be beneficial.
John 2:13-16
"It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; He also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, He told them, 'Get these things out of here. Stop turning My Father's house into a marketplace!'" (NLT)
Jesus was angry at those who had turned the Temple courts into a marketplace of unjust profit. The merchants forced the people to buy "approved" sacrificial animals in exorbitant prices and exchanged their currency for Temple currency at inflated rates. They abused the public trust and mocked holy worship. It wasn't right, and Jesus was righteously indignant. Anger is an emotion, and one of the emotions God created in us. It can be used for good or for evil. Anger that is measured and authorized by God's purposes is justified. This kind of anger can play an important role in our spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery.
What this has to do with weight loss: You will know, beyond a doubt, that you will experience success in the area of weight loss, when you get angry enough to do something about it. When you stand up to the abusive forces in your life, and that includes addiction to food, you will be able to make the changes that will set you free from its grip. As you do, God will stand by you.
Today, think about anything in your life that God says, "Let's get this OUT!" Allow holy anger to well up inside you, and do the hard thing, to get that destructive, abusive force out of your life. God can use even anger in you, to encourage you to make changes. Surrender to the process.
John 2:13-16
"It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; He also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, He told them, 'Get these things out of here. Stop turning My Father's house into a marketplace!'" (NLT)
Jesus was angry at those who had turned the Temple courts into a marketplace of unjust profit. The merchants forced the people to buy "approved" sacrificial animals in exorbitant prices and exchanged their currency for Temple currency at inflated rates. They abused the public trust and mocked holy worship. It wasn't right, and Jesus was righteously indignant. Anger is an emotion, and one of the emotions God created in us. It can be used for good or for evil. Anger that is measured and authorized by God's purposes is justified. This kind of anger can play an important role in our spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery.
What this has to do with weight loss: You will know, beyond a doubt, that you will experience success in the area of weight loss, when you get angry enough to do something about it. When you stand up to the abusive forces in your life, and that includes addiction to food, you will be able to make the changes that will set you free from its grip. As you do, God will stand by you.
Today, think about anything in your life that God says, "Let's get this OUT!" Allow holy anger to well up inside you, and do the hard thing, to get that destructive, abusive force out of your life. God can use even anger in you, to encourage you to make changes. Surrender to the process.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Life Plan Devotion #154 [The gift of true life]
John 1:1-5, 10-13
"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it... He came into the very world He created, but the world didn't recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn--not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God" (NLT).
The same Power that created the universe is available to create a new life within us, to create a new life from our shattered hopes and dreams. The Light of Life, that exposes and drives away the darkness of the human race, is the same light that brightens the dark corners of our world, whatever those dark corners may be.
Eternal life and renewed earthly life are ours when we believe what God says, renounce our tendency to do things our way, and receive the One whom God sent to help us. It is our personal decision to make, whether or not to receive the gift of salvation, to receive the gift of help.
What this has to do with weight loss: Everyone who is trying to lose weight needs support. Support can come from family, friends, the medical community, the internet community (like ObesityHelp.com), but the greatest help can be found on the spiritual level, in a day-to-day relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest, acquainted with every sorrow, with every experience we could ever have (Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:3b), and has promised to make a way out whenever we experience temptation (I Corinthians 10:13).
Today, if you've never received the gift of salvation, and would like to, contact me, and I will be more than happy to help you. If you have asked Jesus into your heart, previously, take the opportunity to remember the sweet moment your surrendered to Jesus, and thank Him for the gift of salvation and the gift of help He gives you daily.
"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it... He came into the very world He created, but the world didn't recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn--not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God" (NLT).
The same Power that created the universe is available to create a new life within us, to create a new life from our shattered hopes and dreams. The Light of Life, that exposes and drives away the darkness of the human race, is the same light that brightens the dark corners of our world, whatever those dark corners may be.
Eternal life and renewed earthly life are ours when we believe what God says, renounce our tendency to do things our way, and receive the One whom God sent to help us. It is our personal decision to make, whether or not to receive the gift of salvation, to receive the gift of help.
What this has to do with weight loss: Everyone who is trying to lose weight needs support. Support can come from family, friends, the medical community, the internet community (like ObesityHelp.com), but the greatest help can be found on the spiritual level, in a day-to-day relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our High Priest, acquainted with every sorrow, with every experience we could ever have (Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:3b), and has promised to make a way out whenever we experience temptation (I Corinthians 10:13).
Today, if you've never received the gift of salvation, and would like to, contact me, and I will be more than happy to help you. If you have asked Jesus into your heart, previously, take the opportunity to remember the sweet moment your surrendered to Jesus, and thank Him for the gift of salvation and the gift of help He gives you daily.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Life Plan Devotion #153 [Breaking down the barrier]
I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (NIV).
I have learned some lessons from my own wilderness wonderings, and I have shared several with you:
1) Even in the wilderness, God provides and guides.
2) Sin will stop the flow of God's provision to you.
Today, let's briefly look at Lesson #3, that repentance is the solution to the problem/barrier of unconfessed sin stopping the flow of God's provision to you.
It is crucial that you daily reflect on how you are living your life, what you are doing, saying, even thinking. Unconfessed sin is a spiritual cancer. Do not allow it to spread. I John 1:9 is a wonderful promise, and it is the solution to the problem.
Just as I John 1:9 states, when you know of (or the Holy Spirit reveals) an unconfessed sin, immediately confess it, knowing that the Lord is faithful and just, and forgiveness is instantaneous.
Yes, Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross paid for all the sins of all mankind--past, present, and future, but it is up to each of us to safeguard our close walk with Him, as well as break down the barrier of our individual shortcomings which can keep God's blessings from flowing to us, by utilizing confession and repentance. How true the saying, "Confession is good for the soul."
What this has to do with weight loss: The definition of "sin" is "missing the mark," and based on that definition, I miss the mark in my weight-loss journey quite often. Now, I can choose to feel condemned by that or I can choose to confess it, repent of it, and allow the Lord to help me to do better next time. All too often, it seems we do the former and just beat ourselves up by our lack of self-control, or our laziness, or our "cheats." Let's make a better decision, and choose the I John 1:9 approach, truly making each day a new start, even in our weight-loss journey.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I know I miss the mark often, daily it seems. My desire is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who is faithful to shine His light on each area that I need to get right with You. May I also keep a clean slate, confessing and repenting of each time I sin in thought, word, or deed. I thank You that forgiveness is assured. May I do my part to bring down every barrier that keeps Your provision from coming to me. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, with nothing between you and the Savior.
I have learned some lessons from my own wilderness wonderings, and I have shared several with you:
1) Even in the wilderness, God provides and guides.
2) Sin will stop the flow of God's provision to you.
Today, let's briefly look at Lesson #3, that repentance is the solution to the problem/barrier of unconfessed sin stopping the flow of God's provision to you.
It is crucial that you daily reflect on how you are living your life, what you are doing, saying, even thinking. Unconfessed sin is a spiritual cancer. Do not allow it to spread. I John 1:9 is a wonderful promise, and it is the solution to the problem.
Just as I John 1:9 states, when you know of (or the Holy Spirit reveals) an unconfessed sin, immediately confess it, knowing that the Lord is faithful and just, and forgiveness is instantaneous.
Yes, Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross paid for all the sins of all mankind--past, present, and future, but it is up to each of us to safeguard our close walk with Him, as well as break down the barrier of our individual shortcomings which can keep God's blessings from flowing to us, by utilizing confession and repentance. How true the saying, "Confession is good for the soul."
What this has to do with weight loss: The definition of "sin" is "missing the mark," and based on that definition, I miss the mark in my weight-loss journey quite often. Now, I can choose to feel condemned by that or I can choose to confess it, repent of it, and allow the Lord to help me to do better next time. All too often, it seems we do the former and just beat ourselves up by our lack of self-control, or our laziness, or our "cheats." Let's make a better decision, and choose the I John 1:9 approach, truly making each day a new start, even in our weight-loss journey.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I know I miss the mark often, daily it seems. My desire is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who is faithful to shine His light on each area that I need to get right with You. May I also keep a clean slate, confessing and repenting of each time I sin in thought, word, or deed. I thank You that forgiveness is assured. May I do my part to bring down every barrier that keeps Your provision from coming to me. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, with nothing between you and the Savior.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Free Samples really help!
I know this is a different post from what I normally write, but I want to tell you about a great site where you can get free samples (seriously, free!), http://www.shop4freebies.com/. I don't know about you, but I love a bargain, and you can't get a better bargain than something that's free!
Visit Shop4Freebies.com, and if you like what you see, sign up to receive their daily email. If you're concerned about your email address getting on a billion business lists, due to signing up for the individual free offers, you can create an email account just for your freebies, orders, and on-line sign-ups. Frankly, I've never had a problem with this, but I've heard my friends express concern.
Maybe I'm just a kid at heart, but I still love to get mail, and when it's a free sample, it feels like Christmas. Now, if they'd only wrap them in pretty paper. [sigh]
Visit Shop4Freebies.com, and if you like what you see, sign up to receive their daily email. If you're concerned about your email address getting on a billion business lists, due to signing up for the individual free offers, you can create an email account just for your freebies, orders, and on-line sign-ups. Frankly, I've never had a problem with this, but I've heard my friends express concern.
Maybe I'm just a kid at heart, but I still love to get mail, and when it's a free sample, it feels like Christmas. Now, if they'd only wrap them in pretty paper. [sigh]
Life Plan Devotion #152 [It's a barrier]
Isaiah 59:1-2 "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (NIV).
Last time, we looked at the first of just a few lessons I have learned in my wilderness wanderings, that even in the wilderness, God provides and guides. Today, let's look at the second lesson I have learned. It is a lesson that is crucial.
Lesson #2 is that sin will stop the flow of God's provision to you. Sin is a problem. It separates you from God, the very One who can provide for your needs as you're in the wilderness.
Sin creates a barrier. God will not look at sin, and He turns a deaf ear to the prayers of those living in unconfessed sin. What sin is worth living without the help of Almighty God?
What this has to do with weight loss: When the weight-loss journey begins to feel like a wilderness wandering, when you have asked God to help you but the answers just don't seem to come, it is helpful to take stock of your life. See if there is unconfessed sin that may be keeping the Lord from blessing your weight-loss journey. If there is, take care of it.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, it is good to remind myself that sin is a barrier to Your provision, to Your willingness to intervene in my life. My desire is to keep a clean slate with You, every day. May I be so spiritually sensitive, that the second I even think of sinning, my conscience is pricked. I don't want anything to keep me from a close walk with You. I want to be a person You can bless. In Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, living a life God can bless.
Last time, we looked at the first of just a few lessons I have learned in my wilderness wanderings, that even in the wilderness, God provides and guides. Today, let's look at the second lesson I have learned. It is a lesson that is crucial.
Lesson #2 is that sin will stop the flow of God's provision to you. Sin is a problem. It separates you from God, the very One who can provide for your needs as you're in the wilderness.
Sin creates a barrier. God will not look at sin, and He turns a deaf ear to the prayers of those living in unconfessed sin. What sin is worth living without the help of Almighty God?
What this has to do with weight loss: When the weight-loss journey begins to feel like a wilderness wandering, when you have asked God to help you but the answers just don't seem to come, it is helpful to take stock of your life. See if there is unconfessed sin that may be keeping the Lord from blessing your weight-loss journey. If there is, take care of it.
Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, it is good to remind myself that sin is a barrier to Your provision, to Your willingness to intervene in my life. My desire is to keep a clean slate with You, every day. May I be so spiritually sensitive, that the second I even think of sinning, my conscience is pricked. I don't want anything to keep me from a close walk with You. I want to be a person You can bless. In Jesus' Name. Amen."
Go forth today, living a life God can bless.
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