"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13
Situations arise. Problems occur. Often we find ourselves on the side of a mountain hanging on for dear life hoping to find a way to the top and over. Sometimes a situation looks impossible and we run the risk of simply throwing our hands up and yelling out those two words that are the enemy of progress, "I can't."
In all honesty, we are simply telling the truth. We can't. There are so many things in this world that I attempt and fail at simply because I cannot do them. I do not have the skills. My energy and drive may be weak. I simply resign myself to the subtle truth that I can't. On my own, in my own power, or with just my determination I cannot accomplish many things.
The same isn't true of God. God can do all things that are possible for him to do. The great thing about any mountain or obstacle we face as a believer is we do not face those obstacles alone. That is the beauty and the truth of Philippians 4:13! This isn't a blanket statement that I can do everything because Christ lives in me. Of course you can't fly simply because you believe. You are probably never going to be able to spit fire naturally out of your mouth because you believe. This verse is not a special formula or spell that gives us the supernatural ability to do anything we want; neither does it give free reign to live how we want to live simply because we have Jesus. Yes, you could steal a car, cheat on your taxes, or rob a bank, but that is in spite of Christ not because of Him.
Truly this verse gives the hope we are not alone no matter what position we find ourselves in. It isn't that Jesus gives us supernatural power to overcome (although he can), but he walks with us through every situation, good and bad. When I find myself in situations that seem impossible, I quote this verse out loud with a little twist. I can do EVEN THIS through Christ who gives me strength! Truthfully, when I am at mile 3.5 of a 4 mile walk and my body is saying please quit, I do not care that I can do all things. I care that I can accomplish this.
I can do even this. Maybe your this is limiting your calories and experiencing hunger for the first time in years. Maybe your this is moving your body in exercise although it hurts and you can't breath. Maybe your this is battling the temptation you get standing near all that candy in the checkout line. Your this is never as big as the power you have over the things in your life. The final fruit of the Spirit is self-control. We have the power to become the masters of our body and will. We are never alone in the struggle. We can do even this because we have a comforter and a strengthener who walks with us through those trials. So next time you find yourself wondering if you can accomplish the impossible, remember that you can do EVEN THIS through Christ who gives us strength!
Father, walk with me today. When I have gone as far as I can go and feel like another step is impossible, remind me that even this is in my grasp. Give me the strength to stay faithful and true. Guide my steps, my bites, and my choices as I seek your face even more. In Jesus name, Amen.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Humility in the struggle
"Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus;" Philippians 2:5
There is an occurrence that happens in the life of anybody who tries to make a major change if that change will make you uncomfortable. The occurrence of which I speak is pride. We live in a very me centered society. A society which tells us, "If you want it, and it makes you happy, and it isn't hurting anyone else, then you should do it. Heck, you deserve it." Three to five days into any major change like the diet restrictions it takes to lose weight this attitude will always emerge.
This pride causes you to create excuses why you should have the things you desire. Thoughts begin to run through your mind. "I have done so good so far so a little cheat wouldn't hurt," or "It's been a long day and I need a treat or I won't make it through." Not big excuses, but little cracks in the armor. Pride looking for a way to stick its toe in so it can ruin all of your progress. But.....
When pride rears its ugly head, we must remember Paul's admonishment to the people in Philippi. He tells us in that letter to make our attitude that of Jesus. He makes this statement at the beginning of a larger passage that describes the humility of Christ in great detail. My favorite part of the passage is the description of Christ emptying himself into the form of humanity to be a slave. If anyone ever had reason to have pride, it was Jesus. If anyone ever had the right to say he deserved something, it was Jesus. Yet, Jesus never said any such thing. He took all that he was and became humble to the point of death for me and for you. He endured death on a cross, but I find myself moaning over a little hunger.
The gospels give an account of Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. 40 days! Now whether or not you take that number to be literal, fasting is something we usually gnash our teeth at. The point is Jesus abstained from food completely for a season. People losing weight are simply trying to not eat as much. Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus.
God never promised an easy road. He never promised life would be all roses. What he did promise was that he would walk with us through whatever trials may come. I am amazed that even today I think God would make this weight loss easy. I want overnight results, but I did not gain my weight overnight. I want God to take away this cross of my own making, yet I would never want him to not have the cross of my making he died on. You see the cross I bear I fully deserve, but he never deserved his cross.
Pride is a demon that attacks us all (and yes I mean that as both a metaphor and a true reality). Scratch the surface of almost any sin, and at it's heart you will find pride. In the area of weight loss, pride always leads you to the altar of temptation. It puts all of your favorite foods in front of you and begs you to cheat. As I have said, weight loss for me is a form of worship. Through this process I glorify my king. I must give my all as he gave his. When I feel the temptation to cheat, I ask myself one question. Where would I be if Jesus had decided to cheat on the cross?
Father, strengthen me when pride begins to run rampant in my soul. Give me focus as I learn to follow you in new ways. Thank you Jesus that you did not cheat, but carried my cross all the way to your death. Thank you that your resurrection gives me the assurance that I can overcome. Make my attitude that of Jesus. Amen
There is an occurrence that happens in the life of anybody who tries to make a major change if that change will make you uncomfortable. The occurrence of which I speak is pride. We live in a very me centered society. A society which tells us, "If you want it, and it makes you happy, and it isn't hurting anyone else, then you should do it. Heck, you deserve it." Three to five days into any major change like the diet restrictions it takes to lose weight this attitude will always emerge.
This pride causes you to create excuses why you should have the things you desire. Thoughts begin to run through your mind. "I have done so good so far so a little cheat wouldn't hurt," or "It's been a long day and I need a treat or I won't make it through." Not big excuses, but little cracks in the armor. Pride looking for a way to stick its toe in so it can ruin all of your progress. But.....
When pride rears its ugly head, we must remember Paul's admonishment to the people in Philippi. He tells us in that letter to make our attitude that of Jesus. He makes this statement at the beginning of a larger passage that describes the humility of Christ in great detail. My favorite part of the passage is the description of Christ emptying himself into the form of humanity to be a slave. If anyone ever had reason to have pride, it was Jesus. If anyone ever had the right to say he deserved something, it was Jesus. Yet, Jesus never said any such thing. He took all that he was and became humble to the point of death for me and for you. He endured death on a cross, but I find myself moaning over a little hunger.
The gospels give an account of Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. 40 days! Now whether or not you take that number to be literal, fasting is something we usually gnash our teeth at. The point is Jesus abstained from food completely for a season. People losing weight are simply trying to not eat as much. Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus.
God never promised an easy road. He never promised life would be all roses. What he did promise was that he would walk with us through whatever trials may come. I am amazed that even today I think God would make this weight loss easy. I want overnight results, but I did not gain my weight overnight. I want God to take away this cross of my own making, yet I would never want him to not have the cross of my making he died on. You see the cross I bear I fully deserve, but he never deserved his cross.
Pride is a demon that attacks us all (and yes I mean that as both a metaphor and a true reality). Scratch the surface of almost any sin, and at it's heart you will find pride. In the area of weight loss, pride always leads you to the altar of temptation. It puts all of your favorite foods in front of you and begs you to cheat. As I have said, weight loss for me is a form of worship. Through this process I glorify my king. I must give my all as he gave his. When I feel the temptation to cheat, I ask myself one question. Where would I be if Jesus had decided to cheat on the cross?
Father, strengthen me when pride begins to run rampant in my soul. Give me focus as I learn to follow you in new ways. Thank you Jesus that you did not cheat, but carried my cross all the way to your death. Thank you that your resurrection gives me the assurance that I can overcome. Make my attitude that of Jesus. Amen
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Listen my Son
"Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." Proverbs 23:19-21
Everyone who reads the Bible at all knows idolatry is a sin, but the one sin we never talk about is overindulgence. For someone like me, these verses are especially hard to swallow. I was Valedictorian of my high school class. I have always excelled in academics. These verses say a few things about my life that aren't what you want to hear.
Obesity, as it turns out, is a heart condition. People who overeat have a bad focus in life. Their heart is not overflowing with the things it needs to overflow with. No matter how smart you are, if you allow yourself to be one of the riotous eaters of flesh you do not have wisdom.
Our culture is one that is full of backward thinking. We tend to look at those people who make healthy choices as strange. They are the outcasts. "What do you mean you don't eat McDonalds? Why are you just having a salad? Come on, one piece won't hurt anything." We who over indulge try everything to get those people to be like us. We think they are just being too extreme. The truth is we want them to be like us so we won't feel bad about our own actions. If everybody overeats, then nobody feels bad about it until the next day.
This passage doesn't simply tell us that people who overindulge lack wisdom. These verses also give some results for our actions. What are those results? Poverty and tiredness. Wow. Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Whenever we overindulge, we spend money on excess food that can be used for so many more worthwhile things. Simply put, we are taking money away from God's plans in our life to feed this unholy desire in our hearts.
Have you ever noticed that those weird people who eat healthy also seem to be doing well financially? People who eat healthy have their priorities straight. They eat to live while all of the rest of us live to eat. Money is not a constant problem for them because they are not spending all of their extra money on food for their belly. According to the Bible, there is a direct correlation between our eating habits and our pocketbooks. God wants to bless us, but when we let food get in the way, our blessings are all absorbed into fat.
Not only that, obese people are tired. We lack energy, and that lack of energy zaps the joy out of many things in our lives. I cannot remember the last time I rode a roller coaster (I don't fit). I use a seat belt extender to drive more comfortably in the car. My life is changed because of my size. Drowsiness has clothed me. The Bible again points us to poverty as a result of this drowsiness. You are less productive when you are tired. You get less done. Whether you are poor financially or just poor in lifestyle, excess weight changes how you live. Something has to change!
I need to learn to listen to the words of my Father in Heaven and guard my heart. The condition of my heart should be such that I fill it with Him and His word rather than food. I need to understand my habits hinder the financial success God has for me in this life, and when my finances are hindered I cannot be the generous person God wants me to be. I must see the effects my weight has on my life so I can reclaim the things that are mine. Wisdom from God will allow me to do this.
Father, forgive me for my lack of wisdom. Help me to guard my heart as I seek to worship you wholly. Grant me the success I need to live out the life you have for me. Allow me to break these habits so that I can be clothed in Righteousness rather than drowsiness. Father, thank you for loving me. All these things I ask in the name of your only son. Amen
Everyone who reads the Bible at all knows idolatry is a sin, but the one sin we never talk about is overindulgence. For someone like me, these verses are especially hard to swallow. I was Valedictorian of my high school class. I have always excelled in academics. These verses say a few things about my life that aren't what you want to hear.
Obesity, as it turns out, is a heart condition. People who overeat have a bad focus in life. Their heart is not overflowing with the things it needs to overflow with. No matter how smart you are, if you allow yourself to be one of the riotous eaters of flesh you do not have wisdom.
Our culture is one that is full of backward thinking. We tend to look at those people who make healthy choices as strange. They are the outcasts. "What do you mean you don't eat McDonalds? Why are you just having a salad? Come on, one piece won't hurt anything." We who over indulge try everything to get those people to be like us. We think they are just being too extreme. The truth is we want them to be like us so we won't feel bad about our own actions. If everybody overeats, then nobody feels bad about it until the next day.
This passage doesn't simply tell us that people who overindulge lack wisdom. These verses also give some results for our actions. What are those results? Poverty and tiredness. Wow. Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Whenever we overindulge, we spend money on excess food that can be used for so many more worthwhile things. Simply put, we are taking money away from God's plans in our life to feed this unholy desire in our hearts.
Have you ever noticed that those weird people who eat healthy also seem to be doing well financially? People who eat healthy have their priorities straight. They eat to live while all of the rest of us live to eat. Money is not a constant problem for them because they are not spending all of their extra money on food for their belly. According to the Bible, there is a direct correlation between our eating habits and our pocketbooks. God wants to bless us, but when we let food get in the way, our blessings are all absorbed into fat.
Not only that, obese people are tired. We lack energy, and that lack of energy zaps the joy out of many things in our lives. I cannot remember the last time I rode a roller coaster (I don't fit). I use a seat belt extender to drive more comfortably in the car. My life is changed because of my size. Drowsiness has clothed me. The Bible again points us to poverty as a result of this drowsiness. You are less productive when you are tired. You get less done. Whether you are poor financially or just poor in lifestyle, excess weight changes how you live. Something has to change!
I need to learn to listen to the words of my Father in Heaven and guard my heart. The condition of my heart should be such that I fill it with Him and His word rather than food. I need to understand my habits hinder the financial success God has for me in this life, and when my finances are hindered I cannot be the generous person God wants me to be. I must see the effects my weight has on my life so I can reclaim the things that are mine. Wisdom from God will allow me to do this.
Father, forgive me for my lack of wisdom. Help me to guard my heart as I seek to worship you wholly. Grant me the success I need to live out the life you have for me. Allow me to break these habits so that I can be clothed in Righteousness rather than drowsiness. Father, thank you for loving me. All these things I ask in the name of your only son. Amen
Friday, June 15, 2012
The Logistics of It All
I figured I needed to write a post on how this blog will actually work each day. The plan is to have 2 types of posts. One type of post will be my devotional thoughts on weight loss. This is the heart of the blog. The place where I hash out the weight loss as worship aspect of this journey.
The second post type of post (the one that will be posted each day) will be the technical post. In this post I will list each food I have eaten throughout the day, as well as, the exercise I have completed in any given day. Next to each item will be either the calories consumed or the calories burned for that particular item. At the end of the list, you will see the total calorie deficit for the day. Also, each Monday morning I will weigh in and log that statistic as well. Once a month, I will post my measurements so I can also track inches lost during the journey.
As for any extra posts on some days, I simply may need to vent. On such days, I will spill everything I am feeling into a post which everyone will be able to read. I hope I have explained how this will work well enough. Please do not be afraid to ask me questions if you do not understand something.
Very quickly let me give some definitions for those who may need them:
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - the calories your body burns every day if you do nothing but lay in bed. To calculate this, I am using the first part of the Harris-Benedict equation (google it for more info)
TCD (Total Caloric Deficit) - The number of calories a person burns over what they consume.
The second post type of post (the one that will be posted each day) will be the technical post. In this post I will list each food I have eaten throughout the day, as well as, the exercise I have completed in any given day. Next to each item will be either the calories consumed or the calories burned for that particular item. At the end of the list, you will see the total calorie deficit for the day. Also, each Monday morning I will weigh in and log that statistic as well. Once a month, I will post my measurements so I can also track inches lost during the journey.
As for any extra posts on some days, I simply may need to vent. On such days, I will spill everything I am feeling into a post which everyone will be able to read. I hope I have explained how this will work well enough. Please do not be afraid to ask me questions if you do not understand something.
Very quickly let me give some definitions for those who may need them:
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - the calories your body burns every day if you do nothing but lay in bed. To calculate this, I am using the first part of the Harris-Benedict equation (google it for more info)
TCD (Total Caloric Deficit) - The number of calories a person burns over what they consume.
Move This Mountain
"He's a mountain of a man. Dude is built like a tree! I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley." All of these are descriptions I have overheard other people use about me. The truth is I am a big person. I always have been a little bit on the larger size. Even back when I was a normal weight I was bigger than everyone around me. The second problem I have is although I look big, I do not look as big as the scale says. Seriously, I have always been able to win at those weight guessing games every time. I remember going down to the children's section of the Excalibur hotel in Las Vegas at 15 years of age, maybe younger, and playing the guessing game. I would play both types because I would win every time. At 15, they always guessed my age to be anywhere from 20-25. Back then I weighed 285, but they always guessed me to be around 230. It's always been that way, and that is a problem.
Most bathroom scales only go up to 300 lbs or so. Once you hit that weight, it is very hard to accurately determine how much you weigh, Once you hit 350, the doctor's scales won't even weigh you anymore. When you look like you weigh 60-100 lbs less than you do, you talk yourself into believing you're not that fat. It's only when you walk into a big and tall store and have a hard time finding clothes that you actually "see" yourself. You actually loathe what you see, but you know the journey ahead and keep putting it off until you have more time. More time never appears. Life always happens, and you find yourself back where you were again, consuming way too many calories and not moving enough to burn them off.
Honestly, I am 40-60lbs lighter than I was at my heaviest. I had great success a year ago and lost almost 80 lbs in 1 1/2 months. Then life happened. Church events got in the way, and I found myself eating on the road all of the time. My mom was sick all of the time, and I was on the road to her every week. Then, in June of last year, her heart stopped, and she was in the hospital for a month. I was there every day. Of course, sitting in a hospital room and staying in a motel are not conducive to weight loss. I gained 40-60 lbs in that month. When she got out I came home and lost 40 lbs. Then I inherited the youth ministry program at church, and all weight loss plans were out the window, but I kept struggling until March. In March, mom died and I have had a hard time. I have eaten myself through my grief, stopping every once in a while to try and lose a few.
I write all of this to say I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life. I have tried every diet imaginable. I have lost weight and gained weight. I have tried until it hurts, but I have always ultimately failed. Now, I am ready to make the change. This time will be different. I will lose the weight and keep it off. Why will it be different? What is going to make this change stick? My motivation. My motivation is different this time. I am not losing weight to look better. I am not losing weight to feel better. I am not losing weight to live a longer life. I am sure each of these things will happen, but my motivation this time is very different. What is this motivation?
Simply put, my motivation is God. I have become convinced that weight loss for me is not just something I do to fit in or feel better, but weight loss is an act of worship. Through weight loss I can bring glory to God for his blessings and faithfulness. Through weight loss I can become a better example to those around me, believers and non-believers alike. Through weight loss, I can truly offer all of myself to God in a way that will make me more useful in the kingdom. We live in a culture of food. Every other commercial on television is about something sweet to eat. The average fast food or family style restaurant meal contains more calories than many families around the world have in 2 or 3 days. God has called me to be separate, and I cannot do that if I look and act just like everyone else.
So, why this blog? This blog will be many things. It will be a public calorie and weight journal. I will bare everything here for others to see so I may be kept accountable. This blog will be a journal where I vent all of my successes and fears and failures. These posts will be a way for people to follow my journey, the good and the bad. Most of all, I hope this blog will be a devotional. I pray the devotional thoughts I will include will bless and strengthen someone else on their own journey. Maybe this blog will become a book that can help many more people find a way to give their whole self to God and learn to live a healthier life. Maybe this blog will only bless me and bring glory to God, and that is more than okay. Whatever this blog becomes, it will stand as a testament to my offering to God.
I have one note about my devotional thoughts. I am not striving in these thoughts for theological accuracy. I am not trying to write a book of doctrine. Instead, my thoughts will be based on how passages or verses speak to me in this journey about my weight loss. When I write something, there will be no need to tell me that verse is out of context because I will be painfully aware of this, but I believe the scripture is something that will speak in different ways at different times. I will never be grossly negligent in my devotional, but I will sometimes stray from the context of a passage. With this introduction I say welcome to my journey, and I leave you with my devotional thoughts for the day.
Not only have I been called a mountain of a man, but my weight has been a mountain in my life for years. I know it is a mountain in the lives of others as well. How many people pray every day for God to make them thin or healthy or beautiful or whatever prayer it is that really means normal? How many of those same people step out in faith that God will follow through? When we pray God will make us thin yet we do not take steps to become thin, we are not living in belief that God is faithful to his promises. If we truly believe, we begin to live our lives as if we are already thin. We get up off of the couch and move our personal mountain! We quit eating the trash this world tells us is good, and we put in our bodies what God intended for us to eat. We quit hiding ourselves behind over-sized clothing and we buy clothes that fit the body we are in, and maybe we buy a few outfits that fit the body we know God is going to provide for us.
God is not a genie. He isn't going to allow you to magically wake up one day the size you want to be. He requires we have faith. Let's face it. The mountain in my life is weight, and I want it removed; not just to the sea, but to the depths of well, Hell. Time for my physical life to begin to mirror my prayer life. I need to live my life as if I believe God can move this mountain. I can no longer pray for something and not live as if I believe it. Starting now, my life will reflect my prayer. I will move this mountain!
Maybe today you struggle with your personal mountain of weight. Maybe you have been asking God to take something away, but not living your life like you believe he will. I invite you to start with me today. Pray the following prayer and believe!
Master, you know my struggles. You know my pain. I have struggled with this mountain of weight my entire adult life. Take this now from me. I will be healthy. You will move this mountain. Father, strengthen me as I work toward this goal. Lift me up when I am down. Give me determination to fight through my struggles. Let my life be as my prayers are. In the mighty and powerful name of Jesus I ask it. Amen!
Most bathroom scales only go up to 300 lbs or so. Once you hit that weight, it is very hard to accurately determine how much you weigh, Once you hit 350, the doctor's scales won't even weigh you anymore. When you look like you weigh 60-100 lbs less than you do, you talk yourself into believing you're not that fat. It's only when you walk into a big and tall store and have a hard time finding clothes that you actually "see" yourself. You actually loathe what you see, but you know the journey ahead and keep putting it off until you have more time. More time never appears. Life always happens, and you find yourself back where you were again, consuming way too many calories and not moving enough to burn them off.
Honestly, I am 40-60lbs lighter than I was at my heaviest. I had great success a year ago and lost almost 80 lbs in 1 1/2 months. Then life happened. Church events got in the way, and I found myself eating on the road all of the time. My mom was sick all of the time, and I was on the road to her every week. Then, in June of last year, her heart stopped, and she was in the hospital for a month. I was there every day. Of course, sitting in a hospital room and staying in a motel are not conducive to weight loss. I gained 40-60 lbs in that month. When she got out I came home and lost 40 lbs. Then I inherited the youth ministry program at church, and all weight loss plans were out the window, but I kept struggling until March. In March, mom died and I have had a hard time. I have eaten myself through my grief, stopping every once in a while to try and lose a few.
I write all of this to say I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life. I have tried every diet imaginable. I have lost weight and gained weight. I have tried until it hurts, but I have always ultimately failed. Now, I am ready to make the change. This time will be different. I will lose the weight and keep it off. Why will it be different? What is going to make this change stick? My motivation. My motivation is different this time. I am not losing weight to look better. I am not losing weight to feel better. I am not losing weight to live a longer life. I am sure each of these things will happen, but my motivation this time is very different. What is this motivation?
Simply put, my motivation is God. I have become convinced that weight loss for me is not just something I do to fit in or feel better, but weight loss is an act of worship. Through weight loss I can bring glory to God for his blessings and faithfulness. Through weight loss I can become a better example to those around me, believers and non-believers alike. Through weight loss, I can truly offer all of myself to God in a way that will make me more useful in the kingdom. We live in a culture of food. Every other commercial on television is about something sweet to eat. The average fast food or family style restaurant meal contains more calories than many families around the world have in 2 or 3 days. God has called me to be separate, and I cannot do that if I look and act just like everyone else.
So, why this blog? This blog will be many things. It will be a public calorie and weight journal. I will bare everything here for others to see so I may be kept accountable. This blog will be a journal where I vent all of my successes and fears and failures. These posts will be a way for people to follow my journey, the good and the bad. Most of all, I hope this blog will be a devotional. I pray the devotional thoughts I will include will bless and strengthen someone else on their own journey. Maybe this blog will become a book that can help many more people find a way to give their whole self to God and learn to live a healthier life. Maybe this blog will only bless me and bring glory to God, and that is more than okay. Whatever this blog becomes, it will stand as a testament to my offering to God.
I have one note about my devotional thoughts. I am not striving in these thoughts for theological accuracy. I am not trying to write a book of doctrine. Instead, my thoughts will be based on how passages or verses speak to me in this journey about my weight loss. When I write something, there will be no need to tell me that verse is out of context because I will be painfully aware of this, but I believe the scripture is something that will speak in different ways at different times. I will never be grossly negligent in my devotional, but I will sometimes stray from the context of a passage. With this introduction I say welcome to my journey, and I leave you with my devotional thoughts for the day.
"Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." Mark 11:23
Jesus, when talking with his disciples, makes this truly startling statement. He was speaking of the power of faith in the life of a believer. Faith has the power to move any obstacle in our lives, but we have to believe. Belief is evidenced in how we act. There is a wonderful scene in the movie Facing the Giants where a man tells the coach a story about two farmers who are praying for rain. One farmer does nothing but pray and wait for the rain to fall. The other farmer prepares his fields in preparation of the rain he knows God is going to send. He ends the story with the question, "Which farmer do you think truly trusted God?" Not only have I been called a mountain of a man, but my weight has been a mountain in my life for years. I know it is a mountain in the lives of others as well. How many people pray every day for God to make them thin or healthy or beautiful or whatever prayer it is that really means normal? How many of those same people step out in faith that God will follow through? When we pray God will make us thin yet we do not take steps to become thin, we are not living in belief that God is faithful to his promises. If we truly believe, we begin to live our lives as if we are already thin. We get up off of the couch and move our personal mountain! We quit eating the trash this world tells us is good, and we put in our bodies what God intended for us to eat. We quit hiding ourselves behind over-sized clothing and we buy clothes that fit the body we are in, and maybe we buy a few outfits that fit the body we know God is going to provide for us.
God is not a genie. He isn't going to allow you to magically wake up one day the size you want to be. He requires we have faith. Let's face it. The mountain in my life is weight, and I want it removed; not just to the sea, but to the depths of well, Hell. Time for my physical life to begin to mirror my prayer life. I need to live my life as if I believe God can move this mountain. I can no longer pray for something and not live as if I believe it. Starting now, my life will reflect my prayer. I will move this mountain!
Maybe today you struggle with your personal mountain of weight. Maybe you have been asking God to take something away, but not living your life like you believe he will. I invite you to start with me today. Pray the following prayer and believe!
Master, you know my struggles. You know my pain. I have struggled with this mountain of weight my entire adult life. Take this now from me. I will be healthy. You will move this mountain. Father, strengthen me as I work toward this goal. Lift me up when I am down. Give me determination to fight through my struggles. Let my life be as my prayers are. In the mighty and powerful name of Jesus I ask it. Amen!
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