Holiday

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Apostolic, Christian, Education, Goals, health, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Overcoming, Personal Development, self renewal, Trusting God, Women

When we arrived at our Resort, the bell staff asked, “Are you here on business or Holiday?” That was funny to me, but I responded, “on Holiday”. I know that is how other cultures refer to vacation.
We’re VISITing San Diego this week, well tomorrow is our last day. We’ve had the best time despite the weather not being as warm as we expected or hoped it would be.
I completed my 21-day Daniel Fast while here. It has been a journey of discovery and a true blessing. I prayed many times (often jokingly) for an intervention from my Starbucks indulgences and poor eating habits. This was it. I’ve enjoyed the experience, eating nutritiously, accomplishing a goal and developing a desire to eat better. Praying God will continue to help me as I move forward.
Tomorrow is our last day of Holiday. Praying God will grace it with sunshine and more good memories.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalms 103:1-5 KJV)

Linking up with Lisa Jo baker and community at http://lishttp://lisajobaker.com/2014/01/five-minuteajobaker.com/2014/01/five-minute-Friday-visit

Do Not Feed The Seagulls

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Apostolic, Christian, hope, inner strength, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Overcoming, Personal Growth, Trusting God, Women

My Daughter-in-Love-to-Be bought me this beautiful book for Christmas, “Devotions for the Beach”. I love it. All of the devotions relate somehow to the beach which I love (Victoria knows that).
The devotion I read last night gripped me with its crystal clear analogy of seagulls and insecurities.
I could see the visual because it happened to me a couple summers ago at Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor.
I didn’t intentionally feed the seagulls, but I think a crumb dropped from my bag, I can’t recall.
Somehow though there was food, a speck, in front of me and then they started to descend from no where and squeal.
What the writer was saying in the devotion is that insecurities are like seagulls.
When you feed them they crowd you and follow you.
Specifically, she writes, “Insecurities are like seagulls. In a way, they identify where you are in your spiritual journey, and they reinforce your humanity.” When you entertain them, they grow and when you try to run from them, they follow … just like seagulls. Don’t feed them, the seagulls nor your insecurities.
I know this is true, I can relate so well because my insecurities bound me to my sofa for so many years of my adult life. How liberating it was to finally be free of all the craziness in my mind and emotions, to finally say this is it, I’m going to live. Thankful for that day and every Word that God sent to empower me and build me up to the place where I am now, not totally free from the seagulls of my emotions, but more aware. When my insecurities descend upon me, I have more fight in me now and I don’t blame it on someone else or some other thing, I take hold of it and give proper place to it so that those seagulls do not bind me.
The promises of the Lord are sure. We can trust Him to deliver us because He Is a Deliverer.
My friend, He can transform your life but it takes real desire and real surrender.
Don’t miss your God-moment with Him. *Q

See

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Apostolic, Christian, Education, Goals, inner strength, Jesus Christ, Motivation, Overcoming, Personal Development, Prayer, self development, self renewal, Trusting God, Women

See, God can help you do anything.

This week I began the Daniel Fast and I’m seeing that I can do something I thought I never could do.
Breaking from some very gripping unhealthy eating habits and focusing on the strength of God to help me overcome them.
It is the sixth day and I know I have a ways to go and I wonder will I make it and if I do, what then.

My Pastor has been preaching about illumination and the DF Devotions have been teaching about revelation … it is all about seeing.
Seeing the Spirit of God, the capability of God, the revelation of God in every area of our lives, including this relationship I have with food.
I want this experience to be so transforming that I never see the old again, but only behold in my mind’s eye the new.
Seeing me, renewed in my mind with the will to choose the better way for my health and for my life.
I’m thankful for this opportunity to experience something very different, to see that I can change and that God’s grace is holding me and guiding me in a beautiful way.

Whatever you’re trusting God for, see His goodness and grace to carry you through.

Lyrics of a beautiful praise comes to my mind …
I believe on You Lord
I believe in Your Word
To see Your goodness in my life
In my life, I see Jesus

Five Minute Friday, where a community of bloggers write on the same topic … 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back and invite others to join in, http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/. 3. Visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community…OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on: SEE

Fight

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Apostolic, Compassion, Fear, Goals, health, inner strength, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Motivation, Overcoming, Personal Development, Personal Growth, Trusting God, Women

I’m not a fighter. Not in the sense of fist punches, not at all.
I don’t like confrontation. I steer clear of it as much as humanly possible.
I remember being in two fights in my life, one as a young girl and the other as a teen. One I lost badly and one I won (I think) … probably not.
But in this faith-walk with Christ we have to fight. The adversary of our souls continuously taunts us and instigates confrontation, debate, and quarrel.
I’ve been in this fight with my weight and eating for thirty plus years now. It is crazy! What I realize is that it is a spiritual battle, a fight to face the root of compulsive habits and to overcome them. I fight the fear of failure with mind games and excuses always losing. Like Paul, it is a war in my members … the thing I would do, I find not.
I was reminded this week of one fitness coach saying to me, ‘overeating is a sign of immaturity’. Also, of one of my sisters-in-Christ sharing with me that in her fight she asked herself, ‘So you’re going to be defeated by food?!’ She declared she would not. These reminders help to frame all my crazy thoughts … it is a spiritual fight of discipline. And like every other thing I believe God for and trust into His hands, I too have to trust Him for this.
He promises to fight for me if I give Him the battle.
I won’t be defeated. I’ve got to win.

First link up of the year with Lisa Jo and friends at Five Minute Friday

Kwanzaa: Faith

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Apostolic, Christian, faith, Fear, inner strength, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Ministry, miracle, Motivation, Trusting God, Women

Kwanzaa is an African American celebration of family, community and culture. It begins the day after Christmas through New Year’s Day observing seven key principles derived from an African philosophy over the seven days.

The seventh and last principle is FAITH or Imani (Swahili)
Its focus … “To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.” — http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org

Happy New Year!

Faith. To believe and trust in the thing we cannot see. If you’ve lived any time on this Earth, you have to have some measure of faith just to live. My faith is in God! And the more I mature in Him, the greater, more real my faith becomes. That ‘peace-in-the-storm’ type faith becomes a real truth in your life the older you get and the more life you actually live. The old adage says it, ‘If you haven’t experienced …, just keep living’. You surely will experience things in life for which you need real faith in a very real God.

When life knocks the wind out of you and you can’t imagine going on, Faith.
When you cannot control circumstances because they are in the hands of another, Faith.
When fear chokes your respiration and your knees buckle you to the ground, Faith.
Even when everything seems to be well, still Faith.

We’ve stepped into a new year of unknowns, Faith must carry us through.
We must believe that the omniscient power of God who knows all will faithfully keep us.
His promise is that He will perfect that which concerneth us, He will never leave us nor forsake us, and if we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart.

I hear a song …
My Faith looks up to Thee
Thou Lamb of Calvary
Savior, Divine.
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away
Lord, let me from this day, be wholly thine.