a piece? or a Peace?

Finding my weigh means so much more to me than just slimming down God's way. I am finding that there are just things here and there in my life that I need to deal with. The comfort I find in food takes the place of the comfort I find in the Lord. Why? Food is temporary. God is eternal.

It's been kind of a tough year in my life. I consider myself truly blessed, and there have been amazing people around me to basically smack me awake to where I was and where God could take me, but there is only so much that people around me can do. Eventually I had to look inside of my own heart to see where the entire mess originated.

Turns out it wasn't just one thing. It was a bunch of little things. I had been looking for peace, but I didn't know how to get it. So, I would reach for a piece. Every time I needed comfort in dealing with an issue, I would avoid the issue and instead, treat myself to something that made me feel better.

Ironic.

I dug myself out of one hole with a tool that simply shoved me into another pit.

Isn't it kind of crazy that we do that to ourselves? We look for our own way out of our problems, but if we don't turn towards God, then we have used the wrong tool for the job, and most likely, we have caused more damage that now needs to be cleaned up. In panic, frustration, irritation, anger, or just sadness, I would reach for my comfort in that great food "high."

Philippians 4:6-9 says, "Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep (garrison) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

Wow. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that my peace will come from my doughnut. Trust me. I have looked.

A piece is temporary. God's peace is eternal.

I need to know peace in my life. Food has yet to do that for me. I still enjoy it, but I am more resolved to make sure that my piece does not fulfill me and that it only comes after God's Peace has comforted my heart.

Thank you for those of you that are coming with me on this journey. Today, my journey of a thousand miles is now one step closer. I comfortably pulled on my jeans today for the first time in two months. Please stick with me on this. Your encouragement has been part of the Peace that God has given to me as a gift.

Sin is Sin is Sin

We have all heard of sin. We know that sin separates us from God. We know that forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ. Once we are saved, we aspire to do good and steer clear of sin, for the most part. The one area that is rarely touched in our lives is the one that we hold near and dear to our hearts...gluttony.

Why do we hold onto this one and not give it the place that it belongs?

Sin is sin....no matter how much I rationalize it.

God was not vague when it comes to food or overindulgence.

"Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags."
Proverbs 23:20, 21

Wow. God's Word puts overeating right up there with alcoholism. It's an addiction. It's a total lack of self control.

When I look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and think about the cities that were so full of sin that God had to destroy them, I always think "immorality." I always thought of the evil that was written about in God's word as murder, sexual immorality, stealing, etc. But look at what Ezekiel has to say about Sodom...

Ezekiel 16:49 (New King James Version)

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

I have gone through several different versions of this verse, and it is translated the same, but using words like, "fullness of bread," "gluttonous," "excess of food," and "overabundance of food." They were a prideful, spoiled people who wanted for nothing. They lacked total self control and because of it, God wiped them out.


Self control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Overindulgence is a sin of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).

My body is constantly at war with me. My flesh and my Spirit continually battle between wise and foolish choices. I have to cling to the promises of God with this constant battle. God is fully aware of this battle, and He did not leave me to fight this alone. He tells me in Galatians 5:24, that because I have chosen to give my life to Jesus Christ, that I have crucified my flesh with all of it's passions and desires, and that if I chose to live by the Spirit, that I should walk by the Spirit.

Continually choosing God's best for me.

Continually choosing to walk in the Spirit.

Continually choosing self control.

Today, I choose self control.

The King's Best

What is it that makes your life shine like a light? What is that one thing that just sets you apart from the rest of the world? If you have Christ in your life, then it's Him that just shines through you that should set you apart. However, we have spent so much time engulfed in this world that we look and act just like everyone else.

Is this the King's best?

I think the bigger question is, which king am I following?

I love the story of Daniel. In the very first chapter of Daniel, he and his friends are faced with living for their God or living for the king. These four, fine looking fellas, were ripped from their homes and subjected to brainwashing from the Chaldeans (vs. 3-4). They were given the king's "choice foods" and wine (vs. 5).

Isn't that what I have been given? I live in a constant state of feasting. I live in one of the richest countries in the world. I am always eating what I have been told is "the best!" I take at face value that I am eating as "good for me." I am so spoiled with "the best," that I never stop to look at what I am eating...at all. In fact, I rarely stop at all. I shove it in without a second thought about whether or not this is God's best for me.

Why should I? I've already been told that it is the best.......by.........??? .....who?

If you know me, you know that I read every label of everything that I put on my body, but I will turn a blind eye to something that I am about to ingest because I want it.

That is not God's best for me.

Daniel and his friends made up their minds to turn from the king's best and focus all of their attention and devotion to what God wanted from them. How easy would it be for them to have given in to all that the king had to offer them? I mean, he was the king! He had access to anything that they could want! What a temptation!

That is a level of self control that is only accessible through the power of God.

Put a doughnut in front of me? GONE. Put a carrot in front of me? ....well, probably gone, too. BUT, given the choice, knowing that the carrot would be much better for me and the doughnut is a waste, I will go with the want over the need every time.

That is why I look like the rest of the world. I have allowed my body and my mind to be trained by media and other people instead of God's best. My body aches like the rest of the world. I can't climb stairs without being winded. I can't run and play with my kids. I take very little joy in what comes fresh from the ground that God provides, but I take great joy in a candy bar.

I want to be like Daniel. Strength in self control and turning away foods that I know will not honor God. I want to honor God by taking care of this body that He gave me so that I can better live for His kingdom and live healthy so that I can go where He needs me to go.

In the end, Daniel and his friends were stronger and healthier than all of those that ate from the king's "choice food." Wow. They looked better and were a living testimony of God's best (vs. 8-16), and because of his steadfast dedication to God's best, Daniel rose in Favor.

God's best.

....yeah, I'll take that.

Today I resolve to pray over my food choices and ask God if this is His best choice for me.
Will you resolve to do this with me?

the Journey of a thousand miles...

People always say, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." What they forget to tell you is that after that first step, there is still the thousand miles ahead of you, and it still looks just as long and just as arduous.

Well, despite the miles stretching out ahead of me, I am going to take this journey. I want to find my way to my perfect weight and perfect comfort zone. I just don't want to do this alone. I thought that maybe I could find a few friends that might want to take a road trip with me??

If you are interested, I'm taking my first couple of steps today. I don't want to read any more books on how to lose weight, and I am done buying into programs! I will not spend another dime on a weight loss system or purchase another membership to a gym or workshop. I'm doing it differently this time. Being healthy needs to fit into our family budget and maintaining a healthy weight is a responsibility that I need to live in front of my kids.

So, this time, I am going to do this with God's leading. Every day I am going to give this area of my life to the One who has lead me this far. I want to read what He has to say about a huge area of my life that is completely out of control. I want to find favor in His eyes as I learn how to eat and be healthy in a way that glorifies my King instead of looking to adhere to some standard that was never handed to me through Him.

I want to share this journey with whomever will want to come with me. I will share what I learn as I walk this with Jesus and hopefully gain some wisdom that I can share with my girls, my friends, and cling to grace as He helps me overcome strongholds that have kept me finding comfort and peace in calories instead of Him.

"Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.'" John 4:34