Day 27 - Living by the Spirit - Half Day

I am doing well today. I've finished my second week of exercising 5 times a week. I take a break on the weekends. I am excited that I'm actually enjoying exercise. This is showing how much God is showing me.

Today's lesson about living by the spirit was good. This passage just says it all.

Living by the Spirit’s Power
"16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." -Galatians 5:16–26

Day 25 - Greatness of God - Fasting Day

Yesterday I discovered that exercising is so much funner for me if I made up my own workout and danced to Indian music. From all of the workouts I've done, it wasn't too hard. What a workout! I couldn't stop because I was having sooooo much fun. Who knew? Some people like to run. Some like to swim. I like to do Indian dances. This is my second week of working out 5 times a week. The scale's not much of a help so I've decided to only look at it once a week. Also, building muscle sometimes adds weight. So far I've lost about 7 pounds since day 1. Eating is going very well with me only slipping once this week by overeating at a restaurant. God convicted me and helped me to obey him right away. Since I'm eating less my stomach is smaller so even eating less than I normally would in the past is too much food for me. Now I'm beginning with eating half a meal and waiting some time before deciding to eat more. It's hard listening to my body to know when it's satisfied. I feel better. I feel more energetic. And when I do my freestyle Indian dances, it's so good for my spirit too. The first time I did it yesterday I couldn't stop praising God for the ability to have so much fun dancing.

Praise God you are doing wonderful things. Today is a fast day and it has been going so well. Thank you Lord!
___________

Today's Lesson was about the Greatness of God (Isaiah 40). God is so amazing! How can I put myself above him? I can see how foolish it is to try to tell God what to do or to try to put something or someone above him. No one else deserves the praise and awe and fear of God. No one and nothing else is qualified to be put above him. God is powerful. God is willing to give us strength. God is loving and caring and tender. God is vast and unable to fully grasp. God desires my praise and trust of him. God has no equal. God is completely in control of every detail. God is wise and all knowing. God is creator of all. At the end of the lesson, when asked how knowing God's greatness will affect my life I wrote:

It puts things back in perspective for me. First of all, it puts me in my place. I am insignificant compared to God. Whatever false ideas and thoughts that I have of my own greatness and worthiness are wrong. Living to please my flesh and putting myself before God is ridiculous. Second, it shows me that God is bigger than my sin. I often think I won't make it. That maybe my sin is just too deeply embedded in my heart and I'm just trapped. God is showing me that he is more than capable of freeing me from my sin and that nothing is too big for him. Finally, this just all shows me the greatness of God and why he's worthy to be praised and worthy to be number one in my life.

This song by Gungor really spoke to me today and does a great job of describing how amazing God is.

Day 19 - Setting Captives Free II - Normal Day

Wow. After reading so many people's testimonies and doing the lessons each day, I'm realizing that a lot of people have been in the same boat that I'm in. It's not easy changing your eating habits and turning to the Lord for comfort instead of food. I never really thought of over eating as a sin. So many people do it in our country. It's widely accepted. You can't even go out to eat and not get portion sizes that are way too big. I even heard that Starbucks is adding a new larger size to their menu because 'Vente' wasn't big enough for some people. I don't even understand how people can get a 'Grande' size of any drink at Starbucks. It's just ridiculous.

This world is messed up. I've been blinded by so many things and I'm just so glad that God is showing me the truth.

Day 16 -Temptation - liquid day

I'm doing pretty well. Lost about 5 or 6 pounds since beginning this. Exciting. Today's lesson was about temptation and how and when we are tempted. We were looking at Luke 4:1–13. Satan often wants us to doubt our relationship with God and rely on ourselves. I have definitely seen this in my life. Here's some good stuff that was in today's lesson:

The devil tempted Jesus to presume upon the promises of God. We presume upon the promises of God when we purposely sin while clinging to a promise of God. If Jesus had purposely sinned by throwing Himself down from the temple, He would have been testing God’s promise to not let Him fall. This has direct application to us who are involved in sinful eating habits. If I purposely overeat while claiming God's promise to forgive sin, I am testing God. It's the same as praying, "God, please forgive me for this sin I am about to commit,"—it presumes upon God's grace. This is an important principle. The devil will throw all kinds of Scripture our way to get us to sin against God by giving in to our flesh. "I will forgive your sins, and remember your wickedness no more," "All manner of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven among men," "Nothing can separate us from the love of God," "The evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing," "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins," and so on. So how do we know when it is the devil using Scripture? If a Scripture is being used to lure us into sin, it is coming from the evil one.

It's interesting that one of the three major temptations Jesus underwent was food-related. We experience this temptation every day. Each time we sit down to a meal, we are presented with the temptation to gratify our lusts by overeating. Each time we eat when we are not hungry, we are trying to fill a void that only God is able to fill.
How do we win against these temptations? We win the same way Jesus did: by humble dependence upon God to meet our need for fullness, by resisting the onslaughts of temptation, and by feeding upon every Word of God and obeying what we read.

Good lesson today. Also, I was able to get up and workout even though I really didn't feel like it. For me, that's a big thing. I can work out when I feel like it, but I have a harder struggle with it when I'd rather just go back to sleep. I feel pretty good. :)

I can't wait till tonight when I get to eat the pumpkin bread that I made last night!

Day 12 - Repentance Brings Refreshment - Normal Day

Today was a great day. So much better than yesterday. I don't know what was wrong with me, but God is amazing. I don't have much to say today except for a quote from the Setting Captives Free Website that really spoke to me.

Overeating is a sin for the following reasons:

Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are to do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). God is not glorified when we evidence a lack of self control in our eating habits. My body is the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:17, 6:19). The temple of God is not to be destroyed or defiled. Overeating or other sinful eating habits defiles the temple and if continued in can lead to its early destruction. Sinning leads to slavery (John 8:34). Overeating, like any sin, becomes addictive and can be extremely hard to overcome. Jesus told us to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23) and Paul told us to crucify the desires of the flesh (Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5).

To overeat is to gratify the cravings of the flesh, rather than to crucify them. This is sin. This is not to say that it's a sin to eat when hungry. The sin of gluttony is the habit of overeating. Food is not evil, and eating is not a sin. There are many passages of Scripture which speak of the sin of gluttony; the Bible instructs us to avoid the path of the glutton (Proverbs 23:20-21) and to "put a knife to our throat" if we are given to gluttony (Proverbs 23:2). (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines gluttony as "excess eating.")

Day 11 - Fasting and Repentance

Today's another fast day. It began great with worship and prayer to God. And then I started working on my lesson for the day and I felt really tired all of a sudden. Then I felt really hungry. Then I felt like a hopeless person who has selfish motives. Then I wanted to cry. Then I wanted to fight the spiritual warfare that was taking over me. Then I finished the lesson. It was about repentance and what that really is; Being heart broken over sin, and turning away from it to turn to God. Good lesson, but it took me quite a while to do. I like that it quoted someone today and he said: Man cannot repent when he chooses; repentance is a gift of God.' True repentance is something I struggle with, as I'm sure we all do. I often think that 'I' can choose to repent and make myself change. I'm learning that repentance isn't just feeling sorry for what I've done. It's feeling sorry AND turning away from it. This is my prayer, that I would trust God with every part of me and that he would help me to repent.

I'm still feeling a little drained and down now, like I've cried for hours, yet I didn't. The war inside is a frightening thing.

Lord be with me.

"Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing
wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on
them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously." Isaiah
55:6–7

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between
God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be
sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom
instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in
honor." James 4:8–10

Days 5, 6, 7

Well, I've done it. Or rather, God's done it. I have been doing this for a whole week so far. The first few weeks are usually the hardest so, here's to one week down and 5 more to go. Here's what I've learned:

Day 5 - Food is Not the Problem

So this was an amazing day. Apparently, all of our focus on what type of food we eat and what diet to do is basically useless. Some diets say only eat meat. Some say only eat carbs. Some say only eat veggies. Some say drink a shake and others to take a pill. They all contradict each other. This is why I have never really fallen for most diets. It seemed to me like people who went on diets all the time had to keep going on diets because as soon as they got off of a diet, they gained the weight back and more. I didn't want that to happen. Also, I had a hard time believing that I could ever actually give up all of my much beloved foods, including meat and bread and chocolate. It also seemed that every diet claiming to be healthy wanted you to buy their food products! No offense, but I don't want to eat Atkins bars, South Beach Diet drinks, Weight Watchers foods, and Jenny Craigs meals for the rest of my life! With the whole natural and organic craze still going around in full force, I always wondered what it was all for? Why should I drink a green concoction of grass tasting disgustingness to boost my vitamins? Why can't I just eat normal food in moderation. I don't want a temporary fix. I want a life-changing solution!

Then I did this lesson.

"It's also important to test our assumptions in the area of food and weight loss issues. Most diet "experts" tell us that, if we are overweight, the problem is in the type of food we've been eating. To correct the problem, they tell us, we need to avoid "wrong" foods and begin eating "right" foods. They insist that the problem is with the food. But let's "test our assumptions" in this area...While we respect these experts' education, we must disagree with their conclusions. If we're overweight, food is not the problem! And if food is not the problem, changing the types of food we eat is not the solution. These diet-craze gurus have missed the boat, and are actually contributing to the problem, rather than providing a proper solution." -SCF

Two of my favorite verses from this day are:

"You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 "Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!"? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires" - Colossians 2:20–23

"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. 3 They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. 4 Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. 5 For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer."
1 Timothy 4:1–5

"The Scripture passage above reveals the real problem: indulgence of the flesh! It makes perfect sense if you think about it: what is it that makes me want to eat the entire gallon of ice cream? What makes me crave a late-night snack that turns into an all-you-can-eat buffet? The answer is that I want to indulge my flesh. My flesh cries out to be gratified and, lacking self-control, I indulge it. That is the problem—not food in itself. This realization requires us to re-evaluate our struggle and our goals. If our condition is a result of indulging the flesh, it's useless to change the types of foods with which we indulge the flesh. If I forsake eating breads and only indulge with meat, what have I profited? My heart and lifestyle have not changed; even if I lose weight for a time, it will certainly come back until I identify the real problem: that I have a habit of indulging my flesh." -SCF

I am still processing this lesson, but it really opened my eyes. I think a lot of people struggle with food addiction but not many people come forward and just say it. And this isn't only just for people who are overweight, but people who are always dieting and so concerned about their weight and what they eat too. I liked how they ended the lesson (and please forgive me for all of the quoted stuff.)

"The Bible teaches that we are to receive all types of food with thanksgiving to God. The Scriptures specifically state that "nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving." Food is not the problem! Try telling that to the diet gurus. So how do we lose and manage weight if we eat anything and everything? The answer is straightforward: eat in moderation. Eat in a disciplined manner. Eat with self control. Plan your intake of food. And importantly, be accountable to someone for the amount you eat. So which religion do you follow? The "taste not, touch not" religion, which requires you to follow man-made rules? These might have the appearance of wisdom (otherwise, how could millions be taken in by them?) but they do nothing to restrain indulgence of the flesh. Or are you instead learning to feed on Christ, eating all types of food in moderation and with thanksgiving?" -SCF

Day 6 - Two Kinds of Food

This lesson was more about physical food verses spiritual food. The importance of reading his word and spending time with him. Goding to God instead of going to food. Dealing with the issue at heart rather than using food as a temporary fix or comfort.

"Christ is real food for the soul, and to embrace and feed on Him produces
freedom from life-dominating, habitual sin." - SCF

Day 7 - Happy Are the Helpless

This lesson was more about being broken before Christ, realizing our dependence and need for him. I am very prideful and feel that I should be able to fix things on my own, but is showing me how much I need him and how much I am nothing without him, especially when dealing with sin struggles.

"God gives grace to the humble, not to the proud. The
humble—those who recognize their own impoverished condition—are given grace." SCF

Since this post is getting way longer than I intended, I guess I'll stop there, but I am really excited about this. I can go on and on about each lesson, but you can always go to the course to see more. Thanks for reading, if indeed anyone is reading ;)

Cheers!

Day 4 - Fasting

Today was quite interesting. The first 'fasting' day. I could only drink water. I began it last night after dinner and ended it today with a lite meal. To be honest, I lost focus of God for awhile. I was hungry, and irritable, and just overall annoyed with the world. Not to mention that yesterday I tried to eat meals broken up into smaller meals throughout the day so that I could eat right up to when I started the fast. I'm not sure that's what God wants. My motives were wrong. This morning my heart was wrong. I moped around the house and complained of how hungry I was and my thoughts on many things that annoyed me. It finally took my sister stopping me and telling me to go read the Bible, pray, and fill up on Jesus before I remembered that I was supposed to be doing that. Self-centered? Yeah. I wonder if Setting Captives Free has a course on getting rid of an addition to Self. Needless to say, I dragged my feet for another 10 minutes before I even bothered to try.

Then God caught a hold of me. I believe that's called 'conviction.'

At first I tried to read a few verses and call that enough. Nope. I didn't do the trick. I didn't feel better. Then I prayed for a minute to see if that would work. Ah, maybe a lil something...guilt?...but still not enough. Finally I decided to just read the beginning of today's lesson so I could feel like I tried, and then go watch TV to make the day pass faster. That's horrible, I know, but I wanted you to know the depth of my selfishness and laziness. Finally, as I started doing the lesson and studying God's word, I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. It was talking about fasting and what that really means; the wrong way (which I was doing) and the right way, according to scripture. It was then that I realized how far off track I had gotten. Praise God for his mercy and love! Seriously. Afterwards I went and spent more time with God through reading about his suffering and worshipping him through music. And he did make me feel better. Not that the stomach pains or light-headedness went away so much, but that my focus was taken off of myself.

When it was time to eat dinner, I got a little in a bowl. A piece of chicken, corn, and plain rice never tasted so good! I am thankful to God for using my sister to get me to look to him. I am thankful for his forgiveness. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit softening my heart and convicting me of my sin. I am so thankful for Jesus Christ suffering sooooooooooo much more so that I and others can be freed from our bondages, including overeating. Praise God. For real.

And pray for me.

The Lord's Table

So, it's a new year and I thought it would be cool to start a blog about my journey to health and losing weight, all the while drawing closer to God and giving him the glory. For those wondering, Elohim is a Hebrew word meaning 'God.' I'm doing this because I want to desire God more and learn to get rid of the poor habits that I have grown used to over the years. Diets don't work for me. I'm not very disciplined and also it doesn't fix the issues at heart. You lose some weight and then gain it all back and more! Diets are also self focused. Instead of giving the glory to God, we work hard to 'fix' ourselves on our own and take all of the credit for ourselves. We want to look good to impress someone, for an event, or even just to be healthier for our sakes, but it still selfish.

Two days ago I began a bible study called 'The Lord's Table' that is found on the Setting Captives Free website. It's not really a diet so much as it's a Bible study with a lifestyle change. The Lord's Table is a 60-day Christian Bible study that is for drawing us close to God as we seek to get rid of the sin of overeating/gluttony/food addiction. There are some challenges, especially with the optional eating plans that you can choose to do. At first I didn't really want to do one. It seemed to hard to tackle that while tackling the heart issue. But then I didn't want to half do this. Y'know. Give a half effort when God is trying to form me to be more like him. Plan 1 is the one I decided on and it pretty much goes with each day of the study. Half day means you eat half as much food as you normally would. Liquids day means you drink only liquids that day (water, juice, milk, broth). Normal day is self explanatory. And a Fast day is a day where you only drink water and focus on God. You can even start a fast day after the dinner of the normal day and then have a lite meal for dinner on the 'fast' day, thus making it 24 hours. He's an example below:

Plan 2 is where you listen to your body and eat only when you're hungry. I'm not doing this plan so I won't really go into it.

Anyway, the point is not to do the plans. They are optional and you don't have to do it if you don't want to. But the main point of the Bible study is growing you in your relationship with Christ and seeking fulfillment from him instead of turning to food. I confess. I am an emotional eater. And I am also and artist, so you do the math. I am up and down a lot and because of that I usually turn to food. I am currently on day 3 and things seem to be going well. It's not an easy thing to go through, especially when dealing with something that is an addiction. I confess that on the first day I was quite overwhelmed by the prospect of doing this study. It seemed that I would have to change, for real, and I guess my sinful flesh did not like this prospect. The cool thing is that God is guiding me through this and giving me the energy and desire to push forward. My mum and sis are also taking this course as well and so we are here for each other and to encourage one another. Thank goodness!

So, in the days to come, I will be sharing my thoughts about the study, what God's showing me, and any other random stuff on my mind. Enjoy!


Isaiah 55:2–3
"Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David."