Wait, weight? Freely living in the LIFE Jesus gave us!

Good Monday morning!

It is no secret that I struggle with my weight. It's been up. It's been down. I feel I have finally conquered that demon and it rears it's ugly head just a few months later. It's a constant battle of the wills, my will or His Will. 

 In my devotional time this morning I was reading in Ephesians and something caught my attention. (Let me state, I know this is NOT what this passage is talking about, but I was able to draw an analogy that I found helpful and encouraging.)

Ephesians 2: 3-5, 10

3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were DEAD because of our sins, he gave us LIFE when he raised Christ from the dead.

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

When I read these verses, all I could see was the sin of gluttony. God calls out gluttony as a sin. We all know gluttony for what it is - an over-indulgence in food (among other things.) Therefore, it is a sinful nature. But, there is HOPE. He gives us HOPE! Verse 4: God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that though we were dead (this is where the analogy came into my head) - dead because gluttony and eating in a way that does not treat our bodies like the temples they are, leads to death. Death of life, whether that is through the inability to play with your children or grandchildren, missing out on family hikes, tennis or basketball games, etc. OR through literal death by scores of obesity related illnesses that potentially lead to death.

So when I read in verse 5 that He gave us LIFE when He raised Christ from the dead, I saw the LIFE we gain from obedience to Him. We gain a REAL earthly life again. We gain the ability to run, play, and jump with our kids. We gain the ability to exist in this earthly life in a glorious way instead of eating away, or inactively sitting away our lives unto death.

I was so struck by this. Jesus died FOR US. For EVERYTHING about us! He died so that we may have life here on earth and in heaven!

Fully Surrender this issue to Him.

Be blessed! There is, therefore, no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). No one is condemning us except ourselves. Seek God to move beyond that and then kick Satan to the curbside and grab a hold of the LIFE Jesus gave us through His.

God has a plan for you!

Does God still hear our prayers? Does He know the hearts of those who love Him?  Does He care?

YES!
 This is the story of my trip to NC two weeks ago:

It starts a year ago. A year ago I watched a documentary. While I was watching, I felt I heard God tell me to start something similar in NH. Time passed and it stayed in the back of my mind, but I had lost the paper where I wrote all the information about this lady and her ministry. Subsequently, I have been searching for this lady for nearly a year. I asked around to a lot of my contacts and no one knew what I was talking about. It was so weird; there was nothing at all. All I knew was that the lady was from NC. I had a possible contact, but that did not turn out to be the right lady either. Still I found myself empty handed after a year...

Fast forward to this past Christmas. Jason had given me a plane ticket to go visit anyone of my choosing. When pondering where I would go this year Jason recommended I ask my cousin in NC. I decided I would and when I called her she was excited about my possible trip down. We bounced around weekend after weekend, nailing a date down, then one of us would have to cancel. We did this several times. We finally settled on the weekend of May 2-6th.

 In the weeks leading up to the trip, I had sought the Lord on this mysterious lady and asked that He would help me connect with this her. I asked that if it is HIS will for me to start this ministry that he would have to find her for me. I prayed and asked Him to do that for me. I had tried for a year with no success. It would have to be all Him!

I arrived late Friday night in NC so the first day we really had together was Saturday. We hung out during the day but that evening we attended a function at their church for the church volunteers. As part of the function, they had hired in a nationally known comedian (Michael Jr.) to do a comedy show. At the end, Michael asked my cousin if she was coming to Sunday night's shows. (Sunday night the church was holding two shows where they sold tickets to get in. One hundred percent of the profits were going to a non-profit organization.) My cousin tells him she didn't have tickets. The couple standing next to her told her they had 2 extra tickets and proceeded to hand them to her. We decided we would go back again, the very next night because he was so funny and it was still a night out for the two of us. But, this was not our plan, you see, this was God's plan.

The next day was Sunday and after church, her and I went to get our nails done. While there, I felt led by God to talk to the guy doing my nails. God wanted me to ask him about his life. Turns out, he's a survivor of human trafficking. He and 2000 other people from his village in South Vietnam were captured and sent to a forced-labor camp in Cambodia. There they were raped, starved, and beaten. I spoke to this man about his time there and how he got out. I told him I believed it was a miracle God had performed for him. Someone came and purchased ALL 2000 people OUT OF the slave camp and brought them here to America as refugees. Over time, he's been able to bring his wife and daughter. As we talked, I felt God leading me to talk to him about faith and God. In the end, I invited him and his wife to the comedy show at the church with my cousin and I that night. Roughly 120 people gave their lives to Christ that night! I don't know if he was there because their church is huge, but I trust God did what He was going to do in that.

They ran two shows that night. Between the two shows, they raised $9000 for this non-profit… a non-profit fighting human trafficking in NC. I met one of the volunteers for the charity and thanked her for her service to the Lord and to those being trafficked. That was the end. I did not intend to walk back to the table at the end of the show because I felt I had already spoken with someone from that charity. As my cousin and I were walking out of the church, she said to me, "Maybe you should talk to the founder of the non-profit and see if she knows who this mysterious lady is you've been trying to find." I agreed. As I approached, I studied her. She looked vaguely familiar. I began talking to her, all the while thinking, "I think I know this lady. How?"

I told her I was looking for a lady in NC who did a documentary. I began telling her all about the documentary and she listened politely, nodding and smiling. When I was done she said, "That's me." Stumbling for words I asked, "You… as in, her in the documentary?" Yes indeed, it was her!!!

We spoke at length and I plan to train under her and and begin that same kind of ministry up in NH. 

You see, as my cousin and I left the church building we began discussing the events that led to that exact moment in time. A year ago, a volunteer from that non-profit came and spoke at their women's ministry. From that, my cousin knew a contact and knows what I do so she told me about it and introduced me to her that night. In November, Jason purposed in his heart to bless me with time away and a plane ticket to wherever I wanted to go. I ended up in NC spending a whole weekend away with a cousin I've never spent time with. God blocked all other previously planned weekends for me to go on and made this weekend the weekend I would travel to her house. God gave me an opportunity to meet a survivor of human trafficking and share the gospel with him and invite him to church. And God brought the VERY WOMAN I'd been searching for nearly a year to my "doorstep".  

As my cousin and I talked, I was so overwhelmed with the love of God. I was overwhelmed with the care He has for me. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. They just streamed down my face like a fountain had been turned on. It was as if I had been seated in the lap of God and held in His warm loving embrace and He was saying, "Good and faithful servant, in you I am proud! I have called you and you have listened." You see, I know the plans God has for me. God purposed ministry in my heart and He continues to show me and move me to exactly where He needs me to be. Even when I feel unworthy. Even when I feel too young, or too old, or too fat. Even when I feel like I'm just not "Christian" and righteous enough - God reveals Himself to me ad reveals that He doesn't need that. He's just looking for someone who is willing to listen and obey. I will continue to not be worthy of such a loving God. I will continue to fail…. but I will also continue to serve Him. 

Do you know the plan God has for your life? Listen to what God speaks to your heart. What fulfills you? What brings you joy? What area can you help others find who they are in Christ? God has birthed something in everyone. Just like the comedian, Michael Jr., learned. Find it, then trust the Lord to bring you to it. Pray into it and watch what He will do with it!

Cancer

In my lifetime, I've been fortunate enough to not have any family members in my immediate family diagnosed with cancer, but my life has not been untouched by cancer.

Cancer has touched me here: My close friend while we were in high school, my mom's best-friend, the husband of a newlywed couple in our church, a sweet little 9-month old boy, a husband to a family in town, another husband to a family in town, still another husband in town (and elder at our church), a young mom, another husband and father, a friend in church - who is a 5-time cancer survivor - and his wife. The list could go on. Cancer affects all of us, but tonight.... tonight, my heart feels burdened and heavy for those being touched firsthand by cancer.

Cancer is often times treatable and curable, but the simple word itself resonates such fear within us. I don't believe it's the fear OF death, but the fear that surrounds the unknown - What's going to happen to me? Will I be a survivor? What will my family have to go through? Will my children be left with just one parent? How will we get through this? How can we afford this? Will I be okay? What will I tell my children? How do I tell my family and friends?

I want to encourage you, if you're dealing with caner firsthand to hold on! Not for the ride your life is about to take or is taking, but hold on to the Word of God.

When I had my 7 miscarriages, I remember people always telling me, "God won't give you more than you can handle." I remember it would make me angry. When you've been trying to get pregnant for 2-3 years without ever getting pregnant, then you finally do and lose that baby at 11 weeks along - that's MORE than I could handle (especially as the number of miscarriages increased.) It was more than I wanted to handle. It was more than my emotions could handle!

The verse, the one so frequently misquoted, it actually says this, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

We will not be TEMPTED beyond what we can handle, NOT "God will not give us more than we can handle." The truth is, sometimes life gives us more than we can handle. Well-intended people will say all sorts of things they think are helpful, which often times are not. But there is one place we can turn to for perfect love - God's Word. There is one place we can turn to for perfect advice - God's Word. There is one place we can turn to for perfect wisdom - God's Word!

Verses on healing:

Proverbs 4:20-22, " My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body."

Psalm 107:19-21, "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men."

Exodus 23:25, "Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,"

Psalm 30:2, "O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me." 

There are many many more. I encourage you to seek out God in this time. Seek out His healing promises to you. During Jesus' days here on earth he healed many purely based on their faith that he COULD heal them (the woman with bleeding, the Centurion,  the Samaritan). 

" Faith is not simply believing that something will happen before it does. Faith is knowing that the provisions have been made for that healing, then trusting God to manifest it on your behalf."

 

"Biblical faith in a nutshell

If we could wrap Biblical faith up in 3 simple requirements, these would be them:

1. You must know the Word of God, the promises of God, His will, and so forth. This is why spending time daily in the Word is so important!

2. You need to know that the Word of God applies to you. You must accept the truth in the Word concerning your position with Christ, and who you really are. You must accept the truth about being washed clean from your sins, and feel a clean conscience because of what Christ has done for you. This is important because you stand against Satan when he tries to remind you of your past failures and say, "You aren't worthy to receive those promises and provisions of God!" Friend, if the Blood has made you worthy, then let no demon in hell tell you otherwise!

3. You must accept the Word of God as truth. If it tells you that Jesus paid the price for your healing, then you need to accept it as truth with childlike faith. Simply believe what God has said is true. This is true Christian faith. It's merely believing what God says is true."
 

I do not have a clue what my friends with cancer (or those that have had cancer) are going through. But what I do know from my time trying to have my four precious miracles and going through 10 years of infertility and 7 miscarriages is that God is always faithful. His Word is always truth. His promises never fail. Fully Surrender your healing to Him.

*References: GreatBibleStudy.com