Three Steps to Victory

Well, here it is. My first video blog. 

Disclaimer:

• I was nervous about making this. I didn't know if I had anything to say. So I said it.
• I said a couple of "um"s and tripped over my tongue on occasion.
• It's a little longer than five minutes (I know, the ideal length for one of these.), by like, five minutes. So please bear with my first attempt and kindly watch all the way through. Next time it will be shorter, I promise. I do value your time as much as my own.

That being said, I hope you enjoy hearing about Three Steps to Victory.

Breaking Bread - Proverbs 24:30-34

Photo Courtesy of Peter Mazurek

"I went by the field of the lazy man,
 And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
 Its surface was covered with nettles;
 Its stone wall was broken down." (Prov. 24:30-31)

 The lazy man puts off until tomorrow what he can do today. The lazy man doesn't take care of what belongs to him. He lets it go, saying he'll get to it eventually. Or he'll do it tomorrow. Or he'll wait for someone else to do it for him.

This man doesn't get it. He doesn't see the results of what he's doing. He doesn't understand there will be consequences for his lack of actions.

Eventually, the fruit of his labors (or lack thereof) will present themselves. Thorns will crop up where once there was fruitfulness. Thorns prick. They sting. They bring pain. They hurt others. They choke out the good, ending any life within.

Photo Copyright 2011 Alycia W. Morales

" When I saw it, I considered it well;
 I looked on it and received instruction:" (Prov. 24:32)

 
We can learn from others' mistakes.











"A little sleep, a little slumber;
 A little folding of the hands to rest;
 So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
 And your need like an armed man." 
(Prov. 24:33-34)
   

It won't be long before poverty and hunger overtake the man who decides to take a break and never go back. Once the fruit and the vine die, there is no more. It is only useful to be cast into the fire.

Thoughtful Spot: 

This is one of my favorite Proverbs. It brings such a descriptive image of what life would look like if one were to forgo spiritual disciplines for a time.

I can imagine the thorns choking out the Word.
I can imagine the nettles that sting as I walk through the world without Jesus in my heart.
I can imagine the walls broken down, allowing the enemy an advantage.
I can imagine the poverty of my spirit man, hungering and thirsting for the things of God, yet forgoing the Living Water Jesus provides.
I can imagine the thief coming in to kill, steal and destroy. All because I chose to fold my hands, take a rest, do something for me instead of for God.

And I pray I never get to a place in life where I give up on God and give in to the cares of this world.

What about you? What do you think about when you read this verse? Join me in my thoughtful spot, leave your comments below. I'd love to know what you think!

"It's Time for a Change."

Photo Courtesy of Serdar Burak

Have you ever uttered those words to yourself?

Uttering them is one thing. Acting upon them is a whole 'nother ballgame.

For several months, I've been looking at my expanding waistline, saying, "It's time for a change."

But by the end of the day, I was hitting the cookie box again. Because "just one more" couldn't hurt, could it?

By the end of the month, I found myself squee-eezing into the jeans I'd only purchased a couple of months before, which were a size larger than the ones I'd worn last summer.

"It's time for a change." That voice in my head went off again, and I hit the snooze button for another month. And I ate a few more cookies. Had another mocha. Visited the fast food restaurant (because, after all, I was in a hurry that day).

But not in a hurry to change...

Now it's six months later. My jeans are still tight. They even rub my belly button by the end of the day. My waist line is sagging (as well as other parts). And I jiggle when I do anything remotely active. Not appealing to me. Not pleasing to God.

How do I know it's not pleasing to God? Because it's His still small voice I've been hitting the snooze button on. What's He been saying? Here are some examples:

You don't want to put on so much weight you won't be able to get it back off.

You need to start now, if you want to be healthy when you're older.

You won't get through mid-life with much energy eating the way you do now.

Your body is my temple; you really should take better care of it.

Which made me stop and think:

If my body is His temple (because His Holy Spirit dwells within me), and I'm treating it like I am (not taking very good care of it), what does that reflect about other areas of my life? Have I let go of other things, too? How is my spiritual life? How about my marriage, my relationship with my kids, my home, my career? Have I gotten lazy about them, too?

I decided it is time to make that change. And I put action behind that thought.

This week, I've started juice fasting. I'm taking part in a 15 Day Weight Loss Program through Birchcreek Retreat. I'm supposed to lose 15 pounds in 15 days. Between yesterday and today, I've already lost three pounds.

I'm also exercising. I do cardio exercise for thirty minutes a day for fifteen days.

What about after fifteen days is up? I will continue to eat healthier and avoid the sweets that I've been addicted to. (I'll eat them in moderation, such as once a week in small amounts.) I will continue to exercise at least three times per week. I will continue to honor the Lord by honoring the earth suit he gave me and pray that I live to see it wrinkle with age, rather than fat.

What about you? Is there something in your life God's been whispering about? Do you keep hitting that snooze button? Here's some spiritual food for thought:

"I went by the field of the lazy man,
 And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
 Its surface was covered with nettles;
 Its stone wall was broken down.
 When I saw it, I considered it well;
 I looked on it and received instruction:
 A little sleep, a little slumber,
 A little folding of the hands to rest;
 So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
 And your need like an armed man."
 ~Proverbs 24:30-34