Made To Crave

I’m reading the book Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. It’s all about craving God instead of food.

Here’s the synopsis.

The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. If you are struggling with unhealthy eating habits, you can break the “I’ll start again Monday” cycle, and start feeling good about yourself today. Learn to stop beating yourself up over the numbers on the scale. Discover that your weight loss struggle isn’t a curse but rather a blessing in the making, and replace justifications that lead to diet failure with empowering go-to scripts that lead to victory. You can reach your healthy weight goal – and grow closer to God in the process. This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for you to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan you choose. This is a book and Bible study to help you find the “want to” in making healthy lifestyle choices

I’m on chapter 4 and I’m loving it. It’s really putting things into perspective.

Yesterday I came across a picture from 2011 and BOY was I much thinner. I am going to hang it up where I can see it and be motivated to lose this excess weight.

With God, I can do this.  Thank you for the prayers as I make this journey to become healthy!

Disappointed Yet Determined

So back in July I posted about starting my weight loss journey. I am ashamed to say that I haven’t see any results because, well let’s face it, I haven’t worked hard enough. I now have 3 medications that cause a lot of weight gain and fibromyalgia also causes weight gain so losing this weight is going to be almost impossible. Well, it feels impossible to me.

I had been keeping a steady weight the past few weeks but today when I went to my doctor, I had gained 5lbs since my last visit.  Needless to say I was disappointed in myself.  It really caused me to open my eyes and face the reality of many other health problems I am in danger of having if I don’t do something about my weight.  Diabetes.  Sleep Apnea. Heart disease. High Blood Pressure…..

I stared in horror at the scale in my doctor’s office. Ironically, I was seeing my psychiatrist today so when the first question out of her mouth was, “How are you feeling?” I almost lost it. I told her, “well I was feeling pretty good until I stepped on that scale!”

So. It’s time for a change. A big change that is going to result in a good outcome. 

I will start walking more, I will try to do sit ups/crunches (that’s going to be a sight,LOL) I will give up my love of sweets and soda and replace them with more healthy choices. Basically, I will do what I can to lose this excess weight..

I discovered some Bible Plans on the YouVersion app dedicated to losing weight. Currently I’m going through The Daniel 14-Day Plan. Oh!! And yesterday I went to the library and checked out Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst which I can’t wait to dive into. It’s about satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food. I’m hoping to gain a lot of insight from this book.

Some Scripture I’ve found helpful:

• 1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God”
• Psalm 10:17 “You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you will listen to their cry.”
• Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.
• James 4:17 “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I realize this last verse seems a little harsh but it stepped on my toes. I ­know I need to lose weight and by ignoring it, it is sin. I truly believe this. It says in Romans 12:1 that we are to present our bodies as a sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…” 

By eating what I want and letting my weight get out of control, I am not presenting my body that is pleasing.

So, with that said….I’m starting this journey with fresh eyes and a determination to lose at least 60lbs.

I don’t ever want to see that number on the scale again.

The Lord Will Give You Rest

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

I’m so tired today. I spent the better half of last night in the emergency room with chest pain so bad that I called a friend to take me there because I didn’t think I’d be able to drive myself.

They did blood work, a chest x-ray and checked for blood clots and it all came back normal. So why am I still having chest pain? Well, the doctor decided to press on my chest to see where the pain was located (I mean, really was that necessary? I told him where it hurt.) I knew he was just doing his job but MAN ALIVE did it hurt! It took so much self control to not punch him or push him away. LOL

So the end result? It’s chest wall pain, also know as costochondritis.  I’ve had it before so I guess I should have recognized the symptoms but they were bad this time. And plus, when there is any kind of chest pain, a person should take it seriously and get to the doctor.

I’m exhausted, I don’t feel well and my soul is just so weary right now. I am so tired of having so many health problems.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

What are some of your favorite bible verses to read when you are feeling down?

Fraudulent Charges….

Well, I experienced a first today. I went to go use my debit card and it was declined. I knew I had money (albeit not a lot) but I knew I had enough. So I checked my account and saw charges I KNEW I hadn’t made. They were at places I rarely go to. So I called my bank and they canceled my card and told me it will take about 7 to 10 business days to get a new card.

UGH I’m so mad! People need to get off their lazy tail and get a job. It’s so frustrating, you know? I work hard for the little bit of money I make.

I mean, they told me I will be refunded for the money that was taken but that’s not the point! It’s the principle of the matter. Get a job! Stop taking other people’s money that’s not yours!!

So that’s how my day started! Hopefully you all are having a better morning than I am!

 

A Fan or a Follower?

Kyle Idleman, pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky has written several books that I absolutely love. The very first book I ever purchased of his is “Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus.” In this book, Idleman discusses the difference between being a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. Here’s the synopsis

Are you a fan or a follower? The dictionary defines a fan as “an enthusiastic admirer.” Fans want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires sacrifice. Fans may be fine with repeating a prayer, attending church on the weekend, and slapping a Jesus fish on their bumpers. But is that really the extent of the relationship Jesus wants? Jesus was never interested in having admirers. It’s not fans he is looking for. Not a Fan challenges you to consider what it really means to call yourself a Christian. With a direct frankness that you’re not likely to hear in Sunday school class, Kyle invites you to take an honest look at your relationship with Jesus. His call to follow may seem radical to us, but Jesus desires it for every believer.

I’ve read this book several times and get something new from it each time. Some quotes from the book include:

The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits but not so close that it requires anything from them.

Ouch. Idleman doesn’t mind stepping on toes, does he? But hey it’s the truth! There are plenty of so called Christians who want to experience the good things Jesus has to offer and that’s it. Following Jesus? No way. It’s too hard. Too much to ask.

Jesus doesn’t expect followers to be perfect but he does call them to be authentic.

No one is perfect. We live in a fallen world. The second Eve took that bite, perfection was something humans would never achieve. However, Jesus does expect authenticity from us.  We are called to be real, to be legitimate.

It’s much easier to talk about following Jesus when you are making general statements rather than specific commitments.

Easier said than done, right? It’s so much easier to SAY you’ll follow Jesus. Actually committing to Him? A lot harder…but it’s what Jesus expects of us. To commit.

I highly recommend this book. You’ll get your toes stepped on, definitely. But the book really makes you think.

 

Frustrations

So for the past several months I’ve been having on and off again chest pain along with palpitations and a heart rate of up to 150 beats a minute just shelving books at work. So I finally decided to see my cardiologist and he sent me for a nuclear stress test, an echocardiogram, and a holter monitor to wear for 2 days.

Well…I got my results today.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’d rather not have anything wrong with me. But clearly something IS wrong. I can feel it.  It’s just not normal to have such a high heart rate while not doing much.

Yet…not according to the results. Nope, according to the cardiologist every test came back normal. Now normally, this is when a person would be praising God that nothing is wrong with their heart. I, however, just looked at the cardiologist, frustrated and tears pooling in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away.

It was then that he came over to me and told me that I just needed to lose weight. That I’d feel better just by losing 15-20lbs. And maybe that’s true. Actually, it IS true. And I’ve been trying to work on that. BUT SOMETHING IS STILL WRONG WITH MY HEART!!! I know my body. I know when something is out of whack.

So what did I do? I came home, called my insurance company and asked for other doctors in the area that accepted my insurance. I decided I needed a second opinion.

I have an appointment at the end of October. That’s the first he can see me.

If you think about it, please just say a prayer for me that this new doctor will figure out what’s going on.

Digital Missionaries

**This post was previously published in 2017 as “Being Jesus Online” and I thought I’d tweak it a little and add some more thoughts.**

So yesterday in the mail I received some booklets I had requested from the Discovery Series on various topics. (They’re FREE!)

One of them was: Being Jesus Online, Biblical Wisdom for a Wired World.

The topics discussed in this particular booklet were:

• What Would Jesus Tweet?
• The Heart of the Matter
• Turning on the Right Filters
• Clicking Share

I’m just going to discuss a couple of them but this topic was very eye-opening and really made me think about the things I post online. Is what I’m posting bringing glory to the Lord? Or are my words tearing someone down?

In “What Would Jesus Tweet”, the author shares his thoughts on whether Jesus would have a social media account in today’s age. What would He share? What would He tweet? How would He relate to His “friends” and “followers” and to those who disagreed with Him?

This thinking, in turn, led to thoughts about his own personal tweets, posts and comments. According to Dennis Moles, the author, “If Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God then shouldn’t His actions and attitudes serve as a guide and example for every area of my life–even my use of social media?”

In “Turning on the Right Filters” Moles makes a good point by saying that “not all moments that can be shared should be shared.” Some thoughts should just be left off social media and kept to ourselves. 

As followers of Christ, we must represent Him in everything we say and do…and whatever we share online. Whether we remember it or not, “we are always representing Jesus.” Moles reminds us that just like the first disciples “we have been sent out into the world to spread God’s message of hope and life…and “because the world sees our lives and doesn’t just hear our words it is our responsibility to think twice before hitting send.”

Moles goes on to say that representing Jesus in digital space is “difficult” “What may be common sense, self-evident, funny or helpful to us, may be frightening, rude, offensive, or confusing to someone else.”

This booklet was really helpful and really opened my eyes. If you want to check this one out and read up on other topics visit the Discovery Series site.

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As Christian bloggers we are digital missionaries. We have the opportunity to spread the Gospel to the other side of the world all while sitting behind a computer screen.

What we say and do on social media has the opportunity to either build someone up or tear someone down. How can we show Christ to the world if we are tearing someone down? Be careful what you say on social media. 

I Corinthians 10:31 says “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

 

The Root of Bitterness

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“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14-15)

Bitterness is dangerous. It can and will consume a person if they’re not careful. I have struggled a lot these past several weeks with bitterness towards a certain situation. I have dealt with what I consider righteous anger towards the situation but then I learn more and bitterness will slowly start to take root.

I can’t turn away from this situation. Meaning until it resolves it’s always going to be around. But I can control how I deal with it.

I thought I had dealt with the anger but suddenly new things come into light and boy do I get upset. Because of my bipolar disorder,  I have a harder time dealing with anger. I can get worked up so quickly. But in the last two years, I have done a lot of growing in Christ and have allowed Him to step in and take control (most of the time. I am still human after all. I’m still going to mess up.)

Being a bipolar is my thorn in the flesh, I honestly believe that. God definitely could take away my illness but I truly believe He’s using it to help me grow closer to Him and to remind me to lean on Him when I’m struggling with something.

Bitterness, at first, is not something that can be seen. It can, however, be felt, little by little if we let it grow. We must learn to rip out the bitterness by the root. It does no good to just chop it down. No, it must be grabbed by the root and tossed. If we let it continue to grow in our hearts, it suddenly will sprout and out comes anger, slander, heartache. Bitterness will turn to anger. Anger will produce sin if we’re not careful. When we seek revenge, when we act on our anger, we are in danger of sinning.

Check out my post on anger: Be Angry and Sin Not

Ephesians 4:31 says ” Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (ESV)

Bitterness doesn’t have to take root. I know, you’re probably thinking, “Well, Leigh, you have no idea what’s happened to me. I have a right to be bitter.”

Let God take control. Give Him your bitterness before it takes root.

 

The Cost of Discipleship

Discipleship

Discipleship. What does it even mean?

¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)

Discipleship is about following Christ and making new disciples. It’s about being invested in following the Great Commission that Jesus set before us. We as Christians are called to make more disciples, to build relationships with others and teach them the Word of God  and what it says.

Discipleship is about growing in the Lord and having a close relationship with Him all the while teaching others how to have the same type of relationship.

Discipleship is about carrying on the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The Cost of Discipleship

Jesus tells us plainly that by following Him we will meet opposition. We will be hated. Laughed at. Ridiculed. Mocked.

Following Jesus by making disciples isn’t difficult to understand, but it can be very costly. By sharing His teachings, we are often rejected along with His message.

Francis Chan, “Muliply: Disciples Making Disciples”

Jesus tells us we must pick up our own cross and follow him daily. Not just when we feel like it. Not just when the time is right. But daily. As in, all the time. every single day.

Will it be hard? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? Totally.

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Update on Landen

Sadly, Landen went peacefully to be with Jesus earlier this evening. Please pray for his family during this time.

Be Angry and Sin Not…

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I was angry a LOT in high school. Back then I didn’t know I was bipolar. I didn’t get diagnosed until about 7 years later. But my mood swings were ridiculous. I sometimes wonder why in the world they didn’t catch it sooner. I was diagnosed with being clinically depressed. But boy, was I an angry person.

I was so bitter. I hated life.

Although I found Christ in 2003, I still struggled. It wasn’t until 2017 that I got serious about my faith. I had started this blog way back in 2010 and then forgot about it. But in 2017 I signed back on and made it a point that this would be a blog for Jesus. Was I still struggling? Well, yes. But I finally found Someone who I knew without a doubt would carry me through it. I finally nailed things down with the Lord and committed myself to following Him.

Do I still have bouts of anger? Do I still have bouts of depression? Absolutely. I’m human, after all.

So there is a situation going on with my church that I can’t go into details about but has been making me pretty angry at some people.  I ask that you please pray for this situation. And pray for me as I work through this anger.  Ultimately, God is in control and knows what’s best.

I use the YouVersion Bible app and if you don’t use it, I recommend you give it a try. There are tons of devotionals/plans you can read on different topics. I decided the other night to look up plans on anger. And I came across quite a few plans!

I have slowly been releasing my anger. With God’s help, the anger is being replaced with compassion. And sympathy. I am learning to look at things differently.

I do believe that there is righteous anger. I mean, Paul says in Ephesians to “be angry and sin not.” (Eph 4:26) There are situations where we SHOULD be angry. But in that anger, we must not sin. In that anger, we must not seek revenge.

It can be a bit confusing to many because Paul says in verse 26 of Ephesians to “be angry but do not sin” and then a few verses down he says to “get rid of all bitternes, rage and anger….” (Eph 4:31)

I believe that Paul is saying to get rid of any unrighteous anger. Anger that produces malice and brawling, anger that seeks revenge.

Do you have an anger problem? Seek the Lord. Release the anger unto God. You really will feel so much better!