In 2014 I spent more time reading The Bible than I have my ENTIRE life....& it has changed my life. It is AMAZING to me how The Holy Spirit works inside of us & MOVES us. I've been gently nudged and made aware of so many things that I probably would've passed up or not paid any attention to in the past. Over the last several weeks my health and my eating habits have been at the forefront of my thoughts. I am pretty weak in these areas....as far as...knowledge on HOW to be healthier and actually FOLLOW-THRU with it.
Before Christmas I bought the Daniel Plan Book & Journal & I bought another set for my VERY dear friend down in South Texas...in hopes that we could ENCOURAGE each other to be healthier based on what the Bible tells us about our bodies, deepen our friendship, & deepen our FAITH & UNDERSTANDING of God's LOVE for us. She agreed....but like things usually go for me - with these plans I didn't know how to start & if I was "ready."
God has BLESSED me with one very persistent friend that is a STRONG believer in Advocare. I've told her NO a lot, but the last time we saw each other I just felt like this 24 day challenge she was talking about was something I should do. Really,...sometimes the whole - in the middle - of how I get from Point A to Point B astonishes me. I was really not into it & then I just was. Anyways.... since I decided to do the 24 Day Challenge, which started today, I decided to also start The Daniel Plan and my journal.
I've decided to share this journey with you like I did when I read through: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?
I SO strongly URGE all of you to find a way to get closer to The Holy Trinity. I can't explain all the POSITIVE changes happening in my life, but the doors that open up are way better than I can explain, It doesn't have to be all "holy-roller-ish." If you believe in God - your Creator....all you have to do is TALK to him. I'm tellin' you...give him a little & he'll give you a lot...more than you ask for...& don't think that you have to be QUALIFIED to do it. (ex. Go to church every Sunday.) He WELCOMES you just as you are, just where you are. I've talked Jesus around a beer pong table & the two of us that were talkin' are better for it, Maybe not physically HEALTHIER, but spiritually stronger.
So to be clear. I think one of the BIGGEST reasons I agreed to the 24-day challenge, was that I KNEW I would have someone that would hold me VERY accountable & someone that was accessible to HELP me when I needed it. Through this challenge & with the help of my friend I will LEARN to eat healthier. From reading Pastor Warren's book: I also know that it takes about 40 days to FORM a new habit. That is why I decided to couple the Advocare challenge with The Daniel Plan.
Today was the first day of the cleanse. Besides the products I took (shakes, cleanse formula, etc.) here are the foods I ate: (I share this with you - in case it could help you.)
Breakfast: Chocolate Mocha Meal Replacement Shake
1st Snack: Kiwi
Lunch: Salad with Super Berry Vinegarette & 6 small organic turkey meatballs
2nd Snack: Pear
Dinner: Smoked Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Steamed squash,red bell pepper, & zucchini mix
3rd Snack: A little smoked turkey & baby carrots
I did 50 jumping jacks & need to drink more water than I did today.
If you want to make a change in your life & you need MORE than willpower & a persistent friend or several....go get THIS book. You will realize that you have masses of people praying for you & INVITE God to walk with you EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!
The first chapter of The Daniel Plan discussed why Pastor Warren felt MOVED to address this very issue of our society. It is filled with scripture & medical facts & statistics. On page 19 & 20 I found the very thought that has crossed my mind multiple times over the last several weeks: "If you want to know how valuable your life is to God, just look at the cross. With his arms outstretched, nailed to the cross, Jesus was sayng, 'This is how valuable you are to me. I love you this much! I'd rather die than live without you.' Now, if you are worth dying for, don't you think God wants you to take better care of yourself?" I'd feel twinges of guilt, because I know, like many of you know, that we NEED to be healthier.... We need to BUCK UP....quit making excuses! We need to BUCK UP & RIDE WITH JESUS! At least I do on this one....
I feel extremely blessed because I have a posse of about 7 people that are surrounding me to support me and encourage me, like I will them. Some are doing the 24 day Advocare Challenge, One is doing The Daniel Plan, & some are doing their own OR are just supporting me through it.
I will end today's blog with a prayer that Pastor Warren is praying over everyone on this journey. It is from 3 John 2: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment