Words & Deeds

 There is power in your words and even more power in your actions. In almost every situation, every decision that has to be made you have the power...yes YOU have the power to either encourage, enhance, motivate and show kindness OR partner with the enemy and seek to steal, kill, & destroy (John 10:10). It really is that simple. If that decision is grounded in the love of the Father, it will be LIFE-GIVING. 

Review your day.... Think about decisions you made: conversations you had, speaking without considering how the other person may receive it, posting something, not communicating an important update.... What were they grounded in?: love, hope, faith, or fear, anger, self-seeking desire, money... Think about it folks. 

Drill all the way down on it. Did you make the decision you did because you have done all you know to do and this decision is what you believe is best for all involved OR did you make the decision you made out of disagreement and judgement and not uncover the complete truth of the situation? Did you act on emotions invoked by half-truths or facts and whole-truths? Be brave enough to be honest with yourself and KNOW that God loves you no matter what. 

People that I love dearly and others I respect, have done and said and posted things lately and I'm not so sure they understand the POWER of their words and/or actions. Stop telling people what they should do, how they should do it, using people, manipulating people and situations and think that you have the authority to do it! GOD gives each and every one of us free-will and we should do the same for each other. 

You are either dividing or bringing together. You are either encouraging out of love, out of fear, or out of selfish motives. Love the people you want to love on and leave everyone else alone. 

When you operate in a place of fear, anger, money, self-seeking desires.....you are partnering with the enemy. You are allowing the enemy to use you. 

Have you guys seen what's going on in the world???? Nobody's got time for that. There is plenty of hate and fear in the world right now. Buck Up & GET. IT. TOGETHER. 

For real....we all have many, many choices every single day. Choose who you want to work with (Jesus or Satan). Your decisions show your heart. The wonderful, wonderful, BEAUTIFUL gift God has given us in Jesus, not only gives us power, but also gives us the blessed gift of FORGIVENESS! Did you make a decision rooted in sin? Guess what......turn your heart to Jesus, repent, & it is TOTALLY FORGIVEN! WIPED CLEAN!!! If you get bucked off....BUCK UP BABY & RIDE WITH JESUS! He will get you back in the saddle over and over and over again.....as many times as you need to build  YOUR trust in Him. 

OPERATION GET HEALTHY: Day 4

Overall...today - I pretty much got back on track. I had a good breakfast: Turkey Breast & a Banana. I skipped the next snack because I had the same leftover spaghetti (I LOVE spaghetti). Then I had a snack of blackberries and a cheesestick. Then I had Chicken Stew for supper, which had LOTS of protein & I just finished my last snack of greek yougurt. The coolest thing is I am down 3 pounds already this morning.

We went to a birthday party this evening & I'm not gonna lie. It was tough. They had those yummy little pinwheels with salsa & chips & dip & brownies & ice cream & a turtle pie. Whew...I had to direct my attention elsewhere, because truth is...it bummed me out a little that I didn't eat any of that. I KNOW.....I can eat those things in moderation once this cleanse & challenges are over....but I didn't like it. I mean...I do, but a REALLY big part of me is having a hard time resisting. Thank goodness I KNOW God will supply whatever it is I need to get there.

Chapter 4 in The Daniel Plan is 70+ pages long, so.....I haven't read it all, but it is the reason I had originally chose to try this plan out. Thank goodness for Advocare, because I don't know that I had the food discipline it took to pull it off on my own, without a step-by-step guide...and a coach. The Daniel Plan's main focus is to eat foods that came from the earth or others made from products from the earth....organic, whole, fresh. The authors of this book are also VERY aware of the struggle we face. Our lives have become so fast-paced that we LOOK for convenience. Some of us are so used to it that we don't know any different. I mean...we are talking about breaking long-term habits that are engrained in us. The Daniel Plan gives you a good amount of food to eat...probably more than I normally eat, but it is ALL good for you. I think it will really help me to come of the Advocare 24-day challenge into a more structered, yet understanding approach to food. This chapter breaks down & gives examples of the foods we need to eat & how much, based on a plate diagram.

It is going to be a challenge, but I think if I ALWAYS try to keep my focus on putting food in my body that comes directly from products from the earth & not products that came from the earth, then went to a processing plant...I'll be okay. If I even cut out 1/2 of what we normally did...I think it will significantly impact our health. Today, the hardest thing for me was not giving in to all those yummies & then being a little bummed about it...but I was able to hold on, because I want to get to where I can see & feel a change.

I encourage you guys to get The Daniel Plan journal, if you decide to do something like this. Pastor Warren's church tried and tested this plan, so it is no surprise that the journal message is EXACTLY what I was feeling. The mental choice of what you will put in your body. The mental part is the tough part, which I believe is how the devil jacks with us the most.

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Also....I was REALLY going to try and keep up in The Daniel Plan book, with the journal - but that will be pretty hard for me, so I ENCOURAGE you to do it the way it makes the most sense in your life. I didn't want to skip to the next chapter because FOOD & FITNESS are by far my weakest two areas that The Daniel Plan measures; Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus, & Friends. So be sure to READ the book, but - If you are like me...just doing this diet plan is putting a lot of pressure on yourself.