My weight loss counseling sessions with God
Since cold is coming, I’ll share the recipe for my husband’s favorite homemade soup. I usually make this soup and can it in quart jars for later, but it freezes well too.
I have made it for a large crowd. It serves 20-30 people depending on the size of your soup bowls. It’s also good to serve those friends coming to watch football.
Chicken Mexican Soup (for canning) Continue reading
Lord, I praise you for all these clothes that are now too big for me, 41 pieces total. Wow! Now I have the joy of giving them away or trading them for new ones at the consignment shop. I do enjoy shopping for new clothes. You give me all that I need and for a price I can afford too. Thank you. Continue reading
(Note: Please accept my apologies if you are receiving a duplicate of this post. When I posted this the first time, only half of the article went through. I don’t know why this happened. I did have a virus and carried the computer to the repairman. I thought he had fixed it. I do appreciate your patience and understanding.)
Today Lord, I decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and there was a light breeze. The sunshine felt warm and wonderful. I enjoyed visiting with a couple as they decorated their yard. Further down, I talked with a young mother as she supervised her daughter. Instead of it being the drudgery of exercise, this walk was a pleasure. At one point I was singing praise songs to You and I felt Your Presence with Me. Continue reading
Today Lord, I decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and there was a light breeze. The sunshine felt warm and wonderful. I enjoyed visiting with a couple as they decorated their yard. Further down, I talked with a young mother as she supervised her daughter. Instead of it being the drudgery of exercise, this walk was a pleasure. At one point I was singing praise songs to You and I felt Your Presence with Me.
I have been reading about all the exercise programs that others are doing to lose weight. Do You think I should be exercising? With Your help I have already lost 63 pounds, but all these others are working so hard with their plans. After yoga, aerobics, and running, one lady said she dances while she cooks supper. I think I’d die if I tried to keep up with her. I get tired just reading about her exercise.
Although, I am beginning to wonder if I need to do some type of exercise. A sister in law used to talk about taking belly dancing lessons. After looking at this outfit I decided that belly dancing is not for me. Lord, You have seen my belly and it’s not a pretty sight. Sometimes, it even dances by itself. No, I don’t think belly dancing is for me.
I downloaded an app to measure my steps as I walk and was able to walk a mile today. That was quite an accomplishment for me since I was considering a nap instead. Everything in me screams in rebellion at the idea of a structured exercise program. Everywhere I look people are working hard to work off their excess weight. I rather curl up with a good book. Lord, what do You think I should do?
Ernestine Shepherd- Oldest female body builder- 77 years old
I designed your body for flexibility and strength. You have heard that if you don’t use it, you will lose it. That’s true. Exercise for the joy of moving is good. When the exercise program becomes the focus of your life, that’s not good. Your focus should be to help those struggling with life, rather than the number of repetitions in your workout. But, you do need to move those body parts to keep them loose and moving freely. Otherwise early stiffness will set in just as rust will set in metal that has been sitting in place.
My child, you get to choose to exercise or not. Your decision to or not does not affect My purpose or My plans. Did you see My daughter that chooses to work out and run 10 miles everyday? She is 77 years old with a body any 20 year would love. The difference is that she shares about My love and the strength that is found in My Presence. She reads My Word every day and that is her greatest exercise.
I have given you free will to chose and I have made a provision for you in case you choose not to exercise.
Seeing this sign made me angry. My first thought was “No, I deserve more ‘life’ than a cookie.” The advertiser implied that because I’m good I deserve a cookie. I differ in opinion; I am incapable of ‘being good’ enough. Also, it was too many cookies, and other excesses, that took away the quality of my life, my relationship with God, and stole my victory.
But God had a better plan for my life, more than cookies. I don’t deserve His love, He loves me anyway. I don’t deserve His blessings, but He chooses to bless me with the reward of His love. Cookies don’t give us life, God does. Without Him, I am nothing.
God has a better plan for your life too, more than cookies. That’s for sure. You deserve more than cookies. See the truth, hear the whispers of His love calling unto you.
My child, I do have plans for your life, plans for a hope and a future. Come to Me, seek My face for I have more sweets waiting for you than what you’ll find in a cookie jar. I plan on filling you with the sweetness of My love and My forgiveness. As you look to Me, I will direct your steps to your personal victory, the one I have planned for you alone. Today, seek My instructions and follow them with each step you take. Know that I have victory waiting for you. Cookies cannot bring you peace, strength, wisdom, comfort, and certainty not victory. Taste the sweetness of My love, for only I hold your victory in My hand. Come to Me and receive what I have for you, the free unmerited favor of My love.
—You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures evermore. Psalm 16:11
—For whoever find Me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 8:35
Lord, I’m so down. When I look around all I see is things that didn’t turn out like I thought they should. It seems that nothing has turned out right. My beloved friend, now with You, once told me that I was like ‘Pollyanna”. She said, “That’s why I keep you around, you’re so positive.” But I feel so depressed and disappointed. Since June of 2013, I have lost a friend, my brother-in-law, my precious Mother, my Mother-in-law who was a second mother to me, and now my best friend. Continue reading
Tempting Desert Bar
You have brought me so many victories this past week. Last night I was so exhausted, but You provided a distraction that kept me too occupied to eat. At night the gluttony monster shows up, but I was too busy to pay attention to his temptations this time. Thank you.
(My child, I saw how tired you were and provided.)
Now here I am at the ‘all you can eat’ buffet. Help me. There’s so much food here, it’s difficult to breathe. The salad bar looks pitiful with wilted lettuce and I don’t like any of these soups. Oh, I can’t eat this salad. The vegetables look so boring, it’s all just the same old foods they had the last time I came here, months ago. I’m getting anxious, what if I lose self control and eat everything? Hmm, the steak portions look about half size, I ‘ll try that. Guess I’ll get some carrots and cabbage, squash too. Maybe this will be alright after all. My plate looks full and satisfying. If I chew real slow, I can make this food last until he gets finished. I hope I’m not still hungry when this plate is empty. But I will eat only one plate of food, hear me, just one plate. Continue reading
Praise God- Total weight lost- 51 pounds. This bag of potatoes weighs 50 lbs. and I can hardly pick it up. No wonder I can walk better.
He just started on my food plan.
He lost 5lbs. on my food plan.
And now I have dogs as dieting partners. What?
Lord, I want to praise You for the 51 pounds weight loss and the smaller size jeans I got into yesterday. Continue reading
May 2014
How great You are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but You . . . 2 Samuel 7:22 NIV
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Lord, last night I had a choice; go out to eat or stay home, order pizza, and watch a movie. I was so tired, so I ordered the pizza and settled down to watch the movie. I ended up eating too much and the movie was full of profanity and disappointing. If I had gone out to eat, at least we would have had good conversation with a good meal. Lord, I followed Your instructions about eating only a half of my meal. I ate only one slice of pizza, but I lost it over the apple desert. I fixed a large serving with ice cream on top, but as I ate this I began to feel guilty. I left about a third of it because I was so overwhelmed with guilt. It was such a struggle to let it go. Now I realize what a hold deserts have on me. I do love them so! Lord, help me to let go! Lord, help me to love You more than deserts. Do You want me to start over, back to Day one? Do You want me to give up my deserts as well since it was such a struggle last night?
