Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Food for Body and Soul

Eating food is necessary for health. It is also a tool for destruction when done for other reasons. I have eaten to numb emotions for much of my life. For various reasons my toolbox for dealing with sadness, loneliness, anger, frustration, fear and happiness has been empty except for the "food" tool. With years of life and consequences, both emotional and physical, I have worked to find other tools for my toolbox. That said, my default is still eating food.

This battle is constant, daily and draining. I know many struggle as I do.

My current question is: How do I set my mind on the Spirit in this. Food is so much dealing with my flesh, my body.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Leadership Lesson

Last Saturday I had the privilege of being a trainer of leaders. It was a BLAST!!! Let me say that again another way. I was SO in my spiritual element and SO thankful that God gave me the experiences and life lessons to actually have something worthwhile to contribute and IT WAS A BLAST!!!

Anyway, I also had a leadership lesson while doing the training. My always expressive face and body language displayed something in my heart that wasn't kind. I got to apologize to a participant (and wish I'd asked forgiveness instead) and let the whole group of 50 people know of my error. Fun times. Looking back, I'm so grateful I obeyed God and admitted my mess.

Leaders lead in many ways. Leading in humble vulnerability is necessary and pleasing to God and others.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mind Battles

Many good writers have given counsel on dealing with destructive thoughts and lies we tell ourselves. The challenge for me is actually doing those things in a crisis. Will I trust God to be good and kind TO ME when I feel low and alone? Will I fight the waves of sadness or will I let them roll over me and bury me?

The past two days I have struggled with feeling alone despite being in relationship with some amazing people near my home and far away. Instead of choosing to see the blessing in it, I chose to see a few hours of solitude as "too much". A friend called me this morning who is bearing much and fighting to keep her heart afloat in circumstances that could easily get the better of all of us if we were in her place and I realized, I needed to change.

We are in battle with old thought patterns AND with an enemy of our souls who is bent on robbery, murder and destruction. I choose LIFE. I choose to FIGHT!!!
Are you with me??!

Good reads:
I John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Lamentations 3:22-26 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Victory Over the Darkness by Neil Anderson
Believing God by Beth Moore

Friday, August 10, 2012

Choosing Well

I once asked my dad how to know the will of God. He gave me a few Bible principles that have served me well. Here they are for your consideration.

1. Listen for God in stillness - in general, don't expect to hear God well when you don't slow down and make some quiet space to hear Him. Psalm 32:8
2. God's instructions are daily and moment by moment - Isaiah 30:21
3. I need to WANT to do what He tells me to do in order to hear Him. If I just want His ideas about the way forward so I can evaluate them and decide if I'll do them, then I'm not ready to hear His direction for me. Romans 12:1-2
4. God will pour desires that align with His heart into yours and then give them to you. Proverbs 3:5-12