Have a Heavenly Perspective and Be Healthier!

By Julie Morris –

According to some studies, worrying is the number one reason that people get sick, and there are so many things to worry about these days! If we keep our thoughts on our problems, we’ll come down with heaven knows what, but if we keep our thoughts on heaven, we’ll be able to rise above our problems and experience a taste of heaven on earth. But how can we do that?

Let’s start by looking at one of my favorite verses: 

 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” Isaiah 64:4 (NLT).

Here’s what I wrote as I meditated on this passage:

Oh Lord, please help me to keep these wonderful promises in my mind and heart as I go through the rest of my days. Help me to never forget that I am heading home to receive your blessings. Though you are with me and bless me while I’m here, those blessings are just a shadow of the ones to come. When I grieve my losses in light of your awesome promises, my losses pale in comparison with the amazing blessings you have in store for me.

How unworthy I am to receive rewards from you, but you promise to reward me nonetheless. How unworthy I am to be called your child, but you choose to love me and call me your own. I praise you, Father, for sending your Son to be my worthiness and your Spirit to help me to love you.

I rest, Abba, in your wisdom, in your perfect timing and in your unconditional love for those who love you.

Now we’ll journey back to earth to see how we can have a heavenly perspective while dealing with overwhelming challenges many of us have to face every day.

Paul tells us how to do this in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV) “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Here’s what I wrote about this passage during a particularly challenging time in my life:

I have so many problems coming at me at once that I feel hard pressed on every side—but I don’t have to be crushed by my circumstances. Picturing myself encircled by Jesus’ loving arms helps me to remember that He is with me, protecting me.

I am perplexed—but I don’t have to be in despair. I’m confused, unsure and upset, but I don’t have to be in despair as one who has no hope. I don’t know what my future holds, but I know who holds my future. I am finding that when I praise the Lord even though I don’t understand His plan, I experience peace and even joy sometimes.

Because so many painful things are happening, I feel persecuted—but when I cling to God’s promises, I don’t feel abandoned. Jesus promises that He’ll be even closer me when I’m going through trials and I believe Him!

I feel like I have been stuck down—but I will not be destroyed. I am victorious in Christ. Nothing can defeat me or separate me from His love. And nothing can destroy the wonderful eternity I will have with Him in heaven.

I have given you my thoughts about a few verses that have helped me to have a heavenly perspective. Find others and write your own meditations so you can rise above your problems, be healthier… and experience a taste of heaven on earth!

Fitness: What Does It Really Mean?

By Don Otis –

I just read an article in National Geographic about solo-climbing some of the great walls in Yosemite, namely El Capitan. What used to take days or even weeks is now done in a matter of hours, sometimes without a rope. You read that right. One mistake, one missed foothold, fear, fatigue and you are dead! This takes extreme conditioning and plenty of mental acuity. I don’t recommend it.

For most of us, fitness is an elusive dream that we never manage to achieve. If you look at health, fitness or fashion magazines you can feel insecure. Few of us will ever be completely satisfied by how we look or how fit we are. That’s why we’re talking about how to define fitness in this column. In general terms, fitness involves our ability to fulfill a particular physical task or role. This definition will change based on the task. For example, if you want to run a marathon the task is much greater than if you want to walk up a flight of stairs. For an older person, getting up a flight of stairs or walking around the block may be a big challenge.

Physical fitness is most often defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities, pursue recreational activities, and have the physical capability to handle emergency situations. This raises more questions than it provides answers. For example, can a person be overweight and be fit at the same time? Yes, in some cases. Obesity is another matter. It hampers our ability to perform the basic functions of everyday life. These also vary depending on whether you are a ditch digger or sit at your desk all day like I do.

The majority of us just want to enjoy life, do the things we take pleasure in, and not huff and puff our way around a park or up a trail. Others of us are goal-oriented and feel the need to achieve through physically challenging experiences. As a general rule, you should engage in some activity five days a week for twenty to thirty minutes that gets your heart rate up to 70 percent of more of your maximum. If you are faithful and consistent, you can call yourself fit.

The elevated heart rate is necessary for putting an adequate workload on your cardiovascular system (heart and lungs). This means that going to the gym a couple of times a week or walking lazily around the block is often not enough. Your fitness level is directly proportionate to how hard you work. One’s fitness level and effort at 60 is clearly not the same for someone in their 20s so this is why checking your heart rate and maintaining it during exercise is important.

Finally, your level of fitness is not just exercise-related. It involves far more, such as how you’re doing emotionally and spiritually, as well as what you consume. Imagine putting sugar water in your gas tank and expecting your car to operate effectively. It won’t.

In order to be totally fit, we must consider exercise as well as what we put into our minds (such as television and movies) and what we put into our bodies.

GMO: You Are What You Eat?

By Laurette Willis –

GMO = Genetically Modified Organisms. I experienced food poisoning last week for the first and by-the-grace-of-God LAST time in my life. The topic of food purity is suddenly of great interest to me.

Genetic engineering of our food supply is being called “Cell Invasion Technology.” It is estimated that GMOs are found in 80% of the foods we find in our supermarkets (including GMO corn, canola, soybeans and sugar beets).

Whenever I think of Monsanto, I think of chemicals, carpeting…food? Yet, Monsanto is one of the largest GMO engineering corporations in the world. Believe-it-or-not, up to 90 percent of all major U.S. grown crops are grown with genetically engineered seed, and can be used in our food with little or no safety testing or labeling.

Since being introduced into the food supply, multiple chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% of the population and food allergies doubled.

Abstaining from foods?

Scripturally speaking, 1 Timothy 4 speaks about the deception and “doctrines of demons” that will come in the last days. In part, this includes “commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:3 NKJV).

Notice the italicized “which God created.” Genetically Modified Organisms invade the cellular integrity designed by God (much as bacteria or a virus would do). Injecting genes from cold water flounder into tomatoes so they can withstand colder temperatures (yes that is really done) is not my idea of food which God created.

Many of us have used this next verse of Timothy to bless the Triple-Decker Belly Bomber with fries we were about to eat: “For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4-5 NKJV).

Doesn’t that cover us? I believe if we are evangelizing in a foreign country, for example, and handed an unusual something to eat (such as a monkey meat sandwich), we are definitely covered when we sanctify/bless the food “by the word of God and prayer.”

However, I question whether organisms man has “Frankensteined” into something else can qualify under the “every creature of God is good” category. Wouldn’t it be wise to avoid such foods whenever possible?

What Can We Do?

Be proactive. Study about GMOs and support legislature to counter their being introduced into the food supply. You can shop at local farmers’ markets, thus supporting your local economy, too. You may need to educate your commercial grocers, asking them to direct you to non-GMO foods, and to order more foods without GMOs.

What do you think? Is Genetically Modified Organisms in the food supply a good thing, bad thing, or “no big deal”? Share your comments. I’d love to know what you think!

Overcoming Selfishness

By Cami Checketts –

My baby is almost ten months old. I’ve worked hard since he was born to lose the “baby weight.” It hasn’t been easy but I’m finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight. But for some reason that hasn’t been good enough. I keep thinking, “Just five more pounds,” which is silly because I’m usually the first one to preach that the number on the scale is just one indicator of good health and you should really focus on how you’re feeling, how hard you’re working, and if you’re confident with how you look.

My younger sister finally called me out. Here’s the gist of what she said (or at least what I heard). “You’re so focused on your body being perfect. You have four children. Grow up.” I think she might have said it a little nicer than that, but then again maybe not. Here’s where her advice gets good: “It’s one of the devil’s tools to make us think that we’re not good enough. If he can convince Christian women to first of all have no self-confidence because they’re not ‘perfect’ and second make them selfish enough to spend all their time trying to be ‘perfect,’ look at what he’s accomplished.”

She is right. Instead of focusing on my family, my spirituality, serving others, and bettering my corner of the world, I was caught up with myself—how I was looking, when I was going to fit in more exercise, what I was eating.

As always, it comes down to balance. Of course we should take care of our physical bodies. We all know we can accomplish the Lord’s work much more effectively if we are healthy and strong. But if any of you have gone past the point of healthy—to obsession, it can be a real concern.

Turn to the Lord for help. He cares about you in every aspect of your life. And don’t be afraid to ask family and friends to help keep you on track as well. My husband, boys, sister, and many others who love me keep me focused on the important things in life.

However, the most important thing for me to do is to ask each day what the Lord wants me to do, instead of what I want to do. If I listen to that answer, I’ll never go astray.

 

Meditating on God’s Word Might Even Help You Lose Weight!

By Julie Morris –

Joshua 1:8 says that if you meditate on God’s Word you’ll be prosperous and successful. Millions of people in the U.S. are trying to lose weight, but lacking success. If you’re one of them, why don’t you try meditating on God’s Word as you begin each day? I can tell you from personal experience that this has really helped me to get rid of my unwanted extra pounds, and keep them off.

Here are some ways to meditate on scripture that just take three or four minutes. Why don’t you give them a try?

#1. Write a letter to God Read a portion of the Bible expectantly for a few minutes every day–knowing that God will speak to you through his Word as He promises. Write the verse you choose on the top of the page. Then write God a short letter telling him how this verse applies to you personally that day.

#2. Write a letter from God Rewrite the passage as if God were speaking to you personally about the particular problems you are facing that day. Here’s an example of writing a letter from God concerning Isaiah 41:13 (NIV) “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Start with your name: _____________, I am talking hold of your hand right now and telling you not to be afraid. I am going to help you with this problem with (your husband, money, kids, losing weight, etc.).

#3. Picture the passage Draw a simple cartoon to help you picture what God is saying to you in his Word. When you draw, you use the right side of your brain and when you write words, you use the left side. When you write and draw, you use your whole brain so it really makes the verse sink in!

#4. Write a structured meditation Answer the following questions about the passage:

• What promise(s) is expressed or implied? How can you claim that promise personally?
• What command(s) is expressed or implied? How can you commit to the command?
• What do you want to say to God about this?

Try meditating on Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) using this structure. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

• What promise(s) is expressed or implied? How can you claim that promise personally?

Discipline produces righteousness and peace later on. I need that!

• What command(s) is expressed or implied? How can you commit to the command?

(Implied) Be disciplined.

I will quit snacking between meals—especially eating in front of the TV every night.

• What do you want to say to God about this? Here’s an example:

God, I’m sorry that I haven’t been disciplined in my eating. I need to take better care of myself. Please give me the willingness to be more disciplined. Thank you that I have joined this weight-loss group so I will be encouraged by the other members and learn more about how to eat in a healthy way.

Meditating on Scripture will help you to be successful in many ways. It even might help you lose weight!

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