Garnish Your Plate with Praise

By Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry

http://praisemoves.com/

Most of us are accustomed to thanking God for our meal before we start eating. What I propose is encircling our dining experience with praise.

In Isaiah 55:2 the Lord says, “Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul be satisfied with abundance.”

Do you see the three parts of that scripture?

1. Listen carefully to Me

2. Eat what is good

3. Let your soul be satisfied with abundance

As Paul wrote, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

While we know that scripture is “spiritually discerned” and has great significance for our spiritual lives, it is also immensely practical and relevant to our everyday lives.

As we grow in our walk with the Lord, we realize that He is genuinely interested in everything that concerns us—even what we eat. By being willing to discipline our flesh, we become more sensitive to His leading.

Out of the Blue…

Have you ever had an idea come to you “out of the blue?” That’s how this idea came to me. You know when something is so good, you can’t possibly take credit for it? That’s how I feel about this. Not long ago I was Prayer Journaling. That involves writing prayers to God and recording what you believe He is telling you in the Scriptures and in your heart.

I wrote: “Father, how can I best reach and maintain the healthy ideal weight and size for me?” The idea, or revelation, that occurred to me was so complete and made so much sense. I must have stopped and stared for a full minute in wide-eyed wonder.

The Lord led me to Isaiah 55:2 and this plan:

Give the Lord a portion of your food every day. How?

Substitute a portion of what you would ordinarily eat and give it to the Lord. Since you can’t physically give that food to the Lord, what do you substitute it with?

An offering of Praise…

Praise and thanksgiving. Your portion is what you eat. The portion you give to the Lord is your offering of praise and thanksgiving. The physical food you leave on the plate serves as a symbol of the sacrifice of praise you will be offering Him from your heart.

After all, praise is called the “fruit of our lips!”

You know how “full” you feel when you completely throw yourself into praise and worship? Or if that’s not your style, recall a time when you were so tremendously thankful for an answered prayer or the Lord’s intervention at the exact moment you needed Him most that you thought you’d burst? That’s what I mean.

I used to eat way past the point of satisfying my physical hunger to fill a void of a different kind. Have you? If you will eat slowly enough to be sensitive to when your stomach is satisfied, you will recognize when to stop eating—even if there’s still food on your plate.

Put your fork down and if you’re alone, start praising the Lord. Thank Him for who He is in your life. Worship Him for His amazing attributes and His love for you. It will be a time of sweet communion between the two of you. After all, He is the “bread of life” that truly satisfies. You may be amazed at how quickly you feel satisfied.

If you are with the family or out to dinner at a restaurant, when you sense that you have had an “elegant sufficiency,” put your fork down and silently praise and worship the Lord. Thank Him in your heart.

You don’t have to be flaky about it.

No need to be rude or hyper-spiritual and shut everyone else out because, “I’m communing with God.” Hoo-wee, what a witness!

Instead, why not tell those at table something wonderful the Lord has done for you or someone you know?

In the Psalms, David often spoke of telling others about the Lord’s marvelous works. That’s praising Him! No one has to know what you’re doing if you don’t want them to know.

It’s a great opportunity to tell your children why you love and trust in the Lord. Share an experience of what God did for you or someone in your family, or someone in the Bible. You might begin by saying, “I was thinking about how much the Lord loves us.”

You’ll be giving glory to God and “satisfying your soul with abundance” at the same time.

1. Listen carefully to Me

2. Eat what is good

3. Let your soul be satisfied with abundance

(Adapted from BASIC Steps to Godly Fitness by Laurette Willis, Harvest House Publishers) available at www.PraiseMoves.com .

And now I’d like to invite you to get your free Christian Fitness Kit at http://ChristianFitnessKit.com .

Christian Fitness Expert Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry (http://PraiseMoves.com and on Facebook http://bit.ly/aAlS4u ). Take part in her free monthly teleseminars at http://ChristianFitnessTeleseminar.com . © 2010

Christian Weight Loss: Three Winning Attitudes

by Kimberly Floyd

Three winning attitudes can help your Christian weight loss efforts:

* I am responsible

* I face reality

* I have a “no excuses” attitude

‘I Am Responsible’

Realize that you are responsible for the choices you make or have made; it is a waste of time to blame others or circumstances for your choices.

When it comes to your health efforts, you alone are responsible for the food you put in your mouth. You are responsible for exercising your body. You’re responsible for preparing nutritious meals for yourself and, on the days when you can’t cook, you’re responsible for buying nutritious meals for yourself. You’re a grownup and no one is going to make you healthy but you.

Accountability does not mean condemnation when you stumble. Instead it means that you are willing to take responsibility for the stumble and examine where things went wrong so that you are less likely to make the same mistake again.

‘I Face Reality’

Satan often uses negative emotions to try to defeat us, such as depression, anger, and discouragement. But he uses fear most of all. He tries to trick you into thinking that you won’t be able to cope with life if you don’t eat your usual way. This is especially true if you are using food to avoid dealing with issues that you don’t want to face. But that’s not what God wants for you. He wants you to trust that He works all things together for your good.

God can give you courage to face any demons of unresolved hurt, unforgiveness, and anger. So ask yourself the question: ‘What am I running from?’ Write down your answers. Then take your answers to God immediately. Realize that if you continue using food to cope with emotional issues, you’ll never have true peace. Have the courage to look at the hard, painful things; God will help you through and heal you.

‘I Have a “No Excuses” Attitude’

You can either have your weight loss goal or keep your excuse, but you can’t have both. Arguing for an excuse means you get to keep it. “No excuses” challenges you to focus on solutions, not on problems. Your excuses are blocking your way to a more excellent life. Get rid of them.

These attitudes are not always easy to maintain but when you practice them, you make you chances of success much greater.

Kimberly Floyd is an author and certified wellness coach who helps others reach their perfect weight using Christian weight loss principles. Once 240 pounds, she lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to a size 8. Visit her website now for a FREE special report: http://www.takebackyourtemple.com