Maintaining a lifetime of fitness is extremely hard work. It's challenging because it takes a disciplined mind to commit yourself to exercising on a continual basis. Even if your level of fitness is made up of recreational activities (i.e., basketball, tennis, skiing, etc.), while these activities are enjoyable and entertaining, in order to benefit from them for fitness benefits you've got to get up and do them!
Doing the work is tough because you just don't feel like doing the work everyday or several days a week. How do you motivate yourself on a regular basis?
Change your perspective on fitness. Don't allow your exercise regimen to be an optional thing. Brushing your teeth and showering is something that you do everyday; they are not optional. Reframe your outlook on fitness in this same way. As you change your mind set in this way you will re-program your thinking and this will lead to your body responding in action.
Change the way that you think and your body will be motivated to follow!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
Where the Search Begins & Ends
My 12-year old asked her Father and I when we were her age if we had a cell phone, texted, and used facebook. I had to educate her on the reality that when we were her age technology wasn't as advanced as it is now. When I purchased my first phone I was a newly married lady and the thought of carrying around a cell phone was so foreign to me that if I left it at home it was no huge deal. Fast forward to 2017. If I leave my phone there is a chance that I will turn around and go back home to get it. We use technology for more than just contacting someone in case of emergency. We use it to take pictures, balance our checking account, typing up blog entries, and staying in contact with friends and family.
It's the latter reason on my list of technology uses that brings me to my own phone to write this blog entry. While I was a Facebook user in the past and currently am an instagram user I have a certain level of familiarity with how social media is used today. I've witnessed that there's a blessing in being able to connect with family and friends that one may not be able to see on a regular basis. Users can experience joy as they celebrate on social media forums, seeing pictures from events and "liking" them and leaving well wishes in their comments. You can drop lines of encouragement and uplift the people in your life by tweeting them.
While the ability to connect with others in this way is useful and brings enjoyment, it can impact an area within us that we may not even realize. Day in and day out social media calls out to us. Our eyes want to see who's getting engaged, married, or having a baby. We want to stay abreast of the latest news and statuses of the people that interest us. Our flesh enjoys the feelings we experience when we see old friends and how they're living since we last saw them. In return we have a sense of joy when other people commend us when they see our own personal experiences. Accumulating a lot of "likes" makes us feel good and gives a sense of acceptance and fulfillment to know that someone has noticed us. The downside in all of this is as we experience these feel-good sensations from social media, we're constantly feeding our minds with a reality that may not all together be truth. We take in countless scenes of what seems to be blissfully, amazingly happy people. As we daily gaze at smiling, exuberant faces of people that we know, we are constantly feeding our minds a false reality of life. Our desires to be in-the-know with twittering comments, statements, and opinions can easily bombard and rule our thoughts.
The truth is real life is not filled with a constant onslaught of laughter, joy, and perfectly orchestrated moments. Although it may not be the intention of the people that you view each day to send a message that they are completely content in life without problems, as your mind takes in these images on a continual basis it will impact your thoughts and thoughts impact our behaviors. As we take to our cell phones and the internet and enter this false reality of life, in many ways we are escaping to a world that may make us feel better about our true life situations as we see the "likes" or we're emotionally uplifted by the sense of happiness that we see depicted in the life of our friends and family by what they choose to highlight through pictures and tweets.
We may also feel a sense of defeat or discouragement when we view what seems to be perfectly happy people while our current situation has us in a place of hopelessness. We may find ourselves comparing our own lives to theirs and end up feeling as worse off than when we tuned into their life. As we're inundated with tweets regarding the latest news and current events our thoughts are shaped and influenced by the world. The happy glimpses that we get into other people's lives should not be our escape from our own realities and the overwhelming load of information that we receive from the internet should not be what shapes our thoughts and emotions.
For the believer our escape should be to the throne of grace and the main influence of our mind and heart should be the Word of God. There we'll find a true picture of joy, peace, and happiness and our mind, flesh, and spirit will be completely satisfied. Because we're shaped by the things that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, we have to remain cautious of what we allow ourselves to focus on day after day. We have to guard and protect our hearts, being careful what we take in.
I am guilty of being tempted to give into the pull and draw that social media can have on the flesh to be "in-the-know" and once you're surfing in this world it's difficult to pull yourself back into reality and gain a Godly perspective on life. As much as we surf out in the virtual world, we need to measure how it impacts the time we spend in God's Word. We're told to meditate day and night on the Word.
It's the latter reason on my list of technology uses that brings me to my own phone to write this blog entry. While I was a Facebook user in the past and currently am an instagram user I have a certain level of familiarity with how social media is used today. I've witnessed that there's a blessing in being able to connect with family and friends that one may not be able to see on a regular basis. Users can experience joy as they celebrate on social media forums, seeing pictures from events and "liking" them and leaving well wishes in their comments. You can drop lines of encouragement and uplift the people in your life by tweeting them.
While the ability to connect with others in this way is useful and brings enjoyment, it can impact an area within us that we may not even realize. Day in and day out social media calls out to us. Our eyes want to see who's getting engaged, married, or having a baby. We want to stay abreast of the latest news and statuses of the people that interest us. Our flesh enjoys the feelings we experience when we see old friends and how they're living since we last saw them. In return we have a sense of joy when other people commend us when they see our own personal experiences. Accumulating a lot of "likes" makes us feel good and gives a sense of acceptance and fulfillment to know that someone has noticed us. The downside in all of this is as we experience these feel-good sensations from social media, we're constantly feeding our minds with a reality that may not all together be truth. We take in countless scenes of what seems to be blissfully, amazingly happy people. As we daily gaze at smiling, exuberant faces of people that we know, we are constantly feeding our minds a false reality of life. Our desires to be in-the-know with twittering comments, statements, and opinions can easily bombard and rule our thoughts.
The truth is real life is not filled with a constant onslaught of laughter, joy, and perfectly orchestrated moments. Although it may not be the intention of the people that you view each day to send a message that they are completely content in life without problems, as your mind takes in these images on a continual basis it will impact your thoughts and thoughts impact our behaviors. As we take to our cell phones and the internet and enter this false reality of life, in many ways we are escaping to a world that may make us feel better about our true life situations as we see the "likes" or we're emotionally uplifted by the sense of happiness that we see depicted in the life of our friends and family by what they choose to highlight through pictures and tweets.
We may also feel a sense of defeat or discouragement when we view what seems to be perfectly happy people while our current situation has us in a place of hopelessness. We may find ourselves comparing our own lives to theirs and end up feeling as worse off than when we tuned into their life. As we're inundated with tweets regarding the latest news and current events our thoughts are shaped and influenced by the world. The happy glimpses that we get into other people's lives should not be our escape from our own realities and the overwhelming load of information that we receive from the internet should not be what shapes our thoughts and emotions.
For the believer our escape should be to the throne of grace and the main influence of our mind and heart should be the Word of God. There we'll find a true picture of joy, peace, and happiness and our mind, flesh, and spirit will be completely satisfied. Because we're shaped by the things that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, we have to remain cautious of what we allow ourselves to focus on day after day. We have to guard and protect our hearts, being careful what we take in.
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
(Proverbs 4:23)
I am guilty of being tempted to give into the pull and draw that social media can have on the flesh to be "in-the-know" and once you're surfing in this world it's difficult to pull yourself back into reality and gain a Godly perspective on life. As much as we surf out in the virtual world, we need to measure how it impacts the time we spend in God's Word. We're told to meditate day and night on the Word.
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
(Joshua 1:8)
Writing on this has challenged me to monitor the time I spend perusing and using social media. If I were to avoid it all together it would make it difficult to fulfill God's challenge to me when He tells us to be a light in the world. I can't be a light in a place if I'm totally devoid of it. No, the answer isn't to live in a bubble. We can use our links into social media to share God's Word and hopefully impact others for Christ.
We have to remember daily that the Bible is reality. There we find truth and a true illustration of man. God just doesn't show us the happy illustrations of life. We're not deceived by God's Word to think more highly of others or of ourselves. Instead it's a picture of how we can mature and grow deeper into Christ-likeness. While social media can bring us temporal feelings of joy, it can never complete us. If we were to solely go to it for satisfaction we would always end up with a void, wanting more and never being content. God on the other hand, is enough. When you seek Him with all of your heart you need not look for anything else in life to fulfill you. The search begins and ends with Christ.
We have to remember daily that the Bible is reality. There we find truth and a true illustration of man. God just doesn't show us the happy illustrations of life. We're not deceived by God's Word to think more highly of others or of ourselves. Instead it's a picture of how we can mature and grow deeper into Christ-likeness. While social media can bring us temporal feelings of joy, it can never complete us. If we were to solely go to it for satisfaction we would always end up with a void, wanting more and never being content. God on the other hand, is enough. When you seek Him with all of your heart you need not look for anything else in life to fulfill you. The search begins and ends with Christ.
Monday, February 6, 2017
In Search of a Name
God, in His sovereignty, gave me two divine appointments to study His names. God's name(s) isn't like our name. We typically have a first, middle, and last name. He has a bountiful number of names because they each capture an aspect of His character. Our name is used to identify us. It is used to get our attention and single us out when we're needed. God's names paint a picture of His glory, power, and unique nature.
The first time that I went through the study, "Lord, I Want to Know You" by Kay Arthur, I left the last class with an appreciation that I had learned that God is identified thoughout the Bible with varying titles and those names brought me to a closer level of intimacy, knowing my Lord at a deeper level that I hadn't known before.
When I was invited to lead the class after I had just finished it as a student, I didn't realize how much more I would learn about my God. Although I had a level of familiarity with the material, I didn't let that discourage me in a second pass through the study. Instead, I challenged myself to commit the names and their meanings to memory. Once they were sealed in my mind I started reciting back God's names to Him in prayer.
I now address Him as Elohim, my creator and designer of all creation. I speak to Him now as El Elyon, sovereign ruler of the universe and over every aspect of my life. I am humbled by Adonai, my Lord. I now remember that whenever I have feelings of abandonement, He is El Shaddai, my all sufficient God. Though this world attempts to offer me completeness, I can find everything that I need in my El Shaddai.
My God exists all on His own. He is Jehovah, the self-existent one. All my needs are provided for in Jehovah-Jireh and His power to heal me is found in Jehovah-Rapha. As Jehovah-Tsidkenu He declares me righteous and sanctifies me as Jehovah-Mekoddishkem. I have peace in Jehovah-Shalom and a guide for life from Jehovah-Raah, my Shepherd. I have victory in every circumstance because the Lord is Jehovah-Nissi and I can have peace over evil, both seen and unseen as I rest in the truth that God is Jehovah-Sabaoth. The last name covered in the study that will forever stay with me is the fact that He's there. He was with His chosen people in the days of old, He appeared as a man in Jesus Christ, He's in me through the Holy Spirit, and one day He will return again to a holy city that will be called Jehovah-Shammah.
He can forever be in you if you bow your knee to Him, acknowledging Him as Lord in your life. I can't promise that life will be any easier or that you won't experience difficulties in life, but in knowing God's character I can promise that you'll have a friend for life and unexplainable peace and joy.
If you don't know His name, just pick one and start digging!
The first time that I went through the study, "Lord, I Want to Know You" by Kay Arthur, I left the last class with an appreciation that I had learned that God is identified thoughout the Bible with varying titles and those names brought me to a closer level of intimacy, knowing my Lord at a deeper level that I hadn't known before.
When I was invited to lead the class after I had just finished it as a student, I didn't realize how much more I would learn about my God. Although I had a level of familiarity with the material, I didn't let that discourage me in a second pass through the study. Instead, I challenged myself to commit the names and their meanings to memory. Once they were sealed in my mind I started reciting back God's names to Him in prayer.
I now address Him as Elohim, my creator and designer of all creation. I speak to Him now as El Elyon, sovereign ruler of the universe and over every aspect of my life. I am humbled by Adonai, my Lord. I now remember that whenever I have feelings of abandonement, He is El Shaddai, my all sufficient God. Though this world attempts to offer me completeness, I can find everything that I need in my El Shaddai.
My God exists all on His own. He is Jehovah, the self-existent one. All my needs are provided for in Jehovah-Jireh and His power to heal me is found in Jehovah-Rapha. As Jehovah-Tsidkenu He declares me righteous and sanctifies me as Jehovah-Mekoddishkem. I have peace in Jehovah-Shalom and a guide for life from Jehovah-Raah, my Shepherd. I have victory in every circumstance because the Lord is Jehovah-Nissi and I can have peace over evil, both seen and unseen as I rest in the truth that God is Jehovah-Sabaoth. The last name covered in the study that will forever stay with me is the fact that He's there. He was with His chosen people in the days of old, He appeared as a man in Jesus Christ, He's in me through the Holy Spirit, and one day He will return again to a holy city that will be called Jehovah-Shammah.
He can forever be in you if you bow your knee to Him, acknowledging Him as Lord in your life. I can't promise that life will be any easier or that you won't experience difficulties in life, but in knowing God's character I can promise that you'll have a friend for life and unexplainable peace and joy.
If you don't know His name, just pick one and start digging!
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