The Fruit of the Spirit - Meant to be Expressed, not Ingested! LOL!

My study of the HEAL book, by Smith and Halliday, led me to prayerfully consider the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, 

joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

We are challenged by the authors to consider how the fruit of the Spirit, evident in our lives as we surrender ourselves to His indwelling presence and power, might be made manifest relative to our struggle with food, eating, and body image. This was an interesting exercise for me.

Love: Focusing on allowing God to love others through me, my fixation on food diminishes. I can choose--especially this time of year when people are even more open than any other, perhaps--to love others. As I do this, my perspective shifts. Grabbing greedily for more food just isn't as predominant a tendency!

Joy: When I love others and focus on myself less, there is joy that bubbles up in me.  I think this is what Jesus meant when he said that his joy would be in me and my joy would be complete (John 15:11).  This isn't joy like the kind I have when I am "finally hungry and get to eat." It is larger, deeper, better.

Peace: When I fix my eyes on Jesus, he gives me peace.  I don't have that agitated, churning feeling I so often try to settle with food.

Patience: To wait on the Lord for the time to eat--when I am hungry. I am drawn to food at other times, then it is a call to allow Him to satisfy my soul and heart and head hunger.

Kindness:  I need to express kindness toward myself when I "fail," make mistakes, or, even, blatantly rebel (repentance is a result of God's kindness - Romans 2:4). When I beat myself up about things I wish I did differently, I am not being Christlike toward myself. I am out of His will every bit as much as when I sin willfully by eating outside of godly parameters.

Goodness: I am not sure how to fit this with my eating or view of myself. (Anyone have any ideas? Please post them here for me! I want to get it!) I know that if I extend goodness to others, again, it is deeply satisfying.

Faithfulness: In this moment, I can choose to surrender to the Lord. Faithfulness can seem like a big, huge, unattainable goal, but it happens when moments are captured for the Lord, one at a time. I move past the moment that came before as I take this moment captive for him and offer it to HIM. Even if I "blew it" yesterday, at lunch, or 5 minutes ago, this moment is new. I choose to return to Him, surrender my tendency to beat myself up or to indulge in self-pity (which is usually accompanied by yet more over-indulgence of food). Faithfulness isn't perfection. It is returning as often as is necessary to the surrender of this moment now to Him and His will.

Gentleness: Instead of an irritable, hard-edged attitude of what I deserve, I am softened, calmed, less likely to grab at food or to speak/think harshly about myself.

Self-control: I am free to say no to impulses of my flesh and yes to God-controlled decisions. Like 1 Thessalonians 4 says: It is God's will that you should be sanctified...that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like [those] who do not know God.

It isn't constraints such as diet rules or laws that will enable me to express these characteristics. It is the fruit which Strongs Concordance describes as "that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result"...it comes from the Spirit of God having control of me. This comes when I choose to release my desires, impulses, longings to God and, instead, allow His will to be expressed in and through me. His life lived in me. His Spirit resides in me. I relinquish my will and give myself over to His will. Then the fruit expressed in my life will be what is spoke of in Galatians 5.

Are You Tired of Striving?

Last week my son and I chased after a little blue racquet ball in a small enclosed room. We whacked the thing with our rackets, chasing hard from one end to the other. We were so focused on hitting it again and again that we didn't stop to realize just how much effort it was taking out of us! When we stopped after 20 minutes, to get a drink of water, we suddenly realized how wiped out we were. Wow! That took me by surprise. It wasn't until I slowed down...stopped...that I could see how much of my energy I had put into it. While I was focused on the ball, I didn't notice. My efforts weren't obvious to me. But once I stopped, I got a totally different perspective. WOW!

How much effort and energy--either emotional, mental, or physical--do I put into chasing after becoming "normal," or of having a body I don't despise or feeled betrayed by? I think sometimes I am so focused on some elusive "goal" (like I am on the blue ball in the racquetball court) that I don't realize all the effort and energy I am putting into it.

Even so, I am so thankful that, even as I ask this question, God is confirming to my spirit that I have grown! It isn't nearly so bad as it was before. I think there IS freedom on the wind! I can sense the change that God is bringing. Even now...yup. I know I have said this before, but the freedom I am tasting right now is different.

Psalm 46:10 in the New American Standard Version says: "Cease striving and know that I am God."

This idea..."cease striving"--intrigues me as "striving" definitely seems to define what I have done for so long relative to this pursuing something that always seems beyond my grasp. In the original languages, the word "striving" isn't there, but is implied. The actual translation might be "Cease and know that I am God." The word, "cease," has many meanings, but translators felt in the NASB this was the most reasonable.

Using the Strong's Concordance, the word translated "Cease" can have these many meanings:

-  to sink, relax, sink down, let drop, be disheartened, abate, abandon, refrain, forsake, to let go...

The NIV uses: "Be still..."
The Amplified Bible uses: Let be and be still...
The Holman Christian Standard Version says: "Stop..."

This reminds me of Jesus' words to Martha...  "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

I can almost hear the Lord saying to Martha: "Cease! Know I am God!"

How much of my striving, going, chasing, pursuing is hindering my ability to know the Lord is GOD Almighty! If I focus so much on what I chase after, is it possible it keeps me from really knowing the Lord in the way he wants to be known?

There is freedom in letting go of the chase. In sitting still. In waiting. In being. Quiet. Ah...rest.

In Jeremiah 6:16, the Word of God says:

This is what the LORD says: 

"Stand at the crossroads and look; 

ask for the ancient paths, 

ask where the good way is, 

and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'

God forbid that we reject the rest that God promises. Let us CEASE our striving, our chase and, instead, stand and look...and ask HIM what HIS good way is...there is rest for my SOUL in that place. This is true freedom. Free from a constant chasing after the wind, after something to which God doesn't call. The wonderful thing about seeking GOD is that HE wants to be found!

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
       call on him while he is near.

-Isaiah 55:6

You CAN'T "Let God Down!"

I am still making my way through Lesson 5 in the HEAL book. I hope you are still with me! :-)

I just feel prompted after reading/working through the first few pages to sit back a moment and to take time to evaluate....join me in this, ok?

Do you find yourself plagued by thoughts like these?

• "I have let God down...again..."
• "I am never going to be free from this..."
• "I just want to be normal."
• "I have blown it again."

If the answer is "Yes," consider something...whose standards are you aspiring to meet? Your own? God's? Someone else's?

If the answer is anything other than God's, then we have to, HAVE to make some adjustments to our thinking.

If the answer is "God's" then the next question is, where do we get our understanding of what His standards even are?

So often we get our ideas of what we have to do to "impress" God or convince God of our "okay-ness" from the world, from our (often dysfunctional) families or some other source. Often we don't get our ideas from the Word of God--even if we *are* students of the Word!

For instance, I often hear (and have often said) "I have let God down."

The truth is that God doesn't depend on me to hold him up! I can't "let God down!" In fact, quite the opposite is true. He holds me up! He lifts ME up!

The LORD upholds all those who fall 

 and lifts up all who are bowed down.

-Psalm 145:14

 He raises the poor from the dust
       and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
       he seats them with princes
       and has them inherit a throne of honor. 

1 Samuel 2:8

Many of us are plagued by perfectionism and fears of failure. The Lord wants us to let go of this. This is true even in the area of our eating and exercising. In fact, maybe he allows eating, exercising and body image to be a challenge for us so that we can learn to let go of our insistence that we be perfect. Maybe, just maybe, our longing for perfection and relentless way we try to arrive there is a deep-seated longing for our True perfect Home--Heaven...the perfection of Jesus and all He promises some day!

Questions for prayerful evaluation and application: 

1. Is there any way in which you have allowed yourself to have a standard of perfection in your eating, your exercising, or your view of yourself? 
2. Do you extend grace to yourself? I am not talking about license where you throw caution to the wind, but what sets the standard for you? Is it society that says women have to be all, do it all, and look dynamite (according to a computer-enhanced image in fashion magazines) to boot? Or is it the Lord that tells you to rest in Him, to fix your eyes on Him, to set your mind steadfastly on the Lord and he will give you peace? 
3. Do you spend as much time agonizing over the lost in the world as you do over not fitting into a new pair of jeans? Do you hate sin as much or more as you hate being too heavy? If not, then you have bought into our culture's standards. It may be subtle...

Moving for change:
How can we realign our thinking with that of the Lord?

1. Ask Him to help us with this is a great first step. 
2. Ask His Spirit to show us where worldly thinking has seeped into our own lives will help, too. Perhaps you can take time with an open bible and an open journal, pen in hand. Ask Him, "Lord, in what ways do I invite the world into my thinking to determine my standards? Then jot down what He impresses upon your heart as you wait quietly before Him.
3. Determine to do something practical to obey Him in this. For instance, do you have fashion or exercise/dieting magazines? Throw them out! Take time to fast a particular program you watch on TV that he lays on your heart might not be in godly best interest. Let's allow ourselves to be reprogrammed by God who says we are His precious daughters. He looks at our hearts, not our outward appearance. 
4. Prayerfully ask Him: What does my heart say to You, Lord, about who I am? Jot down what he lays on your heart.
   

You're loved regardless of your performance and what you have or have not accomplished.  Jesus' love is constant and ever present. (Smith and Halliday, HEAL, page 90)

Let's press on. God isn't about changing our bodies. He is about changing our hearts.

Thought for Today from HEAL

I hope you are pressing on in this journey. I know I am. God has called me to linger longer in His Word in the mornings and that has "cut into" my blogging time! I plan to get readjusted in balancing my time with this renewed call to study His Word. I just can't get enough of it. That is a good thing. Not writing isn't what he has in mind for me, so I know he will show me where to adjust so I can write.

Today, how about prayerfully pondering this quote:

Grace frees us to walk in the truth that nothing can separate us from God's love.  Our performance cannot; our brokenness cannot, nor can our pride or lack of self-worth.  Embracing his boundless love frees us from our self-imposed performance-based prisons.  God's grace and love are not based on what or how much we eat or on how often we exercise. (Smith and Halliday, HEAL, page 89)

Do you agree with this statement? Do you believe it to be true? Do you live like it is true? How? What do you need to do or change to live out what is true--that nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord?

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, 

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future, 

nor any powers, 

neither height nor depth, 

nor anything else in all creation, 

will be able to separate us from the love of God 

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Romans 8:38-39 

HEAL Week 5 Assignment

Here is the assignment for Lesson 5 of the HEAL study.

• Consider posting here to the blog what God has been doing in your life by hiding His Word in your heart. Have you found that it has helped you to say no to the flesh when tempted? If you decide to share here (or at your own blog), you might encourage another friend in the Lord to do likewise even without realizing it!
• Read and work through the material in Lesson 5 on pages 89-99.
• Consider responding here at the blog or at your own blog what God shows you through this material.
  
• Again, if you don't have the HEAL book, consider getting it! It is a great little book!
• Evaluate: Am I accomplishing day by day the goals that God has for me spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Am I applying  myself to the Seven Practical Steps to Healthy Eating? If not, what keeps me from this? What can I do to pursue taking steps that are in agreement with what I say I believe and what I say I believe God wants for my life? (See Hebrews 12:1-4 regarding things that entangle or trip us up...)
• As you work through the material, prayerfully evaluate: Do I have an accurate view of God and His character? Do I have a biblical understanding of "grace?" What can I do to be sure I can answer yes to these questions a month from now?
• Is there anything I need to let go of? Is there anything I need to embrace?
• Do I tend to allow perfectionism and fear of failure cling to me? What do I need to do to break free of this?
• What can I do to move my body joyfully and worshipfully this week?
  

Friendly reminder: If you focus on God's character during this journey and foster a posture of praise and gratitude instead of resentment about how little food it takes to truly be physically satisfied, it can radically transform your life. What will you do today to grow gratitude in your life?

Lord, please be with any who are on this HEAL journey and reading this book with us this week. I pray that we might be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I pray that we would grasp how wide and deep, high and long is the love of Christ and know without a shadow of a doubt that we can't earn your approval or acceptance. You have given it to us freely in Christ. Change each of us I pray. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Living Room Session 4

Wow, the Lord is showing me I have a LONG way to go! I can't even handle the title for this Living Room Session. Page 87 in the HEAL book calls it "Body Beautiful." I wonder what God wants to do with my disdain for that thought? Why is the thought of considering my body "beautiful" so repugnant to me? I want to know what is in my heart and mind that causes me to have such trouble. I think there is something HUGE here. I didn't come online to post about this, but as I went to the Group Study and saw that "Body Beautiful" was the tagline, I came face to face with it. It felt dishonest NOT to tell you all--in case you have the same response. We can't leave ourselves there. What do you think? :-)

Lord, thank you that we can use technology for your glory. Thank you that, via the internet, we can "gather" in a "living room" to talk about our study of your Word and principles that have come to others from your Word and their experiences. I pray that, if any of us struggle with a godly view of our bodies--your temple-- you will heal us. Help us to believe you--what you say, Lord. You have said that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. May that thought eclipse all ungodly thoughts that we have embraced over the years. May you make us new from the inside out and help us to believe the truth. I confess my own struggle with this and pray that you would give me a God-honoring, healthy, accurate view of my body. (It is even hard for me to pray this way, Lord!) Guide and direct our "Living Room Session" Lord. We dedicate this site, this page on the web, this entry, and all our comments to you. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Someone that I was mentoring a couple of years ago made the mistake ;-) of saying I was a couch potato! She recognized that, because of my obsessive past, I *fear* routine exercise (which is something God and I are working on changing) and I think she assumed that if I don't have a set exercise plan and routine that it must mean I don't do anything but sit on my rear. :-) Now, admittedly, sometimes this can be true. But the truth is, much of the time, my life is active and I delight in that activity. This video illustrates that fact...er...sort of. :-)






One of the things that resonated with me in this material this past week was the challenge to find something I can enjoy doing to move my body for the praise and glory of God. NOT to "lose weight," but to honor Him -- to take care of the body he has made and chosen to indwell!

I love hanging out with my horses--even doing horse chores isn't a "chore" most of the time. When I ride (which is pretty rare these days), I enjoy getting off and walking or running with my horse some of the time. They like that part, too. ;-)

What resonated with you this week? Did you consider a way that you might move your body in a joyful way? If so, what have you come up with? Did you add anything to what the authors call "The Body Beautiful Checklist?" Remember these are things that you can do that you know cause you to have a more accurate perspective of yourself and your body--they cause you to feel good! Like my day at the gym with the kids!

I think the next new thing I may try is geo-caching. Near as I can figure, geo-caching is like a real live treasure hunt. You get a GPS (global positioning system), are given coordinates for where a cache may be and then off you go to try to find it. For instance, I just typed in my zip code and found several in my area. When I click on the specific details, I get the coordinates and my kids and I could be off and away on a literal treasure hunt. My understanding is, these caches are often in remote areas, accessible by foot, horse, or bike, and sometimes they are more urban. There is fun and activity involved almost all the time! Sounds like a plan to me to get us out walking!

How about you? You may recall my raving about Dance Praise some years ago. It is still one of my favorite ways of moving my body and worshiping the Lord at the same time!

What are things you are thankful for about your body? For some of us, it may take more an act of our wills to be able to praise the Lord for these things specifically, but I challenge each of us to do this...we can ask the Lord to help us with this and he will. If you have the Thin Within book, you can turn to day 5 for an activity that is right up this alley.

For instance, on the Sundays when I am on the worship team, my arms, shoulders, back, and legs all help me to participate in worshiping the Lord and in leading others to worship the Lord. I can praise and thank God that I am able to do this--for the health in my physical body. I am also able to do a lot of chores around my home and bless my family. When I ride my horses, I have hips that work, legs, knees and ankles that enable me to enjoy God's creation as I walk or ride. I can go back through my entire life and prayerfully evaluate how God has used my body to serve others and to exalt him and choose to praise him for this. I have to think that if we foster gratitude for our bodies we will defeat the lies that affect so many of us and keep us locked in places of shame. I see that I need to really work on this!

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, 

as instruments of wickedness, 

but rather offer yourselves to God, 

as those who have been brought from death to life; 

and offer the parts of your body to him 

as instruments of righteousness. 

- Romans 6:13

Do I really believe that my body can be used by the Lord as an instrument of righteousness? If so, what are ways I can stop offering the parts of my body to sin and start being more pro-active to offer, instead, my body to be an instrument of righteousness, given to God for His purposes?

Lord, thank you that you don't leave me in a place where I have a defective view of myself and you. Thank you that what you have begun, you promise to complete (Philippians 1:6). Thank you that you desire that I offer my body to you for your use...my physical body is your temple. I pray that I might live as one who is a steward only of this body you have given me. Please help each of us to allow you to transform our thinking, our believing, our living. Help us to find joyful ways of moving our bodies so that we might be healthier inside and out. Break me free from self-imposed prisons of unbelief and believing lies. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Going Deeper: Are there verses from scripture that the Lord might use to challenge you to embrace a godly view of your body, His temple? Take some time to investigate the Word. You can use an online study site like Blue Letter Bible or Bible Gateway to search the bible, read commentaries and the like. Share what you find here as you might encourage others of us if you do.