War On Weight

Have you resolved to lose weight this year, but find yourself skeptical, since every past attempt has only ended in failure? This year, instead of relying on your strength alone, I encourage you to get connected and draw strength in three ways.

Why three? Well first of all, the Bible tells us that a chord of three is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), so that's one reason, but perhaps more importantly I draw this conclusion from a letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 13:1, he wrote, “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NIV). This matter of two or three witnesses is echoed throughout the Bible, both in Deuteronomy and again in Matthew. Jesus also illustrates the power of unity by saying, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”   – Matthew 18:19 & 20, NIV.

Matthew chapter four tells us that after Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, He was tempted of the devil. What harm could it have caused if He had yielded to temptation and eaten one slice of bread?  He may have asked Himself the same question when He was tempted to do so, but in wisdom, He chose not to sin. Instead He rebuked the temptation, saying, “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4, NIV. His ability to press on proved that He rested on the strength of God, and on Him alone.

Through the temptations that Jesus faced, He understands the struggles that you face as well--struggles with addiction, struggles with food... He understands your desire to be released from this stronghold, and like Him, you can be. His mercy and grace are there to add strength to our weakness.  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:15&16

David also understood the power that fellowship with God holds when he prayed, “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." - Psalm 5:1-3, NIV.

By their examples we see men, who while tested, remained focused—waiting and expecting God to move in their lives.

Are you living your life with eyes open, focused on the goal set before you? Or are you mindlessly moving along without thought?

Keeping our lives in communion with God is the best way to stay focused, and to live out a purposed life. It keeps us not only accountable to ourselves, but also accountable to God. Through prayer and meditation we tend to do a little soul searching, while we provide an invitation for God to do the same. Listening to and following the Spirit allows us to discover and deal with negative behavior.

Keeping a journal is another way in which to discover bad habits and behaviors that may otherwise go unnoticed. In fact it's been proven that monitored behavior equals improved behavior--even if we're monitoring ourselves. We may not be so eager to grab a second handful of chips if we know that it won't be going unnoticed this time, right ladies? In fact we just might be inclined to drop that handful to half since we're marking it down.

There is also a third way to keep ourselves accountable, which is highly important. That is the accountability of a good partner. Proverbs 27:17, tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (NIV)

Stop for a moment to consider some of the people that you've been close to over the years—the good and the bad. Now close your eyes and think of one thing that you picked up from each of them. Let your mind go back to that time, and find at least one thing that has stuck with you till now. Perhaps they had a way of bringing out your feminine side, perhaps they led you to Homeschooling your kids, maybe it was a deeper walk of faith, maybe it was a love for shopping, or maybe it was sending you here. Whatever it is, people have a way of rubbing off on us whether we realize it or not.

It's unfortunate when a child returns home from school clucking like a chicken for two weeks because one kid convinced him that he is one, but on the other hand, it's a blessing when he later takes his Bible to school because another child spurred him on. It's hardly different for us. We're still little kids inside, picking up this habit and that one, from the world around us.

Because of this exchange of habits, it's important for us to seek out the “iron” in our lives--those who sharpen our senses and spur us on to do good. Where do they come from? When you start living the way that you purpose to live, they have a way of finding you. It's often been found that, “like minds attract.”

You can also take the initiative to seek them out at places like the gym, a weight loss group, online, or at church. Just keep a prayerful watch, and see who God sends your way. But while you do, a word of caution—the wrong mentor can attribute to your failure, as easily as the right one can to your success. In fact it's been said that it's far easier to be lowered into a pit than to be pulled out from one.

How do we know a good accountability partner when we meet one? They should make us think twice about the decisions we make, by either their example, or their words. A good mentor will both challenge and encourage us through the journey.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NIV

When you do find a partner, remember that with every relationship you're getting something from, you're also giving something back. That responsibility makes me wonder what I've planted in the past, in hopes that I've been a good influence on my friends. Hebrews 10:24, reminds us, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”(NIV) Again, it's not mindless activity; we should consider ways to encourage one another and to spur them on too.

This year, I encourage you to be accountable in three ways:

•  To God by keeping yourself in daily communion with Him. Read the Bible, and develop a stronger prayer life.

•  To yourself, by journalizing the activities that you'd like to see changed or improved on. Write down what you eat, and how much you exercise so that you can see where you need to make change.

•  Finally, to another person, either by finding a partner, joining a support group, or by praying that God will send someone your way. I've recently made a decision to pray with my accountability partner about the goals that we have in common. Perhaps this is a habit that you'd also like to pick up.

Till next month —be accountable, and Live Well!

Before you drink that next Soft Drink.......

Soft Drink Facts

•  The Coca Cola Company purchases more sugar than any other company in the world.

•  Due to the quantity of refined sugar in soft drinks, they tend to cause a rise in blood sugar levels for a short period of time. The levels then may plummet down causing a severe drop in physical strength and mental alertness.

•  Excess dietary phosphorus is fast becoming a medical concern. The ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio is approximately 50/50 in adults. The concern is that soft drinks supply an excess amount of phosphorus, upsetting this ration. This may lead to a calcium deficiency, which should be of special concern to women entering their osteoporosis years.

•  The average intake of phosphorus in the U.S. is now about 1500 to 1600mg per day. The recommended daily intake is 800mg. The following is a list of phosphorus content in a few soft drinks:
    Coke: 69.0
    Pepsi-Cola: 57.2
    Diet Cherry Coke: 55.7
    Diet Pepsi: 49.3
    Dr. Pepper: 44.7
    Tab: 44.4
    Kool-Aide (lemonade flavor): 31.6
    Hires Root Beer: 22.4
    Hawaiian Punch (lemonade flavor): 16.7
    7-Up: 3.0
     Canada Dry Ginger Ale: 3.0
    A & W Root Beer: 3.0

•  The fizz in soft drinks in most cases is produced by reacting chalk, limestone or bicarbonate of soda with sulfuric acid.

•  If the drink does not say natural sources, it probably contains a color or flavoring that is made from coal tars.

•  Coca-Cola is consumed 190 million times every 24 hours in more than 80 languages and in over 35 countries.

•  The soft drink industry is a 40 billion dollar a year business.

•  Soft drinks account for one-quarter of all sugar consumed by Americans.

•  A child who consumes four colas per day takes in the equivalent caffeine of two cups of coffee. The carbonic acid and phosphorus content can affect the potency of a number of vitamins.

•  Colas that contain NutraSweet may go stale after only three months; look for expiration dates. Drinks may get a bitter taste as the sweetener breaks down.

•  A study in Florida showed that people who drank a large number of Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke had problems with recurrent kidney stones probably from the phosphoric acid used in the carbonation process. Persons with stone problems should avoid these drinks. Read the list of ingredients, many sodas use the same carbonating agent.

•  Soda pop is the beverage of choice over milk and juice in children across the United States, mainly due to baby bottles being produced that look like 7-Up, Pepsi and Coke containers.

•  Americans spend three times the dollars on soft drinks than they do on milk, six times more on alcohol.

•  Diet sodas may still be high in sodium .

•  Soft drinks may react with certain antacids, leading to constipation, headaches and even vomiting.

•  We have increased our soft drink consumption 200 percent since the 1950's.

•  The efficiency of the certain antibiotics can be reduced by consuming soft drinks.

•  We consume 500 bottles or cans of soft drinks per person per year.

•  Millions of Americans are now being called "colaholics" due to their addiction to the cola beverages.

•  Withdrawal symptoms usually occur from caffeine highs when cola drinks are given up. These include headaches, nervousness, diarrhea and constipation.

•  Colas have a higher physiological dependence than smoking and alcohol and is harder to give up.

•  Sugar supplies 99 percent of the 144 calories in a 12 ounce Coke.

•  Forty percent of one to two year olds drink an average of 9 ounces of soft drinks per day.

•  Teenagers now prefer soft drinks over milk. Ten percent of these soft drinks are consumed at breakfast.

•  Calcium levels are marginal in teenagers due to their soft drink consumption.

•  The acid in soft drinks can erode tooth enamel.

•  The average level of caffeine in colas is 26.5mg per cola.

Watch what you're drinkin'!