HABITS~NOT~DIETS

Helpful Hints…Always consult with your doctor before going on any weight loss or exercise program. We need to get off the roller coaster of dieting once and for all by developing habits that we will be able to maintain for the rest of our lives. It may take a little more discipline, patience, and hard work this way, but the end results will be worth it all. There is a Five Word Diet Plan…and the only one that works: Eat Less and Move More!

Yo-yo dieting is not healthy. When someone goes on a fad diet and loses a lot of weight they usually gain it back plus several extra pounds when they go off the diet. Why is this? It is because they have not learned the secret of changing their eating habits for life. Fad diets are only a “temporary fix” for a “permanent problem.”

There is not a trendy diet or magic pill that will make us lose weight and keep it off forever. The key is to strike a balance between “calories in and calories out” by eating less calories and exercising more. We can lose weight and keep it off for life if we will just take the time and effort to change our eating habits.

• Avoid processed foods, or at least foods where you can’t pronounce the ingredients. Keep foods as natural as possible.

• Eat a variety of foods to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health.

• Eliminate sugar.

• Eat less fat

• Choose whole grains.

• Eliminate junk foods.

MODERATION IS THE KEY TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

Most Americans eat too much of the wrong foods. You don’t have to make drastic changes in your daily intake of food, just take a few simple steps at a time and let them become a “behavioral change” for the rest of your life.

Plan on losing weight slowly. Everyone wants fast results, but you can’t undo bad eating habits over night. Plan ahead. Teach yourself to like healthy foods and dislike unhealthy ones.

Never give up, even after you have failed a few times. When you fail, start over. 

A CRITICAL SPIRIT

What is a critical spirit? A “critical spirit” is an obsessive attitude of criticism and faultfinding, which seeks to tear down others. The only criticism that is ever constructive is that which is expressed in love to “build up” and not to tear down. It is always expressed face to face and never behind someone’s back. The person with a critical spirit usually dwells on the negative, seeks for flaws rather than good. They are complainers, usually upset, and generally have a problem or a complaint about something. They often have little control over their tongue and temper.

There is something very damaging about a critical spirit. Over time, when left un-checked, it prevents one from seeing and appreciating all that is truly good in the world and all that God is actively doing. A critical spirit is like putting on sunglasses at night. Everything in life begins to take on a dark, drab color. Critical people not only hurt themselves but they are also affecting others as well. Those who have a positive attitude will avoid those who have a critical, negative attitude. People that are critical usually lack self-esteem. They criticize other people because that makes them feel better about themselves.

Having a critical spirit and a reckless judgmental attitude is setting up ourselves as God. A critical spirit discourages others. Rather than looking to others with a critical spirit and judging them, we should rather look to ourselves and judge ourselves. Only by evaluating ourselves will we be able to resist the temptation to evaluate others. God is the ultimate judge of all things. We usually don’t have all the facts and we certainly don’t have the ability to look into someone’s heart. Therefore, as believers we should never engage in the kind of absolute criticism and condemnation that so many people do.

Negative and critical people come with warning signs. They live in a state of perpetual doom and gloom. They begin every sentence with negative statements. They make snide and disrespectful remarks to and about others. They are obnoxious and spread negativity like poison and they are ultimately the people who cause us the most negative stress in our lives. This kind of attitude has no place in the life of a Christian. A critical attitude can hinder our walk with God and suck the joy and energy from our lives. I have learned when I encounter a negative person to never listen to their nonsense.

Discovering and removing the negative influences in our life will help us more than we realize. Studies show that our own thoughts, attitudes and behaviors are a reflection of the people we spend the most time with. Those who are negative and critical often make mountains out of mole hills. Each day, we are faced with a decision and need to say to ourselves, “I can either allow these people to ruin my day and my actions for that day, or I can choose to rise above them, completely remove them from my life, or speak motivating words to them and move on.”

WHAT IS WRONG WITH GOSSIP

What is gossip? Though the word “gossip” does not appear in the Bible, the concept does. Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary defines gossip as “idle talk or malicious talk about others.” Gossip is second or third hand information that someone dumps on you without your prior consent and without the consent of the person being gossiped about. Gossip is not just a bad habit. Unfortunately, some Christians do not usually consider gossip and its related activity as sin. However, gossip is a seething disease of corruption from the mouth. Gossips use their mouth as a weapon…a weapon that is always aimed at people to fulfill Satan’s desire to “steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) NIV

What is a busybody? A “busybody” is a close relative to gossip…a person who meddles in the affairs of others The Bible places a busybody in the same company as murderers, thieves, and evildoers. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” (1 Peter 4:15) KJV Gossip is an enemy to God and everything holy-----a cancer that spreads a deadly infection to the body of Christ. Gossip always distorts and exaggerates and is never a reliable source of truth.

Slander is a word that has an interesting origin. It comes from the word “devil.” According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, slander means: “malicious talk, to spread damaging information, to defame, and to speak evil of others.” Slander is the work of Satan and those who slander are on his team. The Bible says that Satan is called the “accuser of the brethren.” (Revelation 12:10) KJV The Bible defines slander as accusatory speech that is injurious to a person’s “name” and “reputation”…the act of smearing someone. Gossip and slander color people’s perceptions of an individual unfairly and unjustly without their knowledge or consent.

Gossip is the most deadly poison on earth.  Like bullets fired from a gun, words cannot be taken back. Gossip and slander can ruin reputations, families, break up marriages, separate friends, destroy communities and even divide churches. One of the hallmark qualities of a true friend is someone who refuses to gossip about you behind your back. Talebearers usually avoid speaking directly to the one they are demeaning. Have you ever noticed the speech that “tears down others” travels like a brush fire, but news of repentance and restoration seems to move along at a “snail’s pace?” As believers, we should avoid all association with persons who gossips. Apostle Paul wrote, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11) NIV

We need to think before we speak. Is it true, is it helpful, is it inspiring, is it necessary, and is it kind? If what we are about to say does not pass these tests, we should keep silent. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29) KJV The root of both gossip and slander is simply this: saying something about someone that ought not to be said.

CULTIVATING SELF-CONTROL

Today’s society is a society characterized by excesses and addictions. We need to realize that we are capable of indulging in these un-healthy behaviors if we do not exercise self-control. A person who has self-control avoids extreme behavior and exercises self-restraint in both actions and speech. Restraint and self-control aren’t always easy because we have our own free will and we must choose to be of good behavior and temperate in our conduct. Our motivation and goal should be to have every area of our lives under control so we can accomplish God’s purposes in our lives.

We all experience times when we simply do not know what to do. We want to do the right thing, but we are stuck in a gray area of not knowing what that might be. The Bible not only has special instructions about what we should or should not do, but it gives us principles about our behavior too. Henry Ward Beecher said, “The Bible is God’s chart for you to steer by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbor is, and how to reach it without running aground on rocks.”

Self-control is one of the greatest abilities we can have. Self-control and self-discipline work together. Sometimes we may entertain improper feelings that urge us to do something that is mentally, physically, or spiritually harmful. Temptation feeds on these feelings and this is where we either win or lose the battle against sinful behaviors that will spiral our lives out of control if they are put into action. It is very important that we exercise self-control of our thoughts, emotions and speech. Our mind is a fertile ground where sinful thoughts begin. Sinful thoughts are like a deadly disease. If we don’t deal with these thoughts in the very beginning they will become actions in the real world and will wreak devastation in our lives. The more we prevent the spread of sinful thoughts, the less we will have to wrestle with them. We can’t let garbage build up in our minds. Too often we know what to do, but we do not do it. Instead, we allow our emotions to over rule our judgment.

The question we must ask ourselves is: “Who or what controls our lives?” We need to constantly discipline our bodies by avoiding any activities that would be harmful to them. We must discipline our thinking by being cautious about what we read, watch or think. We must determine to feed our minds truth and purity. Our spiritual life must be disciplined by developing habits of Bible study and prayer. Without self-control we can easily be led into sin that will hinder us in our spiritual walk. Our goal should be to master those things that will destroy us. Sound judgment is critical to the exercise of self-control. Sound judgment enables us to determine the boundaries of moderation in our appetites, desires, and habits. It helps us regulate our thoughts and keep our emotions under control. Paul gave us some great advice, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”(Philippians 4:8) NIV This is the key to help us keep our thoughts pure.

THE TONGUE

Every human being has at his/her command a double-edged device. This device is one that can be used as a constructive tool or a destructive weapon. It is found among people all around the world, within every race, color and creed. It is found among the rich and the poor. It is found in our schools, on television and permeates every facet of our society. It is sometimes a protector of good, but at other times it destroys. It can build friendships but it also can devastate them. It is the tongue.

We witness the misuse of the tongue every day. What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. The world does not understand that the Bible, God’s Word, teaches much about what we say, how we say it and when to say it. Words hurt people emotionally just as much as snake venom hurts people physically. Because of our human nature we are prone to using the tongue in the wrong ways and for the wrong purposes. Controlling the tongue is having the wisdom not to say everything that enters our mind. Self-control is an extraordinary virtue and the proof of self-control is that we control our tongue.

The tongue is dangerous and we must be beware of its dangers. We take poison into our beings when we say or repeat unkind things about people. Poison will either kill us or make us deathly ill. Speaking without thinking is tantamount to swallowing deadly poison. As the Holy Spirit purifies our heart, He gives us self-control so that we will speak words that please God and will encourage others.

There is something very significant about the way in which the Creator designed the head. We have seven openings in our head; the number seven in Scripture denotes completeness. We have three pairs of openings; two eyes, two ears and two nostrils. The Creator restricted the seventh opening to one, the mouth. This one opening causes us more problems than all the other six together.  If we take a Bible Concordance and look up all the words related to this one opening such as mouth, tongue, lips, speech and words we will be amazed how much the Bible has to say about this subject. It is with good reason. There is no area in our personality more directly related to our total well being than the mouth.

We must guard our mouth. The tongue is creation’s most lethal weapon. It is the source of all kinds of evil because of the damage it causes in the world. Razor sharp tongues have sent more people to the dark dumpsite of broken dreams and shattered expectations than any other cause. The tongue topples governments, wrecks marriages, ruins careers, destroys reputations and generates grief for innocent people. A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build.  Our words have a tremendous impact in our lives and the lives of others. What we say and what we don’t say are both important. Control of the tongue is one of the greatest necessities in the Christian life. The tongue reveals either maturity or immaturity. Only a renewed heart can produce pure speech.

ADVERSITY

Adversity comes when we least expect it. Hours before, our lives seemed to be a sea of tranquility, now it resembles a horrific hurricane or tornado. Out of nowhere we are faced with circumstances we never dreamed would come our way. Our calm emotions are turned upside down as waves of emotional unrest sweeps through our mind as the raging winds tear at our heart. Without any warning our lives can be turned upside down in a split second. Had we known adversity was coming, we would have braced ourselves for the storm.

Adversity rarely announces its arrival. Instead, it attacks with fury through trials, heartaches or emotional setbacks. Adversity delivers the untimely news of a loved one’s death, a terminal disease, the loss of a job, satanic attacks against us from those that we believed were our friends, or the crushing reality of a spouse’s betrayal. None of us know how or when adversity will strike. All we can know for certainty is that one-day it will come and pay us a visit. The question becomes not when will adversity strike, but how will we handle its gripping reality?

Unexpected crises are a part of life. There will be times when there is nothing we can do to solve a problem or overcome an obstacle. It is gut wrenching to have to stand by and watch a loved one slowly die from cancer. The doctor’s have done all they can do. We have prayed for God‘s healing and yet the time comes when we have to accept the fact that our loved one is not going to live. We can choose to be bitter or we can put our faith in God knowing that His plans are far superior to ours. He will give us the strength and peace to get through any storm that comes our way.

Overcoming trials can produce the character God wants. God is more interested in our spiritual growth than a lifetime of comfort and pleasure. James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4) NIV How we handle adversity makes all the difference between success and failure in our lives.

Being a Christian does not make us immune to life’s trials and tribulations.  Adversity builds character and teaches us to have compassion for others. God also uses adversity to humble us. We either learn to depend on God by faith during our trials or depend upon ourselves and become emotional wrecks. God expects us to do our part. He wants each of us to use and develop the mind and ability He has given us and that requires first hand experience. We need to work like the solution depends on us while relying on God to direct our paths. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8) NIV This provides the added security and powerful backing only our Creator can provide. We have either just come out of a storm, we are in a storm right now, or we are headed for one. We can be over comers through our adversities. Apostle Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) NIV

BLOW THE TRUMPET

BLOW THE TRUMPET

God told the prophet Joel to blow the trumpet. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand.” (Joel 2:1) NIV Where did God tell Joel to blow the trumpet? Joel was to blow the trumpet in Zion among the people of God. The trumpet was not to be blown in the world among wicked people. The trumpet being blown is a warning or wake up call for God’s people to repent.

King Ahab & Jezebel were two very wicked people.  When Jezebel became Ahab’s queen, she began a relentless campaign to rid Israel of all evidences of Jehovah worship. She even ordered the prophets of God to be killed. (1 Kings 18:4) NIV Ahab was a Jew, but he allowed Jezebel to bring the pagan religion of Baal into the land of Israel. Baal worship required human sacrifice of children. These innocent children were sacrificed by fire to the pagan god Moloch. This awful concept of killing children was totally alien to the mind and will of the living God. “They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal-----something I did not command or mention, nor did it ever enter my mind.” (Jeremiah 19:5) NIV God has never changed His mind. Ahab and Jezebel plunged Israel to new lows both spiritually and morally and judgment came upon the nation.

What is secular humanism? It is when a civilized society tries to function without God and His moral principles. If we look at America through our spiritual eyes we can see how this once great nation has gotten off track. Just like Ahab, we have stood by and allowed a ruthless campaign by un-godly people in America to remove God from our land and make a law that says it is legal to sacrifice our babies to the pagan god of secular humanism. God is no longer welcome in our schools, our government & public places. We have called right wrong and wrong right. We have substituted the wisdom of man for the wisdom of God.  The church has been asleep too long.  It is time for us to awake from our spiritual sleep, blow the trumpet and sound the alarm among God’s people. 

Throughout the Old Testament God used pagan countries to bring judgment on His people. The prophet aHabakkuk complained to God that He was silent in the midst of widespread idolatry and violence in the land of Judah.  God replied, that He was going to send the Babylonians through the land to plunder, steal and kill. (Habakkuk 1-5) NIV Habakkuk was shocked at this revelation. The fact that God would use a wicked, pagan nation against His own people seemed to shake the prophet’s faith to the core. However, his faith was actually strengthened with further revelation and he could rejoice in God no matter how much suffering lay along his path. (Habakkuk 3:16-19) NIV

Judgment delayed is not judgment denied. Just like Habakkuk we may be asking why God seems to be silent. Many Bible scholars believe America will be judged because no nation has turned away so much light in order to choose darkness. Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be required.”(Luke 12:48) NIV Our greatest gift to this country is to return to the Biblical principles of the Bible.