GospelFit THANKSgiving Diet Challenge Day 4 ~ Everyday Grace

Day 4 – Philippians 4:8  (ESV) 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

There is a never-ending amount of grace that covers us everyday. God has enough grace to cover every situation that we encounter. Today thank God for day-to-day grace. We sometimes take that grace for granted. Can We Talk?!

I was thinking about that everyday grace and that led me down the trail of thinking about the grace of unanswered prayer. Sometimes, God in His infinite wisdom and great love for us does not grant us ALL the things that we ask for in prayer. When we pray outside of His will or timing, God may SPEAK with silence. In those times we may stress out and grow impatient with God.

Think about it…What if God had given you some of the things, taken you some of the places, and connected you with some of the people who you asked for because you just didn’t know His perfect plan? Because you were not mature enough to discern? Because you just grew tired of waiting?

What if He had given you some of the jobs for which you did not get hired and those positions were eventually eliminated? Potential investments that went bankrupt? Some of the girlfriends you prayed would become wives? Boyfriends, husbands? Whew! I’d say you dodged a major bullet with everyday grace. Somebody ought to give God some praise!

Even Jesus experienced unanswered pray. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked the Father to take away the cup of the crucifixion. We don’t see in the text where the sky parted and God spoke to or comforted Jesus in His request. We do see Jesus submitting to the will of the Father as He says “Yet, not my will but yours be done”.

What unanswered prayers can you thank God for today? Make this your prayer today.”Yet, not my will but yours be done”.

GospelFit THANKSgiving Diet

For the month of Thanksgiving, Joy of GospelFit asked Gill, of Fitnessbuster and me to join her in a THANKSgiving Diet challenge. I know what you’re thinking, “a Thanksgiving challenge? We can’t take on a health challenge during Thanksgiving, not when turkey and all the trimmings is all I’ve been thinking about since fall officially began”. Wait, before you go there, this challenge is unlike any other challenge you’ve ever taken. This challenge is more about your spiritual health than your physical health. Can We Talk?!

In our relationship with God we have so much for which to be thankful. Some of us find it difficult to express thankfulness. Maybe because we were not taught to express gratitude or maybe because life is so hard sometimes that we just can’t see how to be grateful for the hand we were dealt.

Gratitude is defined as thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation, a feeling or an attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. “Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress” (TheChangeBlog.com).

In a study on gratitude and well-being, participants in a gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals (McCollough & Emmons). Daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy (McCollough & Emmons). These are just some of the benefits of a grateful heart.

We want to have an attitude of gratitude not just at Thanksgiving be we want to possess and model that quality throughout our life with God and with others.

So here is where the THANKSGiving Diet comes in. We want to challenge you to be thankful for 21 days. We want to encourage you not just to acknowledge what you are thankful for these days, but we want you to express that thankfulness by meditating on the scripture and writing your thoughts each day. Your writing does not have to be long. Some days you will jot down 3 things you are grateful for and some days you will write longer as you are inspired by the Holy Spirit. This challenge is designed to help you change your attitude and have a healthy positive outlook on life.

We will start this challenge November 1 and go through November 21.  Each day we will provide you a scripture to meditate on and help you generate and journal about 3 things in your life for which you can give thanks.

We will send you daily encouragement and thoughts to help you along your 21 day journey. Take this journey with us. You’ll be so glad you did.

Instructions:

You will receive the scriptures for the 21 day diet. You can receive them on Facebook in the notes sections of our pages and in the event created in Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/events/440288769341741/

http://www.facebook.com/4-His-Temple

http://www.facebook.com/GillianStephenfitness

http://www.facebook.com/GospelFit

Start November 1 and end November 21. You can do the challenge for 21 more days in December.

Each day meditate on 1 scripture per day and write down 3 things that you are grateful for that day.

Helpful Hints:

Set a calendar reminder and spend time with the Lord every day at the same time.

Don’t be discouraged if you miss a day. Just read 2 scriptures the next day.

Ask someone to join you on the THANKSGiving Diet. Use the Facebook event to invite friends and family

If you use social media, post the scripture and share on your own page or in the event page your thoughts and attitude for the day as you are lead. Tweet about your experience. Use the hashtag #ThanksgivingDiet

Contact Us:

Websites

https://4histemple.wordpress.com
http://www.fitnessbuster.com
http://gospelfit.com

Twitter

@gillian_stephen
@favored1aqua
@gospelfit

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

30 Day Challenge June 1-June 30, 2012

 

Hello all!

 

Yes, it’s that time again! Our 30 Day Challenge will begin June 1. I know that you have been waiting for this! I know that I have!! You have been promising yourself that THIS is the month that you will get back on track. THIS is the month that you would START exercising and eating better. THIS is the week that you would eliminate fast food, fried food, calorie laden drinks, and sweets from your diet. THIS is the week that you would kick your present stale workout routine into high gear. THIS time, I’ll make a lifestyle change!

 

Well here is your chance to do just that with a group of people who can support and encourage you along the way. Find 4 His Temple on Facebook,  http://www.facebook.com/pages/4-His-Temple/221882177869882

follow the blog https://4histemple.wordpress.com/ and follow me on twitter. https://twitter.com/#!/Favored1Aqua. We’d love for you to share your plan, successes, and struggles on FB and twitter. Share photos and encouragement for the community. You could be featured on the blog.

 

The challenge is personal. Right now start praying about how you will approach the challenge. You can join a boot camp or a cross fit class. Workout 6 days a week. Do 2 a days (2 workouts per day). Walk around your local track or your neighborhood. Count your calories. Track your calories. Prepare food at home instead of eating out. Do a Daniel fast. Get yourself an accountability partner. There are so many options. WHATEVER you do, make sure that it includes BOTH exercise and dietary changes AND prayer.

 

June 1st is just the beginning of what God has in store for you as you commit these 30 days to Him for renewal! Who doesn’t need and want a renewal? A refreshing? A brand new start? God specializes in fresh starts!!

 

Can’t wait to hear your testimonies! Whose ready for a change? Remember…to make any change, we have to first change our minds! Let’s go!

Fasting and Prayer

The Word of God tells us that it was for the sake of freedom that Christ set us free. That’s powerful Good News! God doesn’t want us to bound by anyone or anything. He sent Jesus to break the chains of sin and bondage. Can We Talk?!

Fasting is a powerful tool in the Christians arsenal for breaking strongholds and breaking yolks. Fasting is an opportunity to walk closer to Lord, an opportunity for renewal and refreshing. The power of any fast is in the setting apart, the disciplining, and the consecrating ourselves to focus on Him (Gregory, 2010).

Many Christians are discovering the benefits of fasting and prayer. Remember fasting without prayer is just a diet. As believers learn more about the power of fasting and prayer, questions sometimes arise.  Here is question sent to me a few weeks ago.

Dear Aqua

I have a question for you regarding fasting. I have some areas of concern that I need to pray and fast over. I have decided to give up sweets and reality TV shows. Those two areas are my weaknesses. It is surely a sacrifice to give them up. The shows occupy so much of my time. Anyway, that’s why I thought it would be a great sacrifice along with my other weakness, sweets. My question is: Is it ok to DVR the shows and watch them after the 21 days?

Dear Fasting for Freedom

That’s great! Of course you could….BUT. You knew there would be a but, right. If you want to change that behavior (watching and wasting time on reality TV) then you would not want to record them and go back to them after the fast. You would want to replace the time spent watching reality with other activities. Add leaving reality TV in the dust to your prayers during the fast. Pray that when the fast is over you have no desire for it. The Word tells us to hold on to what we have attained. If you attain your freedom from the hold of reality TV during the fast, why go back? When we fast with Hope I always look for some habit, behavior, attitude I can get rid of forever. Let me know when you start fasting. I hope this helps. Also, I would like to invite you to fast during Lent. A 40 day Daniel fast with our new ministry TriSistah412. Pray about it. More details coming.                                  

I’ll be praying for you. Love you.

You can send questions to dearaqua4histemple@gmail.com

This Place ~ A Critical Soul’s Review

Have you ever read a really bad restaurant review and went to the restaurant to eat anyway? Only to find that the reviewer was spot on in terms of the review. Of course you have, we all have. Why is it that when we hear about places that have gotten bad reviews we feel the urge to go anyway and try it for ourselves? Can We Talk?!

Throughout my pre-teens and teenage years my mother tried to impart adult wisdom on me. She would tell me the horrors of drinking, smoking, being promiscuous, and the like and I would tell her, “I’m not you, I have to experience it for myself”, somehow thinking that I would escape or fair better with the consequences.

Well, was I ever wrong, just like the food critic warning us to stay away from a restaurant that was sub par in service or food preparation, my mom was on to something. If I would have listened to her and relied on her testimony of heartaches, heart breaks, and the consequences of sin, I could have saved myself I lot of time, money, joy, pain, effort, energy, and grief! You probably could add your own list here of what you could have saved if you had listened to those who walked the way before you.

Afterall, if I came running out of a building and told you it was on fire, but you could not see the smoke and flames from outside, would you trust me? Or would you go into the building to check out the fire for yourself? I know some of you got lost right there thinking about that question. Stay with me, would you?!

So I got to thinking, about THIS PLACE that I could review. My hope is that I could keep you from going there. And if you have been there or you are there now, I pray that you would leave and never go back.

What if I told you about THIS PLACE where rebellion and disobedience are the order of the day and having it all my way, was the only thing that mattered…would you go? Yes my way, but at what cost? 

Satan is the maitre d’ assigned to meet you, greet you, and beat you in THIS PLACE. Here, there are no rules, no limits, and no dress code. Here, I was queen of my own pain. My own god. Here, I deceived and was being deceived. Here, I was in control of my own destiny with nothing to lose and nothing to gain.

THIS PLACE serves up entrees of anger, rage, worry, and discontent with a side of ugliness, criticism, and regret. Maybe you’ve passed THIS PLACE and wondered what’s inside. The outside scantily clad, bathed in seduction, and pride.

In THIS PLACE sickness, disease, and addiction have no hope for cure. Would you still want to go and experience THIS PLACE or could I stop you by telling you the horrors that await? 

If I told you about THIS PLACE where loneliness has no end. Where sin gives way to death and death gives way to eternal hell. Is THIS PLACE somewhere you’re still interested in? 

THIS PLACE is a life without Jesus Christ. Hell on earth is how it’s been described. You don’t have to go there, you don’t have to be there, and you don’t have to stay there. Receive Him. Surrender. No reservations required.

John 14:2 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

²There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you.

From Victory To Victory

I was recounting my victory of a recent test to my spiritual mentor. Yes, after 10 months I can say that the test is over and the victory belongs to Jesus Christ. Throughout the whole 10 months from the day after the test began, I knew that I would be victorious. First I recognized it as a test. That’s key! We’ll talk about that in a future post. I sought wise counsel, immersed myself in the Word, listened for the voice of God, and began the process of winning. I knew I still had to go through the process of the test, but I never wavered that when this thing was over our God would be glorified!

I told my mentor that I find many people first don’t want to go through anything and second people don’t understand that it takes hard work and faith to get through tests and trials. It’s a process. She said, “yes it takes work, obedience, and humility, but what most people really don’t understand is that we are fighting FROM a place of victory”. Can We Talk?!

We are already victorious in every trial, every test, every battle, every situation, and every circumstance that we ever face. We are going from victory to victory! If you have an unfavorable doctor’s report in your hand right now…You are already victorious! Are you unemployed or underemployed, you are already victorious! Is your marriage in disarray? Take heart friends the victory is already yours in Christ Jesus. You have the victory before the tests begins. You have won the war, before for first bullet flies. You just have to walk and talk like you believe God. Let Him be glorified IN your situations and circumstances.

How can we be over comers if we never over came anything? How can we be more than conquerors, if yes, you’ve heard it said before, we never conquered anything? God uses tests and trials to grow us and mature us, so we ALL have to go through something. The distinguishing characteristic of faithful believers is HOW we go through.

If we know that we are fighting from a place of victory we can walk in power. We can see our obstacles as stepping stones. We can see our challenges and enemies as tools God uses to bless, teach, mature, and strengthen us. So go ahead and ride on the lofty wings of criticism, sail on the strong seas of doubt and fear. When we are fighting from a place of victory we can walk boldly into the fiery darts of the enemy and not get burned! Know that the victory is already won! Praise Him for the victory!

We can’t wait for God to sprinkle us with our healing or wait for some magical mountain top sermon experience to be the catalyst for our change and growth when we are being tested. It takes work with and through God. It takes faith to endure tests and trials. We have to roll up our sleeves, submit to God, and walk boldly through our process with Him. When we come out on the other side of what we’ve gone through healthier and whole, looking more like Jesus, God alone gets the glory!

Jesus was our greatest example of fighting from victory to victory. He was born in victory and today He rules and reigns over death, grave, hell, and sin. He faced many difficult tests. His own people did not receive Him. His disciples betrayed and abandoned Him. He was beaten, humiliated, and finally suffered death on a cross, all from a place of victory!

If you are struggling through a test or trial now and your faith is getting weak, start speaking victory in and over your situation. Put in the work it takes to move through your process without delay. Forgive and be reconciled. Humble yourself. Show love and compassion. Release pride, arrogance, and control. Ask yourself what is God trying to teach me, then submit and surrender to the teaching. Whatever God is asking you to do, you MUST do or it simply delays your process.

As you go through remember that it is God who will bring you out. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. When you come out, you will see how God was there all the time, leading, instructing, guiding, and yes cheering you and you will see how you STARTED from a place of victory. When we start in victory, how can we ever lose? How can we?

Get Back In The Game! 30 Day Challenge Day15 Guest Blogger ~Keda"

Congratulations! We are at the halfway point of our 30 Day Challenge! I encourage you to dig deep and finish strong! You are not alone. He who began the work in you is faithful to complete it! Now that’s good news! Can We Talk?!

As we move through this thirty days we have to make sure that we begin thinking about how we are going to maintain and modify our “how to” for the rest of our lives. I hear ya, I only signed up for 30 days…yeah yeah! Certainly if we are doing 2 a days for this thirty days it may be unrealistic to maintain that pace for the rest of our lives. So what will my exercise routine be at the end of this journey? If we are eating vegetarian, unless we convert full time,we probably will want to have some meat once the challenge is over. But what about the benefits of decreasing red meat in our diets? What about that quiet time with the Lord? It’s been so fulfilling, but is waking early every morning really on my agenda? Only you can really answer these questions.

The thirty days, 10 pounds, increased energy and stamina, fitting into that inspiration dress, or rekindling of a relationship with the Father are just the beginning. If we don’t think about how to maintain what we have started, then this 30 days will have been for nought. One of our community members is thinking about just that, moving forward after the 30 days. We certainly MUST celebrate the small victories, but we have to keep our eyes on the prize. Listen to what Keda offers to encourage us to start thinking beyond the 30 days. Think higher, better, greater, and deeper!

When I was a little girl, my Dad signed me up for the PeeWee Soccer League. We were a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds who had no idea what we were doing, so our games often resembled a swarm of honeybees hovering around a spherical, black and white flower, but our parents seemed to get a kick out of it.

The only game I remember of the season is the one where I magically broke out of the swarm with that black and white treasure and scored a goal. I am convinced that I had never been that excited in my entire 5-year-old life. I jumped up and down waving my arms frantically over my head in victory, scanning the crowd for my family. “Did ya see me? Did ya SEE ME? I scored a GOAL!!!” I’m sure they were excited, but their immediate response to me was, “Good job, but…GET BACK IN THE GAME!” You see, while I was busy rejoicing over my minor victory, my swarm of teammates and competitors had blazed their way to the other side of the field, leaving me behind.

This second week of the 30-Day Challenge has reminded me of my little tale of victory and defeat. I was so mentally occupied with my small victory of fitting into a dress that has hung unworn in my closet for 2 years, that I lost track of the overall goal of eating healthily, exercising to the best of my ability, and spending time with the Father to ensure my physical and spiritual success. Can’t you just picture me in my dress, jumping up and down with my hands flailing over my head shouting, “Did you see me, guys? Did you see me?” Well, when you do see me, just tell me, “That’s great, but…GET BACK IN THE GAME!!!”

Still Journeying in Christ, Keda”
Papillon – perspectives of life and love

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

Challenge IT and IT Will Change~ 30 Day Challenge Day 5

Congratulations! Five days have already come and gone for your 30 Day Challenge. 25 days left to create the lifestyle you want to live for the rest of your life. A healthy life that honors our temples and our God. Can We Talk?!

These last 5 days have NOT been without challenges. I was confronted with this dessert tray at a birthday lunch. YIKES! I’ll have one of each! No, seriously. I didn’t indulge and I stayed true to my plan. I share this because the weekend is coming and it is so easy to get off course when we are celebrating. We say…I’ll just have a little and start over tomorrow. 500 calories later, well you know the story. In these moments, pray and ask God for strength. Excuse yourself if you can’t handle the pressure. Sometimes you are going to have to say “NO”, you won’t be able to leave. Challenge it and it will change!

For some Templers, Day 1 out of the gate was a struggle. Others met challenges as the week progressed. Fear not, do not be discouraged. Our bodies and our health did not get in this state overnight and it won’t change overnight. I also heard some praise reports. “I lost 4lbs”, “I feel great”. Congratulations to them and all glory to our Father! Challenge it and it will change!

I wanted to encourage you for the weekend. Weekends can be the hardest time to stay on track with our plan. Everyone is relaxing and socializing. For so many eating goes hand and hand with this environment. And exercise is no where on the agenda. Be mindful of this trap and stay on the path this weekend.

I also wanted to share with you a tidbit of information that is important to those of you putting in extra exercise and/or eating vegetarian. Minister Ron Marshall of TheOne Training challenged us to make sure that we are getting enough protein. The amount of protein we should get ranges from 40-70 grams each day depending on your gender, age and situation. You can calculate your the amount of protein you should receive. You can get protein from other sources besides meat.

Also if you have exercised everyday this week. Good on you! But make sure you take a day off. Sunday is a great day to worship God for your success this week, ask Him to strengthen you for the week to come, and rest in His marvelous presence.

Enjoy your weekend! A healthy lifestyle can be fun and exciting! See you Monday! Keep those journals, praise reports, and even miss steps coming in. We will pray and praise with you!

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

Speaking of Royalty

God day Royalty!

When we first started this passion project we said that we would talk about everything related to what we feed our temples. Not only do we have to be fully aware of the natural food, but the spiritual food is as important to our overall healing, health and well-being. Can We Talk?!This past week the world stood still (almost literally) as a prince married his princess. For those of you who know me, you know that I do not follow pop culture and celebrities. I did not follow any of the wedding news nor did I watch the royal wedding on television. It was 3 in the morning for goodness sakes! A girl needs her beauty rest. What was funny about this week is that my sister, (you have to know her to laugh at this) sends me a text at 0430 in the morning saying “text me when you get here, I saved you a seat at the Abbey”. She wakes at 3AM EVERY morning.

What was not funny this week was watching the comments and commentary about the royal wedding from lips of faithful believers. I heard an onslaught of negative and critical comments from the bride’s make-up to the best man’s paternity. Oh my! What does THAT have to do with the wedding? As faithful believers we MUST have the eyes of God. We must see everything through the eyes of God and through the blood of Jesus Christ. We cannot look upon a beautiful event such as this (I’m told it was beautiful) and focus only on the negative. How can we behold such beauty and speak so critically? It’s a heart issue.

When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we are adopted into God’s family as royalty. We are royalty and we should speak like royalty. How can we look upon the beauty of this wedding, where our Father and King was represented and not just be filled with joy? How could our eyes not be fixed on the wonder and beauty of His Majesty? It’s a heart issue. The Word of God says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We need heart transplants. I know a God surgeon!

The royal couple offered this prayer to God.

“God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen”.

I know what you are probably thinking. Why are YOU NOW judging those who made the comments? A few years ago, I was convicted of having a critical spirit. I am being healed everyday so, the answer is I recognized my old self in these comments. I’m super-sensitized to critical comments, it’s part of my healing process.

Before I always had to pick apart everything and everyone because nothing was ever good enough. Maybe I didn’t feel good enough? What is certain is that I was looking through foggy dirty lenses, not through the eyes of God. I saw everything through own my pain, my past, and my life experiences. Good or bad. God wanted to heal that pain so I could see the beauty of His people and His world, making me more useful for Kingdom building. He wants to do the same for you. I meditated on this scripture to begin the healing process. When negative thoughts creep into your mind start reciting this scripture. Take those thoughts captive and begin to speak words that edify, support, and encourage.

Philippians 4:8 Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.

The Message says it this way…Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Some of you will read this post and think, that’s not me. I’m not critical, negative, or judgmental. Others will read it and be convicted, not by my words, but by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you.    

  Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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Your True Identity in Him!!

Hello Temple Lovers!

 One of my twitter friends posted this video this morning. StickyJesus.com (click to see) I have been so moved by it that I have viewed it several times and I wanted to make sure that you also see this. God loves you!

As we continue our journey to health and wellness through Christ Jesus and as we seek to care for these temples that He has given us, remember that you are beautiful and accepted TODAY. Let’s not get so bogged down with where we want to be that we cannot celebrate our accomplishments and His love for us today!

Love the body that you are in NOW. Love the person created by Christ Jesus NOW. You are His child…loved, sealed, redeemed, chosen, healed, and anointed!! You are one with Him. Have a great day!

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!