In 2012, I received a phone call that no woman wants to get. My gynecologist's office contacted me to return to the office that day because I had an abnormal pap smear. I'd had abnormal pap smears before that turned out to be nothing, so I argued with the receptionist because I did not think the matter warranted leaving work in the middle of the day until she said in frustration that the test results indicated a large grade carcinoma had been discovered on my cervix. When I heard those words, fear fell on me like a crumbling thirty story building. In my mind at the time, only one thought played in a continuous loop: Carcinoma = Cancer = Death!
I learned two very important things that day. #1: Fear is an evil, cowardly spirit (2 Timothy 1:7) that physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually attacks us even when we are at our weakest points. #2: The Secret Place of the Most High God (Psalm 91:1) is also very real. I know firsthand because God hid me under His shadow and gave me refuge under His wings (Psalm 91:1-4) from the enemy's frightening and tormenting thoughts (1 John 4:18-20). According to the spirit of fear, I was already dead. It was just a matter of time before my body would be placed in a decorative box and covered with dirt. Nevertheless, God expelled all of the fear when I called on Him, and He exposed the lies with His truth. By the time I arrived at the doctor's office, the tears and the fear were gone completely. As a result, I waited patiently and peacefully for biopsy results which took about three (3) days to come back. The results revealed that I was far from dead. Although a large area of my cervix was affected, the abnormal cells were precancerous. I had a simple fifteen (15) minute procedure in the doctor's office to remove them. What does all that have to do with health and fitness? People attend the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness class all the time because they are afraid. Some have already been diagnosed with obesity related diseases. Others have been told to lose weight or they will be placed on insulin, hypertension, or cholesterol lowering medications. Some even fear they are slowly slipping backwards into bondage to an eating disorder. Many have seen loved ones lose limbs to diabetes, become paralyzed due to strokes, or die in a matter of minutes due to massive heart attacks. Consequently, EAW Ministries Class participants are very often afraid because they already know how their lives will end unless something changes. One of the best things about EAW Ministries is receiving praise reports from those who have taken the class. God proves again and again that the spirit of fear is a liar. You will not die if you repent and call on God to save you. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)! He resurrects dead arteries, kidneys, livers, and pancreases. He heals and saves to the utmost, and gives eternal life in Heaven and life more abundantly on earth (John 10:10) to those who love Him and keep His commandments. The first step of obedience is knowing those commandments. That’s where Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries can help. If you are ready to enter the Secret Place of the Most High and be free of the evil spirit of free in regard to your health and fitness, register today for the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness Class. The course begins on August 19, 2024, at 6:00 pm CST via Zoom. Space is limited so go to www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org to register now! Then purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. The classes and books will teach you the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify the Narrative Matters, the StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org!
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Selfishness is an irrevocable byproduct of sin. As Christians, we are commanded to deny the desires of our flesh in order to obey the commandments of God and be effective servants in His Kingdom as well as towards our fellow man. In contrast, when we sin, we give in to the desires of our flesh in selfish disobedience. This act of rebellion makes us ineffective, as the world sees its self-centeredness reflected in our behavior.
Moreover, repeatedly giving in to the carnal desires of your flesh results in a selfish mentality. Consequently, it becomes increasingly difficult to accept the Lord's call for change in your life when everything is always all about you, meaning what you like, what you want, what you think you need, and what it will cost you personally to forgo your desires in order to benefit the Kingdom of God or someone else. It is no different with the sins of gluttony and otherwise failing to eat and drink for God’s glory. In fact, in some ways, it is worse. For example, gluttony begins with a simple act of overeating and/or over-indulging in unhealthy foods and beverages. However, over time it becomes a pattern of overeating and overindulgence, which begins to affect your outlook about yourself. In other words, you graduate from simply rebelling against God's commands to being completely self-centered in your thoughts, emotions, and behavior as it relates to food and beverages. For instance, your thoughts are focused more and more on what you are "in the mood" to eat even after consuming large, unhealthy meals. As your waistline expands, your selfishness begins to work against you, making you self-conscious about your appearance, concerned about your health, and afraid that you will not be able to regain control of this area of your life. These negative emotions become evident in your behavior as you ostracize yourself from others to avoid unflattering comments and stares. Furthermore, you stop participating in many activities you enjoy for similar reasons. All of that changes once you repent from committing the sin of gluttony and begin to reverse the process of selfishness that invaded your life. It is the same when you eat and drink for the glory of God instead of remaining in bondage to your eating disorder. As you deny yourself in obedience to the One True God, you become more and more selfless in terms of this and any other sins you are entangled with. After you discipline your body and bring it under subjection through Christ, then your focus should shift to shining the Light of Christ on others who are suffering under the weight of bondage to gluttony and eating disorders. This usually begins with your own household. The Bible says that he who fails to provide for his own family has denied his faith and is worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8)! One of the most important things you can provide for the ones you love is covering them daily with your prayers. Ask for God's mercy, deliverance, favor, protection, and mind renewal so that they will make a permanent health and fitness change through Christ and then effectively be about the Father's business to lead others to deliverance from gluttony and eating disorders through Him. If you are ready to stop being selfish and obey God’s commands to take care of your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit by eating and drinking for His glory, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! Have you ever had a problem that seemed like it would never end? For example, did you lose your job and could not get another one for over a year? Have you and your spouse been going through the motions and appear to be heading for divorce? Have you been sick with an illness the doctors cannot even diagnose, let alone treat, and you know without doubt that you are only alive by the grace of God? If so, you are not alone.
During the last recession, my husband was laid off for 14 months, but God blessed him with a job right when we used the last of our savings. Likewise, the first few years of our marriage, I wondered if we would make it. We are not only still together twenty-four years later, but our marriage is also much stronger. In fact, we are more deeply in love with one another now than we were back then. Furthermore, in 2009, I became ill and could have died. I learned the scariest thing a doctor can say is not that you have a terminal illness, as I expected to hear at that time. On the contrary, hearing a medical professional acknowledge that I had a condition that she could not diagnose was much worse because I was in a fight with an unidentified enemy for three (3) years. On top of all that, I spent over a decade of my life ensnared by the sin of gluttony and unable to get free from it despite the time, money, and energy I spent on diet pills, gym memberships, diet gimmicks, and weight loss programs. As with me, your circumstances are probably accompanied by feelings of loneliness. You think no one understands or cares, so you suffer through it on your own. However, the Bible makes it clear that what you are experiencing is nothing new. In Luke 13:10-12, there was a woman who had been under attack by an evil spirit for eighteen (18) years. The unclean spirit caused her body to be bent over in a hunched position, preventing her from standing up straight. You may not have the visible, physical manifestation of the demonic attack in the same way that the woman did, but the enemy has been waging a longstanding battle against your finances, your family, your health, and your physical fitness, nevertheless. Moreover, the battle has crippled you, leaving you bent over in shame and defeat, unable to walk upright in victory. The Lord has already promised you an abundant life through Christ (John 10:10), and abundant living includes being healthy and physically fit. However, just as the Israelites had to fight to possess God's gift to them of the Land of Canaan, you, too, must fight for the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life. Do not be like those who fall dead of heart disease, anorexia, diabetes, cancer, bulimia, and strokes in the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders due to their fear, spiritual cowardice, and lack of faith. Put your war clothes on and prepare to fight! I encourage you, "Do not be afraid nor be dismayed! Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 10:25)! All you really have to do is show up on the battlefield. It is the Lord who will actually fight against the enemy and win the battle for you, for the battle is not yours. It was, is, and always will be a spiritual one to be won by the Lord. Regardless of the circumstances or how long you have been engaged in battle, be encouraged today. The Lord Your God, Who is the Alpha and the Omega, has declared an end to the battle and crowned you the victor through Jesus Christ! As Jesus said to the hunched and bowed woman, I also decree over you and your circumstances in the Name of Jesus, "Thou art loosed!" Hallelujah! If you trust God to loose you from your health and fitness struggle so you can stand upright in victory in the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! Your mind is the first line of defense against opposition from the enemy. Consequently, it is constantly under attack, and those attacks come in numerous forms. For example, the opposition can wage war on your mind physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is easy to recognize the assault when a person is diagnosed with brain tumors, developmental disabilities, schizophrenia, or anxiety attacks brought on by the evil spirit of fear. However, attacks on the mind can manifest in other ways.
More to the point, the opposition also occurs in regard to health and fitness. For instance, your body's physical reaction to the sight, sound, and smell of food jump starts the cycle of cravings in your mind. The loop replays continuously until your stomach growls, your mouth salivates, and your mind gives in to its physical desire. Likewise, sinful pride uses your mind's logic and reason against you to prevent you from making the mental decision to start or stick with a diet and exercise plan by presenting seemingly reasonable excuses to wait until next week to start dieting or give up altogether if you have already started. Your emotions are attacked by fatigue, previous and current failures, lack of progress, minimal results, plateaus, and even past successes. Lastly, the evil spirit of fear, and other demonic entities, spiritually attack your mind in order to undermine your efforts to lose weight by speaking lies about your ability to succeed. Likewise, the spirit of fear tries to prevent you from becoming healthy by telling you it is impossible to overcome the eating disorder you have been entangled with for a decade. Furthermore, the unclean spirits take pleasure in reminding you of your family history of obesity related diseases in order to scare you into thinking you will never be healed of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Instead, they hang a picture on the wall of your mind of the slow and painful death in store for you. I wish I could tell you that the attacks will stop, but that would be a lie. Besides, you have lived long enough to know that mental attacks to your mind occur every day even though you might not think of it in those terms. For example, you may struggle not to respond disrespectfully to your hateful boss every day at work. Many husbands combat a daily temptation to cheat on their wives. Those with anger management issues fight to suppress the physical desire to lash out at others. Similarly, you have, currently are, and must continue to put your war clothes on and show up on the spiritual health and fitness battlefield daily. Although you must fight each day, I can tell you the battle gets easier with time. Success through Christ breeds more success and confidence that the Lord will fight for you and give you the grace to not only withstand the attacks against your mind but to also overcome them. Moreover, the Bible uses the terms heart and mind interchangeably. Consequently, you should adopt the prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 51:10 as you embark on your health and fitness journey by asking each day that the Lord will, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." If you trust God to stop the devil’s mind games regarding to your health and fitness, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! God called me to be different. Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries exists so I can share my journey into health and fitness with others. However, I used to be a people-pleaser. I wanted everyone to like me and to be my friend. More than anything, I wanted to finally fit in with the crowd, almost any crowd. However, God has always orchestrated events in my life that caused the opposite to take place. People often do not like me. I have few true friends, and I generally do not fit in with "clicks" and "in crowds." It has been that way since pre-school. For much of my life, I struggled to become acceptable in the eyes of others. I tried to fit into their molds. I attempted to be the type of person they would welcome, but it was all in vain. Every time I thought I was finally "at home" in a crowd, God made sure I did not get comfortable. Eventually, I took the hint, recognized the clues, and solved the puzzle He had given me.
I was never meant to fit in. I was created to stand apart, to be original, to be unique. If I was like the rest of them, God could not use me for His purpose because, like them, I would limit His power to getting new cars on someone else's credit or getting caught up on bills while still drowning in debt. Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries exists because God made me "peculiar" (1 Peter 2:9). I am peculiar in my belief in Him, in my walk with Him, and in my worship of Him. I am different enough to believe that He is not only real, but He still speaks directly to His children and guides us in all our ways. And I do not believe an ordained minister is the only person or method He uses to get a message to His people. Perhaps the most peculiar thing about me is my belief that every action I take, every word I speak, even everything I eat and drink is a form of worshipping my God! Consequently, in public restaurants, you might see me eat all of the toppings off of a slice of pizza but leave the crust behind because that is the only way to eat for His glory by conforming to my diet plan at the time. At a conference where box lunches are provided, I discard chips, buns, and cookies and make lettuce wraps out of what remains of the sandwich, then grab a bottle of water instead of the plentiful sodas on hand. As you might guess, my eating habits draw not only the attention of others, but it also generates questions, which present opportunities to share my faith with a room full of people who are overweight, diagnosed with obesity related diseases, dealing with eating disorders, and fast-tracking to an early death. Is it hard being stared at, talked about, and ostracized for simply obeying God and being who He called me to be? Yes, but it is also worth it! Being different gives others confidence that it is alright for them to embrace who they were meant to be in Christ, too. Most importantly, as I look around at those who stare at me strangely, I cannot help but notice that many of them are overweight or otherwise living lives of disobedience. Therefore, I choose to always endeavor to please the perfect, righteous, One True Living God instead of fickle, hateful, deceitful, sinful human beings. I encourage you to dare to be different. Get healthy and fit God's way and be one of His chosen people who dwells in the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life! If you are ready to stop pleasing people and serve the One True Living God in regard to your health and fitness, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! Sinful habits are often done away from prying eyes. Whether it’s an extramarital affair or a drug addiction, people usually do not openly display their sin. Unfortunately, it’s the same for those suffering from unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders. Although the outward results of your dysfunctional lifestyle can’t always be hidden, most people either intentionally or unintentionally conceal the depths of their detrimental habits.
In other words, they prefer to do their dirt in the dark, as the saying goes. However, lots of people, adults and children alike, are afraid of the dark. Nevertheless, society has imposed a stigma of sorts on those who do not like darkness. Usually, that person is labeled as fearful, and children, especially, find themselves being teased or reprimanded for their disdain of dark places. My perspective is different. I am a firm believer that people do not like the dark for good reason, and the problem actually lies with those who love it. The Bible affirms this viewpoint. John 4:19-21 says, "And this is the condemnation, Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear his deeds will be exposed, but he who practices the truth comes to the Light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." In other words, some people prefer the dark because it covers their sin. Adulterers, thieves, and murderers are some who often like to sin under cover of darkness. However, Isaiah 29:15-16 warns that, "Those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, 'Who sees us? Who will know?' You turn things upside down as if the potter were thought to be the clay... Can the pot say of the potter, 'He knows nothing?'" Indeed, the darkness referred to in the Scriptures is spiritual darkness, but, "Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). That means darkness exists in the natural world to help you understand its existence as evil in the spiritual realm. Likewise, there is light in the world to help you better understand and believe that God exists and is the Light of righteousness in the world. Gluttony is a sin that people engage in under the cover of darkness, too, just ask the person who is morbidly obese and can no longer leave his home. Indeed, that person is bound in spiritual darkness, chained to a table, and literally eating himself to death. When you go to a buffet alone so no one you know will see you gorge yourself on meat, as Proverbs 23:20 puts it, you are also attempting to sin in the dark even as you enter the restaurant in the light of day. It is the same for the person who visits the restroom to induce vomiting after bingeing or prepares a plate to eat with her family but always finds an excuse to never take a bite of food. The only thing that dispels darkness, especially the darkness of sin that we internalize, is light. That is true in the spiritual realm as well as the natural world. Consequently, you must meet Jesus at the Cross in order to achieve permanent weight loss or be set free from any eating disorder. In Jesus Christ, there is life, and that life is the light of all men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it (John 1:4-5). That means that through Jesus Christ you can and will overcome the darkness of the sin of gluttony and dysfunctional eating habits that are robbing you of the abundant life you were always meant to have through Christ! If you are ready to be free of the spiritual darkness of unhealthy eating and drinking habits and bask in the Light of an abundantly new healthy and fit life through Christ, purchase your copies of the Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook and the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition online today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. In the books, you will learn the biblical principles regarding the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body for the glory of God. Read our weekly blog for motivation to stay healthy and fit through Christ. Follow us daily on Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, The Narrative Matters, StudioW Buzz Radio Station, and Victory KVDW 100.9 FM, 95.3 FM, and 1530 AM in Little Rock, Arkansas for interviews and health and fitness trends. Lastly, make your tax-deductible donation to Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! I love birthdays, so I try to personally wish a happy birthday to all of my family members and friends who are celebrating. Growing up, birthdays were always special in our household. My sister and I had parties with lots of presents, food, family, and friends. Consequently, we also had lots of fun. Now, my husband and I try to make birthdays special for our sons, too. However, we do not just celebrate their natural births. We also celebrate their born-again, or rather, Christian birthdays.
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Ann Wooten Taylor
Ann is an attorney who has been licensed to practice law in the State of Arkansas since 2004, practicing in the areas of child abuse and neglect, special education, and unemployment insurance law. Mrs. Taylor is also the C.E.O. of Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries and a Christian author. Her first non-fiction, Christian book entitled, "Eating as an Act of Worship Workbook" was published and released by Life to Legacy Publishing in 2015. Her second book, the "Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher's Edition" was published and released in December 2016. Archives
January 2019
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