Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a blessed holiday season. As you know, the beginning of the year is traditionally the time when people resolve to make big, and often, long overdue changes in their lives. However, most resolutions are scrapped within days of the new year. So what is the secret to making a New Year’s Resolution and sticking with it? Romans 12:2 says, “Be ye changed by the renewing of your mind," and then you will know the perfect will of God. In other words, change always starts within us. That means we have to first choose to do something different. Unfortunately, human beings often change their minds again and revert to their old habits. This is probably the way it has been for you in terms of weight loss and eating disorders up to this point. You make up your mind, or rather resolve, to start a new diet and exercise regimen or refrain from disordered eating, but your resolution falters shortly after you begin, if you ever truly get started at all.
God's Word says, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). If you are honest with yourself, you can admit this is true in terms of your weight loss efforts and entanglement with eating disorders. Not only do you constantly change your mind about starting a new diet or going to inpatient treatment for an eating disorder, but you also vacillate between sticking with the plan, following the advice of your therapist, giving in to your cravings to eat unhealthy foods, and making excuses not to exercise. The instability is further evident by the excess weight you carry, changes in how you view yourself, how you relate to others, and how your health is, or eventually will be, affected. Nevertheless, God can and will provide the stability you need in this area of your life when you change your mind and adopt His perspective of your issue with weight and eating disorders. The choice is yours as to whether or not you trust God and obey His Will. Jesus said, "He who loves Me obeys My commands" (John 14:21). When you read and obey His Word as it pertains to the body, dieting, exercising, and maintaining a healthy body, you discover His good and pleasing will for your life in regard to food and beverages. Then you have the right to ask for the Holy Spirit's empowerment to succeed where you previously and repeatedly failed in the past. That is a request God can honor because seeking Him and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33) in all things proves you now have the correct motivation for losing weight and being free of eating disorders. In other words, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). If you’re ready to finally win the weight loss and eating disorder war through Christ, 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. 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on iTunes, Spotify, the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! Ann Wooten-Taylor, C.E.O. EAW Ministries
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Have you ever looked back over your life and realized that many of the problems that once seemed insurmountable actually turned out to be no big deal? Afterwards, did you wonder why you were so worried about it at the time? I have. The enemy is a lot like a wild animal who puffs himself and your circumstances up like a balloon in order to make them appear larger and scarier than they truly are. Just like prey in the wild, we react to the inflated scene playing out in our lives, often with worry, doubt, fear, and hopelessness. After the storm is over, you realize the wind howled, the thunder roared, and the huge rain drops sounded like hail while hitting the windows, but it was only just a rainstorm with only minor damage, if any.
You probably do not believe this right now, but the truth is it is the same thing in terms of health and fitness. I know in your mind you think it cannot be done. From your perspective, losing weight is an impossible dream because you could not start, let alone stick with, a diet and exercise plan for the remainder of your life even if your life depended on it. A lot of people have believed that inflated lie from the enemy and lost their lives when they had the power through Christ to be spared from a painful, unnecessary death. From your perspective, your problem with your weight or eating disorder cannot be conquered. From God's point of view, it is already done! Yes, it is a big problem, but it has a very workable solution when taken in small increments. Contrary to the enemy's messages of defeat, God says you will be victorious. All you have to do is believe the truth and act on it in faith. Instead of magnifying your weight loss problem or the eating disorder, remember how big your God is. He is the God of all creation, and there is nothing greater than Him! When you feel tempted to look at the size of the problem before you, remember all the times God has delivered you from the other huge problems of life. Then follow Mary's example and declare, "My soul doth magnify the Lord" (Luke 1:46)! If you are ready to stop inflating your health and fitness problem and magnify the Lord instead, 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! Have you hit a plateau? Were you losing lots of weight and inches in the beginning, but now the scale is unmovable, and the measuring tape is stuck on the same number every time you take your measurements? Are you getting frustrated by the lack of progress you are making in regard to your eating disorder? Do you feel like giving up? You are not alone. Regardless of your eating dysfunction, such as being overweight or eating disorders, everyone must deal with a period of little to no progress along their health and fitness journey. Since plateaus happen to everyone at some point, you should not take it as a sign of failure. On the contrary, plateaus are actually indirect messages to you which occur for two (2) reasons. You are either on a physical plateau or a spiritual plateau.
1) Physical Plateaus In regard to physical plateaus, your body is sending a message to you. People tend to get stuck in their comfort zones because we do not really like change. It is true in health and fitness and every other area of life. For instance, you finally find an exercise routine you do not mind doing, and you refuse to alter it. You jog, go to aerobics, or weight train daily, but your body stops responding after a while because it is telling you that it is time to dig deeper. It is letting you know that you are ready to lower the grams of fat or carbohydrates you have allotted yourself, it is time to increase your treadmill pace to 3.5 because you have been at 3.0 for too long, or you need to add weight training to your regimen. Similarly, it can also be an indication that you are slacking. Be honest with yourself. Are you really adhering to your health and fitness plan, or are you taking shortcuts which result in more calories and less exercise? Are you taking every weekend off because you think you earned a break? Have you slowly reintroduced foods and beverages that you had abstained from? Did you decrease the number of days you work out? Although these may seem like small things, they make a big difference in regard to your health and fitness outcomes. 2) Spiritual Plateaus Conversely, spiritual plateaus occur because God is sending you a message! When you eat for His glory, it is all about Him not you. If the weight loss stops even though you are obeying Him and digging deeper and does not get you off the plateau, then it is time to inquire of the Lord. We tend to have spiritual as well as physical comfort zones, but God rewards obedience by entrusting you with more spiritual responsibility. For example, I was on a plateau for one (1) whole year after losing 99 pounds. God got my attention and told me to start writing a book about what He taught me in regard to losing weight. When I obeyed, the weight fell off effortlessly again. The same thing happened when He told me to start teaching the EAW Health and Fitness classes. If your answer to His spiritual call to elevation is yes, then He will allow you to attain more of the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life through Him! If it is not, you will remain stagnant at best or get frustrated and revert to your old eating and drinking habits at worst. The question is, are you satisfied with possessing part of the land, or are you willing to compromise and struggle with the enemies inhabiting the land for the rest of your days the same way the Israelites are to this very day? God leaves the choice to you. However, He makes it clear that He seeks mature Christian soldiers who are ready and willing to do battle in order to destroy all of the evil inhabitants of the land and possess the Lord’s gift of the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life. There are more than enough immature, cowardly babes in Christ. As you continue to prove to be "faithful over a few things" by obeying His commands to eat and drink for His glory, He will "put you in charge of many things" (Matthew 25:21), and empower you to conquer the weight loss and eating disorder giants trying to block your path to abundant, healthy living for life. If you are ready to finally get off your plateau, obey the voice of the Lord and 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! Those who are honest with themselves and others will admit that they are overweight and suffering from eating disorders for any number of reasons. Very often the primary reason for gluttonous behavior or otherwise failing to take care of your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit by eating and drinking for the glory of God occurs when people use unhealthy foods and beverages, or abstain from eating altogether, as a substitute for coping with the negative circumstances of their lives. For example, some people gain weight after a divorce in an effort to dull the pain they feel. Others eat and/or drink to endure the stress of their jobs. Likewise, some people use food to bury the pain of trauma they have experienced. In other cases, some completely abstain from eating and drinking altogether in order to regain a measure of control in their lives.
If any of those scenarios describe you, I encourage you to finally have the strength through Christ to confront the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental issues that drive your desire to eat. Recognize that you must do so in order to win the health and fitness war. You cannot succeed fighting the battle on multiple fronts. Right now, you are fighting your body's physical cravings and fleshly desires to return to the sins of gluttony and failing to eat for the glory of God in addition to the spiritual attacks from the enemy to lure you backwards into bondage. Satan has no problem dragging out your emotional and mental baggage to cause you to stumble and revert to your old ways. Remove these weapons from his arsenal, and the warfare gets a bit easier. Turn to the One True Living God, the Comforter, to be everything you tried to make food be in your life. He is the Great I AM who is actually able to be whatever you need Him to be! "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2). If you are ready and willing to be honest with yourself about the root of your health and fitness issues, 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! Be honest with yourself. Are you on the brink of falling off the proverbial wagon? Is your mind stuck on apple pie a la mode like a CD on repeat? The desire is building and has been for days. You have been fighting the triggers hard, but you have almost convinced yourself that giving in to your cravings and going back to your harmful eating disorder is not such a bad idea. It is just this one time, then you will go back to your health and fitness plan and that will be the end of it.
What happened the last two, ten, or twenty-five times you let the sin of pride convince you to give in to your cravings or eating disorder? Did it all work out the way it was planned in your head? If not, then what really happened? In the case of the glutton, for example, after the first bite, guilt sets in, followed by a sense of failure. Again! Then pride puts in overtime by logically concluding that you may as well get your other cravings out of the way, too, since you've blown your diet anyway. Because you have a pattern of drowning your sorrows in a sea of unhealthy foods and beverages, you find yourself at a lunch buffet you haven't been to in days, weeks, or even months. Those suffering from eating disorders enter a similar cycle when they give in to their triggers. How many times must you wander in the same circle, covering the same ground, getting the same results? Giving in to your cravings or triggers on ONE occasion CAN and WILL HURT YOU! It hurt every time you did it in the past, and it's going to hurt you this time, too. So don't do it! Choose a different path this time! Give your cravings and triggers to the Lord and submit to His Will to honor Him with your body by eating and drinking for His glory (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 10:31). Then you'll find yourself walking out of the Wilderness of Obesity and Eating Disorders and discovering the path that leads to the Promised Land of Healthy and Fit for Life! I encourage you not to make a decision you will regret. Make this the time that you deny your sinful cravings and triggers to harm your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit by abusing food or starving yourself. Instead, choose TODAY to obey God’s command to be holy even in regard to your health and fitness by learning to eat and drink for His glory! PURCHASE YOUR COPY of the Eating as an Act of Worship Teacher’s Edition TODAY 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! We all know intellectually that diets high in calories, sugar, fat, salt, and cholesterol wreak havoc on the human body and result in an early death. Consequently, common sense says to avoid eating those things in order to live longer, healthier lives. So why is it that instead of getting healthier and living longer, this generation is not only getting fatter, but it is also setting a trend to become the first generation in a long time that has a shorter life expectancy than its predecessor?
Paul explains it best in Romans 7:15, "I don't really understand myself. For I want to do what is right, but I do not do it. Instead, I do what I hate" (NLT). The things we hate usually equate to the sins in our lives. For instance, those with anger management problems often hate losing their tempers. Drug addicts come to hate the substance that gets them high. Even serial killers can leave behind evidence that they feel remorse but do not know how to stop. It is the same with every sin, including the sins of gluttony, making an idol of your stomach, and otherwise failing to take care of your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit by eating and drinking for the glory of God. When you want to be free from the bondage of sin, you begin to hate the sin. Unfortunately, you cannot set yourself free from wrongdoing no matter how much you might want to. Jesus explained the predicament of Paul and all of mankind in these terms, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Your desire to be free is genuine. Your past efforts to lose weight and become free of your eating disorder should be applauded. However, there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). You must repent in order to obtain and maintain health and fitness success because "whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36). If you realize that your flesh is weak and you want God to deliver you from your sinful and unhealthy eating habits, then repent and honor God with your body by learning to eat and drink for His glory! 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. 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! Growth is a never-ending process. It does not end when we reach adulthood. If you do not grow up, you will at least continue to grow old. However, God's plan for us is that we grow not just physically but mentally, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. We grow physically through natural birth from infancy to adulthood to old age, but the Bible is clear that we must be born again in order to attain true spiritual, emotional, and mental maturity.
In regard to mental growth, we are given the mind of Christ. Specifically, Philippians 2:5 states, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Moreover, 2 Timothy 1:7 goes on to say, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind." Finally, 1 Corinthians 13:11 NLT further explains that, "When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child, but when I grew up, I put away childish things." Regarding emotional growth, the Bible clearly states that we are to be, "Steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing our labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Furthermore, the Book of Ephesians teaches that we are to, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT). In terms of spiritual growth, the Bible teaches that it is a process that begins in the natural and is ongoing until we become like Christ. Specifically, 2 Corinthians 3:18 states that, "We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). This same process of growth applies to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and fitness journey. Right now, you and the rest of the world see the overweight body you have grown into or the eating disorder that has matured into a habitual behavior over time, but God sees the transformed you that will emerge in the fullness of time from glory to glory. From His perspective, it is already done! It will become manifested to you and the world as you walk in obedience. However, if you feel along the way that you are not perfect, that you are lacking, or that there is room for improvement, you are right. But be encouraged. First of all, we all feel that way. Mankind desires and strives for perfection because we were originally created as perfect beings. Although the perfection was lost due to our sin, the knowledge and subsequent desire to be perfect in every way remains within us. Consequently, we have a strong urge to reach for perfection in some manner, whether it is in regard to looks, relationships, professional vocation, longevity, or health and fitness. Secondly, you want to be perfect because God is perfect. We often describe His perfection as holiness. Contrary to popular opinion, desiring to be perfect is not sinful. On the contrary, God repeatedly commands in His Word that we are to, “Be holy because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:21; 20:7, 1 Peter 1:16). Holiness is perfection. In the Book of Leviticus, this commandment to be holy was given to the Israelites when God instructed them to abstain from eating unclean things as part of the way they worshipped and honored Him. Consequently, it should come as no surprise to you that you desire to attain godly, spiritual perfection in regard to your eating and drinking habits because God Himself placed the desire within you. The question is, will you obey the command of the Lord and start living a holy life in regard to your health and fitness? If it is your desire to obey God’s command to be holy even 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, and diet and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! One of the worst deceptions of the enemy is the lie that people have time to get right with God before they die, so "live it up" in sin while you can. I clearly recall that evil thought reverberating in my mind repeatedly as a child before being saved and for a time afterwards because I did not want to give up some of my favorite sins. But God is very honest with us about our chances of living to see another day. Proverbs 27:1 warns us not to "boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Likewise, the Bible declares that a man's days are few and full of trouble (Job 14:1). Consequently, the Bible cautions that man should learn to number his days in order to gain wisdom (Psalm 90:12).
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). Learning to number your days brings about the realization that God's Word is true! You will not be here long, and you do not know how much time you have. When you factor in your unhealthy eating habits, you also come to realize that your sin will result in even shorter days on the earth as death typically pays the wages of the sins of gluttony and failing to eat and drink for the glory of God, which results in eating disorders, sooner rather than later (Romans 6:23). This realization breeds a sense of urgency within you. In other words, you come to understand that your choice not only to accept Christ as your Savior, but also to obey His commands, including the commands to honor God with your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and to eat and drink for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), are directly related to both your physical life in this world and your spiritual life in the next. While tomorrow still is not promised, God does promise that those who set their love, meaning their devotion and worship, on Him will be delivered from trouble, set on high, receive answers to their prayers, be honored, and given long life (Psalm 91:14-16). Therefore, I warn you to consider your ways, including your unhealthy lifestyle, and learn to number your days. If you realize that your sinful and unhealthy eating habits will shorten your days and you are ready to repent and honor God with your body by learning to eat and drink for His glory, register today for the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness Master Class, featuring Dr. Tara Cannon, author of Health and Wellness for the Believer, Elsa Oliver, Christian nutritionist, and First Lady of Fitness, Debra Jones! The classes are free! There are no registration fees or membership fees! Participants are only responsible for the cost of the class materials. Classes begin online only on Monday, August 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. CST! Space is limited. Sign up now at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! If you are unable to take the course, 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, diet, and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! Have you ever started a job and management threw you into the position headfirst with no training, no handbook, and no one to ask questions to because the one person who knew what they were doing quit without notice? I have, and those are the jobs I hated the most. Many people feel that life is like that. They wish they had an instruction manual instead of the school of hard knocks on-the-job training.
But God has given us an instruction manual for life. It is called the Bible. Failing to read it and to apply it to your life results in the same consequences people experience when they do not read the policy and procedure handbook at work. For example, if you do not know the company's rules, you are more likely to accidentally break them. If you do not learn the company's procedure for obtaining medical leave, you could lose your job while you are home recovering from surgery. If you do not know what benefits you are entitled to, you will never know your true value as an employee. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). You can think of life as a place of employment. God is the Owner of the company, but there are a lot of demonic co-workers and supervisors on the job. Just as they cause heartache at work in the natural, the same is true in the spiritual realm. Instead of leading you to obey the Owner's rules and get the benefits of blessings on earth and eternal life in heaven, they encourage you to engage in behavior that jeopardizes your livelihood and leads to an early demise followed by eternal destruction in hell. It is especially true in terms of the sin of gluttony because the path to death is clearly visible, but you are helpless to stop. I encourage you to read the manual and obey its instructions to eat and drink for the glory of God. Life can be a great place to work when you focus on who you are truly working for, obey His directives, and use the grievance policy to report all demonic activity interfering with your work. Then you will enjoy the benefits of a long, healthy life and an incomparable retirement plan. If you need God’s on-the-job training for health and fitness, register today for the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness Master Class, featuring Dr. Tara Cannon, author of Health and Wellness for the Believer, Elsa Oliver, Christian nutritionist, and First Lady of Fitness, Debra Jones! The classes are free! There are no registration fees or membership fees! Participants are only responsible for the cost of the class materials. Classes begin online only on Monday, August 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. CST! Space is limited. Sign up now at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! If you are unable to take the course, 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, diet, and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! In the Garden of Eden, the serpent deceived Eve into disobeying God and eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve shared the forbidden fruit with her husband, Adam, who willingly and knowingly chose to disobey God's command. Nevertheless, when it was time to face the consequences, Adam placed all of the blame on Eve (Genesis 3).
As descendants of Adam and Eve, we invariably make the same mistakes they made. Sometimes the enemy deceives us into disobeying God, but usually we enter into sin fully aware of what we are doing. The result is the same now as it was then. Our eyes are opened to the deceptive lust of the flesh when it is too late to make a better decision. Instead of accepting responsibility and running to the throne of grace in repentance, we make excuses for our behavior and shift the blame to other people or things. For example, the bag of marijuana was not yours. You were just riding in the car with known drug dealers who happened to get pulled over and arrested. Your mistress is pregnant because her birth control method failed. Never mind the fact that you committed adultery. You cheated on your diet because your husband brought donuts home or a friend took you out to lunch. Immature people do not take responsibility for anything, especially their own behavior. The same is true for immature Christians, but God says it is time to grow up and weigh every decision against His Word. He will hold you accountable for every deed (Revelation 20:12-15). If you truly want to become healthy and fit for life, you must accept the fact that others can and will continue to make unhealthy choices regarding food, that includes relatives living in your home with you. While you may not have control over their behavior, you are completely responsible for your own. As Adam was fully aware of his sin when he ate the forbidden fruit, you too, are guilty of willfully sinning against God every time you break your health and fitness plan now that you know He commands you in His Word to eat and drink for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31) and honor Him with your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, by taking care of it (1 Corinthians 6:20). If you are ready to stop playing the blame game and take responsibility for your health and fitness, register today for the Eating as an Act of Worship Ministries Health and Fitness Master Class, featuring Dr. Tara Cannon, author of Health and Wellness for the Believer, Elsa Oliver, Christian nutritionist, and First Lady of Fitness, Debra Jones! The classes are free! There are no registration fees or membership fees! Participants are only responsible for the cost of the class materials. Classes begin online only on Monday, August 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. CST! Space is limited. Sign up now at www.eatingasanactofworshipministries.org! If you are unable to take the course, 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, Twitter, and Pinterest for recipes, diet, and exercise tips. Tune in to our syndicated radio show on the DFW Den Radio Station, 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! |
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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