After teaching the morning class, my body ached for my daily dose of caffeine with the phosphoric acid chaser. The empty can brought temporary satisfaction but the feeling was quickly replaced with an increased desire for more drinks. Not long after, my headaches and hunger pangs began. I was drinking a diet drink but craving more food to satisfy the hollowness. While reading a health magazine I discovered the dangers of drinking colas.

Whether diet or regular colas, there is potential bone thinning from the phosphoric acid and this will lead to osteoporosis. Another issue with the diet colas is the increase in migraine headaches for some individuals. With God’s help I slowly weaned myself off the diet drinks and replaced them with water. Thankful to be rid of the addiction to diet colas I became distracted and acquired a new addiction to sugary cereal at lunchtime. Cereal isn’t bad for us but the one I had chosen was not healthy. Within a few days my body began to crave the sugary cereal, just like it craved the colas. This was caught early and by promptly praying, the sugary cereal was replaced with a healthier choice for lunch.

With each season of our life, self examination seems necessary. I love coffee and can drink it in 100 degree heat. Each morning, during my bible study and prayer time, it’s God and black coffee. To me there’s no better way to start the day. It is my love of coffee which led me astray. The close proximity to my work made the new coffee shop an ideal place to stop after my class. I reasoned that because I had worked so hard in my class I deserved a sixteen ounce cup of coffee. Not just a black coffee, a Caramel Latte with whipped cream drizzled in caramel. This baby weighed in at 750 calories but that was my lunch so it was o.k.

It didn’t take long for the new habit to start taking its toll. It started with terrible headaches and profuse sweating about thirty minutes after downing the latte. Ignoring my history of low blood sugar, the latte was causing the blood sugar to spike and then drop quickly. Once again, prayer helped me change my habit and make better choices.

Entering my mid forties I noticed an extra ten pounds. My initial thought was my heart surgery and limited activity caused the gain and with a return to class, the weight would disappear. A year passed but the ten pounds didn’t. Sitting down with my exercise journal, the answer jumped out at me; I had reduced my cardiovascular exercise and if I return to those previous levels, the weight will leave. Prior to surgery my regimen included running three to five miles per day, five days a week. After my surgery my running was curtailed while my endurance was re-established. Finally, the weight will be coming off soon! After a few weeks my weight didn’t budge, in fact, I gained a few more pounds. Standing on the scale I nearly had a breakdown. How in the world could I have gained weight with everything I am doing? Crying out to God in frustration I said, “If I am going to gain weight doing more exercise then what’s the point!” Then it occurred to me that perhaps there was a health reason impacting my weight. The Doctor ordered lab work but that wasn’t the problem either. So much for blaming it on some rare weight gain disorder. My last option was to list my food intake and determine if my calories consumed were less than my calories expended. Even with my healthier choices, the food journal was a real eye opener.

My sweet caramel latte had been replaced with a non fat latte but it still carried a 220 calorie count. Surprisingly, I found the reduced fat wild blueberry muffin only saved 30 calories on the regular blueberry muffin and that it still had 360 calories. My lunch is now a piece of fruit, usually an apple, and a ¼ cup of almonds. For variety my lunches sometimes include a few slices of reduced sodium chicken on whole wheat flat bread. My coffee is now black with no lattes at all. The change had almost immediate results with a definite increase in energy that I shared with my exhausted class.

Exercising definitely helps us to lose weight but if we do not compliment exercise with healthy dietary habits there is an imbalance and weight loss is almost impossible. The Message has an excellent translation of Second Corinthians 13 which says, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.” Earnest self examination reveals the truth and eliminates excuses. Sometimes we uncover unhealthy habits in our spiritual life as well. For me, prayer was the answer for my bad habits and addictions. Just because the habits seem acceptable to others does not lessen their impact on the body. There are many people suffering from addictions that could use your prayers. Pray that God will send the right people into their path to help them, help themselves. By the way, I will be teaching class Monday at 9:00 AM still trying to lose the last of those ten pounds. Hope to see you there.

“Weekends can distract us and leave us low, or, down in the dumps. Weekend warriors can ward off low times by staying focused on the Word of God. After today’s class you will be well armed for the weekend.”

The repeaters were simple, repetitive, but very intense. This exercise allowed the mind to fully focus on the important matter of God’s Word. As we were warming up I reminded the class that Satan uses many techniques and tricks to take the focus off God. Mainly he tries to persuade us to feel sorry for ourselves or our situation. I then reminded everyone that all we must do is say, “In the name of Jesus, Satan leave!” God’s Word says in James 4:7, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Sometimes we must even ask his assistants to leave, you know, his aunt, uncle and second cousin. The repeaters kept coming as I quoted Romans 8:37 several times. “Yet in all things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Our legs were burning and heart rates were churning, and with God, we placed the enemy under our feet. I called out for a Word from one battle ready lady and she replied, “Stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes,” 1 Samuel 12:16. She is a mighty warrior who has been praying for some time for her grandbaby who is waiting for a new kidney. The class was strengthened by the Word and her living testimony of faith and perseverance.

The class continued for one hour with this sampling of scriptures repeated often.

Josh 1:9………… “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

2Chr 20:17…….. “You will not need to fight this battle. Position yourselves,
stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you,…”

Rom 8:37………… “Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Rom 8:39………… “(Nothing can) separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Rom 8:28………… “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

2Tim 4:5………….. “…be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

2Tim 4:7………….. “Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith.”(paraphrased)

Phil 4:13…………….”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

1Jn 4:4…………….. “(You) have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world.”

Phil 1:6…………….. “(Be) confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ,…”

Phil 4:4……………… “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!”

Friday is not only the start of the weekend, it is the day my daughter and grandson, Wyatt, come to visit. He just loves being outside and although his vocabulary is quite limited, he manages to make his points. His Saturdays are fully occupied with digging in the rocks of our driveway, riding on the tractor with Pappy and throwing sticks onto the burn-pile. Who would have thought something good could come from the 2009 Ice storm, but it has left us numerous burn-pile opportunities. A typical Saturday includes an early awakening, followed by “tractor” spoken twenty times before the first cup of coffee. It is amazing how many times he can say “burn-pile” in a 2 mile per hour tractor ride between burn-piles that are 200 yards apart. As we arrive at each specific burn-pile he promptly puts his serious face on and says “hot”. Obviously we are teaching proper fire safety because he says hot whether it is on fire or not.

Last weekend was anything but typical and the steady rain made tractor riding difficult and a burn-pile fire nearly impossible. This did not deter our little outdoorsman as he would drag every person to the door begging to go “out?” Finally, Pappy took him out into the garage and with the garage door open I observed Pappy explaining the beautiful contrast of black and green the rain produced. Wyatt was continually talking over his Pappy with his resolute refrain, “tractor”. Disappointed over Pappy’s lack of understanding, he took his little hands and squeezed his Pappy’s cheeks while staring seriously into his eyes to say once again, “tractor?”

With mommy in Owensboro running errands, Nana was in charge of nap time. Wyatt was reluctant at first, but he was tired and way past the normal nap time. So we got cozy up on the couch and spent some time with Wyatt’s favorite Veggie Tale show and he slowly warmed to the idea of a nap. Carefully tucking him into bed, we said our prayer and ended it in the name of Jesus and Wyatt said “Amen”. About five minutes later I peeked into the room and found him fast asleep. The room was darkened by the overcast sky and seemed just right for a few minutes rest on the bed. Naps are not my thing and I have never understood their importance, until that day. Three hours later I woke to the gentle sounds of “Nana”. Evidently my body knew more about its needs than I did and with the dark sky, Wyatt slept extra long.

Isn’t it funny how we can learn while teaching the children? They see things uncomplicated and enjoy simple times. In contrast, adults complicate and miss out on wonderful opportunities. For instance, Idea Fitness Journal, May 2011, reports that Step fitness classes are in decline because instructors have made the classes “too complicated” with intricate step routines that only the most seasoned steppers could follow. With simple repeaters you receive all the great benefits of the exercise and everyone can confidently participate.

God wants us to keep it simple too. He is God and we aren’t. He reminds us in Phil. 4:4 to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!” It sounds to me like He wants us celebrating each new day. With that Wyatt says, “Amen”.

Victorious Warriors

Before chocolate bunnies, Easter egg hunts and multi-colored jelly beans, in finely manicured baskets, Jesus Christ fought the ultimate battle, which in turn offers us victory over death. His victory does not deter Satan and his attempts to pick us off one by one. For this reason, we must be prepared and claim our status as victorious warriors for the Lord. There is one particular exercise which personifies this attitude; the warrior exercise. This exercise increases the heart rate and challenges every muscle in the body while empowering the spirit. This exercise is challenging and in order to do it correctly, without injury, you must maintain proper alignment, stay focused and believe. Regular attendees use one heavy weight but someone new can still participate by modifying the exercise with a light weight. Everyone in the class can experience the Romans 8:37 verse which states “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

When I look out into the packed room and see women of all ages and levels of fitness preparing to pick up their heavy weights, I sense I am leading an army for Christ. Humbly, but with righteous respect, I announce that God has placed them in this boot camp to help them reach new levels of strength, both physically and spiritually. I believe that God is raising an army of believers willing to step out in faith and do His will on earth. This army is willing to pray whenever or where ever needed, lay hands on the sick and faithfully expecting the unexpected to happen. These women will break free from the bondage the enemy has enslaved them with and then they will lead others out of captivity.

I announce to my platoon that we are victorious warriors for Jesus Christ and we must join together on the battle field to overcome the daily darts being thrown our way. I remind them that they have been trained to recognize the enemies’ strategy of keeping them from knowing all they can be in Christ. Finally, I command them to take up the sword of the spirit, the heavy weight, and the Word of God, and be ready to fight. When the attack of the enemy comes (and it will come), we are to use the Word as our weapon. Jesus our great General has shown us how to war in spirit and in truth.

After forty days of fasting in the wilderness, Satan tried to catch Jesus in a weak moment by offering to turn stone to bread. Jesus spoke directly to him and said, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the son of God”, he said, “Throw yourself down.” For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All of this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” Then the devil left Him, and the angels came and attended Him.

When we wield the Word, like Jesus did, Satan has no control over us. When we swing the sword of the spirit, the heavy weight, we carve up complacency and cut the bindings of Satan. When we march onto the battle field knowing Jesus’ blood has already made us victorious, we acquire the power and authority necessary to ward off the enemy. When we pray and stick to the Word of God in battle, and not our personal opinions, we are victorious. Knowing and hearing this on the battle field really gets my blood pumping for the next warrior exercise!

Ephesians 6:14-17 describes the fashion fit for battle. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.”

I command the warriors to take their positions and stand firm as they engage their core with the belt of truth around their waist. Where there is truth, nothing can be hidden, so we examine ourselves to make sure there is nothing hidden in secret to be used against us. We know secret sins are Satan’s fertile breeding ground and with this knowledge, we must confess our sins and remove any opportunity for mistakes on the battle field. We each take the sword of the spirit, our heavy weight, in our left hand and lower ourselves down in the squat position. With force and a heavy inhale we swing our weight back as far as the arm will allow us to maintain our position. Ready for battle we stand up, exhale forcefully, and swing the sword forward. Strong and steady I now command them to let go of the sword, (weight), and launch it in front of them. Being quickened in our spirit we grab the sword of the spirit with our right hand and lower ourselves back down into a squat while continuing this warring in the spirit for two minutes.

Too soon the hour of training is over and we must each go our separate ways. But we leave empowered, as victorious warriors, armed with the sword of the spirit and the Word of God.