God's Spiritual Diet Plan (Part 3 of 5)

Proverbs 4:20-27 (King James Version)

20My son, (my daughter) attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

4Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
That is just as we have to guard our heart, we must look at one of the gates to our heart, our mouth. Perverse means fraudulent and deceitful.
Proverbs 19:1 says, "Better [is] the poor that walketh in his integrity, than [he that is] perverse in his lips, and is a fool."
In the free online dictionary by Farlex it says, "A false representation of a matter of fact—whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of what should have been disclosed—that deceives and is intended to deceive another so that the individual will act upon it to her or his legal injury.
Fraud is commonly understood as dishonesty calculated for advantage. A person who is dishonest may be called a fraud."
God's Word is absolute. There are no white lies. Are you living a life of integrity or one of a fraud?
Matt 5:37 says. "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
Does your word mean anything or are you saying what you think people want to hear?
Let's bring it a little closer. Do you tell yourself the truth? Sometimes we live in a state of denial with an addiction. We say, "I can quit any time I want>'
Is that really the truth?
Show me. In reality it is that froward mouth.
Why do we boast, exaggerate, tell half truths, accuse? Very simply, it is fear. Fear of man-fear of rejection, fear of not fitting in,, fear of not meeting someone's expectations-. Shouldn't we speak each word as if Father God were listening? He is you know.
I have found that when I speak words that are not pleasing to Him, I have a need to put something sweet in my mouth. It is as if I think/believe that the bitterness of my words will be sweetened by sugar.
25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
I sometimes get into trouble spiritually because I am looking at others instead of my Father. Whether I am comparing myself to someone else to see if I measure up or critiquing someone else's behavior, it is all sin.
I was in abusive situations over 25 years of my life. I learned to be hyper-vigilant, always checking to see if I was safe. What resulted was that I became in charge of my safety. There was no need to trust God, I was in charge. Having to be in charge all of the time comes from fear. If I don't do, who will? If I don't do it, things will fall apart? If I don't do it, fill in the blank. When I was in that mode, I had become a god to myself.
It was very humbling to recognize that, even more humbling to recognize that even with all of the Word I knew in my head, there was a lack of trust in God to love me, take care of me and protect me.
During part of that that season, I lived in the Dallas, TX area. I was asked to do some interviews at a Christian concert. I don't remember all of the people I interviewed, but I remember the one with Michael W. Smith. When he walked into the room, he brought God with him. He was a vessel of His glory. During the interview, he said quite pointedly that we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies as temples of God. It was said in love and it pierced my heart, but I quickly dismissed it. I did not let my eyes look right on.
I chose not to take to take responsibility for my sin.
Nearly fifteen years later I would hear Mary Kay National Sales Director Kathy Helou say, "Anything that is an enemy to your body, is an enemy to God's plan for your life."
I have an addiction to carbs. I cannot quit without God's help.
I lift my eyes up to the source of my help.

God's Spiritual Diet Plan (Part 2 of 5)

Proverbs 4:20-27 (King James Version)

20My son, (my daughter) attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Today we are going to review with verses 23-24.
It is with your heart that you hear God, not with our physical ears.
Have you ever programmed your cell phone to call people by your voice commands? I can take your cell phone and say the same name and the phone will not recognize my voice. Our voices are as different as our fingerprints.
There are many voices clamoring to get your attention. To hear the voice of God you must keep your heart with all diligence.
That means paying attention to who you are listening to. In Genesis 3:8-11 after eating the fruit, Adam and Eve hid themselves when they heard the voice of God. When He asked why, Adam said because he was naked.
God then asked, "Who told you that?"
When my pastor taught us this illustration, I began making it a practice of challenging some of the things I was hearing in my heart. If it didn't bring me peace, I would challenge myself with "Who told you that?"
I am walking out of a lot of drivenness and performance. Sometimes I feel pushed to do things, even to meet other's expectations, but it is not God asking me to do these things. The person I need to please is God. What is He asking me to do.
With all diligence means to post a guard around your heart. Build a wall around it.
Proverbs 25:28 He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls.
No diligence. Yet in verse 23 says Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. This is the key to happiness. The issues of life means the fountain of life of happiness according to the Strong's Concordance.
Put a guard on your heart. See it as your personal gated community. Let only those people and things who honor God come in. Yes, there will be times when God will send you out, but your spirit man will be a walled sanctuary where you can commune with your Father.
No matter what addiction you need to overcome whether television and computers or cocaine, we must guard our hearts. When we give our heart back to the Father and realize how precious it is, we will have that "gated community of fellowship".

God's Spiritual Diet Plan (Part 1 of 4)

Proverbs 4:20-27 (King James Version)

20My son, (my daughter) attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

We are body, soul and spirit. It does no good for me to eat properly if my spirit is deprived and my soul is on a binge.
We have to hear God's voice for ourselves. Verse 20 says attend which says pay attention and incline means to bow. Today I have purposed to pay attention to what He is saying and to come in humility. I am not going through all of these verses today for I assure you they have not all come as rhema to my spirit yet. Yet I am listening.
It is sacred to hear the voice of the Lord. I am not talking about a booming voice, I am talking about that quiet knowing. A peaceful knowing that you know.
Sin will always keep us from hearing the voice of the Lord. In my case, overeating among other things is a besetting sin. I am conquering clutter as I see that it makes me anxious. Anxiety does not allow you to have faith in God for fear and faith are like oil and water.
"Let them (God's words) not depart from thine eyes."
What am I looking at?? How smart is it to watch the Food Network while bringing correction into your eating? Well, that is pretty obvious. But I believe the Lord is asking me during this 28 days to be very careful of what I am focusing on. That includes television, magazines, books, shopping and I am sure more.
Keep them (God's Word) in the midst of thine heart.
Sometimes my heart is so crowded that I don't pay attention to it. (See verse 20) Just as a rotten apple spoils the barrel, the Word of God in the midst of my heart will influence everything else in my heart. Those things that cannot handle the Light of His Word will be exposed and I will have to choose to get rid of them because His Light disperses the darkness.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isaiah 60:2

22For they (God's words) are life unto those that find them, That means we have to to look for them. God does not have a drive-thru where i your haste, you drive up and order the word for the day. No, you have to find His instruction, His direction daily. What if you were going on a long trip and you got on the highway without a map or directions, and there are no road signs. You may ultimately get there, but wouldn't it be simpler to have directions?
What if a pilot did not constantly make course corrections? The winds, turbulence, often take the aircraft off course, one degree here, another there. If there are no course corrections, he will not reach his destinations.
So it is with our lives. Yet we want to do our own things and try to figure things out. Who are we listening to? The voice of God or the voice of reason? Are we willing to make corrections or is always being right more important?
"and health to all their flesh." Do you have disease in your body? God's Word has the prescription for healing. That health is our physical body but also our mind.
1) health, healing, cure
a) healing, cure
b) health, profit, sound (of mind)
c) healing
Want to be in your right mind? Then hear the voice of the Lord through His Word. Again this is a daily choice. Remember God doesn't shout at you. His word is one of peace.

Twenty-Eight Days

My inbox this morning contained the final part of Addictions from Be in Health today. (www.beinhealth.com) One paragraph said, "A person must choose their freedom or their bondage. God has given us the ability to choose so we must understand how to defeat the strong man behind addiction. A person has to understand that it involves recognition, taking responsibility, repentance, and they are going to have to take a stand no matter how much their body is pitching a fit. It takes 28 days and a change in a person's heart. We can get rid of bad habits by making new good habits. The Bible says choose this day what you shall have, blessings or curses, life or death.
I have an addiction to simple carbs. That includes everything from sugar to a potato. They break down too quickly, spikes my sugar, give me horrendous cravings, which then necessitates the need for a shot of insulin.
I had done exceedingly well on the weekend which is usually my hardest time to correct my eating. Then about 7 pm, Mike walked in with Cheese Nips. I wanted just a few. The few turned to many and then I was off to the races. The cravings kicked in and I ate from an orange to a piece of fruit cake leftover from Christmas to a single piece of Dove chocolate. Finally, I came to my senses.
To those who don't understand addictions and cravings, this was FOUR HOURS after the first Cheese Nip. If the simple carbs had been alcohol or drugs, I would have been flat on the floor. That is the insidiousness of an addiction to simple carbs, shopping, toxic relationships, or other legal choices. Things seem so normal on the outside. Well, if you have an addiction to simple carbs, you are going to get fat. (I am already fat.) But the illusion that you don't have a problem, keeps the addiction intact.
That same article says, "The need to be loved is built within us from creation. The ability to give and receive love is part of our creation. But because of the breakdown in our families, we have not loved God, ourselves or each other. We try to nurture ourselves and it is being driven by the need to be loved."
I have recognized this. It has taken a while. So as I began to recover myself, I repented and I received my forgiveness. That is key, because one of the things that holds addictions in place is that we do not forgive ourselves. Next I brought to remembrance the things I had done right. I lost seven pounds last week. I had eaten correctly until 7 pm and most of the week before. I had walked the dog for exercise. I had deliberately walked more that week in other ways.
You see the enemy comes to remind you that you are a loser and you will never get it right so why bother. That is such a lie!
Lamentations 3:22-23 says: It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Today I begin again, once again. This is not in vanity. (I am over 100 lbs overweight for those who don't know me.) I have to make these changes to preserve my life and live the abundant life He wants me to have.
Today I begin another twenty-eight days. Want to join me with whatever you are struggling with?
If you have blown it, would you choose today to repent, forgive yourself and begin again with me. God is not mad at you. He loves you right where you are.
You don't have to be super woman. When you are weak, He is strong.
Lean on Him and if you are in that miry pit, ask Him to raise you up.

God Uses Broken Things to Accomplish His Greatest Work

Those were the words I read first thing this morning in a devotional written by Os Hillman. (http://msg4svc.net/cadtc/305680/54/1596/25400/0/S/0/0/tpxb.html)
My first thought was, "Well, then He can use me."
He tells the story of David and how when he was being harassed by Saul no one had any use for him. This when God had told him he would be king.
What has God deposited in your heart and you see no fruit, no forward movement? More than once I have tried to advance God's clock. The result was failure.
In fact, I have failed so many times that I began to fear failure. I hesitated to try things again or anew, because I might fail again. In his devotional, Os said, "God often uses failure to make us useful."
Wow! I must be very useful and all this while the enemy was telling me I was a failure. He is a liar. Why did I listen?
Then Os said, " When Jesus called the disciples, He did not go out and find the most qualified and successful people. He found the most willing, and He found them in the workplace. He found a fisherman, a tax collector, and a farmer."
That was a real "aha" moment for me in regards to my building my Mary Kay business. "He did not go out and find the most qualified and successful people. He found the most willing, and He found them in the workplace."
As I move forward to become a director, I need to look for the most willing and those already employed. I need to quit trying to resurrect the dead and look for the willing.
Willing is defined on the internet as "disposed or inclined toward;
volition: the act of making a choice;
uncoerced: not brought about by coercion or force;
Aha!
Well, the other ways I have tried have failed and I can use those failures to make myself more useful to this new team.
Hmmm now there is a thought. I need to chew on that awhile.

Principle or Preference?

Principle or preference: which of these two words best describes how you make moral decisions? This was the question posed on Charles Stanley's teaching, The Key to Wise Decisions. Sunday. (http://www.intouch.org/resources/this-weeks-sermon-outline)
It really hit at the heart of my journey with food.
19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 cor. 6:19-20
So principle or preference?
Am I going to eat what my body needs for fuel or am going with my preferences? Do my preferences line up with the Word says?
Food is not evil. Not even cookies. Overindulgence is the sin. Gluttony is sin.
Paul says in his letter to the Philippians: 19For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Paul was talking about actual death. For me it has to be death to preferences. Then "in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body."
Can you imagine being in a deep, meaningful relationship with someone but you cannot even see their face because of things piled between you two?
Now I ask myself why are all of these things piled between me and my Heavenly Father when I say I want a deep, meaningful relationship with Him? Who do I really love?
Addictions do not love back. They simply take your life away.
Principle or Preference?
Life or Death?

Time for Me to Take Responsibility for My Life

The last two evenings have been difficult ones where I gave into the sugar in the house. Today we take my mom back to South Carolina and all Missippi Mud cake, sour cream cake, etc. will go. Is it my mom's fault that I ate those things?
Absolutely not.
Although I don't think it is kind to bake those kind of things when someone is making an effort to overcome their sugar addictions, ultimately it is my responsiblity to say. "No, thank you."
N
"No, thank you," when she brings a box of Godiva chocolates to my bed where I am reading a book.
You see part of the work of overcoming an addiction is to take responsibility for yourself and your choices. Not once did anyone force feed me.
I could also whine that unlike alcohol and drugs, food is legal and is everywhere. No one is going to arrest you for disorderly conduct when your sugar has gone through the roof because you overdosed on Mississippi Mud Cake. I can keep my home environment cleaner when Mom leaves, but I still have two guys living with me who don't have the temptations I do and can and will bring unhealthy things into my space.
So it goes back to taking personal responsibility for my life.
Addictions lie. They do not love you. It is rebellion gone mad.
If the following is your song, then it is time to take responsibility for the things that can and like me quit blaming people and circumstances.
So excited for His promise that His mercies are new morning.
No longer choosing rebellion. I am taking back my life.

New Year, New Beginnings

During the last two months of 2010, I received a bad report from a doctor, a dear friend was killed in a car wreck and another friend had a stroke. God got my attention.
I have known for some time (understatement) that my weight was impacting my quality of life, but I had chosen to ignore it.
I had chosen to admit that eating the way I do is a sin.
Since I made the decision to do something about it, I have had such peace. It is all about choices and attitudes.
I am addicted to simple carbs which of course, includes sugar. I have begun cutting back significantly and take responsibility for I do eat instead of mindless eating. Hasn't always ben easy, but I find it getting easier.
Pastor Henry said the other day that the key to longevity is knowing God's Word and doing it.
Knowing AND doing.
I have a lot of head knowledge, but I have failed to "just do it!"
Now is the time!

Only One Life

We only have one life. I have wasted many years doing my own thing with a "no one's going to tell me what to do" attitude. I am where I am today because of the decisions I made yesterday, many yesterday.
I stand at the threshold of absolute surrender. I am so ready. My way hasn't worked. My thoughts of me, my plans, are not as high as my Father's thoughts and plans. This isn't a trial run. This is a commitment to be the me He saw me to be before the foundations of the earth.
I am so excited about day and the days ahead of me. This will be the trip of a lifetime.

No Thing Can Separate Me from the Father's Love

No Thing Can Separate Me from the Father's Love, but I can choose not to receive it. It's there for the taking, but I can choose rebellion instead. I can choose fear instead of faith. Only my choices bring separation; not my circumstances, but my response to those circumstances.
It is all about being willing to lose control. In this journey I have to surrender my appetite to a Father that knows best instead of an enemy that wants death and destruction.
With the holiday, visiting and then company, I have chosen to begin the "training phase" of this journey on January 4th when my house and life return to a familiar routine. Until then I am practicing. What does that mean? Well, tomorrow night there is a dinner at church and I will eat moderately, not the more defined parameters of the training phase. But already my body is pitching fits. Today I went to lunch with friends. A large platter of chips and dips was placed on the table. I had ordered salmon and steamed veggies. The chips still warm from the kitchn were calling my name. I resisted.
Made it all the way to the finish line when Nick said, "Anyone want my cherries?"
"I do," I heard myself say.
While two maraschino cherries will not add pounds, when you have a sugar addiction, it is best to stay away altogether in the detox stage.
So today was a practice run. Didn't breakthrough, but I didn't beat myself up either.
I can do this. Baby steps. I cannot do this on my own but nothing is impossible with God and He isn't going anywhere. It is time to run to Him for help rather than from Him because I've blown it. It is time for absolute surrender.

The Bewitchment

Some people lie to themselves and say, "Well. I know I have a problem with food, but at least I am not an alcoholic or drug addict."
Wake up! An addiction is an addiction is an addiction. There is no grading system. I can be totally sugared out by 10 am and walk into church and people think I have it together. However, there is little difference between the drunkenness of a six pack of Reese's peanut butter cups and having that extra beer. Simple carbs convert to a low grade alcohol when you overindulge.
I was already reading the book, Feeding your Appetites, when I received the following message in my inbox: "If you don't know how to deal with the stresses of life that can bring hopelessness and despair, you can develop an addiction by continually attempting to soothe or comfort yourself rather than resolve the source of pain. If you cannot stop a behavior by simply choosing to lay it down, you may have an addiction. It doesn't matter what it is. It might be pornography; it might be drugs; it might be food; it might be gossip or television. It might be an ungodly relationship. Many people are in relationship with someone, not because they are best friends, but because they have a need. Almost anything you can think of can be an addiction. The enemy's kingdom uses many mechanisms and knows how to control you with your needs. Addictions are common to every nation, every race, every culture and every economic status.
The foundational root of all addictions is spiritual bewitchment.
Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Addictions are rooted in the need to be loved. You stand complete in the gospel by accepting God's love and receiving the love you need for yourself. Accept who you are in the new birth once and for all. Love God, love yourself, and love others. Be complete in that love and you will never need to find love in any of the wrong places. But because your enemy knows that if he can get you into a place where you do not feel like you are loved by God, or that you do not love or like yourself, and you are not sure about your neighbor, then he can get you to start looking outside for a "fix."
When you don't love yourself or when you don't accept who you are, the first thing that happens in your body chemistry is a dip in your serotonin levels. When you have a serotonin deficiency, you do not feel right physically or spiritually. The enemy knows there is no way you can increase your serotonin level unless you take a drug because you are in chemical imbalance. The pharmacist knows you can take a drug that is a serotonin enhancer to make you feel good. Then you become addicted to the drug which serves to create a chemically altered state of consciousness or false peace. Your enemy caused the problem without your realization or consent. He will begin to engineer thoughts to ensure you will take steps to enter into the various areas of counterfeit fulfillment. If you take your peace with God, yourself and others, the hypothalamus will recognize your fulfillment and signal the brainstem to release and increase serotonin values. This causes your spirit and your body to come into balance again so you feel more complete. Addictions are found in people that are separated from love. When someone is struggling with any type of addiction, that person has been spiritually bewitched away from the simplicity of the gospel, which is love."
These mini-teachings come free from www.beinhealth.com.You subscribe to them. The timing could not be more perfect. It was time to get real.
I had a boyfriend once who said, "You were perfect before your mother spoke to you."
What he meant is our parents program us with the stuff they were programmed with. If they weren't nurtured, they probably didn't know how to love and nurture you properly either. So the cycle continues.
We were born with a desire to be loved. Yet if I earthly father did not or could not love us, it is difficult to believe that Father God can or will. So we look for love in all the wrong places.
Some of the addictions that we are going to look at in the coming year are:
Food
Shopping
Sex
Dependent Relationships
Workaholism
Power
Knowledge Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7
Self including self-pity and self-idolatry
This is an an all-inclusive list. However, in my life's journey, I have discovered that where there is one addiction, there is another. Deal with one and the other(s) will manifest. This is simply because you are not dealing with the root of the problem.
Step one recognize that there is a problem and that you cannot do this by yourself. You are God's creation. Only the Creator has life's manual.
I could blame the abuse, the pain, the betrayals or I can accept responsibility for where I am right now and repent for taking the the less painful route.
His mercies are new every morning. So today I choose to repent and begin anew.

More of Him, Less of Me (literally)

During 2010 I lost 40 pounds. My goal for 2011 is to double that.
I am not ready to share my weight with the world yet, but seven and a half pounds a month is doable at my present weight.
I have had some serious health challenges the past couple of months and have decided it is time to leave the Isle of Denial and take up residency at Hoped For Cottage.
A couple of months ago I was asked to teach the class on Fear during the For My Life course available at Be in Health (see www.beinhealth.org for more info).
When I moved here over nine years ago, if you told me that I had fear, I would have laughed at you. My whole identity was wrapped up in being a survivor and an overcomer of 25 years of abuse. I would go from one abusive situation to another.
Now I can see clearly that I had a generous portion of the more than 4,000 fears identified my psychologists. They changed from fear of failure to fear of man. Guilt piggy-backed each one of them.
Rather than confront and deal with those fears, I chose to find comfort in food. I am now addicted to carbohydrates. Yes, it is an addiction. Addictions cannot be overcome by sheer will power. A person may be successful for a season, but until I came to a place of repentance for willful disobedience, I was not ready to surrender. Even now I am practicing surrender.
My set date is January 4th.
So I am getting things in place much like one would prepare for a journey. Indeed this will be a life-changing journey.
I will be using the tools that I have learned at Be in Health, a couple of books like Feeding Your Appetites by Stephen Arterburn, some accountability partners and record keeping.
If you have any addiction, you are an excellent liar. Lying to yourself is much easier than admitting the truth. Lying buys time, but speeds up destruction. That is why accountability is important.
My commitment to you, my reader/follower, is to quit lying and to share the good, the bad and the ugly of this journey. A life of excessive indulgence is a life full of wilful disobedience which is sin. Sin separates me from God. The answer then is for there to be More of Him and His way and less of me and my disobedience until you can no longer distinguish my image from His.

Fruitcake Bashing

Several years ago there was serious fruitcake bashing. Anyone who ate it was considered a freak. This led to fruitcake jokes like:A fruitcake walks into a bar, throws himself on the counter, the fruitcake breaks in to pieces. "What are you, nuts?", said the bartender. "Yes, and jellies and fruits" - the fruitcake replied before the bartender yelled,"Look, get out of here, you reek of rum!" "I'll be back next year, and every year", shouted the fruitcake.
People have said that the only good use for a fruitcake was a doorstop. but I LOVE fruitcake.
Perhaps it is because it conjures up memories of Christmas past. Both my grandmother and mother made fruitcakes. They lined the many loaf pans with heavy brown paper- often grocery bags. It took several days to prep and bake and wrap.
They were a treasured gift among extended family memories. I even remember my mom hiding it. It was no ordinary fruitcake. There was none of the bitter citron. Instead there were cherries, pineapple and lots of pecans. In fact, it was so chocked full of goodies there was little actual cake- just enough to hold it all together.
My granny never baked one, but she would take a store bought one and soak it in brandy for a week. Something my teetotaller mom would never do.
Mom doesn't make fruitcake any more.
But there is a suitable substitute in a Claxton fruitcake.
http://www.claxtonfruitcake.com
Thank goodness for the website because unless you live in their region, you are probably not going to find it on your shelves. It is moist and rich. You can only eat a little at the time. I love it ice cold from the fridge so it slices thin.
If you get fruitcake for Christmas and you hate it, send it my way. If it isn't the right one, I will doctor it up like Granny did.
Now if I could just get Sally to send me some of her buttermilk fudge, my Christmas would be complete.

Faithful God

I had no shoppers and therefore, no sales yesterday, but I am not discouraged. To affirm my faith, I received this devotional in my Inbox this morning. God may not do things the way we plan, but His ways are higher than mine and I will praise Him because He's my daddy and He loves this daughter.

I was teaching the class on Fear the other day and we use the scripture in Job that says, "

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. Job 13:15

The word "maintain" in the Hebrew means adjust and reprove. So in essence the verse says to me though there are some things that have to die in my life (like overeating when in fear), I am going to trust Him with my life and make the necessary corrections. He has been so faithful to me. It is time for me to be just as faithful.

Thank you for your love, support and prayers.

Diane

This is the devotional from Os Hillman.

"So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, 'Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!'" (Job 2:7-9).

I walked into the room and my friend burst out crying. "I'm so discouraged! I don't know what else to do. Will I ever get better!?" After three years of fighting a medical condition the doctor just told her no progress had been made in the last six months of treatments. Alternative treatment was needed that might have more severe side effects.

Great men of God with healing ministries had prayed for her. A string of doctors had failed to yield any position results. When hope is deferred, the psalmist says, the heart becomes sick. During these seasons, we can only do one thing. We must hang onto whatever faith we have to get through each day and entrust our lives to Him. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Hab 3:17-18).

When faith doesn't see results it challenges what we believe. We must pray as Job prayed: "Teach me what I cannot see" (Job 34:32). God says there is a purpose in everything we go through. Later that day another friend who once had the same issues, but was now better, had a word of encouragement. "God is going to reveal things to you through this season of adversity that you would never receive had you not gone through this. This is part of your calling even though Satan is the instrument. God is always bigger than Satan's afflictions."

Our greatest tests come when we cannot see positive results from our faith and obedience. In such cases we must die to our expectations and entrust them to our Lord.

It's Time to Live Fully

There are more dreams buried in the cemetery than there are people.
Recently I started teaching the Fear class in For My Life at Be in Health. There are over 4,000 fears identified by psychologists.
When I came here nine years ago, I didn't think I had any fears. After surviving and I thought overcoming 25 years of varying kinds of abuse, I thought I was an overcomer, bless God and nobody was going to mess with me. You want a piece of me?
I was one tough cookie! But it was all fabricated! Inside I was scared of what others thought of me (fear of man), scared I would do things perfectly (fear of failure), fear of rejection, fear of things falling apart, fear of poverty, etc. The list was exhaustive and frankly, exhausted me!
After layers of more serious stuff were peeled off slowly (again because of fear of change, then that principality of fear was no longer masked as stress, anxiety and drivenness, and I could see it for what it really was. It had to go!
Then last month I was asked to teach it. As I studied it, I could see how I had been duped by the enemy and had come into agreement with his plan for my life instead of God's (to be continued)

Let Us Never Forget the Reason for the Season

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. This week alone I have to teach four classes,lead a Mary Kay meeting, audit a class, have a two day Mary Kay Open House and prepare the house for four guests who are coming in this weekend and staying a week.
Then I begin to recover myself and remember Philemon 1:6 which says, "That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
In the chaos of life, I need to communicate at all levels- speech, actions, attitude- that my faith will increase by acknowledging that every good thing that comes from within me is only because I am His.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Chicken Soup that Warms the Soul

I woke up the other morning feeling like someone had a foot on my chest. All that congestion was gathered together to make it difficult to breathe.
I laid in bed for quite awhile since I didn't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, but there were things to do. We are leaving for Florida in the morning.
I plodded through my To Do list.
Then lunch time came. I found a can of Campbell's Chicken Soup and in 15 minutes, my body had a wake up call! Yay!
There is something about chicken soup that warms the soul.
Lord, make me good chicken soup for someone's life today.

Living a Life of Thanksgiving

There is the eagerness to get there and the hard part of leaving so soon. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. This year my daughter, Margie, is cooking the dinner and she has invited Lori and her family over.
Since I have so many children in so many places, it is rare for us all to be together at one time. Sometimes I think that is best for I so love the one on one time with each child. You don't get that opportunity when you have all of them plus their children and grandchildren.
I am a rich woman to be able to go to so many places and receive love.
This year the visit will be shortened because we have to return for a memorial service for a friend who died in a car accident. Although I would never wish a long illness on anyone, when someone dies unexpectedly in an accident, it takes me longer to get my head around it. I know it is real, but my mind doesn't want to accept it.
So when I am in FL for just two days I will have an abundance of gratitude that I do have a life. It's not perfect, but I have life and love. I have so very much to be grateful for.
I have a husband that loves me unconditionally. He loves me when I am completely unlovable. For this I am grateful.
All of my children are not where I would hope for them to be, but each is healthy and alive. For this I am grateful.
I literally have friends all over the world from Ireland to Africa to Israel to China and from coast to coast in the United States. For this I am grateful.
Happiness is indeed a choice and when you make that choice, you will find so much to be grateful for.
A doctor once told me I would never live to be 60. I am 65. For this I am grateful.
I am blessed to attend a church that is as much a family to me as my own flesh and blood. For this I am grateful.
I love Thanksgiving and it is my heart's desire to live each day in gratitude for the bounty I have been blessed with. May I always remember to give more than I take.

I haven't Got Time for the Pain

I go to a pretty free church where on Friday nights we sing and dance to Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum version) and other songs that we have redeemed much like they did over 100 years ago when revival swept Europe. The bar songs were adapted to the hymns we sing in church today. Martin Luther and John & Charles Wesley (of the Methodist Church) rewrote popular music from the taverns to accompany some of their hymns as did William Booth, founder of Salvation Army.
Anyway when I sat down at my computer this morning, I thought of the song by Carly Simon "I Haven't Got Time for the Pain." So I pulled it up from YouTube and it was definitely a good fit for the freedom the Lord gives us.
I really don't have time for the pain. I have a life to live for Him!
So if you are willing to be stretched, watch this video and think about your life before Jesus came in and you allowed Him to make a difference. When you release the pain, there is so much room for His love. A great exchange!

All those crazy nights when I cried myself to sleep
Now melodrama never makes me weep anymore
'cause I haven't got time for the pain
I haven't got room for the pain
I haven't the need for the pain
Not since I've known you

You showed me how, how to leave myself behind
How to turn down the noise in my mind
Now I haven't got time for the pain
I haven't got room for the pain
I haven't the need for the pain
Not since I've known you

I haven't got time for the pain
I haven't got room for the pain
I haven't the need for the pain

Sufferin' was the only thing made me feel I was alive
Thought that's just how much it cost to survive in this world
'Til you showed me how, how to fill my heart with love
How to open up and drink in all that white light
Pourin' down from the heaven

Haven't got time for the pain (no pain)
I haven't got room for the pain (no pain)
I haven't the need for the pain
Not since I've known you