I’ve set two fires in my kitchen in recent months.  First, I put a potato on a paper towel in the microwave and let it go for about twelve minutes.  I noticed an odd color flaring up behind the microwave door, opened it out of curiosity, and… fire!  My reaction?  Laughter.  And I just stood there, thinking: wait.  I’m not supposed to be laughing right now.  I’m supposed to do something.  Do something!  So then I grabbed a towel and fearfully swiped at it until it was out.  The second fire was a few nights ago.  Earlier in the day, I’d cooked a pizza in the oven and dropped an oven mitt in the oven as I was reaching for the food… I  thought I’d grab it after the oven cooled off.  Of course, I forgot.  And went on to pre-heat the oven for Neil’s dinner.  Again, I noticed crazy color leaping behind the glass.  Again, I opened a door to see flames.  This time, the fire was bigger and I yelled for Neil.  Fortunately, he was home… because my reaction (again — standing there shocked) wasn’t putting the fire out.

Lesson one? Stay out of the kitchen.
Lesson two? I’m not great in an emergency.
Lesson three? I’m really scared of fire!  I already was somewhat aware of this… I  don’t like holding sparklers on the 4th of July and I don’t have the nerve to light a match.  I’m a big fan of those lighters that are really long so that the flame is far away from my hand.  I love candles, but I’ve never had the urge to quickly swoop my finger through the flame (Neil does this all the time and it freaks me out).  Fire is dangerous when it gets out of control, and I’m (apparently) not so great at getting it under control.

Maybe all of this is why it really caught my attention when I read, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”  Um, fiery darts?  I don’t want any of those aimed at me, thank you very much.  A little more research confirmed this reaction.  As it turns out, the enemies of the Romans used combustible arrowheads that would set fire to ships, fortifications… even shields.  The Romans would use metal to cover their shields so that they wouldn’t catch on fire.  Instead, the shield would put the fire out.  It would stop the destruction before it had a chance to start.

Make no mistake about it — we’re targets.  The arrows coming at us, loaded with  destruction, are temptations and troubles aiming to overcome us.  I want my shield of faith, please!  I want to protect myself — I want to defeat the enemy’s plans to harm me… and when I surround myself with the expectant hope and knowledge of who God is, walking in His Word, letting Him go before me… the arrows are stopped mid-air, falling uselessly to the ground.

I love these verses: Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goes before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes. (Deut. 1:29 &30)

The other tidbit I found when studying the shield is that Romans used to soak their shields in water, to further debilitate the flaming arrows… and we can do the same, preparing our shield (our faith!) by soaking up the Living Water… the presence and the Word of God.  Your greatest defense is being covered by your faith (active, knowing, expectant faith!).  Because guess what?  Your faith is in an awesome God who is greater than any force in the world and any weapon they might use against you.

Have you made time to “soak in” the presence of God today?

by juliemooreonlife

I just read a great post about comparing yourself to others.  Unfortunately I find myself comparing my weight to other women.  My goal weight is about 25 pounds lighter than what I am right now.  The thing is I haven’t put a whole lot of effort into losing this weight because I look in the mirror and I’m ok with whom I see.

So when did I become “unok” with me?   This weekend when my daughter and I went on a short vacation together.  I took my new camera and snapped lots of pictures.  Only to discover I absolutely looked very overweight in the pictures.   A picture says a thousand words and I felt like those pictures said, “Julie, you weigh a thousand pounds.”

I am disappointed in myself because I have come so far in being content with who I am and not putting on masks to be someone I’m not.  Seeing these pics caused me to want to be a skinny woman, which I am not, and I felt self- conscious about my body, and more than that, my face and hair.

Now this is not who I am in Christ!  I am who I am and I am content with who I am.  I am His workmanship made perfectly the way He wants me to be made, with the hair I’m supposed to have (with a little color alteration) and the face of His choosing.  To doubt my beauty is to doubt the God of the universe.  Wow, where do I get off doing that.

And where did these thoughts come from?  Could it be the enemy once again trying to thwart the plans God had for us to have a wonderful time making sweet memories?  John 10:10 “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.”   Could it be possible he’d want to destroy our time together by putting my mind on fleshly things like my looks?  And guess who fell for it?  Yep, that would be me.  Although I did not concentrate on it the whole time, it crossed my mind when it came time to take a picture.

My identity in Christ is so important to me and it keeps me stable and content.  I regret letting the enemy throw me off sync even for a minute, but thank goodness for my great God’s awesome grace.  He knows me inside and out and knows my imperfections and flaws, but by golly He just keeps on loving me, keeps on calling me, keeps on blessing me, and keeps on teaching me that He is my life and that’s the only way to live.

How about you?  Do you struggle with comparing yourself?  Does the enemy ever stick it to you?  Let me encourage you today -  Jesus Christ in you is more powerful, beautiful, righteous, glorious, joyous, peaceful, and loving than any enemy anywhere.  Live on that!

Someone who is very close to me recently had a rough day.  It was kind of ironic, because the night before we had talked on the phone about how well things were going.   Doesn’t it usually happen like that?  We’re having a great day, everything’s going our way and then…. WHAMMO.   An event or a person crosses our path and we’re suddenly on the ground, wondering how we could get knocked down so quickly.

A few years ago, I threw on some clothes and jumped in my car to pick up lunch for Neil and the kids.  It’s a short distance to the restaurant (like four minutes) and it’s a routine thing for us to call in orders and pick them up.  But on that particular day, while I was turning onto the restaurant’s road, another car slammed into mine.  I sat there, completely shocked, as I watched that car slide into a nearby ditch.

I didn’t have my cell phone, my driver’s license was expired, my camera wasn’t in the car, and I couldn’t find my proof of insurance in the glove compartment.  I was not prepared for that accident in any of the ways I should have been.  It makes things a little more complicated when you have to borrow a phone to call for help, to ask another person to bring the documentation the police officer is looking for, and you don’t have a way to record the scene for future reference (which would’ve been helpful when this case ended up in the hands of lawyers!).

But it taught me to be prepared from now on — even in the shock of the moment, if you have what you need with you, you’ll be able to cope.

This all reminds me of how important it is for us to have on our God-given armor at all times.  The Roman soldiers, back in the day when Paul was writing about this armor, were part of a huge, restless empire.  They had to be ready for battle.  In an instant, they could be called to service… and in the heat of the moment, they wouldn’t have time to run home for their defensive wardrobe or to make sure it was in working order or to sharpen their sword.  They had to have it all right there and ready to go, anytime day or night.  And so do we.

You just never know what’s going to come your way.   It would be nice to be able to know ahead of time if you’re in danger of an accident or an argument or an illness… but life just doesn’t work like that.  And, in the service of our King, we do have an enemy.   1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  There is no doubt that Satan wants to stop you from living in faith and doing the work of God.   He does not want you to be obedient to God’s Word by going out into the world in His name, helping those who are heart-broken and in need.  The last words of Jesus that Matthew recorded in Matt. 28: 19-20 command us to do just that…. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…” Satan does not want us to be successful in this mission.

It should be our priority to make sure that we are ready for anything that may come our way — so that if we do face a hardship, a heartbreak, or when the enemy tries to get in our way, we are already equipped to deal with those things.

Paul wrote this in the sixth chapter of Ephesians, verses 10 – 18: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Now I know that’s a lot to take in… and, in the coming days, we’re going to break it all down to see what it means to us.  For today, I want you to take this in: don’t put off your relationship with God.  No matter how busy you are, no matter what you have going on — make time to talk to Him.  Make time to read His word.  Make time to know Him.

Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a struggle to try to build your faith… if you’re faith is on a firm foundation already, you’ll be able to do exactly what Paul says — to withstand whatever evil the day throws at you.   No matter how badly things go, you’ll have the hope of His words in your heart… you’ll have the truth of His love to surround you and the strength of His power to sustain you.

Happy Mother’s Day… For most of us, those words feel so good to say to our moms or to other women whom we respect and admire.  But why, for so many of us, do those words conjure up feelings of guilt or inadequacy?  We look at our children and view them as beautiful gifts.  They may be annoying and selfish little beasts at times, but we can easily block out the irritations and frustrations and see them as cherubs dropped directly from the hand of God.  We see past their whines and flaws, affording them abounding grace, intent on remembering their smiles, giggles, and successes.  So, why don’t we grant ourselves a sliver of that same charity and allow our hearts to completely relish the joy of being loved and appreciated, even for just one day a year?  Why do we look at our children and often feel sorry that they must endure us and our mistakes?

The reasons for feelings of inadequacy are endless, with as many varying and unique rationales as there are mothers.  Yet they all point back to one thing, as specific, longstanding, and maternal as Eve herself ~ expectations that are outside of God’s directions, followed by our futile attempts to meet those expectations in our own strength.  You know it’s true!  Think about it.  Did God give you a command to do the things that you think ought to be done?   Or, have you created for yourself a vision of an ideal, perfect mom that you strive to become?  Honestly, Mama, that ideal is really just an idol ~ a figment of your imagination, whose picture hangs on the wall of your heart and blocks the beautiful masterpiece that God has in mind.  Your personal “Super Mom” definition is nothing more than a leech and a joy sucker.

Is that what God intended for you? Certainly not!  Your Father in heaven looks upon you with love, deep affection, and abundant grace.  He hand-selected a child, or children, that He wants you to love, nurture and return to Him with open hands.  He didn’t just think your children would be a blessing to you, dear Sister.   No, He also knows you to be a blessing to these little “chitlins” He chose to put in your care.  He created and fully knows the mother’s heart that you carry within.  He gave you specific gifts and talents that would compliment the personalities of your kids.   I know that doesn’t always seem true, especially in the moments of tantrums, teenage years, or prodigal tragedies, but His plan is perfect.  He sees the story from beginning to end.  He knows what He is doing, Mama.

Give yourself a Mother’s Day gift this year and cut yourself some slack.  Let your Father reveal His plan for your life and your mothering, and let yourself enjoy the ride.  Following Christ and allowing God to direct your day is freedom beyond compare.   Yes, this will likely mean less doing and more resting in Him and in the moment.  Yet this is where the memories are made, Mama, where you will gain access to your child’s heart.  You will hear the details of dreams and hopes, fears and tears.  These are the gifts of your motherhood AND his/her childhood.  These are the times when you will touch your dear one deeply, the way you had hoped to, the first time you saw that sweet face.  Will you be remembered for baking five dozen cupcakes for the bake sale?  Maybe.  But you will definitely be remembered for the day you let her paint your toenails, or the walk when he told you about his first crush.

Children are resilient and full of grace.  As long as our mistakes are followed with love and the opportunity for forgiveness, their wide and deep hearts can manage our shortcomings.  Don’t read in here that I am suggesting to excuse or wash over abuses; I am talking about the good-willed mom who wants to love well.  We all make mistakes and we will all have regrets.  Just don’t stay there in the wallow, Sister.  Don’t try to salvage your imperfection by trying to attain the impossible. Throw yourself upon the great mercies of the Father, and ask Him to again direct your path.  He longs to show you that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  He will use you to raise up His children, and through you He will impact them for eternity!  Sounds like a huge and impossible responsibility, and it would be on our own.  All we are called to do is focus the eyes of our heart on Him and trust Him to do the rest.   He is able!

2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (NIV)

Today I ate a 3 inch sub for lunch (which is a long way from the 12 inch subs I downed in former years), and for supper I ate a baked potato with the works—veggies on the side. That’s the way I’ve become accustomed to eating now: smaller portions, without skimping on the flavor.

But that’s not what I want to talk to you about this month, because God has laid something very different on my heart, which is the topic of taking every thought captive:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NIV

But since I write Live Well, which is mainly about diet, I got to wondering what the link between a healthy diet and captive thoughts would be. And why would God choose this particular portion of scripture for us this month?

Then I turned on my computer, and started to read Sunny’s interview with Jennifer Rothschild, our cover girl this month, who said, “God began to show me when I was in my twenties the damaging effect of what I was saying to my soul and that if I didn’t control my thoughts, my thoughts would control me. He showed me the best way to control my thoughts was to make them truthful. I went on a journey going from destructive self talk to constructive, life-giving soul talk! Once I learned how to recognize lies I was telling myself, I refused them into my “Thought Closet,” relabeled them with truth and I’ve repeated the habit for years now.” (Read the entire interview here)

That’s when the pieces started coming together, and I realized that self talk doesn’t only keep us obedient to Christ, which is foremost important in our lives, it can also demolish strongholds by tearing down the inner arguments we often support with negative self talk.

You might think that self talk is something other people do, but if you stop and think for a minute you may remember a little voice not only suggesting, but also encouraging you to drop your diet when temptation set in. I hear it all the time, and sometimes that self talk slips through my lips when I say, this is the last one, one more, or this is so delicious, I can’t stop! That’s all self talk, either encouraging or discouraging you along your journey.

Imagine the power we could have had if we strongly suggest persistence, and then continue to suggest it until we persuade ourselves that it is the best choice to make. That’s taking our thoughts captive.

Until we determine that turning back is not an option we’re destined to slip up. But when we run the race with unwavering determination we are guaranteed success.

Keep running the race ladies, and till next month, Live Well!

©2009, Darlene Schacht

While speaking at the recent “A Women Inspired” online conference, I was asked if I have any motivation to press on, for those who are struggling with their diet. I was reminded of the many times that I’ve personally stared down at the scale looking at yet another plateau.

I happen to know how frustrating that can be, and how hard it is to fight negative thoughts. So in order to combat those feelings I’ve put together a list of 15 motivational thoughts and ideas to keep you on track.
Give them a read when you’re starting to feel “Mrs. Give-Up-and–Eat” moving in, and then kick her whiny butt out the door!

1. Don’t look back on yesterday with despair. Look at tomorrow with hope.
2. Train your heart and your body to yield to a faith focused mind.
3. Post your goals where you’ll see them often, along with notes of inspiration. Reminders are a good thing.
4. Do all things, whether big or small to the glory of God. For it is only by Him and through Him that we take each breath that we do.
5. Those who persist reach the finish line, while those who give up stay behind.
6. If you take two steps forward and one step back, you’re still getting someplace. Don’t give up the moment you slip up. Press on!
7. Knowledge is power, but without action it’s useless.
8. Rather than gloss over a problem, take steps toward change. Wisely dealing with a bad habit or issue isn’t the easy way, but it later brings peace to your life.
9. Why change your life tomorrow, when today is such a perfect time?
10. Take some steps today, if only a few, and tomorrow you’ll be that much closer to your goal.
11. Seeds of discipline produce a harvest of strength. Keep planting them daily.
12. Those who succeed rise with each fall. While others in a state of discouragement refuse to move on, for fear that they might fall again.
13. The road to success is paved with motivation and determination. Don’t let the speed bumps slow you down.
14. It is our job as stewards of this human vessel to guide the heart and the flesh according to wisdom, and according to the Word.
15. Each moment is a new beginning, make this one count.

©2009, Darlene Schacht

Do you trust God enough to enter His rest?

Take a look at this verse, and let it soak in for a minute:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV)

Not only did Paul know that he would share in the sufferings of Christ, he WANTED to share in His sufferings, becoming like Christ in his death.

What was Christ in His death? Shannon Woodward shared a few sobering words in her poem this month based on Isaiah 53 listing them as: grief, fear, shame, regret, hunger, thirst, wrath, terror, judgment, and death.

Paul’s vigorous journey to the cross reminds me of the verse in Hebrews 4:11 which says, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.”

Rest and the cross—can the two be compared? Absolutely—let me explain why. When we enter His rest, we give up our fight. Like the shell of a puppet His hand takes over and begins to animate our life. It’s not easy to put down our will so that His can be done. It’s not easy to face shame for His sake or judgment or terror, but we might when we chose God’s will over ours for our lives.

What about hunger and thirst? Do you know that hunger is a running theme throughout the scriptures? God fed the Israelites on Manna for forty years to teach them that He alone sustains life. Complete dependency on Him is the eternal lesson we all must learn. Dependency = rest. Again we see this complete dependency from Jesus himself in John chapter 19:

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:27-30, NIV

When I look at lessons like that, my diet—my struggle to eat less and move more, to stop when I’m full—pales in comparison. It just one thing of many that I need to hand over to God in my life.

Let me paint a scenario. You’ve eaten a good dinner, stopped when you were satisfied and feel pretty good about the choices you’ve made. 30 minutes later the TV goes on, and the family starts rummaging through the kitchen for a television snack. Suddenly you get the munchies. Your brain starts off slow, and then goes into a wild frenzy of arguments giving you every reason why you deserve to eat more than you should. Telling you that you can break the rules “just this once” even though you know that last night, and the night before that, and the night before that, were the “just once” days too.

Say “No.”

What’s the worst that can happen? You suffer a little internal sting, while others around you indulge. As Paul said, make every effort to enter into His rest, which includes the resolution that God, and only God can sustain us.

Getting through the little lessons like these help to strengthen us for the tougher ones:  grief, fear, shame, regret, wrath, terror, judgment, and death.  It’s not easy to put down our will so that His can be done, but I promise you this, it will bring peace to your life.

©2009, Darlene Schacht

After ten years, I can finally say with confidence that I am a lifetime member of the Live Well plan. Being a lifetime member doesn’t mean that I’m so tiny I slip back into my high school jeans, nor does it mean that I don’t struggle with the desire to eat more often than I should. What it does mean to me is that I have been walking this journey day after day, year after year for over a decade.

I’m averaged-sized, and while I’d love to be micro-mini-sized, so I’d look adorable in baby doll dresses and swimsuits, I’m not. I walk and I fall; I lose and I gain. Three steps forward—two steps back. But slowly and surely I’m getting there.

I wear a size 7 pants, but if I shop at the “generous” clothing stores that stroke my ego with rock bottom numbers, I might squeeze into a size 4.  

I haven’t always been this way. As I’ve written in past articles, I wore plus-sized clothing in my mid-twenties through to my early-thirties, but I’ve come a long way, baby—and I’m not going back!

The other day as I was reaching into the fridge for some strawberries, a revelation came to mind. It was then—during that moment of choice—that I realized a key factor which has kept me from gaining back all the weight.

I had tried diets before. I had joined reputable groups. I had practiced things that I’ve learned. But the one ingredient I had been missing was this: persistence.

When you combine persistence with the grace of God, you become a dynamic living force. It’s as simple as that. Stop giving up when the going gets tough, and for once in your life, make it happen.

Next time you feel a hint of discouragement dragging you down, remember Bartimaeus the blind man who sat by the side of the road. The Bible tells us that many rebuked him, telling him to be quiet, but instead of heading their voice, he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  

The result of his persistence was the restoration of his sight. (Mark 10:46-52)

And look at Zacchaeus—a wee little man with great persistence. The Bible tells us that he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. His determination resulted in a personal visit from Him that day. Can you imagine? We get excited about winning a celebrity lunch date, but this little guy had the Messiah over to his house for tea–well maybe coffee–who knows for sure.

Then in Mark chapter five we read about a woman with a 12-year issue of blood who pressed through the crowd just to touch the hem of His garment, and immediately she was healed.

Anyone of these people could have given up when the going got tough, but they chose to persist, and in doing so reaped the benefits that perseverance has to offer.  

We can only imagine the opportunities that we’ve lost over the course of our lifetime because we gave up just before sunrise.

Ever have one of those weeks where the plateau gets you so low that you give up all together? Have you ever wondered what might have happened if you would have waited one more week? My guess is that the scale would have moved.

And what about those nights when you get so down on yourself because you made a mistake. Have you ever thrown the plan out the window because you didn’t meet your own high level of expectation? We’re not created to be perfect—we’re created to press on:

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
-–Philippians 3:12

Stick with it! If it’s been dark for a while, have hope—it could possibly be the last hour of the night. Don’t fall asleep now, and miss the breathtaking sunrise.

©2009, Darlene Schacht

Find more articles on faith-focussed weight loss in Darlene’s monthly column, “Live Well!”

A reader recently asked me how she could overcome her constant desire for sweets. It’s a good question, since it’s a struggle that many of us have tried to defeat. The way that I see it is that we can’t control the things we desire, until our hearts have been changed. Fortunately they naturally change over time so that many of the things we once enjoyed aren’t so appealing anymore, but there are some things that we develop a passion for that never seem to go away, no matter how old we get.

Take chocolate for instance. Some of us developed a weakness for chocolate in our teens and it’s plagued us ever since. For others, like me, it’s potato chips. I just can’t seem to get enough salt. I figured that by the age of 43 this chip phase would be gone, but nope—it still rears its ugly head every time the TV goes on–or when it’s off for that matter.

So how do we separate ourselves from these passions? That question would be similar to one asking “How do I run a marathon?” The answer is simple—a sensible training program will get you there. Sure you can run without training, but all you’ll manage to get is a sprint. In order to complete in a marathon, athletes must train for months or years.

In dieting, the sprint is otherwise known as the “Yo-Yo Diet.” You start off at a great pace, but soon find out that you aren’t equipped for the long run. You can barely make a mile, never mind 26.2. A few months or a year down the road, you start again with the same uncontrolled enthusiasm you had before, and once again you lose steam. If you want to achieve long term success, you must train yourself as an athlete trains for a race—no pain no gain.

Dr. Joyce Beck, author of The Complete Beck Diet for Life, often writes about strengthening our resistance muscle, which she defines as, “a psychological muscle that is strengthened by resisting the urge to eat unplanned food.” She also says, “Life becomes so much easier when your resistance muscle is strong.” If you’re looking to find motivation and change the way you think about food, Dr. Beck’s books, The Complete Beck Diet for Life and The Beck Diet Solution are a great read.

Ways to strengthen our resistance may include:

• Passing on the junk food in the grocery store
• Making a healthy choice when eating out
• Passing on the goodies at group meetings
• Taking one trip to a buffet instead of two or more
• Eating until we’re comfortable rather than stuffed
• Limiting treats to once or twice a week, rather than daily

Our resistance is quite weak on the first three days of a new diet plan. If we can just get past the first three days, things usually seem to get a bit easier. Again if we get past the first three weeks, we start to see the muscle is strengthened and working for us.

Does this sound like a foreign concept? Compare Hebrews 12:11-12:

At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.
So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!
–Hebrews 12:11-12, The Message

So, the answer to the question, “how could one overcome a constant desire for sweets?” is resistance training. No, it isn’t easy at first, but it does get easier the more we train ourselves to say “no.”

Saying “no” should never include a pacifier. If you’ve had enough sweets, then don’t fall into the trap that so many dieters do of purchasing low cal alternatives to squeeze a little more in. A few years back, just after I took off 40 pounds, and had maintained for a while, I decided that indulging in low-cal gelatin would be a great afternoon treat. What could it hurt?

I started to get my gelatin ready the night before (cherry is my favorite), then enjoy a large bowlful the next day, in the heat of the afternoon sun. It was working for me, until I tired of the same old afternoon treat, and started rummaging through the cupboards for something better. Pretty soon ice cream and I were bathing together in the hot summer sun, day after day.

Had I just stuck with the plan, which didn’t include an afternoon treat every day, I wouldn’t have had another bad habit to kick. A better idea would have been to plan for an occasional treat.

Imagine how our children would be if every time they cried for a cookie we handed them something sweet. Teaching our children to know when they’ve had enough is an important part of their training. It’s also a part of ours.
Learn to train yourself to eat enough, to make the best choices, and to stick to the plan. That’s how you’ll win this race!

Be strong, ladies. And until next month, Live Well!

©2009, Darlene Schacht

Find more articles on faith focussed weight loss in Darlene’s monthly column, “Live Well!”

I woke up the other morning to a voice. I’m certain it was God’s. It wasn’t mine, it wasn’t my kids, and it wasn’t my dear husband waking me up—no, it was that still small voice that speaks to the heart, when we take time to listen.  It’s the voice that always lines up with the Word, and nudges us back on the path.

“It’s not a matter of habit or lifestyle. With you, it’s simply a matter of the heart,” He said. And I knew that He heard the grumble of my tummy, which quickly turned my thoughts toward visions of drive-throughs that danced in my head.

I was reminded of the verse in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, when in chapter 6:12, he writes:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

There’s a battle going on in our hearts, ladies, and Satan wants nothing more than to see us turn our eyes away from the Father and onto the idols that the world has to offer.

I’ve tried to change my habits, change the food, change my plan of action… even change the scale to a friendlier, less-honest, version, but when I see that none of those changes have helped—I come back to the issue at hand—the necessary change in my heart.

What do I long for? Is it a closer walk with Jesus that I crave, or a fudge brownie?For years it was the high I get from food. It still is some days—too many days unfortunately, which is why I need that constant nudge from the Father reminding me that He longs to be my heart’s desire—He alone.

Again that morning, I turned to my daily devotional where He clearly spoke to me again:

Work and prayer represent the two forces that will ensure your success. Your work and My work. For prayer, believing prayer, is based on the certainty that I am working for you and with you and in you. Go forward gladly and unafraid. I am with you. With men your task may be impossible, but with God all things are possible. 

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. 
(December 29, God Calling, by Two Listeners.)

I love it when God confirms that tug on our hearts, telling us that, YES—it was Him that spoke, and that He is taking each and every step beside us. 
I’m not alone, and, sister, you’re not alone in this walk either. I hope you accept that. Do your part, and trust that He can, and will deliver you from the bondage that food has on you. 
How can faith make a difference? The answer is two-fold:

1. When we live out our faith, His weapons–which are not of this world–become ours.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. –Ephesians 6:10-13.

1. And secondly, God promises to give His people a heart with new desires so that we won’t turn to the idols–like unhealthy obsessions with food–that we cling to:

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command. 
–Ezekiel 36:25-27, NLT 

I pray that 2009 will be the year that you discover success—the year you take off the weight, and keep it off! You and He, working together—gladly and unafraid.

©2009, Darlene Schacht

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