Spiritual – Page 2 – Christian Vitality | Christian Weight Loss | Christian Health & Fitness

Christian Vitality Prayer – It’ll change your life inside and out…if you let it.

There was a time in my life where I spent about 30-50% of my life traveling for a living. I was a regional sales manager for a high tech company in the electrical & electronics industry. What I did for work is not what matters, it’s what I did during all that down time on the plane at 33,000+ feet high and in airports and hotel rooms.

I spent those five years diving into every self-help & success book I could find. I also spent that time going through the Bible 5 times (The New Testament 10 times) and really getting to know the character of God and how he shapes how humans succeed in life. I’ll admit a lot of the authors of books I’ve read are secular (many are also strong Christians), but what I found to be true after all that research & study is the there is a:

Universal Conspiracy For or Against Your Individual Success, You Decide! – Dan Matejsek

26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:28 The Message

Putting it a different way, you get to decide whether you have a successful life or an unsuccessful one…a happy one or unhappy one…either way that you choose what kind of life you’re going to have, you’ll get it.

Once you decide & commit (submit) your plans (long-term & short-term) for your life to God and have his blessing you will succeed (Proverbs 16:3).

Whatever you do, do it as service to Him, and He will guarantee your success. Proverbs 16:3 Voice

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 ESV

Another by-product (or extreme blessing to me and hopefully you) of that time of self reflection, Biblical Study and Science of Human Success studying, is a prayer (with some affirmation built into it) that I’ve prayed for literally the last 10 years straight. Some days it’s first thing in the morning and then again at night. Some days it’s a portion of the prayer to remind me of God’s promises. Sometimes it’s a portion right before I jump on the scale or after an apparent problem in my life.

This evening when you have time (and if you’re game, do it every day) please pray this prayer with me. Own it. If you can commit to memorizing it and praying it every morning and/or evening before you go to bed. I faithfully & firmly believe that God will use it to change your life on the inside & outside. It will likely help you believe different things about yourself, which will lead you to lose even more weight & fat off your body. It will touch areas of your life that you could not have ever imagined.

My prayer is that this prayer that God helped me craft, is a blessing to you and helps bring Spiritual & Physical Healing to you, that will result in a closer walk with the Lord Jesus and a Healthier, Happier You that has a longer stay here on earth as a result. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Oh God, Creator and Sustainer of the whole Universe. You are my loving Father and interested in every detail of my life. You only have good for me and desire to give me healing, wholeness, and forgiveness. Therefore, I place myself at your feet under your authority and your control & protection for your will to be done in my life.

Everything over which you’ve given me authority, I place at your feet…my family (name them), my loved ones (name them), my blessings (name them), my gifts, my talents, and my life experiences. Everything over which you’ve given me authority Lord I place at your feet…

[I often do this kneeling and physically act out (with my hands) laying things at his feet]

In Christ, I deserve, desire, and willing receive the abundance & prosperity of the Universe. It flows to me, is promised to me and is mine to keep. In return for my obedience to the Lord by fully utilizing the gifts he has given, the Universe benefits directly and indirectly by the value added by my obedient actions and prosperity.

All my debts have long since be paid for and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ and I honor the Lord by forgetting them and learning from them.

I retain focus and gain strength with help from the Holy Spirit of God and overcome all obstacles.

For yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory forever and ever. Amen!

Christian Vitality Prayer – Dan Matejsek

What do you think? Awesome isn’t it.

I’ll spend the time in another post and go over the dozens of scriptures that were pieced together to help construct that prayer. I’m sure it resonated with you as most of it is right out of the Bible.

If you like it, print out this prayer and use it…daily…morning and night if you can. Pretty soon it will become a part of you like it has for me. Welcome Jesus & the Holy Spirit of God into your life as these truths become a reality in your prayer life and real life.

Fasting for Fat Loss!

Fasting for Fat Loss & Spiritual Growth

In modern-day church circles, at least in the USA, fasting seems to be an almost dying art. A mysterious custom from the days of yore, which most if not all Christians don’t practice and may not even understand the concept behind it.

I don’t kid myself to think that I know all there is to fasting, but I thought I’d do a little Bible study on fasting to give you the Biblical perspective of fasting and also give you a brief overview of all the benefits that modern science has determined in recent research. Turns out God has it right, fasting is good for you.

Biblical Wisdom about Fasting

Isn’t fasting only Old Testament stuff? It’s truly not for people in this day and age, right?

Wrong. There are almost as many references in the New Testament as Old Testament about fasting. Since we take most of our current Christian customs and practices from the New Testament to model the early church…it is absolutely for our day and age.

Why, Biblically, should we fast?

Fasting is a sign of submission to God’s authority and a way to honor him by following his commands. It is a way for us to also humble ourselves before him. James chapter 4 has a great promise that comes as a reward for humbling ourselves. “God will raise (exalt) the humble”.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:10 ESV

Jesus went without food for 40 days in the desert. So, if you want to know what Jesus would do. If he was around today, he would be praying and fasting.

The early church is also an example for us as they often “prayed & fasted” during important times in the church.

Fasting is absolutely something for the Christian in 2014 and beyond from a Biblical perspective.

How should we fast? It’s a personal one-on-one (secret) expression of your faith and God will reward you.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18 ESV

Why should we fast? To humble ourselves before the Lord. For a sign of repentance when we return to his ways.

When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. Psalm 69:10 ESV

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; Joel 2:12 ESV

When should we fast? In times of preparation. During times of prayer. When we are trying to get closer to God. During special times of commitment to God and asking for God’s mercy and blessing.

I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. Daniel 10:3 ESV

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23 ESV

Modern Science Backing the Benefits of Fasting

Why should we fast from a modern science perspective?

Fasting has been researched significantly for many years and some of the findings and positive ramifications it can have for our long-term health is astounding.

I could right volumes of books just going through all the research, but I’ll just ask that before you do any fasting that you research it yourself and absolutely, before you engage in longer-term fasting you consult with your doctor. For the most part, fasting in the Christian Vitality program and Christian Fatloss Program means skipping a meal, or refraining from eating after 8:00pm which is a commonly a held belief and encouraged practice by even the most conservative health practitioner.

For people in their later Christian Fatloss Cycles an option to increase the amount of fat loss is to implement what is commonly called Intermittent Fasting. It is typically refraining from eating for 12+ hours. It’s typically not recommended to fast for longer than 24 hours in most circles, but in VERY recent research it is deemed okay to go longer. Do your research and consult your doctor before doing so.

I implemented Intermittent fasting for 6 out of 7 days for cycles 2 – 5. In cycle 2 I was a little hit and miss, but was able to train my body to adapt to it and consistently, without fail, fasted for 16+ hours for 6 days per week in cycles 3-5.

There are several ways to implement it, that have been proven to be effective, both for increasing health and for increasing fat loss.

Some kinds of fasting can be every other day (called alternate day fasting), every day for short periods, fasting after a workout or exercise to help increase growth hormone production (to keep you young and vital) and variations. A popular one recently was called the 5/2 diet. Where your fasting for a couple of days and ate normally for the others.

The Christian Vitality Diet & Christian Fatloss Program is typically 12 hours or more if you are in later Fatloss Cycles. Some mainstream people would call this a “condensed eating window”. So, that’s the sustainable and practical version of what I did.

Here are just a few of the scientifically documented health benefits of fasting:

Longevity: It can help you live longer
Blood Lipids: It can help with you bad cholesterol levels.
It has been proven to be as or more effective than calorie restriction in overweight women to help repair damage from metabolic syndrome
Every other day (alternate day) fasting has been proven to lower LDL-c numbers and also reduce LDL particle size.

Find your place in life & power yourself into your work!

Find your place in this world and pour yourself into your work

Ever feel out of place? In strange surroundings? Not sure where to start or what to do next?

That was the case when we rolled up this morning at the home-site of Don Juan (Juan) and Alejandrina this morning.

Roughly 25 people of all shapes, ages, and sizes (all loving the Lord Jesus) showed up this morning to serve him by serving other people. These folks were in desperate need of a real home. Their existing home was a mish-mash of pieces of scrap wood found slapped together to form walls and a roof made up of overlapping scraps of tar paper Juan found.

There was a thin concrete floor for only one portion of the home the rest was mainly covered (rags & rugs) dirt floors. The dirt in this part of Mexico is mostly sand and fairly dusty, so it gets just about everywhere and in some places forms sand-dunes from the wind storms they often get.

These folks have to serve their communities for a large portion of hours with the 1Mission people and with regional and local church pastors in order to get these homes. So, this is no random chance free home for these folks…they’ve earned it by spreading the love of Jesus in their local community.

I digress…back to the finding your place part.

Well, there were a few of us (me included) that had some construction experience. Several who had no construction experience and five kids whose sole purpose was to be there to have fun with the neighbor kids (we had 15-20 at our job site the whole week).

For the first 15 minutes on the site there was a little bit of standing around each of us was wondering what to do. After that, everything seemed to fall into place and everyone found their place and poured themselves into it.

All things work for the good of those who love them (in my name) and are called to his purpose, seems to be the theme for this trip.

When your are called to his purposes and are obedient to his calling, you don’t need to have all the answers or the entire plan…you just need to take action (active Faith in progress) and God will sort out the details.

Looking back on it later in the day I could see that God slid people into there proper places based on their giftings and talents…just as you would expect him to do. I could give you case-by-case examples that would be an entire post by itself.

We each have a place and a purpose for our lives and God has gifted us with different Spiritual gifts, different talents, skills, and life experiences to do his will here on earth. We just have to surrender to his calling on our life and take action when he presents opportunities to serve him.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12: 21-26

God will show you your part if you say “Yes, Lord. I’m listening!” Then do whatever it is he tells you to do next. Just do your part to best of your ability as if you are serving Jesus Christ personally in the flesh. You’ll start to see the people you serve the way he does and they’ll win over your heart.

23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

What a beautiful thing our lives can be if we’ll surrender our lives over to Christ and let him use us to love the world the way his Father loved us when he sent Jesus to die for us on the cross.

Be blessed today friend…but more importantly surrender to him and be on the lookout for opportunities to serve Jesus personally.

How to experience God smiling on your life. You are Blessed to be a Blessing!

Your are blessed to be a blessing — Put a smile on God’s face by being a blessing today!

You might have heard this before and it’s used quite often in church circles to the point that I think it may have lost some of it’s true meaning. Today I want bring back some of the true meaning by sharing an experience I had while serving on a short-term mission trip to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. We were in the barrios (severely impoverished areas). I think it will give you some context on what “Blessed to be a blessing” truly means. The family we were serving, by building a new house for them, was Don Juan and Alejandrina and their grandkids. They are two grandparents do their best to take care of their two grandchildren, who lost their parents.

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 6-11

God's Grace is amazing experience it by serving others — God’s Grace is amazing experience it by serving others

When I was serving today, the thing I noticed the most, was an overall feeling of God’s Grace. I’ve not experienced this level of overwhelming Grace before. While I was working today, there were several times that I was interacting with a 6 year old little girl named Liliana and her 60+ year old grandfather, Don Juan. I felt such great joy and peace with every interaction. The only way I could describe it is, if you could feel God smiling on your life, than that’s what I felt. I felt proud in a good way. I felt Jesus was pointing his finger and saying “see…this is the way to love others…the way I’ve loved you.

I felt this and knew it deep in my soul “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

Grace has defined a times to me, as God’s unmerited favor. I felt that my actions were favorable to God and that this was pleasing to the Lord. I felt that I was in his favor at that moment.

This older couple went from unknown strangers, to a brother & sister in Christ. The kids of the home and the entire neighborhood (15 or so we there at times) went from strangers to dearly beloved ones.

My heart broke for them all…in a good way. In the way you feel your heart break when you fall in love with someone. All of this came from a simple act of obedience…showing up to love on these people in the name of Jesus.

I believe this gave me the biggest gift. I felt so blessed with peace, joy and love.

In the scripture above it talks about God enriching us. I think this is the promise that is given to us as our reward for being cheerful givers. “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.”

So, today. Take the time to ask God in prayer. Lord, I’m here. I’m available. What can I do today in the name of Jesus that would be pleasing to you? I want to feel you smile on my life today Lord. Show me what to do and how to do it to bring joy to you Father.

Your goal today is to be a blessing to someone else in addition to staying on track with your eating and exercise.

Have a blast today friend and may the Lord Jesus put a smile on your face and on your life today!

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Some photos of Don Juan & Alejandrina’s house and neighborhood.

Missions trips are a blessing — Little barefoot neighbor boy helping us (Jesus) & Corrine

Realign with your reasons why to conquer the doldrums in your life!

Imagine for a moment that you’re on an old sailing ship out on the ocean. You hear the gentle creek of the ship from the very small waves that rock it back and forth ever so peacefully. The sun is high in the sky and the temperature of the air is perfect. There’s just a very gentle breeze across the bow of the ship. Sounds peaceful and relaxing doesn’t it?

We’ll imagine that you are in the middle of the ocean on your way to America, half-way across the ocean and you’ve had these exact same conditions for days…even weeks. Conditions that are not suitable to set your sails, due to the lack of wind, and you are basically stuck. Stuck for days or even weeks, drifting.

That’s where the term doldrums came from.

From Wikipedia we also see that it is defined as:

Colloquially, the “doldrums” are a state of inactivity, mild depression, listlessness or stagnation

I was hit with a mild case of the doldrums this morning. For me it was more likely best described as mild depression and a feeling of discontent.

Physically I think it could have been explained as a combination of mild physical exhaustion and emotional exhaustion. The two combined together, brought me down a little. Also, a mild feeling of discontent combined with the desire to do nothing started to overwhelm me a little this morning. I started to doubt why am I doing this, writing all this content here? Will anyone care to hear from me? Will my work on the Christian Fatloss™ Program & Christian Vitality actually help anyone?

I think somewhere through the fog, I heard the Holy Spirit say remember your reason why.

I quickly listed some of the reasons why I was doing this:

100s, 1000s, and maybe even 10,000s of Christians will use the knowledge and Biblical wisdom to live a better (more spiritually & physically healthy life) It may even save some of their lives from the misery and unhappiness I experienced.
A quest to help cure people of obesity is an admirable quest with God’s stamp of approval. Doing so and giving Glory to Jesus along the way should be doubley-blessed.
Over time I’d like to work on this online business full-time and have it provide a hugely valuable service, which in-turn my customers will be pay me a small fee & gladly to do so.
God has blessed me with the knowledge and wisdom (from the Bible) and I owe it to him to be a blessing to other believers and show them the way.
Going through this process myself is moving me personally from a state of Obesity to a Healthy one and will help me live a happier healthy life.

Realign with your reason why — What’s your reason why?

So, what are your reasons for starting a weight loss program? Did you start the Christian Fatloss™ Program because:

You know that staying on the path of obesity is a short-lived one and your tired of struggling through life being over-weight?
Are you afraid you won’t get to see your kids and grand-kids grow up if you stay on your current path?
Do you have family members that are obese and you’ve decided that you want a different path for yourself?
Are you tired of shopping for your clothes in the big girl or big guy section?
Are you tired of feeling embarrassed over you weight at public pools, beaches, and gyms?
Do you feel that God has called you to live a healthier, happier life without the physical challenges that obesity & an unhealthy lifestyle bring?

What are your reason why? They’ve got to be strong. They are going to have an element of pain or pleasure associated with them. Because as humans we are really motivated by only two things. The avoidance of pain or the desire for pleasure. Pain seems to be the leader in this camp.

So, if you’re feeling a bit discouraged or start to sense that you’re feeling like you should quit. Realign yourself with your reasons why and get motivated again to succeed. Then set your eyes back on the goal.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phillippians 3:14 ESV

[Free Wallpaper for your Desktop, tablet or phone] Pick up your cross & follow me!

Jesus said, "Pick up your cross & follow me." — Jesus said, “Pick up your cross & follow me.”

Right-click and “save as”. I hope this is a blessing to you.

Let me know what you think.

Pastor Dan

Set sail for continued weight loss & spiritual growth with routine!

Set sail for weight loss & spiritual growth — Routine can be the key to new growth towards your weight loss & spirtual growth.

With the weight loss doldrums behind us lets set our eyes on Jesus and set our eyes back on the goal of Spiritual & Physical Recovery. Press on by looking forward so to speak.

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25 ESV

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Routine can get you out of the doldrums — Lose more weight & grow spiritually with routine

Get back to a routine. For me this meant get back on the bike yesterday even though I didn’t feel like it. It meant starting my fast again the night before last, even when I was hungry. It meant get back on the supplements I was taking. It meant jumping back on the scale yesterday and today (which I was blessed by seeing some additional weight loss). It means doing what is right as far as eating right, exercising, and spending quiet time before the Lord. Doing so consistently. That’s the key. Routine will help you build momentum and help you power through the ups and downs of life that are thrown your way.

Look back on the last few weeks and analyze what routines have been working for you. What are some routines (maybe a new exercise routine or reading the Bible everyday) that you can add to your life that would help you become a more physically and spiritually fit person.

Do so and you’ll find that you’ve set sail again on the weight loss voyage of a lifetime. Remember all things are possible for him who believes.

ALL things are possile! — “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” mark 9:23 NASB

Get an attitude of gratitude to conquer a case of the grouchies

We all have those mornings from time to time where we get up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe its because we didn’t have enough sleep, or we wake up stuffed up from allergies, or maybe its that annoying cat or dog bugging you to go outside. Whatever the stimulus is, we need to be careful about how we allow it to affect us.

If we stay in that grouchy state and start to allow that to taint the words we say, we can start to bring others around us down to, and before you know it (if not prevented) we enter a spiral downwards.

I speak of this today because I was guilty of allowing myself to enter the grouchy-zone this morning. Allergies were at an all time high and I had our little dog, Dolly, whining me out of bed. I started to get a little grouchy about the little things and even said the word “hate” a couple of times when describing little things like a malfunctioning toaster oven.

I pulled myself out of the tailspin of destruction by taking a break from everything and getting away to a quiet place. I prayed and asked for forgiveness from God and started to focus on things I was grateful for.

Very quickly I pulled out of the grouchy-zone into the grateful-zone and my attitude was now full of gratitude.

In Philippians it talks about focusing on the good…

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 ESV

And in several places in Proverbs it talks about how words can be damaging or creative depending on how they are used.

Jesus also spoke about “from the mouth the heart speaks”.

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 ESV

So, if today happens to be a day where you run into the little things that could put you in the grouchy-zone conquer them by building an attitude of gratitude.

Be blessed today friend and stay away from the grouchy-zone.

Have you ever had a case of the groucies? Tell me about it in the comments? Tell us what you do to deal with trying times when your attitude needs a check in the comments below.

In times of FAILURE get back in the saddle again!

Get back in the saddle toward your success! — In times of failure whether spiritual or weight loss or nutrition. Don’t focus on the failure.

Imagine for a moment that you are riding a horse…I know you may not yet have had the pleasure like I have, but you’ve likely seen plenty of folks on TV or online to at least get the idea.

Ok…so you’re galloping along (which is faster than trotting, but not a full out run and your enjoying the scenery. The sun is shining and your surroundings are beautiful. All you hear is the rhythmic sounds of your horse’s feet hitting the ground and the snort from your horse breathing.

All of a sudden you hit a tree branch and are knocked to the ground flat on your face.

Ouch!

Your horse being an awesome, owner-loving-horse (nothing like my last horse Malika) stops just a few dozen feet ahead of you and does what horses do…immediately starts grazing on some grass next to the trail.

I share this somewhat painful imagery to hammer home a point of getting back in the saddle.

So, what should I do if I’ve cheated on my weight loss nutrition plan, or I’ve missed my workout three days in a row, or I binged on Chocolate Cake & Ice Cream last night…whatever the personal “failure” it doesn’t matter.

So, in a sense you’ve lost some momentum somewhat like you just did on your imaginary horse. So, what?

The good news is that its’ only been a little while since you were riding the horse off into the fat loss sunset, before you decided to gracefully (on your own accord) dismount and take a break. again…Ouch!

In our Christian Fatloss Program (not yet released as of the time I’m posting this) I designed some breaks from the diet & exercise on purpose. It’s helpful by design. It allows your body & mind a reset the system of sorts and help break up any thoughts of monotony.

So, partner, its time to saddle up and start back down the trail to your Spiritual & Physical Recovery. Dust yourself off (get rid of any bad foods you’ve might of indulged in during your free/cheat days) pick yourself up (get ready to exercise & eat clean again) and mount up.

Some of my victories along my journey to lose weight — Celebrate your accomplishments on your fat loss journey

It’s much easier mounting this horse this time, than it was when you started, isn’t it? You’ve likely made some gains and had some small victories. Allow yourself to celebrate them. You are a Victory In Progress.

Your new title: V.I.P.

Doesn’t that feel great?

Celebrate now…take a quick look down the road from where you came from and turn back down the road to a healthier happier You!

So, what changes have you made in your life so far that you can celebrate? Any diet or exercise changes? drop any pounds (or stones for my UK friends) that we can celebrate with you? Please share in the comments below…

When ahead in the race…don’t coast to the finish line!

Run the race on your journey with the Lord in such a way as to WIN! — Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV
2014 © All Rights Reserved – ChristianVitality.com

Imagine for a moment you’ve decided to run a race. A real foot race. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mile, a 5k, 10k or even a marathon.

You have a close friend of yours that you’ve made a friendly bet with of whoever gets the best time will take the other out to dinner afterwards. You are both at the same level of fitness and you both have an equal chance of winning.

You give it your all and about 80% of the distance to the finish you find yourself so far ahead that, there’s no way that your partner in crime can catch up.

So, you find yourself in this mental game we often get into with ourselves. Should I ease up and take it easy…you know…coast in to the finish line in style?

You could do so easily, without chancing the loss to your friend.

Taking out the compassion for your friend argument out…you know, slowing down and letting them catch up (which I would fully endorse from a philosophical standpoint), you promised God you’d do your best and accept whatever the outcome. So, if you ease up and coast in are you fulfilling your promise to him?

What about to yourself? Would you be letting yourself down by not staying the course and giving it your all? You’d still win, wouldn’t you?

I’d like to make the point that once we commit to the race, whether its the race Paul talks about on our spiritual journey and service to Jesus or whether it’s your weight loss program that you should always give it your best…your very best.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV

That way you’ll finish knowing you didn’t let yourself down, you did “everything unto the Lord and not to men”, and finally you wouldn’t be letting your friend down either. Don’t you think they’d be upset if you told them you pulled back and coasted all the way in?

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

Whatever you have on your plate for today. Give it your best effort…your very best. Some days your level of best will vary and that’s okay. Just give it the best you can today. You’ll be glad you did and make God proud in doing so.

let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1b ESV

Be blessed today as you honor God with your spiritual & physical life.

Excerpt from Christian Fatloss Program sharing my fat loss journey with members of the private weight loss program for Christians.

My Journey Alongside Yours: Today I weighed in at 211 lbs. Achieving my 5% goal for this cycle of 211.375 (or less). If you compare last Friday (1 week ago exactly) to today I have lost 2 lbs this week which is par for the course. It was another one of those weeks where my weight jumped up a bit from my lowest 212.5 of last week and it appeared that I might be lucky to hit 212.5 this week.

Yesterday I did hit 212lbs for my official weigh in for week 4 of 5 for this cycle, appearing to only lost .5 lbs. God is good though and if you stick to the plan the weight loss will come.

In hindsight I was sore for quite a bit of the week from my softball game last Friday and had my back slightly out (probably from picking up my 3 year old). The inflammation as I’ve pointed out numerous times in the weeks prior was having me carry around all that extra water.

So, do I sit back and coast knowing I achieved my goal?

No way. I’ll stick to the plan and the fact I play Softball again tonight will likely set me up for a bit of swelling for next week. I can only hope an pray that I hit 211lbs or lower next Wednesday on my final weigh in for this cycle.

Who’s your judge? God of course. And mostly you are accountable to him and yourself. Give this week the honest effort you deserve. “Do everything unto the Lord and not to men”, remember?

4 days to go until the 2 day break and the end of this cycle. After the break we’ll jump back into to 5 days of grace and then start the next cycle.

Let’s do this! Make him proud…make yourself proud.

What do you think of this post? have you been guilty of coasting through life at times? Share some instances or challenges you faced? Share your victories in the comments below.