Dear family in the Lord!
Who is "he" and who is "I"? John the Baptist ("I") is talking about Jesus Christ ("he") in this frequently quoted verse. As soon as we get the slightest idea of the breath taking beauty and power of our Lord Jesus we enter right in and with the hope of a desperate man agree: LESS OF ME OH LORD AND MORE OF YOU!!!
Praise the Lord! Let's agree with HIS plans for our lives!
Today I want to share some facts on obesity (I must become less...). What is going on there? Chew on this:
Your body needs X calories per day. As soon as your body receives X + calories per day it will start to store those "++". Where? Right under your skin, in your organs, your blood. That shows on your scale, your physical appearance, your energy level and your health.
How many calories does the body need to add one pound of pure squishy body fat? 3500 calories more than you burn a day (or a week- the body has the memory of an elephant!).
That is about one meal at a restaurant with appetizer, main course, desert and beverages.
Now, how many calories does the average person need? Roughly most people with a desk job burn no more calories per day than 1600-1700. Are you shocked now? You should. Run, run fast, run for about 1 hour to burn about 500-600 calories!!!
Now let's look at the X as mentioned above. How do you know how many calories your body needs per day? http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php Put in your information and be surprised how many (or how few) calories your body actually needs to maintain itself, if you can handle truth.
Guess how many calories your body needs to miss out on to lose a pound of pure squishy body fat? 3500 calories! Yeah, it's easy! I have mentioned this before in another Spa, but if you want to lose 1 pound of body fat a week, cut out dessert and any sweet beverages for a week and be amazed! Live 3 months like that and maybe find a friend to work out with and you will see a new you.
Let me give you a recommendation for a food journal + exercise counter: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. To track calories for a while is very fruitful, since we COMPLETELY lost understanding of what our body really needs, versus what our flesh craves. We are obese because we consume too much. We consume too much for we are eating bad food (and we have a strong habit). Myfitnesspal will give you a good idea of the calorie amount of what you want to eat. If you have an I-phone, consider getting the app or if you have an internet phone, have this page be a quick link, to access it to your convenience.
Ever heard of "empty calories"? We call them empty because they are just like empty promises, they smell great, get your brain in the mood to eat, contain a TON of calories to keep you still hungry and craving the same bad stuff. That's what most of us eat and have eaten for most of our lives. And the food industry has gotten more efficient every decade since about the '60s when it is about creating "Frankenfood" for us.
It is so easy to lie to your self, and others, (Oh, this butter burger has a salad leaf on it! or The name of my mayonnaise bomb-dish is "dip" or "salad"). You will not see the promised land of optimal weight and the benefits that come from a well nourished body if you don't learn to overcome your deceived flesh with the spirit of Jesus Christ.
(Did you know that you can easily substitute mayonnaise with greek (no or low fat) yoghurt and save tons of calories and add many nutritional benefits?
http://www.linda-rd.com/blog/what-is-greek-yogurt-brands-nutrition-facts-recipes/)
If this Spa speaks to you, go to the Father in Heaven and tell him something like this:
"Lord Jesus, my body is a temple created to your glory and I have been and am abusing it to glorify my own flesh. I am almost not even sorry. I have received the reward of bad Nutrition willingly. I know that I use food as a source of cheap and empty satisfaction and hardly let you interfere with my attitudes and choices. I just don't want to think about bad consequences. But I know aswell that the reward of sin is (eventually) death. Today, oh good Father in heaven, I ask you to convict me. Let me feel and see the ugliness of the burden of my sin for a moment so that I can realize and confess that I am under the law of the devil who wants me to follow my dull senses into my own, and my family's, destruction. Jesus, claim your right over this your temple and open my spiritual eyes and ears so I can see and hear you leading me into a lifestyle that honors you, right by the fountain of abundant life. Thank you Jesus!"
I wish this Spa would have turned out more witty and funny. But the bottom line is, to lose ourselves and give room to God goes hand in hand with the cutting of our flesh (outch!).
I chatted with Ashley, the owner of the gym I work at, and we agreed that in a way it is unfair that the WIDE SPREAD sin of gluttany in the body of Christ can be so obvious, when other sins can be performed in secret. Let's not waste our lives treading around in a desert for 40 years! Let's choose obedience and wisdom= follow the Holy Ghost! Greatness on earth does not equal greatness in the kingdom of Jesus. Lord become greater in me, I must become less.
Okay, let me end on a funny note: Imagine my german father told me this one and I try to keep it as literal as possible: What is a monkeys' Schnitzel? ....a banana!
Be blessed abundantly!
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