Your New Year – Your New Thoughts!
There are some things that you absolutely should not carry into the new year. The very first thing that has to go is your negative thinking and negative self talk. How many times have you looked at your reflection in the mirror and made a horrible remark either in your head or out loud to yourself? What did it accomplish other than making you feel worse about yourself?
You are your worst enemy! If you wouldn’t say it to one of your friends, why, oh why, do you say such things to yourself? Take care of yourself and guard your thoughts! Even if you have to start with words of affirmations taped to your mirror – then start there! Begin each day with words of affirmations. When you walk up to that mirror and are tempted to just pick yourself apart as you usually do, this time shift your focus on the positive and uplifting words right before your very eyes taped on your mirror. Instead of cutting yourself down, how about lifting yourself up?! Speak loving words over yourself such as:
“I am a child of the Most High God!” “I am beautifully and wonderfully made!”
There is such power in your tongue and in your thoughts! I can’t stress enough just how important it is to speak lovingly to yourself and others! There are so many people in this world that just cannot wait to chew you up one side and down the other or who feel it is their place to point out each and every flaw or imperfection – or create ones in their heads just to attack you. Please, do NOT do this to yourself. Build yourself up so when someone tries to tear you down, you do not lay sprawled out on the floor unable to move. Instead you put on your armor of God and as every negative word is launched at you from others, you simply raise your shield in front of you so that those words cannot pierce your heart and soul. You will be protected!
Speak beautiful loving words of light, love, and hope over yourself before you ever think about turning from that mirror and greeting others along your path during the day. Start with loving yourself first! Be mindful of your thoughts, your words, even your actions toward yourself. If you’re having trouble thinking of any loving and kind words to say to yourself, I’m here to help you out! Say things such as:
“I am so blessed!” “I am strong!” “I am confident!” “I have victory in Jesus!”
I am a huge Joel Osteen fan. Some do NOT like him at all, and that is their prerogative. However, I have read his books and have seen him and his family at A Night of Hope just this past August. He encourages in his messages, and that is something this world needs more of – encouragement! He began the night with positive messages of hope, followed by beautiful praise and worship music, and then a message from the bible. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I came home with a few more books written by Joel, and I have one right in front of me as I type this tonight. I would like to take Day Five straight from his book:
I Declare: 31 Promises To Speak Over Your Life:
I DECLARE I am grateful for who God is in my life and for what He’s done. I will not take for granted the people, the opportunities, and the favor He has blessed me with. I will look at what is right and not what is wrong. I will thank Him for what I have and not complain about what I don’t have. I will see each day as a gift from God. My heart will overflow with praise and gratitude for all of His goodness. This is my declaration.
Will you join me as we say goodbye to 2013 and usher in the new gift of 2014 that we’ve been given? Will you join me in speaking light, love, and hope over ourselves and in our lives?
Be kinder to yourselves as we go into the new year. Leave negative thinking and negative self talk behind. You’re better than that! Start believing it and living it … today!
Blessings to you and yours!
~Shirley
Light, Love, Hope
A New Year – A New Healthier You!
The new year is approaching, and this is a time for resolutions! Is losing weight or eating healthier a part of your resolution? If so, check this out!
I’d like to share some information that I gathered while watching Doctor Oz! I don’t often tune in, but when I do, I find useful information to apply to my life for my health, benefit, and well being! This episode was no different! In fact, I made sure I was tuned in the day he talked about The Daniel Plan with Pastor Rick Warren. The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life
I first heard of The Daniel Fast The Daniel Fast: Feed Your Soul, Strengthen Your Spirit, and Renew Your BodyThe Purpose Driven Life
when I started listening to and reading some of Donna Partow's work. While Pastor Warren's plan is very similar, he approaches it from similar angles as the fast while offering expertise of two additional sources. Both plans/fasts and books on the subject are packed full of information to help you as you begin and follow along! I, of course, was drawn to this episode based on my knowledge of Pastor Warren and having read his book The Purpose Driven Life a while back.
Here is what that episode touched on:
Focus, Faith, and Friends
It combines spirituality with community.
Mind, Body, and Spirit
To provide a little more information on Body – three basic essentials: ban sugar, ban flour, and load up on clean carbs: fruits and vegetables
They suggest having protein as a side dish. It is a Science based program from what they are saying, and you will need to eat the right proteins as a side dish instead of the main dish.
Here is a little hint on what you can eat in a typical day on this plan:
Breakfast: eggs, whole wheat bagel, turkey or bacon
Snack: Almonds, berries
Lunch: Veggie soup with turkey sausage
Dinner: Pasta (a little) with more turkey sausage
Dessert: Chocolate dipped banana with walnuts
Now let’s talk about the mind: They stated that 140 studies say that as your weight goes up the physical size and function of your brain goes down. Wow! That was shocking when I heard this! They further went on to explain that as weight increased, the frontal lobe function decreases activity (one that makes good decisions). They went on to discuss the impact of sugar on the body and also on the mind – it can cause dementia because the neurons don’t talk to each other as much, causing cravings, inflammation, depression and dementia! I don’t know about you, but that was enough to scare me into putting that brownie down! They explained it as a dinosaur syndrome – big body, little brain – and further stated that you will become extinct if you continue to consume so much sugar! They claim that The Daniel Plan will help the brain.
Now let’s talk about the Spirit. Pastor Warren said that fellowship is the key to success! This plan brings God or a Higher Being in as a very important part of the weight loss program. Pastor Warren stated:
God gives us the grace to start over. You feel bad, guilty. This is not fear or guilt driven, it is faith driven. God says He knows we can do it and gives us grace and motivation. Jesus made us, gave His life for us, so we’d better take care of the temple of God. He gives us the power to keep going. There is a difference in will power and God power. It’s based on trying, not trusting.
Pastor Warren went on to say that success is related to the support we have. He suggested that two or three people can do The Daniel Plan together and emphasizes that we need each other and that we’re better together. We can help pray for, support, help, and encourage one another.
Pastor Warren drives this point home by saying that there are two ways to change. One way is to grab the steering wheel and force it to go another way. If you do it this way, your will power is forcing it not to go where it naturally wants to go. If we let go of the wheel, it will go back to the bad habits. The best way, and the one with more long term success, is to change any thing in life whether it be food, fitness or anything else for that matter by changing the auto pilot. God specializes in that! He will renew your mind so that you will think differently about food!
He addresses cravings. If we try to have them pushed down by ourselves, it is just too hard to do when dieting on your own. We feel hungry and then our will power sags. This is when we need friends! (An accountability partner as I mentioned in a previous post to help us stay on track but to also PRAY for us and with us!) When we help hold the cravings down, they get squashed when it is shared with your friends! Consider doubling the weight loss when doing it together with a friend! It is so worth it.
There were a few ladies that gave testimonials on the show. One lady had a 150 lb weight loss on The Daniel Plan. She said that it addresses community and spirituality. She said that she feels like she’s worth something now! Diets didn’t address her issues or concerns before. She felt the doctor’s information included in the book was excellent. She learned not to eat certain foods and found the information provided to be powerful. She said that the community was great and that small groups within the church were encouraged to take part in this. She stated that when doing this in a group that they are there to hold your hand as you go through this plan, to encourage you to eat healthy, and in doing this plan, you begin to talk to other church members. Some would even gather to talk with going out to eat, and she stated that she could even eat regular food and did not feel deprived at all. If you are not sure about a small group of people in your church or even in your community beginning this plan, then do this plan with just a group of ONE other person. She stated that ONE person that you love and trust can be your partner on this voyage!
I don’t know about you, but this information packed into this small segment on Doctor Oz’s show really interested me so much that I looked into the book. I have not yet purchased The Daniel Plan as I have seen other books on The Daniel Fast today as well when looking through books on this subject manner. (I will post those links on the right hand side if you’re interested in taking a look at the books mentioned in this post.) Please note that I am not getting paid to promote either The Daniel Plan or The Daniel Fast. I just found this information interesting and wanted to pass this along to readers around the world as they set out on a mission this coming year to improve themselves in all aspects! The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life
Here's to a new year and a new you!
Blessings to you and yours!
~Shirley
Light, Love, Hope
A New Beginning
I could not ever come close to imagining the joy and excitement that Mary felt when she was carrying baby Jesus and anticipating His birth at any moment late in her pregnancy. I know how I felt when I was pregnant with my two little miracles from above and how anxiously we all waited for their arrival. I have been reminded of all of this leading up to Christmas day and the anticipation and excitement felt by those around me.
AND …
Now I have experienced it through my oldest daughter. She has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of a little baby on her dad’s side of the family. This little baby boy was due to arrive in late December, possibly early January. They were just discussing on Christmas day how they wished the little one would make an appearance soon, and low and behold if her water didn’t break on Christmas night! Early in the morning hours, Mom was rushed to the hospital by Dad and a few hours later, this precious little baby boy made his way kicking and screaming into this world. What a Christmas gift!!
I just had to stop to reflect a moment on the gift of a little tiny baby. Oh the joy that fills our souls with the birth of a new little one. All is right in the world the moment they lay your little baby in your arms for the very first time. Instantly you know that you would do any thing for this little one – any thing! They are your heart and soul, the air you breathe … they give new meaning to your life. You get to experience a renewal – in your purpose in life – your whole world shifts when this baby comes into this world.
And so it was with the birth of baby Jesus. In this case, He proved that He would do any thing for us. He bore all of our sins on the cross. When we give our hearts to Jesus, we should experience a transformation in our hearts and souls as HE is now the air we breathe, and He gives meaning to our lives. You know, without a shadow of a doubt, that your life does have meaning and purpose. You are here for a very special reason in this world, in this life.
A new baby brings about a new beginning for us … it is so with the birth of the new baby in my daughter’s extended family. It is so with the birth of Jesus over 2,000 years ago. It is so when you ask Jesus to come into your heart and life. All of the sins you have committed up until that point are wiped away when you ask for forgiveness – you are washed white as snow. We do nothing to deserve it, but God provides grace and mercy for us all.
As we are approaching the ending of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, do you feel that you need a renewal of some sort? A new year is full of new opportunities for growth! You do not have to stay in the rut that you may feel that you’ve been in for so long. You can choose to do things differently. If you need a renewal for your spirit, dig into God’s word. Reveal the promises that He has for each of us tucked away in His word. Meditate on scriptures, cling to verses that provide you great comfort in hard times. Begin and end the day in prayer – pray all throughout the day if you’d like – you don’t necessarily have to pray some lengthy prayer with proper words or do some great ritual every single time you go to pray. Just talk to God. Invite Him to be a part of your day and be in each and every thing that you lay your hands on that day. Allow God to be a part of your day. Let Him be your constant companion and guide. Begin 2014 with a relationship with God. If you’ve never had one before, if you felt like you were just going through the motions, I invite you to begin again. With purpose this time. Just as any relationship requires you to pour into it, to nurture it, the same is so with your relationship with Jesus and God above!
As you go into the new year, do you have specific weight loss goals that you’d like to set? Or an exercise program that you would like to begin and stick to this time? If so, pray over it. Allow God to lead you in this. You can try to do this alone, but you will have more success if you invite God in. Also, consider an accountability partner. Or, my personal favorite, have someone commit to doing this with you if you can, that way you two can lean on each other in those hard times in addition to God above! Think you can’t? Oh I know you can!! God says it in His word, also! Nothing is impossible with God. You can set a goal and work toward it daily. You can pray over it, and you can reward yourself for little milestones that you reach along the way. You and your accomplishments deserve to be celebrated! Do so in healthy ways, though. If you comfort yourself with food or a cigarette, pray over this and give it to God. Allow Him to be your strength! When you feel the urge to reach for comfort food or the comfort found in a cigarette, focus your attention on comforting yourself in other ways – take a long bubble bath, light some candles, play your favorite song, recite a bible verse that means everything to you, pray, lift up your hands and begin praising God. The point is to turn your focus away from comforting with food or cigarettes or whatever habit you’re trying to break and instead focus on something good to take its place to comfort you.
Don’t feel good about yourself? Feel that others are talking bad about you and tearing you down? I heard something tonight that I’d like to pass along to you. Donna Partow said,
You live your life before an audience of one – God!
Ultimately it does not matter what any one else thinks about you or says about you, or what you think in your mind that they are thinking or saying about you. The only approval you need is already given by God above!! This leads me into another quote that I absolutely love by Joyce Meyer:
True freedom never comes until we fully realize that we don’t need to struggle to get from man what God freely gives us: love, acceptance, approval, security, worth, and value.
Last, but not least, here is another quote that says a whole lot. It spoke to my heart, and I hope it will speak to yours also. It is by Lysa TerKeurst:
God gave us emotions so we could experience life not destroy it.
Do you feel at times that your emotions rule you? Do you allow yourself to get so carried away in and with your emotions that you almost feel as if you’re a tornado that is spinning out of control threatening to destroy all things in its path?
I certainly don’t claim to have all of the answers in this department at all, but I know the one who does – God! Yes, it all leads back to God. It’s all about His Light, His Love, and His Hope. Let the light of God fill you and wash over you. Allow the light of God to shatter the darkness in your life, in your negative thoughts, and in your out of control emotions. You simply cannot do this alone. No one can. We need God, plain and simple.
Will you consider turning it all over to God in 2014? Will you consider no longer trying to be in control of things that you have absolutely no control over to begin with? None of us do! We try so hard to control the uncontrollable. We think we have so much power when in reality, we do not control any one or any thing. God does!
You are being given the gift of another new year. What will you do with it?
Out with the old, in with the new! Here’s to a new beginning in 2014!
Blessings to you and yours!
~Shirley
Light, Love, Hope
