BEAT OUR BODIES INTO SUBMISSION

I love to be an encourager, reminding people that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. But it wouldn’t be very loving of me if all I ever  told you was God loves you and has a big dream for you!
To grow in the Lord, you need balance.
Not just comfort and encouragement, but also clear instruction on what you must do to grow in your faith.
Remember from my last post STRONG is the new SKINNY!

Well discipline and self-control are not my favorite type of instructions!  Yet, without discipline and self-control, you’ll never achieve the dreams and goals God has planted in your heart, let alone live a life that glorifies Him.I have a whole chapter in my upcoming book that shares how we
"beat our bodies into submission" that even sounds scary!  I did not make that up its found in 1 Corinthians ch 9:24-27!

If you’re going to persevere and be the person God wants you to be, you must learn to practice discipline and self-control.We need to learn to beat our bodies into Gods plan for our life! I dont know about you but that does not sound easy! In todays world we think we can enjoy everything with no self control or discipline. Well I dont think thats the way God created us!

Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (NLT).

There is nothing more wonderful or comfortable than having grown in God to a place where you are at peace with Him in every area of your life. Learning to live with discipline and self-control brings beauty and peace which exceeds the short-term thrill of living without boundaries or accountability but thinking that's the fun life!

There is nothing worse than waking up with a guilty conscience, knowing there’s something unsettled between you and God.
Boy I dislike that feeling but then again its a reminder that the spirit is alive and well in my heart! 
 The only way to settle things with Him is by learning to say “no” to the things that poison your life, and sticking with people and situations that contribute to your spiritual well being.

 Understand that God has put those people and situations in your life to polish you and mold you into the image of Christ.
 
I struggle with learning self-control because my willpower is poor!  However in  John 15:5 it says we can’t do anything apart from God. willpower happens only when God is in the middle.

If God is dealing with you about your behavior and attitudes, instead of brooding because you can no longer get away with the things you once got away with, you should rejoice. That’s the Holy Spirit coming alive inside you.


STAY COMMITTED

 
Here are 3 training tips to ponder today to help you become the runner God has intended you to be!

Align with God’s Will

God has planted a seed in your heart and it’s growing. Believe that God is working in your heart to make you want more of what He has for your life than just getting your own way. You can water that seed by seeking Him with your whole heart. The more you pray, study and read the Word, the more you will see the positive results of doing the right thing, which will make you want to do even more right things.
You have everything you need, in Christ, to be what you need to be. Commit to bringing your life under God’s discipline and authority. Ask Him to help you live a life aligned with His will. It may be hard at first, but stick with it and I promise you will experience deeper peace than you ever knew when you were living only for yourself


GIVE THE BROKEN TOES TO GOD

God never said to quit! We need to take the pain and discover a new muscle that God is strengthening! I worked out really hard the last two days and some of my body parts are in pain! I feel the pain in muscles I have not targeted in awhile. When we go through broken toe areas in our life it does not mean we run away and leave things broken. We hand what is BENT over to God and He fixes what we claim is BROKEN! Christ came to heal everything that appears broken!
Now to hang on to this thought in an angry situation takes self control and discipline! lets look at number 3.

MAKE A GOAL A VISION
I find it much easier to exercise self control and discipline if I have a log. I write down what could and should be according to the ways of God. I may be far away from reality but when I jot a goal for the day I am moving forward in alignment to Gods will. I will have a whole chapter coming in the new book about how to make a goal a vision and how we press on to the mark! Again stay connected to the blog this summer and I will be sharing bits and pieces of this book!


Have a Blessed day!

STRONG IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF WEAK

HELLO FRIENDS! 

I know its been a long time since I blogged. I have been diligently working on a book project s due out by fall/winter.While writing, I am still playing taxi, chef, maid, wife, mom and dogs best friend! I am not complaining, I  love every bit of it but writing placed in the mix of things can make for some crazy days! 
I  plan to blog again full time by mid summer. I am very excited to share this book/study with everyone very soon  The book is called " Run In Such A Way" we will break down 1 corinthians 9:24-27 which states...

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

This fall I will offer the study online for those interested. Be on the look out for some great things. I just wanted to touch base and share the visions of things to come.
I will also be running my second marathon in October 2013 so I am sure you will hear about those training runs in the months to come!

Lets do a quick little devotion together!

Think about this verse with me:
" let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus."
Hebrews 12:1-2

In the race of life, the joy of knowing Jesus is what its all about!

Life's tests are worth the sweat, tears, training, and straining. Even when you think the next breath just might be your last due to the difficulty, mentally picture yourself  pulling your head up, and keeping your eyes on the prize.

"When I see the vision God has for my life, even as I am mired in the mundane, I can keep running. When I see the tapestry of life, even as I live on the edge of a frayed thread, I can keep trying. "


But inevitably, my head gets heavy with the weight of the worries or problems. My head droops even as I "will it" to look forward.
When I run my legs get so tired and sore and full of weight that I just want to stop and quit... This is when I need to  tell myself, "Keep going, you can do it!"

My race friends cheer me on,  reminding me to keep my chin up. Yet my head drops, full of doubt and fear.

We all hit WALLS in life.
I will be spending a whole chapter in the book on our HUMPS in life.
Whether it be our marriages, family relationships, fiances or careers. We HIT those ugly humps!

You and I have so many opportunities to feel sad or discouraged leading to a bad attitude, but God wants us to stay strong in Him. Those who do this will eventually come out on top, because there’s no way the enemy can hold you  back if you will trust God and keep your hope in Him.

Train yourself to Trust Your Helper

Not only will God deliver you, but He will also sustain you while you’re waiting for your breakthrough. He keeps us strong while we’re waiting and keeps us from going under!

Even when we’re tempted to think, It’s not going to do me any good to pray after the way I’ve acted, we can’t let that stop us from asking for God’s help. Why is that? Because when we go to the Father in prayer, we don’t go in our name…we go in the name of Jesus.
When you’re hurting, in trouble, or WAITING IN A MUDDY MESS you need to believe that your help has been sent out from heaven and it is on the way. God may not come early, but He won’t be late.

No matter what your circumstances look like or what the world may say, hang in there. Because help is on the way!

During my long runs I will be praying for marriages and families, let me know if you need prayer for your humps! I need something to pray about while running all those long miles. Let me take your humps to Jesus my friends!

Again, the enemy wants us to HIT the wall and stay down.
I pray when we do HIT those walls, we get back up even stronger with Gods help.

 I know its hard and you just want to give up but tell yourself that...

YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHOM STRENGTHENS YOU PHILIPPIANS 4:13


"strong is what happens when you RUN out of weak"N

STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY!

Running with you my friends,
heather@hbministries.com

Love and blessings,