Have you ever had a moment in your life that needed a
"change", and you needed something to 'mark' it with? How about a
Baptism?
What is Baptism?
bap·tism
/ˈbapˌtizəm/
noun
1.(in the Christian Church) the religious rite of sprinkling water
onto a person's forehead or of immersion in water, symbolizing purification or
regeneration and admission to the Christian Church. In many denominations,
baptism is performed on young children and is accompanied by name-giving.
synonyms:
christening, naming
"the baptism ceremony"
oa ceremony or occasion at
which baptism takes place.
plural noun: baptisms
oa person's initiation into
a particular activity or role, typically one perceived as difficult.
"this event constituted his baptism as a
politician"
synonyms:
initiation, debut, introduction, inauguration, launch, rite
of passage
"his baptism as a
politician"
This is the one I am focusing on today. Launching a new
ritual or sorts in choosing health. Something symbolic that can happen right
before changing something. A lifestyle, a habit/ritual, a choice.
Example with weight loss / healthy living:
1.throw out all junk foods or ‘trigger foods’
2.giving away all ‘fat clothes’
3.buying an attractive or expensive water bottle to
encourage hydration
4.letting your “support system” of people know your
changes you are making. You can say something like, “I can’t eat with you guys
in the way I once did, but I still want to figure out a way we can connect.”
Making an actual ceremony of this “rite of passage” to have
something physical to see, feel, hear… in the letting go or cleaning out of
things – is like a new, fresh washing of us! This “initiation” of doing this
activity that is very hard, will be met with success when we have the right
mindset or mind-shift into the newness of this activity.
Kind of a wedding. There is an announcement, then a
ceremony, then celebration, THEN the hard work! So too is it with something
that we need to do or change in our daily routines to be able to better choose
health. Making wise choices is not a natural thing to do for those of us who
have struggled with weight in any way, shape, or form. However, our brains ARE
trainable and it IS possible to create a new habit/ritual for our body and
brain to go to first.
My activity today will be to clean out ALL of my desk area
at work (where I spend most of my waking hours in a day). Cleaning my
environment. Then, I am going to have this little saying of what to say to
co-workers written on an index card, taped to my door/wall and when I am asked
to join or have something, I’m going to politely say this instead. I’m not
afraid to ask for support, but I just don’t speak up that often. Today, I am.
I see the parade of sugar that goes on for MONTHS quickly
approaching. Starting with Bosses Day and the potluck that happened to be 98%
carb type foods! Thank goodness I made an egg casserole with lots of protein!
I want to encourage you today, if you need to make a change
or be “baptized” and made new in a certain area of your life – do it!! Pray and ask the Father to have the Holy Spirit reveal to you what needs to be "cleansed" or "made new" - what you need to do to set
yourself up for success, and make a fresh, clean, new start. Hold your breath, be cleansed, then rise up to the newness of the life Jesus wants for you! I’ll be praying
for you and this special moment. Be well, be safe, and above all be blessed.
Exodus 4:11-12 Then the Lord asked Moses, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say." Chapter 4 is an interesting story of Moses and God interacting. Much like we act today with God LOL He instructs us to do something, and we shoot back with our doubts and concerns. Perhaps we even make a list of our flaws, and insist that He use someone else. What struck me in this chapter and chapters 5-7 as well, is that God had plans to move and work/speak through Moses. Just Moses. However, God being the gracious and merciful Father that He is - He allowed Moses to share his concerns and doubts. And like a father to an insistent child, that just doesn't see around the corners of life yet - God said "ok - I'll talk through you AND Aaron". God changed His plans and His "tools...
What kind of victory are you needing today? Psalm 149:4 (NLT) For the Lord delights in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. The Lord “delights” in His people. Delights. What comes to your mind as you hear that word? Do you have a memory or vision that pops in your head? I do! Watching young children at play, learning new things. Watching a toddler walk and even run with glee as they are being chased by a parent or grandparent. Yes, I can imagine we can bring this kind of delight to our Lord daily. I’m sure we put on a pretty amusing show each and every day LOL The Lord “crowns” the “humble” with “victory”. Well, these three words just don’t seem to go together, yet our heavenly Father puts them together in high importance. I know He will give each of us a crown when we get to heaven, but this verse let me see that there are “crowns” on us each and every day! Crowns of “victory”! When we are least expecting it, when we are unpresuming of something, THAT is when H...
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) " All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work." As we begin another new year, we all try and think of things we want to do better in our lives. Habits we want to change, things we want to accomplish, places we want to go.... According to these verses, ALL of scripture is useful in one way or another. To guide us out of troubles we find ourselves in and to protect us from choices we might make. How do we "get back on track" for the new year? Well, the easiest way I have found, is reading a Proverb each day that goes along with the date. So on the 1st of the month you read Proverbs 1. Then on the 2nd you read Proverbs 2. This way, if you miss a day for some reason, you just start on the 'date/day' you pick back up on....
James 1:22-24 (The Message - MSG) 22-24 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. James 1:22-24 (New Living Translation - NLT) 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. Do you remember what you saw this morning in the mirror? Now that you are on with y...
Do you ever feel like you are a character in a play, and you are wearing a "mask" all the time around others? Or do you feel like you are in the audience, and everyone around you is wearing a "mask"? Well, here is what "we" are told to do about that... Romans 12:9-10 NLT – 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. MSG – 9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. TPT – 9 Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another, and never play the role of an actor wearing a mask. Despise evil and embrace everything that is good and virtuous. 10 Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family . Try to ...
How do I know which way to go in life? A question I have asked myself MANY times! Isaiah 48:17 (NLT) Scripture – This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Thought – Not just "the Lord" but my Redeemer! He has taken MY place and suffered a death I do not have to suffer when I die. He is THE actual Holy One of Israel – for me!! He is also WILLING to teach and guide me along the path of life teaching me what is good for me and showing me the paths I should follow. He suffered things I will never have to suffer now. He teaches and shows me things that are good for me. When I follow His guidance and direction, I will NOT get lost, turned around, or off track. It is when I try and do things “my own way” that things go wonky. Application – Remember, right now – that the Lord is MY Redeemer! He is the one that i...
1 Peter 2:24-25 “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. ” We should not define someone by their lowest moment. Nor should we label them by their weakest moments in their life. Ok, so we have ALL made unwise choices. Sometimes it has affected others, and sometimes only to our own demise. But what about the legacy we leave behind? I know, I know – in the moment of the suffering or consequences of our actions, it can seem like a horrible legacy we are leaving. Take hope my friend – take hope in knowing that you are not alone! However, the bible shows us several people who have made poor choices, yet what we “know” them by, is their faith in God and not by their weakest moments in their life. Sure, we know the stories of the bad choices, but that is no...
Zephaniah 1:4-6 (MSG) "I'll start with Judah and everybody who lives in Jerusalem. I'll sweep the place clean of every trace of the sex-and-religion Baal shrines and their priests. I'll get rid of the people who sneak up to their rooftops at night to worship the star gods and goddesses; Also those who continue to worship God but cover their bases by worshiping other king-gods as well. Not to mention those who've dumped God altogether, no longer giving Him a thought or offering a prayer." Wow - the book of Zephaniah starts with some pretty harsh judgments on the people of Judah. I see this in our lives today too. We have fallen as a nation/country/world to these false gods and religions. We have turned away from worshiping God and God alone. The parts that jumped out at me, are things I used to do: sneak up to my rooftop to worship the stars, moon, and sun - false gods and goddesses. How sad that must have been for God! To watch His beloved daughter (me)...
James 1:26 "If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless." The strange thing about this verse, is that I personally, don't 'claim to be religious' - rather, I follow Jesus. I have a relationship with Jesus. However, in the eyes of someone that does not have that relationship, or doesn't understand the difference between different 'religions' - call ALL church people "religious". They use the term for people that they see that go to church, act different in situations, and or seem to follow a different standard or set of rules. Good or bad - "religion" can swing to both extremes. What jumped out at me in this one, is that we can be just as fooled as outsiders. We can do what seem to be 'good works' and 'follow the rules' of what ever it is we believe in.... BUT, if we don't control our tongue.... well, it is like we shatter g...
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