February 27, 2006

  It’s Time To Encourage Your Self! 

What do you do when your personal trainer Carroll Roberts, The Master Builder aka The Fitness Angel is unable to come by and work you out?

What happens when the video on the Fitness Angel link www.myfitnessangel.com does not work for you?

What happens when none of your friends are available to encourage or support your weight loss and exercise efforts?

The bible tells the story of King David. There was a situation where he and the mighty men of valor were out fighting the enemy. When they returned their wives and children and all that they owned had been taken away. The men that were fighting alongside David blamed him for their loss. The bible says that David had to encourage himself in the Lord.

What does that mean to us as we attempt to get our relationships and our emotional, spiritual and physical bodies fit? It means that sometimes the power to turn our situation around has to come from an internal source. When there is no one there to encourage you, your personal trainer can’t make it and the video link fails you, you have to be able to get up and work out on your own. You must have the power of the Holy Spirit working on the inside of you in such a way that when there is no one else there you can encourage yourself. You have to be able to seek God in prayer for yourself in the tough times, and for us working out can be tough.

The other day I woke up at 5am all hyped up and ready to work out. Yeah, I said 5am. I made a commitment to God to get His temple in the proper working order so that He could get the glory out of everything I do. I got dressed turned on the video and nothing. I reset my computer and nothing. I could have just gone back to my room and flipped on the TV and sat and watched it or began to read, but I had made a commitment to the Lord and I needed to keep it. So I sent a message to The Fitness Angel Show to let them know about my dilemma and my upset. I am your advocate and I drive the Fitness Angel and the Webmaster crazy with my requests. I know what a big deal it is for us to have everything just the way we need it when we want to work out. Any little distraction will throw off our entire program. I am your advocate I know what a big deal it is for a full figured woman to make a decision and be unable to follow through because of something we think should have been easy. Well after I sent the message I jumped on my treadmill for a quick 30 minute walk.

If I want to succeed in my efforts to become fit holistically, I need to have a relationship with God that moves me past what I feel like. When there is no one else there I need to know that He is always there to comfort, encourage and support me. While the Master Builder aka The Fitness Angel has an awesome gift of encouragement, his gift is nothing in comparison to the gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence.

For those of you who do not know I work, write, pray for and critique the Fitness Angel Show and the New Beginnings websites from the full figured woman’s perspective. I am your advocate and sometimes I am The Fitness Angel’s worst nightmare.

Remember I am not one of the Fitness Angel/Master Builder’s clients. He does not see me 3-4 times per week to workout, just like he doesn’t see many of you. We have to figure out another way to stay motivated. Ladies, I know just how you feel. This is not an easy road. Other people can help us but we have to make a decision to do this and then press through when like David we are standing alone. Don’t wait around for people to encourage you, just in case that encouragement never comes. The Fitness Angel/Master Builder is a good friend of mine. You would expect that I probably get more encouragement than any of his clients. Wrong!!!! God is teaching me to depend on Him to motivate me, because I am not the Fitness Angel’s project. I belong to God and He will work this out for me and with me.

This weeks challenges to encourage yourself:

1. Put stars on your calendar for everyday you work out. Post it in a prominent place that will be visible to you all the time. (Your palm pilot may not work very well.)
2. Make a list of things you want to change and begin to make steps in that direction.
3. Make a list of what God has already done to show himself in your life.
4. Pray for God’s direction in your efforts to become fit physically, spiritually, emotionally and relationally.
5. Pray for God to sustain you through this lifestyle change.

It’s Time to Encourage Your Self!!!!!!!!!!

Contact Angela@mynewtemple.org for further discussion or go to our message board.