Hi,
I have been wanting to quote something that a friend of mine sent me a few days ago because it seemed so appropriate to what I am experiencing. His name is Ken Bankhead and he is a missionary to Spain. I met him and his wife and family a few years ago when they were attending Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain and had just barely gotten to know and love them when they left on their mission. We got in touch a few years later through a mutual friend and he put me on his "Weekly Encouragement" e-mail list. Ken has been dealing with some major health issues for the last two years and had a flair up recently, so I did not hear from him for a couple of months. I would pray for Him as the Lord laid him on my heart and then suddenly one day, I got a "Weekly Encouragement" from him. I was so glad to hear from him! I hope he does not mind, I have edited and corrected a couple of things but did not change his thoughts. Here is Ken Bankhead's "Weekly Encouragement" for the week of Aug 1, 2010:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. -- Matthew 7:13-14
"A choice worth your examination:
"Since the beginning of time man has always been given a personal choice. Regardless of one’s situation or surroundings, your choice is your choice. This choice of yours is personal. Now, I will be honest, it may appear that this is the only choice you could make, but if you were to be honest (which I’m asking of you) standing before the Holy God, there would be no argument, because: Was it not your choice?
"Not long ago I was in the hospital noticing that the patient in the bed next to me did not want to remain, regardless of his medical condition. Finally things escalated to the point that the nurses, doctors and the specialist of his medical condition pleaded with him not to self check out of the hospital. They were telling him, “We know what’s wrong and how to help you.” Warning him, "If you do this, the condition will worsen." Finally he insisted on exercising his personal choice, leaving them no choice but to comply.
"Now, in all fairness, we often make choices stemming from fear, greed or pride. However, in faith you also make personal choices everyday. In the bible, Jesus is not ordering you around, but declaring to you what’s best for your condition. He will always respect your personal decision, only warning you, in truth, of what to expect the consequences to be. Because of this, your choice is not really made in fear, pride or greed, but in freedom. This leaves you with no other choice than to do a self examination.
"You decide, is Jesus right about the choice, or wrong?
"Be Encouraged -- KB"
Wow. I had never really seen this perspective before -- that my choices either regard, honor, and agree with, or disregard, dishonor, and disagree with my Savior and His word. This brings up the following verse to my mind:
John 8:31-32 -- So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The word that stands out to me is "abide." And my favorite definition of "abide" is: "to continue to be present," or to "live in." Here Jesus is saying that if you continue to be present in His word, if you live in His word, you will then be a true follower of His, a disciple. The only way for that to happen is, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to keep His word in my heart, to think about Him and His word throughout the day. To recognize and to regard His word and to obey it, or to do what it says. That will affect how a person lives their life. So the question is: "Do you want to be set free?" The only way to do that is to abide in Jesus word.
Aside from the obvious spiritual application, I am also applying this to is my new food and exercise lifestyle changes. I can see that my making foolish decisions often happens because I have forgotten the purpose and benefits. I am paying attention to my appetite, and not to my health. I have forgotten what the effects of my choices are. There are pictures that pop into my mind, or even just a feeling in my chest and throat that are pulling me toward a particular thing which soon pops into my mind as a particular picture.
Every time I make a wrong choice I am choosing to disregard what I know to be the healthy path. Every time I make a right choice, I am being obedient and compliant to what I know will support my health and my hunger pangs. If I have not kept the "word" or teachings that I have just been trying to incorporate, present in my mind and heart, then I am apt to get side tracked and make foolish choices.
So, just as I need to read my Bible every day to stay close to Jesus, I need to also re-read "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" to continue to walk in the healthy path. There may perhaps be a time when I have it so down pat that I am actually always walking the healthy path, but for now, I need to support my new healthy walk. So I am re-reading the book to remind me why I am doing this. I don't want to forget and fall off the wagon. I have been teetering, and I need to bring myself back to the principles that Dr Ripich teaches in order to continue to see progress.
Yesterday I had to visit the Unemployment Office to get an insurance paper signed so I took "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" with me and began to read it from page one. I was there long enough to read 56 pages before I set it aside and visited with a few ladies sitting near me. I was again reminded about what diabetes really is: a disorder of the metabolism that is caused by what we choose to eat. If I make right choices the disorder begins to right itself, because of the wonderful way the Lord created us. If I make wrong choices, each one, makes the metabolism go farther off track. It happens so slowly, almost cell by cell, that if I am not looking, I will not notice it. Bite by bite I am changing my cells for the good, or for the bad. My choices in life matter. What I choose to eat, matters to my health. Freedom comes from abiding in the teachings.
So. Off to read more -- in both books.
Be back soon
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
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Very encouraging, I like that.
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