Toxin Faith

Toxin Faith

With all the toxins in the air, water, our food, and talk about lack of nutrients in our diets, we need to be aware, and use common sense. Take a good multivitamin, and don’t eat or drink junk! Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Yet, there is a supernatural component, that only faith can produce. We need to actively trust Jesus, and the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to negate some of the toxins in the system:

Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Let’s Pray: Father, I believe your supernatural power is negating any ill effects from any medicine, additive in my food or drink, or toxin in the environment. If I have drank any deadly thing, it shall in no way hurt me. I believe that Jesus is my strength, and physician, and that He is supernaturally healing and keeping me strong today. Amen!

From Faith to faith, Strength to Strength

From Faith to Faith!

No man is fit to command another who cannot command himself.
Wm. Penn

Job 9:19

If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong:

Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Psalm 84:7

They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Psalm 144:1

Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

I am in an interesting season of my life, pressing towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and God is teaching much through physical fitness.I have set two goals for this year: 1. To break 25 mins in a 5km run 2: To bench press 360lbs.

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/05/09/set-yearly-goals-and-work-them/

In each sport, running and weight lifting, I need to organize and discipline my life around my work outs, correcting my diet, my training, and my rest, to be able to consistently improve in each sport.

Initially, it was easy, because I had no concrete goals that I was working towards, so I could go to the gym whenever it fit into the schedule, and do whatever I felt like in terms of a workout, and for awhile, I was still making some improvement in overall fitness, but after a couple of years, I had reached a plateau, where I was not running any faster, nor getting any stronger in the weight room.

The definition of insanity is to keep doing what you always do, and expecting a different result.

I needed instruction and discipline, and as I began to ask questions at the gym and while jogging, I began to get answers, not all of which I particularly liked.

If I wanted to improve, I needed to change some things, and it has been hard. Had to watch my diet, deliberatly get more sleep, add vitamins and supplements, and then I sought out training partners who were my age, and who were currently achieving what I wanted to be able to do. They did not only instruct me in what I needed to do, but actually worked out with me, at a level that I did have the ability to perform at yet.

Result: I became stronger, healthier, faster, and more flexible than I have been in 20 years!

Yet, getting off the discipline cost me six months on my goals. I came into the gym late one day, and skipped warm up and stretch, and jumped into a heavy set on bench. I hit my max weight of 315 easily, then decided to add little tiny 2.5lb weights on either side, so I could break it. The weight came down, and SNAP, something broke deep inside my left shoulder. Been 8 months of stretching, prayer, and light weights trying to get my strength back. I benched 275 last week, but with some pain. Now, fear and caution are my friends. I have to listen intimately to Holy Spirit in each work-out, to know when I can push, and when it is time to back off to avoid injury.
Now, let’s take this to our walk with God:

In order to get stronger, fitter, faster, to excel I had to:

Had to learn to stay rested in life and ministry:
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In order to achieve a result I had never achieved, I had to hear and instruction I had never heard before.
Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I had to do what I learned to do, even though it was difficult.
Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

As I began to do what I needed to do, I was not alone in doing it, I had coaches that help me, who had already gone before me. While I learned much from these mentors, they did not get me where I want to be. Why? I had to learn what worked for them, and then process it in prayer, and then apply what I learned, that was working for me.

http://chrisaomministries.com/2015/08/13/run-the-race/

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Yep, I had to lose 45 pounds just to start!

Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

I had to change my diet and learn to eat new foods

Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

When people are right with God, they are apt to be hard on themselves and easy on other people. But when they are not right with God, they are easy on themselves and hard on others.
John Newton

I again seem to fight for rest and prayer time, but am back on track with my fitness goals again. It is good to work-out, it is good to be strong. It is better, to be right with Jesus, passionately pursuing Him!

Let’s Pray:
‘Father God, please show me how to excel in every area of life. Bring to me words that will build my faith, and bring me to the next level of victory in my life. Show me how to stay rested in you, and bring coaches, mentors, trainers, that are stronger than me, that can both show me, and train me to walk in a new level of anointing, power, and obedience to you, in your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen’

Bible Confessions for Diet and Exercise

Confessions for eating right

 

By faith I do not overeat.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is Lord of my appetites, leading me to eat the right the correct foods and portions everyday.  I declare that my body does not store fat but metabolizes it quickly and fuels my muscles for regular active use.

 

I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  God gives me time and motivation to exercise every day.   I receive wisdom in how to train effectively to prevent injuries, and to maximize my training schedule.

 

I believe I receive correct proper rest and supernatural recovery from workouts because God renews my youth. I believe I receive wisdom on vitamins and supplements, to complement my diet, work, and training schedule.

 

Freedom from the Bondage of Food

Most of you know my testimony, how in 2009, I had a stroke, blacked out at the wheel in my pick up on the highway, and miraculously ended up in the grassy median, unhurt. The journey back to health, where I had to meticulously watch my diet, lose 45 pounds, monitor the high blood pressure meds I was on, and begin a regimented weekly exercise program. As I studied, and drank my water, and took myriads of supplements, vitamins, and health foods, I went the opposite extreme, where I was eating almost entirely supplements and stuff! Ugh!

Then I read these verses:

1 Timothy 4:3

forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:4

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

And I began life as a full-time missionary, which meant that beans and rice were sometimes all we had, for weeks at a time, and it was brutal!

Idols die hard!

Yes, we need to eat healthy, but sometimes, simply having something to eat at all is a great blessing. I have learned that fasting will produce health, that while food is a great blessing from the Lord, as I have travelled, I have eaten some things that I would not have considered before (whale, seal, raw caribou, octopus, crickets, alligator, bear) to name a few things (all totally organic of course! LOL!)

In Isaiah 58, God’s chosen fast (https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/when-you-fast/)

⁶ Is not this the fast that I have chosen?
to loose the bands of wickedness,
to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and that ye break every yoke?

…

v8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning,
and thine health shall spring forth speedily:
and thy righteousness shall go before thee;
the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.

Clearly there are health benefits from fasting, in faith, as we take time to pray and seek the Lord.

I am learning to not post long, in-depth teaching here, as few of your take the time to read them, but let me sum up today, with this thought:

Philippians 4:5

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

1 Corinthians 6:20

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s

Eat healthy, fast sometimes, yet refuse to enter into bondage over food. Have an ice cream with the kids, enjoy some chocolate sometimes, take a good multivitamin, drink water, stay away from soft drinks and energy drinks in general, but don’t lose your sanity if you have a coke with your friends. In fact, we were on a missions trip recently, where a group of natives served some ice cold coke with a meal on a tough work day, that tasted like heaven!

The challenge is to be free from appetites and lusts of the flesh, and to get in touch with our true hunger, the hunger for the things of God, deep in our hearts, that only Jesus and His Word can legitimately meet.

I have seen ministers who are overweight, because they pour out life to the people they serve, and then feel spiritually hungry, and tired. Instead of taking time away from the responsibilities of the ministry, and deliberately feeding their spirit, they eat, and eat, food that will never touch their true hunger. Seen the same thing with malnutrition, people that load up on empty calories, that do not feed their bodies, and so they still feel hunger pains, and so they eat more sugar, processed foods, eat, and their body naturally turns this into fat.

Solutions:

1. Find ways to receive the Word  of God and ministry, that require absolutely no effort. I simply listen to the audio Bible, and God meets me in His Word, in the deep places of my soul.

2. Eat more protein, a good multivitamin, and drink water instead of sugary drinks, (You might feel like a drug addict in withdrawal for a month or so, as your body regulates itself)

Balance, common sense, exercise, humility, prayer, and spirit led living produce LIFE, Joy, love, and health in every area of your life.

1 Timothy 6:17

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, I know you love me, and have given me richly all things that I might enjoy life. Lord Jesus, free me from every bondage to food, and help me to eat to live, not live to eat. I trust You Holy Spirit for the gift of self-control in this, that I might truly glorify You in my body, today, and every day for the rest of my life.