Flashback Friday Devotion #35 [Patience, Perseverence, & Progress]

Hi, Everyone.
Are you a patient person? If so, count yourself blessed! Sometimes I am surprised by my lack of patience. Of course, as a believer, I have the Holy Spirit inside me, and that means I have every quality of the Fruit of the Spirit working in me, including patience...as I yield to Him, that is.
Today's devotion is from my personal journal dated May 13. This was before I had even considered weight-loss surgery, but it still speaks to me. Let me know how God speaks to you.
Before you read today's devotion, would you take a moment to pray for all the families touched by 9/11, on this the 8th anniversary? Sometimes it's so hard to understand the times of tragedies, especially those inflicted on the innocent. We wonder why didn't God intervene? At Creation, He gave the earth to "us," but then "we" gave it over to the Evil One, and he and his followers have been wreaking havoc ever since. When Jesus came to earth to live and then died on the Cross and rose again, He gave us back authority. The enemy has only as much authority as we allow him to have. We must be vigilant, we must speak the Word, and rebuke the enemy's interference. No, God did not keep 9/11 from happening, but there are many, many stories of how He intervened. When we don't understand, we must trust His heart. It seemed like the enemy scored a major victory in the battle called 9/11, but I've read "the end of the story," and He & we win the war!

Flashback Friday Devotion #35 [Patience, Perseverence, & Progress]

     I got up this morning feeling "light," so I couldn't wait to step on the scale. I went to the bathroom first, though. "Every little bit helps," I thought, with a smile. I stepped on the scale, and...nothing. I weighed THE SAME as I did last Sunday.
     I could not believe it! Now, I know I did that emotional eating last Thursday night, but it wasn't very much, and the rest of the week was as planned. I felt...dismayed. If this continues, what will happen?
     In my discouragement and frustration, I went to the Lord. Before I could even ask, "What's the deal, Lord?" I "heard" Him say, "Good job, my daughter."
     "Good job?" I replied. "What do you mean, 'good job'? I didn't lose ANY weight!" He reminded me that my first reaction was NOT to go eat, to deal with my emotions. I praised Him for that, for sure!
     "But, Lord," I continued, "what about this lack of progress?" The Lord reminded me that the purpose of this God Gain lifestyle is not weight loss. The purpose is to enjoy Him and to eat with thanksgiving and discipline. He reminded me, also, that He wants me to trust Him, to leave the results up to Him. I know if I focus on Him, the weight loss will happen.
     True progress is when I do not let a day pass by without rejoicing in Jesus, eating good food with thanksgiving and discipline (when and how much to eat), "moving" in some way, and being accountable to someone. That's living purposefully.
     The Lord talked to me about the importance of persevering, even in a "plateau." God also asked me how many pounds I've lost in the past 5 weeks. "Five pounds, Lord," I answered. That's when I realized that I've lost an average of 1 pound per week, and that's great! I realize that, at that pace, it will take me almost 4 years to lose the weight I need to lose, to get to the weight God created me to be, but, hey, the time will pass anyway, Lord willing.
     I was reminded of what my accountability partner, Connie, said yesterday, in her talk to the mothers and daughters, at the Brunch, "This is a marathon, not a sprint." It is important to persevere, as I seek to make long-term changes, persevere through trials and difficulties, persevere through the stubbornness of my flesh and through strong temptations, and persevere through plateaus.
     I was reminded of James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy when you fall into divers [various] temptations, knowing this, that the trial of your faith works patience. So let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
     Through God's grace, I can persevere. As Connie reminded us yesterday, His strength is made perfect in my weakness (based on II Corinthians 12:9).

Today, think about how you handle trials, even the plateaus of weight loss. Plan a way to remind yourself that, through God's grace, you have the strength and patience to persevere. Listen to Paula Orr sing "Bow the Knee."  It's one of my favorite songs.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=41c2df3cdf7880 1ff149

Blessings,
Mary