Greetings & Happy New Year! I’ve kicked mine off with a 40 day fast and no not entirely from food. Only certain foods. 🙂 and media. The foods are things full of sugar, Nope! Cheese, yes still battling my cheese addiction but, it is much better. I am confident by the end of my fast, I will no longer hear cheese calling me daily. LOL I have cut my coffee down to 4-5 oz a day and No Soap Operas! That one was rough the first 7 days however, I replaced them with His Good News and nothing but, healthy, fun, positive movies. Wow! what a difference that has made in my daily life. Praise God! Once a week I do listen to 30 minutes of Nora O’Donnel news or 30 mins of the local news on CBS.. just to stay a little informed on what is going on in the world. I started this fast because it is my heart’s desire to walk with God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit in the fullness of The Way of Christ and that just can’t happen if I am doing all the talking and not listening when they speak to me. For some time I’ve had a lot of loud and clear signs, messages, and Pressing of spirit about honoring my temple and loving myself. That means not just feeding my spiritual life but, feeding my mind and body healthy things too. I’ve made excuses of I’m not in awful shape and I eat pretty healthy. However, one day recently I stood in front of the mirror and really looked at myself. All I could say was, “Augh, I am so out of shape” That took me to pray and this time really confess &repent of my sin of neglect and not listening. Ya know, true repentance only comes after confession if you pulls out the weeds you Know shouldn’t be in your garden. In other words, “change your ways”, seek and Listen to His guidance. Questions: 1. are you talking to God everyday? 2. Are you seeking and listening to what He has to say? 3. Do you making excuses when you know you have heard Him say, “that’s not the Way”? If question # 3 is something you do, I suggest you check out Wayne Dyer’s “Excuses Be Gone” on You Tube.

As far as diet and health 7th Day Adventist have tons of information on healthy living. They were even written about in the book the “Blue Zone” due to their healthy eating and living lifestyle extending their years on earth. The Blue Zones are areas where people live the longest. Yep you can google that too or there is a book called the Blue Zone. Another great book is by Ellen G. White called Councels on Diet & Foods it is great and covers everything! Including how foods can cure disease or create dis”ease” if you don’t get things in control. One thing she says right off is: “Wherever the Truth is proclaimed , instruction should be given in the preparation of healthful foods” This website can help with that: https://www.youtube.com/@jademountainfarms. It has lots of short videos for quick healthy great foods. So no excuses of healthy eating takes to long. Smile

In His Word, the Father tells us not to be gluttons, over indulge, and to take care of our (His) temples. Yes, we are His temples. Think on that a bit. What kind of home are you asking Jesus to come in to? And remember He does not give us more than we can bear. He has not given us any instruction which cannot be obeyed by all. There is nothing He asks that is unreasonable. We just have to remember sins aren’t just things like murder, adultry, and such. Abusing ourselves & ignoring God in our lives is a sin too. But, all Praises, when we stop, repent, have Faith, Trust, and Listen, we can trust Jesus words, “Behold, thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee”. (I’ve had that happen too, a worse thing come, I can be hard headed sometimes but, not so much these days, it is not worth it.) If you too have been hard headed, you can choose to change, Now! Ya know, He promises we are Well Able, when walking with Him, to be transformed back into the beautiful person He created us to Be. That does not mean the images in media like Miss Universe or Denzel Washington. Not necessarily anyway. Every person is created as a unique individual and how boring for everyone to be the same shapes, sizes, colors, and so on. So that is Not the goal nor what it means to “love yourself as He loves you or as you are called to love your neighbor.” Check out 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 for the Way of Love. Then go look in the mirror and ask, “Am I loving myself?” I have learned, if you don’t love yourself the way God loves you and don’t believe in who He says you are, it is next to impossible to truly love your family, friends, and your neighbors. Now go read 1 Corinthians 13 again and think on how you show love to God, yourself, family, friends, and your neighbors. Enough said there, I will let the Holy Spirit take over now. Hugs

I leave you with this: If you want Love, Peace, and Joy in your daily life you can have it just answer His Knock, ask Him in, all the way in, and follow Him in the Ways of His Love. I have, and while I could talk all day everyday about how much “following, listening, and sharing His Love has changed so much in my life, I won’t. But, I will be back in 2 weeks with another post to share. Why? Because it’s one of the ways I express my “Love your Neighbor day & I love you! “

Shalom!