My child, soon you will see My glory manifested in what seems like impossible circumstance. Soon you will know and be amazed at how I work ALL things out for good. I am always at work. I never slumber or sleep. Even in the quiet times, rest assured I am working. I am near and I hear your prayers. Never think for a moment that I don’t hear you or that I don’t care. I ALWAYS hear and I care more than you can imagine. O taste and see that I am good. Come and take refuge in Me.
Psalm 34:8
My child, whom I have anointed and taken by the right hand. I have opened doors before you that will not be shut. I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will shatter the doors that seem impenetrable and I will give you the treasures of darkness, the hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Believe Me My child and do not doubt or fret. Walk forward in the confidence of My power.
Isaiah 45:1-3
My child, in the waiting I am there. In the stillness and quiet I am with you. Let Me be your peace as you wait. Let Me be your focus when there are more questions than answers. Rest, pray and believe. I am in control.
Psalm 18:19 Hebrews 11:6
My child, blessed are you when you walk by faith. Blessed aer you when you choose o believe Me instead of doubting. Blessed are you when you have full assurance that I am in control and working everything out for your good. Live in faith and not in fear. You will live a blessed life and you will be a blessing to others.
My child, I hear your cry. I hear the cry of your heart. I am moving in the lives of your loved ones. I am revealing Myself to them. They are having a head on collision with My Holy Spirit that will result in their salvation. Trust Me. Believe Me. It’s coming.
My child, My Spirit is within you to bring life to your body, soul and heart. My Spirit within you works to conform you to My image. You can’t do this life in your own strength. You can’t do all I’ve called you to do on your own. You can only do what I’ve called you to do in My power and by My Spirit. I have created you for Myself. My ways are so much higher than yours. Don’t put limitations on yourself by trying to do things in your own strength. With Me all things are possible. Surrender all to Me and watch the impossible become possible.
Romans 8:29 Isaiah 55:9 Luke 1:37
My child, run into My arms when you’re weary. Let Me wrap My loving arms around you. Enter My peace and rest as you come to Me with every ounce of your being. Let My Spirit wash over you and fill you with My love. Where you feel incapable, I am capable. Where you lack, I provide. You were not designed to be self-sufficient. You were designed by Me and for Me. I alone provide everything your need to do this thing called life. Stop trying to do it on your own and in your own strength. Let it go. Surrender all to Me and let Me fill you to overflowing. Let Me live through you and experience My love, My strength and my power working through you. This is the true meaning of life.
My child, in Me there is strong confidence. In Me is a fountain of life. In Me is wisdom, understanding, peace and joy. Those who seek Me will find Me when they seek Me with their whole heart. For I am God and I love you. I am God and I wish that none should perish. I do not give you a spirit of fear, but I give you a spirit of power and of love and a sound and disciplined mind. I provide discipline, self-control, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, patience, peace, joy and love. If you live by My Spirit you will walk by My Spirit. You will be an overcomer. You will have victory if you allow Me to live through you.
Proverbs 14:26&27, Jeremiah 29:13, 2 Peter 3:9, 2 Timothy 1:7, Galatians 5:22&23
Summer is upon us. I have been involved in fat loss-muscle building challenges since the fall of 2009. This Summer Challenge is my sixth. Why?, some may ask, and have asked. For me to have a goal and be working toward something brings meaning to my life. It just makes me happy. I’m constantly seeing how I can improve, have more energy, feel better and be stronger than the year before. Since March of 2011, I’ve been eating strictly vegan. Partly as an experiment and partly because it just makes me feel good.
I’ve incorporated some green drinks (Amy’s Hippy Dippy Green Drink aka Green Lemonaide) and some live food smoothies into my nutrition plan. I try to eat at least fifty percent of my food raw. I believe as we put living food into our systems, we will feel more alive and our bodies will be repairing at a much faster rate. Live food in = life. Dead food in = well you get the picture.
One of the goals for this Summer Challenge is to gain muscle. The goal is to gain 5 pounds of pure lean muscle while at the same time lopping off five pounds of fat. Not an task, but it has been done. The main thing to focus on is eating enough calories so you don’t lose lean body mass but not too many as to add unwanted fat. This will be accomplished by eating 5 or 6 mini meals a day and cycling the calories. Shooting for 1600 on my low days and bringing them up to 1950 every fourth day. These numbers are different for every person. You can google Katch McArdle Calorie Calculator to determine what these figures are for you.
My first meal is oatmeal with soy protein. Meal 2 is Hippy Dippy Green juice or live food smoothie. Third is a large green salad with a variety of raw veggies and lentils, beans or quinoa. Meal 4 are protein balls or protein drink, the last meal is some form of protein and vegetables, either cooked or raw. I taper down on carbohydrates during the day which helps a great deal with hunger. I workout early so I bracket my workouts with the highest carbohydrate meals. It’s important to fuel your workouts. I’m logging everything I eat so I know how many calories I’m consuming.
Speaking of workouts, I’m lifting pretty heavy weights 4 days a week doing a split routine. Which consists of one day training chest & biceps, one day of legs & abs, one day of back and calves & abs and one day of shoulders & triceps. For cardio I’m running with my running buddies on Tuesdays and Thursdays incorporating high intensity interval training. On Friday or Saturday I usually get a long bike ride in with Dan.
After just one week I’ve lost 1.67 pounds of fat and gained .07 pounds of lean body mass. for a total of a loss of .83% body fat. Not to mention the half inch off my waist and a quarter inch off my hips!
With a bit of discipline, some hard work and a determined goal, you can reach your health goals. Won’t you join me in getting in the best shape of your life, no matter what age you are?
Recipes listed under the Forums tab.