Walking in the Spirit or . . .

How often do we hear the call to walk in the Spirit? Jesus did it and encouraged it. The first apostles did it and encouraged it.  Paul did it, taught it and encouraged it.

Today we talk about it, but do we do it?

We have come to the place where we are convinced a person either walks in the Spirit or they walk in the flesh.  That causes us to believe that as long as we are not pursuing and constantly gratifying our flesh that WE MUST be walking in the Spirit.

But is that true?

How much of what we call walking in the Spirit is really walking in our souls? How much is driven by the soulish side of us - that which makes up our feelings, our will and our emotions?

We may be free of providing for our flesh and the lusts thereof; but what about our selfish desires and emotionally driven will?  We can so quickly and easily become tied to our soulish nature to where every circumstance of life establishes our spiritual condition. And yet we call that walking in the Spirit. 

We tell ourselves to break through in prayer, but the feelings and drive of our soul can become so strong that we superimpose our own will into our prayer and what we "hear" from God. We find ourselves basing God's leading on our own false pretense.

The answer,  therefore, to this challenge is the Word of God.  The writer of Hebrews says this:

Hebrews 4:12 AMP

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

The Word of God divides the soul and spirit. It brings us to a place of reckoning. It causes us to have our minds renewed. It transforms our lives to a place that is beyond ourselves.

To walk in the Spirit is to walk in God's will. God's will is always found in God's Word.  God's Word possesses the power to get us away from our soulish and selfish desires and into alignment with God's plan.

I Am Losing It

Weight that is . . . .

I had been sensing God dealing with me about being disciplined in all areas of my life, and this was the glaring area of lack.  Therefore, on September 21, 2013, I began a journey of discipline in regards to my eating habits, exercise, and overall physical condition.  I must say it has been the best decision I have made in quite some time.

What Have I Done?

I have not done anything special really.  The primary things that have changed has been portion control and increased exercise and activity.  I have been helped tremendously by a couple of phone apps - MyFitnesPal and Pedometer Pro.

MyFitnessPal has allowed me to track my daily calorie goal and intake as well as cardio and strength exercise.  It helps me to make disciplined decisions on what I eat and how much I eat.  I am so glad I found this app.  I have to give a shout out to Rob Duffie - pastor in Monmouth - who mentioned this app on his Facebook page.  It has been fun to be able to enter lower weight totals and to see my calorie goal shrink as I meet milestones and goals.

Pedometer Pro has been a help in tracking when I walk or jog.  It measures my speed of movement, distance, and calories burned.  When Kim and I first began in September we did quite a bit of outdoor walking and this app was used quite often.  With winter we have not done as much walking, but I am really looking forward to getting back into that come spring.

I must also say that we have "played" The Biggest Loser on Wii as a form of exercise.  This has worked on core, upper & lower body, and even thrown in some Yoga stretching.  I will no longer assume yoga stretching is for sissies.  :)  Recently, we have added a 30-day challenge video by Jillian Michaels.  It is quite intense and I am starting to notice how it is helping tone some areas of my body which is much needed.

I keep saying "WE" because I am excited that my wife decided to join me on this journey.  Very glad we are doing this together.  She encourages me tremendously.

What Do I Eat?

Pretty much whatever I want.  The only thing I have completely eliminated is soda.  I have always been a HUGE fan of Mountain Dew.  Early on, however, I realized a large from Taco Bell was worth 410 of my daily calories and decided I didn't want to drink my daily goal.  :)

Other than that I have become more disciplined in terms of portion control.  MyFitnessPal allows us to see the caloric value of the food we are about to eat.  With that I pre-determine how much I am going to eat.  I have learned that I do not have to leave the table stuffed.  I can leave the table with a slight feel of hunger and that is not going to destroy me.  The hardest portion control for me has been sweets and desserts.  I love desserts.  I still have them from time to time, but not in a binge way like I did many times before.  Moderation is key for me.

Something else I have changed is consistency of having breakfast and adding in healthy snacks.  Who knew I would have such an affinity for granola bars???  Fruit has also become more of a consistent staple in our home.  I do not feel like I am missing out at all in terms of eating.  We still do our fair share of eating out, having pizza, devouring a steak, etc.  I just do not make eating such an adventure any more.  :)

What Are the Results?

Since beginning this journey on September 21, 2013 I have personally lost 35 pounds.  I have gone from a 38 waist pant to a 34 waist.  I have begun buying and wearing Large shirts instead of XL.  I have added many holes to my belts (next on the list to buy).  I have given away suits that no longer fit, as my size changed from 48 Regular to 44 Regular.

Beyond those changes, I feel great.  I have a higher level of energy.  I have more confidence.  I generally feel better.  I have come to greatly enjoy exercise.  I must say that I plan to remain on this journey for the rest of my life.

My goal at the outset was to lose 50 pounds.  I would still like to get to that place, but losing weight has become more difficult.  I find myself focusing in on muscle toning and burning away more fat.  I know if I am going to reach my goal it is going to require greater effort and even more eating discipline.  Plus, I realize it is going to require patience which is not a strength of mine.  :)

I think my most favorite part about this is that I have done this during the last quarter of the year - during holiday season.  I enjoyed Halloween candy, Thanksgiving feasting, and Christmas goodies in a healthy and disciplined way.  I even came home from our Christmas trip to find I had lost 2.5 pounds that week.  That stuff will keep me motivated.

Well, I have had many questions about what I have been doing to lose weight.  I thought this might be the best way in which to give the details and information.  Thanks for your support.  Thanks for reading this blog.  If anyone has any questions or wants more information or even accountability on their own journey, please let me know.  I am not an expert.  I am not a trainer.  I have simply found what works for me and I love it.

Thanks!  God bless!  Happy New Year!
Rodney