Me And My FAT Belly (1)

Daughter of The King

This article is my 80th posting here on Voice of the Dove, and I must confess it is the hardest, most uncomfortable, awkward and humiliating piece that I've put on the internet to date. But here it goes...

When I look in the mirror, I hate the reflection looking back at me. Particularly when I turn sideways and my fat belly extends like a woman with child. Some would say, "Well there's a very simple solution for this, get in the gym." And I agree, wholeheartedly. But it doesn't seem to be as cut and dry as that.

Even in my twenties, when I was a size 10, my stomach was bigger than I felt comfortable with. Needless to say, the figure in the mirror has wrecked my self-esteem. When I go to the mall to buy clothes, it becomes a frustrating affair. Issues with my weight go back some 30 years or more. There's got to be more to it than diet and exercise because I have yo-yo'd up and down so many times.

When I look at other overweight women with flat bellies, I get so jealous. How come it doesn't seem to effect them?

Lately, I seem to be praying about this more and more, because it is disturbing my peace of mind more than usual. I do know that God is concerned about the things that seems to be concerning us, which means that it must be on His mind as well.  The apostle Peter admonished us to cast all our care upon the Lord, for He cares for us.

I want to be delivered from this thing once and for all. No more yo-yo dieting, no more heavy sighing when I look in the mirror, and no more leaving the mall frustrated and depressed. I know strongholds can be broken.

More over, with God's help I can learn to love the me that I am right now, and see the beautiful woman that resides inside and outside of me.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment (apostle Peter said)... instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. Man looks mostly at the outer appearance, but God looks at the heart. Charm can be deceitful and beauty fades away, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised (Prov. 31:30).

Mephibosheth was King Saul's grandson, but he had a dead-dog image of himself. So when King David wanted to be kind and bless him, Mephibosheth said why would he want to bless a dead-dog like me? As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. God may want to bless you and use you but He can't get past your dead-dog image of yourself. If you believe you are unattractive, no matter how beautiful you are, you'll be unattractive. I am The King's daughter, why wouldn't He want to bless me?

The children of Israel had been taught that certain animals were unclean. Under Mosiac Law, they were not to have any dealings with those animals. But as a result of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, God does not see those animals as unclean anymore.

The apostle Peter was on the rooftop praying one day and he saw a vision of a large sheet come down out of the sky tied at the four corners. Inside the sheet there were all those unclean animals that they had not been permitted to eat.

Jesus said to Peter, "Arise, kill and eat." Peter said, "No Lord I cannot eat these unclean animals." Jesus corrected Peter, "What I have cleaned up, don't you call it common or unclean."

Jesus is saying the same thing to us, "Don't you dare call what I have cleaned up common or unclean. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, a beautifully cut diamond, My masterpiece and work of art. Should the clay say to the Potter, 'Why have You made me like this?' My thoughts toward you are precious and innumerable, more than every grain of sand in the sea and on the shore. You are beautiful to Me. Don't believe the lie because I am telling you the truth. What I have cleaned up, please don't call it common. You are the crown jewel. Truth is, you are so beautiful to Me."

So, as for me and my fat belly, I will go to the gym. But if I never lose it proportionate to 36-24-36, I will pray God helps me to embrace every part because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Heavenly Father, my King...
Deliver me from trying to fashion who I am based on the world's standards. Let me look to You to be my mirror, and my master makeup artist. You created me after Your likeness therefore, let Jesus be the image in the mirror reflecting back at me. I long to have the peace that passes understanding, and no longer be wearied by what appears to be my flaws. Let Your peace rule my heart. Give me eyes to see the beauty You see and embrace truth and not lies. Make my feet like the hind's feet so I may ascend to the high places with my Savior, Christ Jesus. Amen.

Seeking Success And Finding It

In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success. (Prov. 3:6 TLB)

The road signs to success sometimes lead astray... down a dead end road with no through access. People have written books about this stuff, giving you seven steps to follow to reach success. I am not putting them down, I am just saying there is a more excellent way.

The Lord told Joshua... "Ponder and meditate on My word day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed." (Josh. 1:8 MSG)

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might (Eccl. 9:10a)

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men (Col. 3:23)

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matt 6:33)

You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:13)

Go in peace.

Blessed Assurance - Jesus is Mine All Mine

Frustrated Christian Woman

I grew up in and around the church, and like the children of Israel, had the benefit of hearing God's word - attending Sunday School and partaking of many sermons.  We were taught that you had to live a perfect life or else you run the risk of waking up in hell when you passed from this life.  So when I finally accepted Christ at the age of 36 I struggled and I struggled with the idea that I was never walking the line straight enough, and thus securing eternal life.

To make matters worse, I was hearing a lot of sermons on sin, nearly every Sunday morning. This made me very, very sin conscious and perpetuated the fear of losing my salvation in greater and greater measure... till I thought I would literally lose my mind.  I love the Lord my God, but He appeared to be an extremely hard task master. And the idea that my salvation was constantly in jeopardy, made me feel like a total loser.

One day I decided to give up trying.  What was the point?  I got down on my knees for one last word of prayer - to say good-bye and fare well to the Lord I loved.  I was done.  When I had finished my good-byes, I got up to walk away and took two steps and collapsed in a heap on the floor in breathless sobs and uncontrollable wailing... the pain in my heart was excruciating, the likes of which I had never seen before.

I could not walk away from the Lord my God. Even I, myself, could not snatch myself out of the good Lord's hands. He sent the Holy Spirit to seal us in, and we are saved.

God knew my heart, even though my struggle with the flesh and sin consciousness kept me feeling like a loser much of the time.  God knew I was sincere.  He knew I did not want to say good-bye that day.  He held me close and did not let me go.

I was at home having Bible study one day and I divinely stumbled across a Bible verse in the book of John where Jesus said, "I give them eternal life and they shall never perish."

"What you say? Never?"

"Never!"

"And I don't have to earn it?"

"No, I gave it!"

Who can fathom the love of God?  The apostle Paul prayed that all saints may comprehend the width and length and depth and height of the love of God and come to know the love which Christ has for us that far surpasses our ability to understand.  It took centuries of preparation to get Jesus down to earth and to the cross. Do you think He would just give up on you so easily?  Not happening! He does not even want one of us to perish.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)

The Universe Is Not God

The universe is not God. It contains no divine qualities whatsoever. God created the universe, and He controls the universe. It is God's creation, just like you and me. The universe does not make decisions. The universe does not decide who is blessed and who is not. The universe does not decide who lives and who dies. The universe does not make good and bad happen.

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:18-19

Satan is the father of lies and he uses science and ungodly men to confuse the world and believe his lies. These are antichrists.

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:22-23

If you say you believe in God... He will first introduce you to His Son. You cannot have One without the Other.

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: "That you may be justified in your words, and may overcome when you are judged." Rom. 3:3-4

Before anything else existed, God existed. He created everything... the universe, planets, galaxies, stars, the sun, and the moon and spirits and humans - all were created by Him and for Him.

The universe was not developed by a Big Bang. That is a lie.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God (when He said, "Let there be"), so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Heb. 11:3

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things exist. Col. 1:16-17

The universe is not running things. God is running the universe.

They (who perpetuate these lies) are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:5-6

Knowing God Through Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me, Christ Jesus. Behold, I stand at the door of your heart knocking, please let Me in.

If you have a heart to know the true and living God, you will know that these words are truth, and that Jesus is stirring in your heart even now. Don't let this opportunity pass without responding to Him.

Dear Heavenly Father...
   I now believe that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son, that He came down to our earth in the flesh and died on the cross to take away all of my sins and the sins of this world. I believe that Jesus Christ then rose from the dead on the third day to give all of us eternal life.

Lord Jesus Christ...
   I now confess to You all of the wrong and sinful things that I have ever done in my life. I ask that You please forgive me and wash away all of my sins by the blood that You have personally shed for me on the cross. I am now ready to accept You as my personal Lord and Savior. I now ask that You come into my life and live with me for all of eternity.
   Father and Jesus – I now believe that I am truly saved and born again.
   Thank You Father.   Thank You Jesus.

Congratulations, you are now a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and no longer a sinner. His Holy Spirit will welcome you in and guide you on this new path of eternal life.

Go in peace.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

Here I sit at the starting gate. Should I stay or should I go? David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

Habakkuk said, "What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how He’ll answer my complaint."

We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken, Enoch pleased God. It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe (A) that He exists and (B) that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him.