Saturday, April 16, 2011

Made To Crave Bible Study ~ Empowered

Over the next several weeks I will be posting conversation's and information from a Bible Study I am doing with a group of girlfriends...as well as extra insight from recent webcasts about this material.

The Bible Study is called Made To Crave.
It was lived out and written by my friend Lysa Terkeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries.
You can read more about Lysa on her blog by going here.
Made To Crave and other wonderful materials can be purchased through Proverbs 31 ministries - click here for more details.
We invite you to join us on this life changing journey. Each week I will post information that has the potential to transform all of us both spiritually and physically. I encourage you to get a copy of the Made to Crave book and study guide and come back several times weekly to walk this road with us. It is also important you have a bible to look up scripture verses and grow in the knowledge of His Word. You can also look up verses by going to www.biblegateway.com



MADE TO CRAVE ~ Week 1
Chapters 1-3

Psalm 84:1 -2
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Friends...We were made to crave.
Yes - desire, yearn and crave...Our God.
The Creator of Heaven & Earth.
Unfortunately, we have been lured away from desiring God the most
and replaced it with cravings for our sinful selves, the lust of our eyes
and
the boasting of ourselves.

1 John 2:15-16 (Amplified Bible)
Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world.
If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh (craving for sensual gratification) and the lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind) and the pride of life (assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things) - these do not come from the Father but are from the world (itself).

On page 21 in the MTC book - Lysa shares how our eyes are being fascinated by the love of so many things. She breaks down the 3 ways we are lured by our cravings.

Cravings = trying to get our physical desires met outside the will of God.

Lust of our eyes = trying to get our material desires met outside the will of God.

Boasting = trying to get our need for significance met outside the will of God.


But hang in there folks!!
You are fixing to get some TRUTH spoken to you and it will set you Free!!!

Made to Crave is not about helping you find your how-to; it's about helping you find your Want To!
Made to Crave will help you feel empowered rather than deprived!

I am praying for you and as a group we are all believing for some mighty break-thru's from the strongholds & habits in our lives that have sabotaged us for too long!

What is a stronghold you might ask?

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Anything known or unknown that repeatedly sets itself up against the truth of God's Word.

Known strongholds are matters that we know are clearly repetitious & unacceptable both biblically and culturally - but we still carry on with them.

Unknown strongholds are matters that are hidden under laziness, ignorance, lack of understanding and may be culturally acceptable but biblically unacceptable.

For some their battle comes in the form of food...but what we will be learning over the next several weeks can be applied to whatever it is that you crave.

May our appetites change from desiring food, facebook, fashion and fun...to making healthy choices in all areas of our lives. And it's not that these things are bad...it's that sometimes they become greater than the things of God in our lives.

After watching the first video of this series I asked our group some questions about their "Want To" and how they are feeling right now.
T
his is their response.

"Changing how I eat makes me sad."

"I am resistant to a "want to" at this point...but as the knowledge comes forth my want to will want to change."

"I get negative thoughts"

"I need help because I deprive myself of food because I am a workaholic."

"My weight struggle interferes with my life. It interferes with my confidence, my relationships...how I respond to my spouse and my kids...how I respond to touch, etc..."

One lady shared - "Yea, I have a want to! I want to because I have to fit in a dress for my son's wedding!"

One of the most interesting comments was from one of my friends that makes healthy choices regarding her food and taking care of herself. She said..."Being on the healthy side has effected some friendships". She is trying to find a balance because some folks have a hard time with her not eating sweets or other stuff like she use to.

Can you relate to any of these comments?

How is your Want To?

May you be empowered by God to make better choices and to have the "Want To" to do it!!

This journey will challenge you to make some tough sacrifices but think of it as taking care of yourself by making a healthy decision...other than thinking of it as depriving yourself from something that taste good, looks good but is oh so bad!

1 Corinthians 10:23
Everything is permissable - but not everything is beneficial.

What reasons motivate you to be healthier?

After being diagnosed with breast cancer and experiencing the biggest battle for my life this past year - I have made a decision to take better care
of what God has given me.
In the midst of the battle I learned so much about myself, my body and my God that I want to crave wellness with Him and my body more than other stuff.
I am making the choice to live an "It Is Well With My Soul" life as best as I can...and to help others grow in the knowledge I have experienced - and hopefully spare them from having to take the difficult field trip.
So I end with this..please take care of yourself and listen to your body...most importantly listen to what God's Word, the Holy Bible, says about the hope & power available to you...and trust God to help you!

You were created for more!

Be Inspired,

Vern


Quote Of The Day
Lysa Terkeurst
from page 28 of the Made To Crave Book

"This wasn't really about the scale or what clothing size I was; it was about this battle that raged in my heart."

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Grand New Things!

Hello My Bloggy Friends!

I'm Back!!!!

It is so exciting to be sitting here typing and returning to something I have had to set aside for a lengthy season in my life. I look forward to catching up with old friends and meeting some new ones.

Thanks for stopping by...I hope you stay a while and enjoy your visit!


GRAND NEW THINGS!


You crown the year with a bountiful harvest, even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
Psalm 65:11


We may not know what our days will bring into our lives. There will no doubt be new opportunities, challenges and a variety of circumstances for us to experience but one thing will always remain the same...Jesus Christ. He never changes. His promises are the same yesterday, today and forever!! I am so grateful that I know Him as my Savior and Lord!

When we come to the start of each new day we will have decisions to make.
It will be our option of how we will respond to what comes to the doorstep of our lives.
It will be our decision as to what our priorities will be for that day.
It will be our choice to select what we wear, eat and where we will go.

The beautiful thing about each new day is that with Christ we are not alone and through Him we can experience a fresh new start!
Don't you just love something new?
I love new accessories, new recipes, and new knowledge!
And lately I have come to love and appreciate each new day, new year and new beginning!

When January 2010 started I had no idea that I would be facing one of my most difficult yet most amazing years of my life. The first months of that new year were filled with so much excitement as we planned for our daughter Meredith's wedding. The whole preparation and outcome of it was blessed with joy, love and laughter! Then on May 15th our lives were suddenly interrupted with the news that I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Go Here - www.caringbridge.org/visit/veronicahutcherson for more details about my journey.

When 2010 wrapped up we were different folks...all glory to God for our changed lives!
We ended the year giving thanks for the difficult pathways that the Lord was bringing us through and for the abundance of provided blessings He distributed along the way!

As we approached 2011 it was evident that we were fixing to enter into a Grand New Year!
We were overjoyed with the completion of my chemo treatments and exuberant in the announcement that we were going to become Grandparents!!
What an amazing way to end our year!!!!

And while I am still in a healing phase and preparing for the next round of surgeries...I am anticipating many Grand New Things for my life.
I do not know exactly what those new things will be or what this new year has for me but I do know that...
I choose not to go to bed angry or worried.
I choose not to let doubt or regret linger.
I choose not to fear for my future or the future of my loved ones.
I choose to celebrate.
I choose to give.
I choose to receive.
I choose to forgive.
I choose to love God and others.
I choose to give thanks.
I choose to laugh.
I choose to sing.
I choose to dance.
I choose to make changes that will make a difference in my home, in my relationships, my faith and my environment.

My comfort in my sufferings is this -
The Lord's Promises and Words give me hope, and renew my life! Every Word is a miracle word!
He steady's my steps with His Words of Promise so that NOTHING malign or malignant gets the best of me! His Promises have been tested through and through...there is evidence of it all around!
(Adapted from The Message Bible ~ Psalm 119:114 - 152)

Has your life been interrupted with something and you could use a little renewing?
I pray that this message will encourage you to turn to the source of all Hope and Healing, Jesus Christ!

May the Lord crown your life with bounty and goodness and pour out blessings
of renewal for a Grand New Day and Year!!

Be Inspired By Him!

Vern



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