“Be strong”

Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 AMPC

Verse Reflections:  Yes!  We can be strong?  Why?  Because God is with us wherever we need to go.  And I need to go toward healthy eating.  We do not need to be afraid of success.  We do not need to be dismayed by our failures of the past.  God commands us to be strong, vigorous and courageous!  That means we have no choice  but to do this.  Why do we ever think we have a choice?  Why do we fight doing what we know is best for us, for our bodies?  God also tells us to be vigorous (strong, healthy and full of energy).  We have to be vigorous in our path to healthy eating.  That means we can’t go into each day with a partial commitment.  We have to decide and do.  There is no if, ands, or buts!  Every day we can invent a reason not to eat healthy.  Some of my favorites are I have had a bad day, I am celebrating (fill in the blank), this is my favorite, I don’t want to hurt their feelings (don’t let the food pushers get to you).  God commands us.  He tells us very clearly that He will be with us wherever we go.  So, take Him with You today.  My Mom always said, “invite Jesus to the party with You because He will be there anyway”—it kept me out of a lot of trouble as a teenager. So today invite Jesus into your day and claim His commandment.  Be courageous and say no.  Be vigorous and be enjoy eating God foods.  Be strong and know that you will be successful in eating healthy today.  Prepare Your mind.  Prepare Your body.  God is with us.  We cannot be afraid to start one more life option of being healthy.  God has already given us the right foods to eat.  All we have to do is eat them and quit eating the other foods.  His foods are amazing.  We cannot be dismayed by our past inabilities to eat healthy.  “Diets” are never going to be successful because they are temporary.  This is a life change!  This is feeding our bodies the nutrients that God created to make our blood flow (without bad cholesterol).  This is the nutrition that makes our brain work, that makes our joints healthy, that gives us energy.  We are idiots for not eating this way every day.  Be strong.  Be vigorous.  Be courageous.

Prayer:  God, I am humbled by the fact that You command us to be strong, vigorous and courageous.  For me, that means I need to be strong and not give in to the temptation of eating unhealthy foods.  I am encouraged to be reminded that You are with me wherever I go.  I know this, Lord, but so often in the heat of the moment I forget it.  I need to be reminded that You are there when I buy groceries, You are there when I order off the menu, You are there when I cook or pack my lunch.  Father, I am an energetic person.  I need to be reminded to be vigorous in my efforts to eat healthy, to use that energy in my enthusiasm to eat right.  God, I know You gave us these instructions to eat Your foods and so often I ignore You still.  Forgive me.  I am so weak.  I have failed to listen so many times in the past this verse helps me to remember not to chastise myself, to not be afraid to try again or be dismayed by my failures.  God we can do this.  Bless our day today together.  Let’s go!