GFJ Post - getting "Fit for My King"

I have to be completely honest here in telling you my thoughts when I picked up this book in LifeWay about a week ago. I thought, "ok, this is just another one of THOSE diet books that just happens to have a Christian spin on it." The title even sounded a little cheesy to me - Fit for My King. Just being HONEST! (must've been extra critical that day and having major moments of NOT walking or thinking in the Spirit!) And if I've read one book on how to lose weight I've read at least 50. So, why should I use my gift card to buy this book instead of that Kari Jobe CD I really wanted? I kid you not, there was a battle that went on in my head for about 15 minutes as I held both of these items in my hand. I only had enough money left on the gift card to purchase one or the other. Which one would it be? Well, obviously we all know it was the book, and I have to admit that I left the store I little mad about my decision. I was mad that I didn't get that Kari Jobe CD and I was even more mad that I was one of those people who have to buy books about losing weight anyway! It was most definitely a "poor, poor me" kind of day...can ya tell?? :) Thank goodness His mercies are new everyday! Amen? Amen.

Towards the mid part of last week I started feeling much more energized and rested. I attributed this to being more consistent over the past couple of weeks with exercising and the sunshine that we've been getting hasn't hurt, either! After my workout last Thursday, I was hungry! It was lunchtime and Aaron had other plans for lunch that day, so I was on my own and could fix myself whatever I wanted. I don't know that I could say this is exactly what I wanted and had in mind when opening the fridge to see what my options were, but what I came out with were fresh fruits and veges that I made a simple smoothie out of. (see last post) And it truly was so satisfying and GOOD and gave me more energy than anything else I could have chosen to have. I know this sounds weird, but it was actually very exciting to me that I enjoyed my lunch that much!

I woke up the next day, still feeling good about the choices that I had made the day before, and I happened to remember that "book" that I had bought earlier in the week that still sat in its crumpled up bag in a chair. Still a little hesitant, I began to read the intro. And after a few pages in and reading things such as "Our God desires for His beloved to experience good health and for their souls to soar" and "Can you imagine if our purpose for being our best was to show our King how much we love Him by taking care of His temple and to have enough energy to witness to the lost?" - I have to say I was a little, ok a lot, more humbled than I was a few days earlier in my regards to what the Lord might allow me to learn through these pages. And I was even more so humbled that He began preparing my heart and my body for the challenges that laid ahead of me the day BEFORE I even knew what they were going to be. This book, Fit for My King, is a 30 day devotional that challenges you, not only with a whole foods "diet" for the 30 days - fasting completely off of white sugar, white flour and several other things, but it is also a book that makes some tough points. My goal, as His child, should not be to lose a single pound for ME and ALL that comes with that! It absolutely should be completely about Him and for His glory ALONE. This is so INCREDIBLY difficult...especially for us women. We are constantly faced with images that we think we should live up to in our society. We so long for the approval and the praise of others. But that isn't God's goal for us at all. His goal is for us to be HEALTHY - for His glory, so that we can make His name greater - and that's the ONLY reason. So, as cheesy as it may or may not sound, I want to be fit for my King. I want to wake up each morning feeling strong so that I can fulfill whatever purposes He has for me for that day. I want to eat the foods that He intended for me to eat from the beginning of time. Not foods that may taste so yummy for a time, but slowly destroy His temple.

Please pray for me over these next 30 days as I make my way through this devotional and through His Word. (and as I seek out new recipes to try!!) I have also been given the challenge to not weigh myself at all during these next 30 days which I know will be VERY hard for me. So pray that I will not be fixated with a number but with feeling energized so that I can betterB serve others and my Lord. Pray that I will not get discouraged when I mess up, because I know that I probably will. My hope is that my desires and my thinking for food and the types of food I crave will be transformed over this next month so that this will become a lifestyle change - not just a 30 day change. And lastly, pray that I will learn to do EVERYTHING for Him.

This seems to be a GREAT book for those looking to loose weight and for those who just want to eat more wholesomely. Highly recommend it. Fit for My King by Sherri Rose Shepherd

Recipe I tried out yesterday that was YUMMY!

Irish Mum's Brown Bread

1 cup unbleached white bread flour (I used whole wheat flour instead)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4+ cups buttermilk
2 ounces butter
1 egg

Melt the butter over gentle heat.

In a medium-sized bowl lightly beat the egg and then gradually add the buttermilk all the while stirring to incorporate the egg. Beat in the butter. In another bowl sift and mix the dry ingredients as best you can, and then stir in the buttermilk mixture. If you are using a baking tin the mixture should be on the wetter side. If your dough is too dry, mix in small splashes of buttermilk until it is the right consistency. Cook at 400F for 50 minutes on the middle rack. You want to hear a sort of hollow sound when you knock on the bottom of the tin. Resist the urge to take the bread out too soon, or the middle of the bread won't get cooked through.

Makes 1 loaf.

**NOTE** Because I used whole wheat flour, the loaf was a little more dense and took about an hour and 10 minutes in the oven instead of 50 minutes.