2023

Happy Food?

Dr. Mike 2023 , , ,

Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. Romans 14:20

Food makes me happy. Yes, I have a food obsession.

I eat when hungry. I eat when stressed. I eat when lonely. I eat when bored. I eat when emotionally tanked. I eat when having a bad day. I eat to reward myself. I eat when the goal is accomplished. I eat when I fail to hit the target. When I eat, I am comforting myself for the short term. Yes, I am a food addict.

Been one most of my entire life.

Because of my addiction, I battle to maintain a working weight. The multitude of diets under my belt resemble a train chugging up and down hills. The sweat and energy left behind at the gym is always rewarded with an apple fritter or pound of chocolate. If it wasn’t for the focus and energy expended at work to solve problems and achieve goals, I would weigh three times more. Now retired from the corporate world, the battle continues. Yes, I am a food addict.

Of course, I understand the importance of nutrition. My body type requires a good balance of protein, fiber, and fat. But satisfaction only comes from refined carbs, sugar, and starches. Yes, I’ve tried everything under the sun not to surrender my desire for these. Why can’t I have my cake and ice cream? Why do potato chips and cupcakes taste so good? Why must I deny myself?

Why must I choose?

Yes, I know food is the nutritious fuel the body needs to properly operate. But what is wrong with having an occasional treat?

Nothing unless one is an addict.

God created food for our good. Food is needed to sustain the human body. The problem is not food, but me. There are deep, emotional strongholds buried in the darkish parts of my human psyche which need addressing. Been there most of my life. God knows. The question is do I now confront them or continue to ignore them?

This is not a salvation issue. But a quality of life issue. This is a personal issue between our Lord and myself. His grace is sufficient to carry me through until this race is over. But do I risk the cost of being overweight? The cost of excess fat around my bones? The hardening of the arteries? The numbing of the nervous system?  Why bother? Are we not all going to die once?

But we all know the value of a healthy life until then. To be full of energy. To have a fully functioning mind. To cherish each day without battling the pain and limitations caused by neglect. Why is it so hard to do what you know is best? Why must we battle between short-term pleasure versus long-term gain. Why sacrifice now for a better future that is not even guaranteed?

Yes, I am a food addict. I finally admitted today. They say admitting to the problem is the first step toward healing. We shall see.

For now the journey continues. Let’s see how the Holy Spirit restores these holes within my soul that need healing with His presence.  I’ve tried everything else known by mankind. But now I’m serious. I’m calling on my Creator and Lord to direct my steps, channel my focus, and cleanup my soul. I want to experience life the way HE designed the human body to fully function. Food addiction and all, the battle continues.

I share this with you because we all have deep seated strongholds. Whether its food, relationship, or something else. Now is the time to deal with it. Don’t wait until you are old and regret the price you didn’t pay earlier. I know many people who are retired and paying a deep price for the poor decisions they made earlier in life. Nip your problems when young. Better to sacrifice in your youth. Lay the good foundation. Your future will be much brighter. Your life more enriched. Ask God to direct your steps. He longs to join you on your adventurous quest to the promise land. Just always remember, HIS Grace is always available and enough.   

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Books By Dr. Mike:

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Re

What Do You Reflect?

Dr. Mike 2023 , , ,

Proverbs 27:19

As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

John 14:9

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

You reflect what you worship.

If your heart is focused on money, you will reflect money in your walk, talk, and mannerism.

If your heart is focused on fame, you will dress, act, and speak in an outward manner to reflect your image of self.

If your heart is centered on family, your time, energy, and resources will reflect the importance of family in your world.

Wherever your heart is focused, your words, actions, and outward behavior will mirror your soul’s habitation.

When Jesus’ disciple Philip ask HIM to show them Father God, HIS reply was to look at HIM. What did they see? They saw Father God’s reflection within Jesus.

The Holy Spirit living within Jesus brightly expressed the character and heart of God through the words and actions of Jesus. When you looked at Jesus, you witnessed what HE worshiped.

HE invested time in prayer with HIS Father. HE knew the Scriptures which emphasized the character of God. HE, being the Son of God, one of the three person Trinity, reflected the heart of God in all HIS mannerism and teachings.

We, adopted into the family of God, begotten with HIS Spirit, are now being morphed after the same image of Jesus Christ. As the sin virus is being displaced by grace, our heart, mind, body, and soul is slowly being transformed to reflect HIS glory.

That is IF we surrender and allow HIM to have access into our heart. Otherwise, we are hanging unto our carnal desires which leads to pain and misery in the long run.

When you make Jesus the central core of your life, you will begin to reflect HIM in your relationships. You will find your character being strengthen after HIS image. Your work, play, and activities will uniquely shine like a little Christ. HIS divine nature will shine through you and touch those around you.

You will become HIS witness of what Kingdom Living produces. A life that flourishes. You will find real freedom in an irresponsible world.  And when you look back, there is a long series of meaningful fulfillment. But more so, a life being prepared for eternity with the Master planner who has a place solely reserved for you.

So what do you currently reflect before others? More so, what do you want to reflect?

Remember, God has given you the ability and free will to choose what you worship. You can worship HIM and reflect HIS image. Or choose anything less. Your choice.

PS: Why do you think Jesus reminded us that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul? And our neighbor as our self. Could it be HE knows we are wired to reflect what we love and worship?   

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Books By Dr. Mike:

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

The Tough Jesus

Dr. Mike 2023 , ,

1 JOHN 2:5 (EXB)

But if someone ·obeys [keeps] ·God’s teaching [L his word], then in that person ·God’s love [or love for God] has ·truly reached its goal [been fulfilled/perfected/completed]. This is how we can be sure we are ·living in God [L in him].

We all easily agree with Jesus when HE speaks about compassion, service, and justice. But what about those hard sayings?

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48) is a challenging goal. How does that compare with your standard of righteousness?

How about forgiveness? How many times are we to forgive those who hurt us? Peter thought seven times is a good standard before you put the person in your unforgiveness tent. But what did Jesus say?  “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Mt. 18:22). Now 490 times raises the forgiveness bar to an all-new time high. You might as well say indefinitely. (I don’t know any person who keeps count of such times unless they are working hard towards 491 to put the person in their personal unforgiveness prison.)

What about seeking to become great in something? Where you are #1 in your field. Looked up and praise by your fellow peers. How does Jesus expect you to achieve that goal? His disciples had similar desires. Jesus replied to them and to us with these words: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk.9:25). His way isn’t about manipulation, power plays, and putting spin on one’s viewpoint. If you want to be a leader in your field, learn to serve those around you from a humble perspective. Be a servant and help them achieve their desires. There is no glory in being a servant, but servant-hood is God’s way of leadership.

Where does evil come from? Jesus would often repeat what makes a person good or evil comes from the heart.  “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? (Mt. 9:4).
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander (Mt. 15:19).
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk. 6:45). So how does one replace the evilness found in one’s soul?  It begins with God’s Word and is strengthen through HIS Spirit. When God’s values are planted and allowed to bloom in a person’s heart, the fruit of righteousness and joy of living are expressed in everyday life.

Repentance is about changing your current worldview. When you replace your mental inputs with God’s knowledge of life, you begin to view the world from HIS perspective. You begin to better understand your potential and shortcomings. You acknowledge your need for a Savior. You gratefully surrender your soul and support the King of Kings. As you mature in the faith, you grow in grace and knowledge of your Lord. You become a servant within HIS kingdom. You learn to govern and serve others from HIS perspective. You realize the importance of living life mutually submitting yourself with others. You find life becomes more of a romantic adventure. Yes, life is hard. There are trials and sufferings. Yet, you want others to experience the awesome joy and peace you have within yourself even through these tough times. For you know all good things come from your heavenly Father. And you want everyone to know what you know about HIM, HIS Son, and HIS Spirit.

Yes Jesus comes across as tough at times. But HIS purpose is for us to reach out to HIM. To accept HIS authority in our life. To follow HIS ways. To reach out to HIM as HE as already reached out to us. For HE is the reason you live. He wants you to know your are included in HIS story. HE knows your potential. HE is preparing you for an eternal role in HIS family business: the government of God. For today HE may be tough on us. But HIS plans for you and I are greater than anything we can even imagine.   

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Books By Dr. Mike:

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved