FaithFueled™ Mom – Page 40 – This is not just fitness. It's a lifestyle.

Lost in Pursuit

Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy^[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Pursuing Popularity

My life has changed so much in the years that I have found Jesus. I used to live my life as a popularity contest. Who could I please, impress so that I could be a part of the crowd, a crowd? What could I say or do to gain their acceptance? It was how I lived my life. Then I found Jesus and it wasn’t an immediate change it was a slow transition that picked up momentum as I grew in Christ. Some people have the “come to Jesus moment” its and immediate change and I have witnessed it, I am just not one of those people. The more I grew in my relationship with Jesus, the less I needed to be accepted by people and crowds.

^{John 15:5-8 (ESV) 5}I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.⁸By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Limiting myself through misconceptions

I thought being a follower of Jesus would result in restrictions and confinement to live under rules and regulations. If only I would have done my research and realize there is freedom in Jesus. Living in the world we are bound by rules; social, moral, ethical, political, society and governing rules. Living in Jesus we are bound by love, unconditional love.

Galatians 3:23-25 (NIV) ²³Before the coming of this faith,we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

Just like my quest to be popular and I wanted to do, say, and act a certain way. The same can be said for my quest for the kingdom. I still want to do, say and act a certain way but it’s not because of rules, it’s because of a change of heart. There is a switch when you choose to follow and accept Jesus as your Savior. I always thought people were romanticizing the idea but now that I follow, I realize its not all that I had made it up to be, it’s so much better.

Unconditional Acceptance

God really does change you for the good. One of the best part is that God changes you no matter where you are, what your past was or how you got here. He can change stubborn 80 year old man, a rebellious 19 year old young adult, or a now humbled 30 something year old women who has ran from God for years (me). It can be like a light switch off and on or can be a gradual appreciation and acceptance. It’s never to late and no one is excluded. Unlike people, God takes you for who you are. Flaws welcomed; foul mouths, step on up; addicts, He has something for you too; those seeking acceptance, you have come to the right place! He loves us unconditionally, although we were made in His image there is nothing like the original, God. The biggest fear I had about being too “religious” was guilt, judgement and condemnation of people in the Church. My concerns were misplaced and not about God but was still people pleasing and how those in the Church would accept me. The very same people who are flawed enough to judge and condemn someone trying to enter his kingdom, even though they walked and lived in sin daily themselves was the ones I was concerned about.

Galatians 1:10 (ESV) For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Don’t let people ruin it for God

I feel like people sometimes ruin it for God. They make it harder for those who are new to get to Him. I think that is why televangelist are so popular and accepted. You don’t have to go through the trials of the people of the world to receive a message. You can turn on your television, podcast and over streams of media and received the message directly. If you are new to Christ and you are struggling sometime people of the Church can make it intimidating by being judgmental or unwelcoming.We have to overcome this and just go to the source, God, that’s where you will find the unconditional love and total fulfillment. You will never be fulfilled by people they will always let you down. I still pursue acceptance and still want to join the crowd but it’s a different crowd that is made up of only three. I am living and pursuing the acceptance on the Son, Father and Holy Spirit and in return it is make me whole, builds me up and completely satisfies all my needs. Have you ever sought popularity? How is God helping you overcome your pursuits of the wrong things?

0 Shares

Tags anxiety, awakening, bible, choices, Christian, christian women, christianity, confidence, devotion, faith, God, lost, misguided, pursuit of happiness, redemption, salvation, self care, why do people hate church, worship

Recipes

Apple Crisp Dessert Flip

My Dessert Flip

I love the show “Junk Food Flip” for so many reasons. To name a few I love food. like junk food alot (just now how I feel afterwards) and some of the highlights I never could have imagined something so yummy existed. What I like the most is that it takes those things and makes two healthy options. Well inspired one day I decided to flip one of my favorite easy recipes that my family loves, Apple Crisp. Made both versions and had my family blind taste.

A. Was the healthier version and B was my oh so yummy original super easy version.
Both recipes are probably the easiest recipe you’ll ever have and you can do with any fruit.
A. Healthy Option
1/2 c. Quinoa Flakes
1/2c. Graham flour
1/2 c. & 2tbsp. Wild honey
1/2c or 8 tbsp. Coconut Oil
2 tsp. of Korinjte Cinnamon (or any Cinnamon we just use Korinjte because I am IN LOVE WITH IT)
2c. Of fruit in this case Apples

Preheat oven to 350 °.
Mix Quinoa flakes, Graham Flour, 1/2 c. Wild Honey, Coconut Oil and 1 tsp of Cinnamon.
3.Mix Apples, Cinnamon 2 tbsp. of honey
Place Apples in dish place topping on top
Bake at 350° for 1 hour till topping is Golden Brown

B. Original Recipe
1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/2c. White whole wheat flour
1/2 c. & 2tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/2c or 8 tbsp. Butter
2 tsp. of Korinjte Cinnamon (or any Cinnamon we just use Korinjte because I am IN LOVE WITH IT)
2c. of fruit (in this case Apples)

Preheat oven to 350 °.
Mix Old fashioned Oats, White Whole Wheat Flour, 1/2 c. Sugar, Butter and 1 tsp of Cinnamon.
3.Mix Apples, Cinnamon 2 tbsp. of sugar
Place Apples in dish place topping on top
Bake at 350° for 1 hour till topping is Golden Brown

Did you guess which one won? Well half of my family liked A and the other half B. My husband said if I would have had regular oats instead of Quinoa he would have chosen A. Now, I make Option A with old fashioned oats and they gobble it up. Hope your family enjoys too!

Option B Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
12 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		180.9

Total Fat		9.6 g

	Saturated Fat	7.9 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.2 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.5 g

Cholesterol		0.0 mg

Sodium		0.9 mg

Potassium		27.0 mg

Total Carbohydrate		24.8 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.7 g

	Sugars	3.4 g

Protein		1.5 g


Vitamin A	0.3 %

Vitamin B-12	0.0 %

Vitamin B-6	0.7 %

Vitamin C	0.3 %

Vitamin D	0.0 %

Vitamin E	0.1 %

Calcium	0.6 %

Copper	0.6 %

Folate	0.1 %

Iron	2.1 %

Magnesium	0.3 %

Manganese	4.9 %

Niacin	0.2 %

Pantothenic Acid	0.1 %

Phosphorus	2.5 %

Riboflavin	6.5 %

Selenium	0.1 %

Thiamin	0.3 %

Zinc	0.1 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Option B Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
12 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		204.1

Total Fat		8.1 g

	Saturated Fat	4.9 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	2.1 g

Cholesterol		20.7 mg

Sodium		55.0 mg

Potassium		29.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate		20.4 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.9 g

	Sugars	13.2 g

Protein		1.2 g


Vitamin A	5.0 %

Vitamin B-12	0.3 %

Vitamin B-6	0.7 %

Vitamin C	0.3 %

Vitamin D	1.3 %

Vitamin E	0.7 %

Calcium	0.8 %

Copper	0.6 %

Folate	0.2 %

Iron	2.9 %

Magnesium	0.3 %

Manganese	4.9 %

Niacin	0.2 %

Pantothenic Acid	0.3 %

Phosphorus	0.5 %

Riboflavin	0.6 %

Selenium	0.3 %

Thiamin	1.2 %

Zinc	0.2 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

0 Shares

Tags apple crisp flip, healthy apple crisp

Battle of Motherhood christian mom christianity Faith Journey Family raising family

Raised in the Church not Christ

Post author By De
Post date September 3, 2015
5 Comments on Raised in the Church not Christ

Colossians 2:20-23 (NIV) 20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Raised in the Church

The legalistic church I grew up in focused on rules; You had to do this, dress like this,eat this, say this to get into the kingdom of heaven. For a rebellious teen and young adult this was something I had no interest in. It wasn’t until I became an adult started studying Gods word that I realized Jesus didn’t care about the rules. The rules were meant for people to follow to control them. Jesus cares about the inside your heart and where you faith lies by following man made rules; keeps you focused on the outside and doesn’t allow you to grow on the inside.

Playing the Part

Matthew 23:5a (NIV) “Everything they do is done for people to see:

Some people like me inherit their faith; born into their faith but not something that they have chosen for themselves. You grow up learning how to act like a Christian, talk like a Christian and you are honoring your heritage. You are learning how to play the part but never surrendering your heart to Jesus and falling in love. Then, there are those who learn how to be a Christian. They can recall scripture, dress modestly, know the prayers and how to pray. They are simply going through the motions never really committed but just keeping up appearances. Either way, whether they are inheritance or reluctant participants of Christianity; they are just following the rules and not truly serving God.

Hypocrisy in the church

Just because you call yourself a Christian doesn’t mean you are a follower of Christ. Hypocrites, yes I said it, hypocrites is probably one of the reasons I left my faith when I was a young adult. I was apart of a startling statistic about Christian youth; 69-94% of Christian children raised in the faith leave the faith within 2 years after high school. The number one reason those young adults leave is due to “hypocrisy”. When I was growing up I was apart of the “drug problem” that families who pass on the legacy of Christianity subject their children to. I was “drug” to church every week to dress up and show up but never having that same experience at home through study or prayer. My family was Monday-Friday sinners and weekend Christians. When it came to having my own freedom to choose I chose the world and not to my faith.

Raised in Christ

Matthew 23:3b But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Now, that I have found my way back to Christ and am in love. I am making a conscious effort not to repeat the cycle with my children. I am trying to teach them to have the armor of God and learn and know the truth for themselves; so that they may not be led astray. I want to teach them to show grace to others just as Jesus shows us grace everyday. I want them to see that I have a relationship with God and not just going through the motions. Now when you are in love, everyone knows it. Not only is it written all over your face, your acts but it’s all that you can talk about. Children are very observant and they pick up quick. The easiest way to see if you’re expressing your love is to ask your children;They will tell you right away.

We as Christian parents, must encompass being a Christian as an identity something that cannot be separated from us. Not a character we play at Church but a person we are day in and day out our identity. We have bad days as parents and as people and that is when I express God’s unconditional love. I show them how prayer can help you in times of stress, forgiveness, as well as, times to rejoice and praise. I am determined to give my girls the tools they need so that they do no become a statistic.

As we live our lives as Christian parents are we showing our love for God?

0 Shares

Tags chrisitan parenting, Christ, Christian, Christian Family, church, faith, hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, rules

christianity Faith Journey new christians

Living in or on purpose?

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What I thought I wanted

Day in and day out, we are moving, are day and our lives by choices. From the moment we wake up, till the moment we rest; Each day a set of new choices. What do I wear? eat? Do I exercise? Stay in bed? Do I say this or that? When I was living in the world, my choices were impulsive. I was getting by day-to-day just trying to get through the day, moving ahead and living in purpose. I didn’t stop to take into account what I was doing till after it was done. I could easily be influenced by outside circumstances and was going with the masses. Looking back I was living a very meaningless life not making a true difference. Although, my intentions were to make a difference and I thought I was achieving. I wasn’t making true connections with anyone or thing. When you live in purpose,you are just going through the motions; doing what is popular. It wasn’t until I woke up and chose more for my life, a legacy for my daughter and a positive contribution to society.

What I really wanted

When I started living on purpose the mundane day-to-day became something more. I am not going to lie it became difficult in all the right ways. I had to be more conscious in my actions, speech, dress. I had to think ahead and plan more and I had to place more direction and guidance in God. Living by impulse is easy, living intentionally is hard; you might set out daily to tackle your to do list but that is not intentional. Tackling your to do list is just taking care of your daily task that need to be done. How does that impact your salvation? How does that encourage others to consider their salvation? I thought I was positively contributing to society but in all actuality I was serving myself. Getting the things done to make me more comfortable to achieve my goals and to execute my plans.

Accepting I was wrong

When I found God it was self-serving at first, I was looking for a ways to ease my pain. Make my life better, fix my life but as I started to grow in Him I discovered that was not fulfilling. I wasn’t really content until I started spreading His word, shining His light was much more powerful, purposeful and that contribution to society that I was looking for.

Psalms 63:1 You God, are my God, earnestly I see you; I thirst you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

I think the hardest part was realizing that my own desires and dreams weren’t getting me where I thought I wanted to be. It’s hard to think of others and not myself. When I realized that His dreams far exceed anything that I could dream myself.

It’s better than you think

To live day-to-day thinking, how can I be a light while check off my to-do’s? Years ago, if someone would have said to me, “Leave all you know,dreams,aspirations and follow Jesus. It will be the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever done and you will still achieve all your dreams and more. I would have said, “Put down the purple kool-aid,” but I am here today to tell you, it’s true! (I don’t even like Kool-aid, so I am not sipping, I promise just sharing what I have found to be true.) It’s hard following, learning, being obedient, going against your nature but it’s the best thing that I have ever done. My days are no longer mundane they are meaningful and rich. My dreams are not a struggle its just a different path and I am no longer living in purpose. I am living on purpose-this is the life I was meant (we were meant) to live.

Psalm 71:8 My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.

Are you willing to make a sacrifice for Christ and take a leap of faith? If not, what is holding you back?

0 Shares

Tags awakening, better choices, better decisions, choices, decisions, life

christian mom christianity Faith Journey Mommie Support

Meant to be together

I don’t think I realized my need for a community or friends until I left college. When you’re in a social setting that surrounds you with opportunities to create friendships, it’s easy. Then I got married, had a baby, and moved six hours away from my friends, family and the life I had made. I went through seasons of life in a flash. We lived in Massachusetts and my husband was following his career aspirations and worked long hours. I stayed at home with our newborn daughter and although I wasn’t alone I felt very much alone. It took years to make friends, which were just mom friends of children that my daughter grew up with. There were a few lasting bonds as our children grew older but nothing like my good ole college days.

A change of heart

Six years later, we moved back to my hometown and I reconnected with old friends from high school. Then, I began to follow Christ and suddenly my love affair with the Lord began to come between my friendship. As I became more acquainted with Christ the people I chose to spend my time with weren’t those old high school buddies.

1 Corinthians 15:33 ³³Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

I needed to be with people who had similar interests and beliefs and had more to offer me than a high bill at the bar during happy hour. I needed people who believed in what I believed, Jesus. Again, that yearning for companionship began and I started to look at the only place I knew, church.

Being new to Christ, I was amazed at how hard it was to find people who I could connect with beyond the pleasantries of chit chat at church. I finally thought I had connected with another mother of three children who ages were the same as mine. It was great to have someone to relate to on multiple levels. I confided in her struggles and suddenly she severed ties. I am still not sure why and it is very awkward at church; I could have questioned myself, what I say? Did I do something?

There are no perfect people: Especially Christian church goers

Matthew 15:8-9 “‘These people honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.⁹They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’

Of course, there is more detail to the story but it’s not worth getting into. I did learn though, not every one at church has the same heart; others have ulterior motives. I later learned that this women has a history of befriending new members and then abruptly ending the friendship; using the guise of friendship to help grow her direct sales business and then inexplicably moving on. (We all have our issues, no perfect people right?)

Needless to say, I was disappointed but we shouldn’t give up.

Hebrews 10:24-25 ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Someone for everyone

I began attending women’s bible studies at our church, hoping I could find women in Christ to learn, grow and bond with.”Turning the other cheek,” on my past experiences and moving on. Through women’s bible stduy, I would fullfill the need for fellowship while growing in Christ-win-win, right? In my group their was a good mix of new believers and old but I couldn’t relate to the women personally (spiritually,yes) and it wasn’t the companionship I was seeking.

Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise,for a companion of fools suffers harm.

Although, the knowledge was what I needed in my spiritual walk. After a year with the study group, I did find someone that was also seeking a group of women to fellowship with. We had similar personalities but in different seasons of life. God kept connecting us in various ways to fulfill our need for a friendship with a women in Christ. She wasn’t what I thought I was looking for but she was exactly what I needed.