FREE

FREE . . . there are several definations on www.merium-webster.com, but here's just a few . . .

1) "having the legal and political rights of a citizen"

2) "not held as a slave or prisoner"

3) "not physically held by something"

As I was sketching this picutre, this thought came to me: "How am I free?"

I paused in my work and considered. Finally, I realized, oh yes! I'm free of sugar addiction! 

Now, this may sound odd to you, dear reader, but let me explain. For 4 years I struggled with always craving somthing sweet. 75% of my day was thinking about food, wether it be something sweet, feeling guilty for the last time I way over-indulged, felt sick, responded to that in a negative way, and then felt guilty all over again. Not to mention despairing and losing all hope of ever changing. It was a vicious cycle, friends, and it consumed my thoughts, my life. I wanted freedom so badly, and I didn't know what that looked like anymore. On top of that, I saw myself as overweight (which I was a little, but  not a ton by any means), and I knew sugar wasn't helping that. I knew if I continued this, my long-term healthy could be at stake. It wasn't that I didn't try to change. Oh I did! I wrote up plans of healthy steps to change, repented, searched my heart. I thought maybe it was all spiritual and there was something blocking my turn-around. I was at the end of rope, quite literally. I was about to accept the fact that perhaps there was no answer and I was unique. I would always be overweight. I would always struggle with sugar addiction. 

Enter Trim Healthy Mama. A friend posted a recipe from the book on facebook. I inquired, did some research and ordered the e-book. I devoured that book in 4 or 5 days. It's not just a recipe book, but truth about our bodies and food that I'd never heard of before. Or maybe I had, but I wasn't listening before...no, much of this was new and made perfect sense. It was about weight loss ulitimately, but about a healthy balanced lifestyle for whole families, not just women. As I read, lie after lie that I had believed ever since I'd gone vegetarian became exposed. I was shocked and overjoyed at once! This was about including all the food groups: dairy (yes, even butter! I hadn't eaten butter in years...or cream...or sour cream), meat, vegetables/fruits, and grains. The key was about what fuels your body is burning at what meal. So it meant knowledge about food. 

I did struggle for awhile as I learned this method of eating. It was so freeing to be eating so many wonderful foods I had denied myself! I still wasn't losing weight, but I pressed on because I began feeling so much better! I hadn't realized I'd been lacking some engergy before. I struggled with sugar a little, but after a couple months, as I decided to fully give myself to the THM style of eating, I noticed I did not crave sugar at all! 

So going back to my thought yesterday, "How am I free?," it dawned on my how it took me a few moments to remember that only four months ago I had been enslaved to sugar. You see, I didn't realize that what my body needed was good fats and more protein, and that these things didn't make me fat as I had believed. In fact, they made my body feel satieted, so I would NOT crave sugar. 

                                                            I AM FREE!

                                                            I AM FREE!

                                                            I AM FREE!

As a citizen of the Kingdom of YHVH, I have a authority (through Yeshua) and the freedom excercise my rights here on earth. That means I have authority to chose whether I will accept truth or not. I have authority whether I will act on what I hear. I have authority to tell my body what to do, even when I don't feel like doing it. I means, I have the political right to be free for "Christ has set us free." I have the right to embrace all his healing and wholeness for my body, soul, and spirit. And believe me there is allot of healing taking place in my way of thinking and habits and physically. 

No longer am I a slave to sugar, a prisoner to guilt and the cylcle of sinful actions (lack of self-control/"too much", bulimia, not accepting myself). No longer am I held captive by thoughts that literraly attacted me almost all day long. In fact, I rarely crave anything anymore! I don't struggle with self-control like I used to! Now, I enjoy food. I look forward to making delicious, nurtirious foods for me and my husband (and someday children). 

I give all the credit to YHVH, who DID answer me. He provided the answer I needed--Trim Healthy Mama. I AM FREE! I am free from guilt and shame, free from addiction, free in my thougts, free to enjoy life, health, and food! I thank YHVH! 

Isn't it amazing how quickly, we as humans can forget the ways GOD has healed us, restored us, delivered, etc? Perhaps, we ought to thank Him more. 

Often times, I have to remind myself to enjoy the journey and that healing does not always signify quick changes. Progress can have it's own pace for everyone or for every situation. And that's ok. 

Halakhah--way of life, our walk

So this last couple weeks I've been musing on this word "Halakhah," the Hebrew word for one's walk or way of life. Everyone DOES have a way of life. A life-style. The way you do life.  If you do not, then you do not exist. My primary question is "What kind of walk is pleasing to YHVH, and what does He give me any clues, any instruction in His Word?" Well, the only answer was to begin searching Scripture. I did a word study on two different Hebrew words that refer to one's walk, path, way of life, or journey. I looked up dozens and dozens of Scripture verses over the course of several days. I looked for patterns and catagorized. I wrote down some of my favorites, that I knew would be quite beneficial to muse upon, pray, or memorize. I especially took note of the Scriptures that were similar or saying the same thing. 

These are the ways we are to walk:  (re-affirmed in several sripture verses, not just one)

~blameless (without fault)

~straightnessY

~perfect (tamyim: complete, whole, entire, sound)

~shalom (wholeness, completeness)

~righteousness (a legal term or political/kingdom/courtroom term meaning to "be right" or "correct"

  "just" or "lawful")

~on guard (watchful, considering our ways)

~properly

~worthy (of the calling by which we've been called -Messiah)

~good works/deeds/actions ("good" in Hebrew beens "beneficial, pleasing, and agreeable)

~in love

~not according to the tradition of men

~holiness/ set-apartness ("Kadosh" means to be set-apart or uncommon)

~with wisdom (note: YHVH says He is wisdom in Proverbs)

~in the fear of YHVH (obedience, reverance, awe, fear)

~in His Name ("name" in Hebrew denotes the character of someone)

~physically and emotionally healed and whole (Yeshua healed all those who were sick. He spent much

  of his time on earth healing people)

~not in the disobedient, stubborn ways of our forefathers (ei learn from there mistakes; do not repeat 

  them!)

~faith (faith/belief/trust without works is dead . . . "we walk by faith and not by sight.")

~in the light

~in Messiah as a new creation with newness of life

~in the Spirit (not the flesh)

~according to the example of Yeshua's walk

side note: YHVH says He walks among us as believers! Cool, huh?

YHVH says He will teach us in the way we are to go:

"Teach me Your way, O YHVH;

 Let me walk in Your truth;

 Unite my heart to fear Your Name."

Psalm 86:11

"You show me the path of life;

 In Your presence is joy to satisfaction;

 At Your right hand are pleasures forever."

Psalm 16:11

YHVH has a highway for us; a main road:

"And there shall be a highway, and a way, and it shall be called 'The Highway of Holiness.'

The unclean do not pass over it, but it is for those who walk in the way, and no fools wander on it."

Isaiah 35:8

"Your way, O Elohim, is in Set-apartness; 

 Who is a great El like Elohim?"

Psalm 77:13

"The way of the lazy one is a like a hedge of thorns,

 But the way of the straight is a highway."

Proverbs 15:19

If you are interested in more Scriptures that give us more clues to the way we are to walk in, dig in!

Isaiah 30:21

Isaiah 48:17

Joshua 1:8

Deuteronomy 11:22,28

Deuteronomy 6

Psalm 32:8

Psalm 139:24 (a prayer)

Psalm 143:8 (a prayer)

Psalm 128:1

Proverbs 3:5-8

Proverbs 3:32

Proverbs 4:25-27

Here is my conclusion of the matter:

We are to walk in the ways of YHVH, found in His Torah/Word. He promises to teach us. One way He teaches is through patterns. YHVH is a God of covenants. Covenants are all about keeping your word and being faithful. If you look at that long list of "ways we are to walk" you may see a pattern. That pattern is consistancy. We are to walk with commitment in the straight way, walking righteosusly and without reproach. YHVH desires that our halkhah be complete and whole in every area of our lives. The center of our walk should be love, found in Messiah. 

I like to think of this image in my mind: We are walking on the path of life, our eyes straight ahead on our Father/His Word, yet His Spirit is in our midst. And He walks by our side holding our hand, leading us the straight, narrow, level, right path. This kind of walk IS holy, uncommon, and set-apart. This kind of walk is pleasing to YHVH. This is walking in obedience, in the fear of YHVH. 

As a result, He promises to teach us the way that is most beneficial, to prosper our halkhah and be in our midst. 

He warns us about walking in the stubborn, disobeident ways of our forefathers. To learn from their example. He warns us that "the ways of man seem right in his own eyes," and that can be deceiving. He cautions us to be on our guard and consider our ways. 

He reminds us that He will give us the fruit of our hands, the reward of our work. Either good or bad, dependant on what we've sown. We reap what we sow. 

If I could sum this up in one sentence I would say:

The way of life pleasing to YHVH is that of consistancy.

Hope you've been blessed, challenged, and encouraged by this!

In parting, let me share with you one of my favorite verses for this season.

"Look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are wicked. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the LORD is." Ephesians 5:15-17