“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12 NKJV)
“As for you brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV)
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all people was grieved, every man for his sons and daughters. But david strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” (1 Samual 30:6 NKJV)
Seven years ago the Lord spoke to my heart and assured me that He was returning the 30 years that I had squandered. Along with His promise He gave me a challenge. He challenged me to get my body under control. The spirit of obesity had partnered with my own gluttony and wreaked havoc on my body. I was pushing 400 pounds and my body was crumbling under the pressure. I have shared this many times in many ways, however, it seems that the Holy Spirit wants me to go there once again.
Over a 24 month period I lost 150 pounds and was able to get back to the weight that I saw on the scales at the age of 30. I turned 60 with the thrill of having received a promising word of restoration from my Daddy (my heavenly Abba Father) and the satisfaction of having achieved the first level of his fitness challenge to me.
I stayed at this level of fitness for a year as I stabilized my daily practices and began learning what it would take to get to the next level. Then it happened. A tragedy in life changed everything about my daily life. My life rhythm was disrupted and my daily routines went out the window. I hate to admit it, but in this distracted state of mind, over the next 24 months 100 pounds that I had worked so hard to remove found their way back onto my body. I had a boss who used to say that the worst kind of problems needing to be corrected are those which were presumably corrected in the past.
Song of Solomon 2:15 uses poetic language to warn about what happens when you take your eyes off of things…
…”Catch the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” (NKJV)
It is the little things that creep in and cause damage to the progress that you are making. For me, it was a bag of chips here, a “Little Debbie” snack cake there. It was a pizza here, fried chicken there, and “Taco Bell” every where (not to mention the gallons of “Mountain Dew”).
Solomon also warned in Proverbs 6:10-11…
…”A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.” (NLT)
Along with partnering with the spirit of obesity I was also hooking up with the spirit of laziness. Instead of going to the gym or working out at home, I would spend my evenings in my chair watching the Boob Tube, allowing dust to accumulate on my exercise equipment, eating myself into an early grave. What a way to live in light of the promise of longevity and the call to lead in the “Rise of the New Caleb Generation.”
Finally, in March of 2024, it was time for a “Second Personal Reawakening.” That is what I want to talk about tomorrow. For today, let me close with 3 questions…
…Are you curently finding yourself in the midst of a situation in which you have undone all of the hard work that you had previously gone through?
…Does your current state of being leave you discouraged, frustrated, and ready to throw in the towel?
…When you look in the mirror do you see someone that you never intended to be?
If so, please return tomorrow as we continue to move forward from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 362: Keep On Fighting Part 1