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Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Monday, December 4, 2023

Food Addiction: The Lie of “My Size” – Sometimes the Clothes DO NOT Make the Man - Purity 1213

 

Food Addiction: The Lie of “My Size” – Sometimes the Clothes DO NOT Make the Man - Purity 1213

Purity 1213 12/02/2023 Purity 1213 Podcast

Purity 1213 on YouTube:



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a hazy summer sunset view of the homeward bound direction of Waite Rd comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene on my way back to my countryside home on August 12th at 7:21pm.  

Well, It’s Monday and I share today’s photo because I like pathway photos and sunsets and because I wanted to suggest that A LOT can change in a matter of a couple of months.  According to my “electronic personal assistant” who shall remain nameless, sunset will be at 4:24 pm today!  That’s a 3-hour difference from what I experienced back in August, that was less than 4 months ago but the world kept turn and a moving, and man played with the clocks and now we are brought into darkness by 5pm!  

I wish I could say that the amount available daylight was the only thing that has “faded to black since then” but as we have made that trek from summer to late autumn I have seen many people’s careers change, relationships break, and lives end and as we draw into a new year 4 weeks from today, some things will never be the same.  

But that can be a good thing too.  I shared this photo from August 12th because I personally was about to begin a journey into a whole new experience of freedom and victory that I had always “hoped” for but wasn’t sure if I would ever see realized. 

I have always loved to overeat since childhood and have been obese most of my life. I have had periods in my life where I had great success in losing weight and getting better in shape, but I would often lose the ground I had gained by returning to my overeating ways. I first got the My Fitness Pal app because my weight was at an all-time high of 320 pounds in February of 2013 and since then have fought the good fight and watched my weight go up and down through the years. I stopped using the My Fitness Pal app in 2014 which reported that I had gotten down to 275 pounds on my last entry on December 6th – but had continued to try to get in shape and made more progress. But this summer I got frustrated by my food addiction – my tendency to “self-sabotage” by “cheat days” and “binge eating” that made my daily work outs a lot less effective. 

So because I was leading the Celebrate Freedom “recovery/discipleship” Growth Group at Starpoint Church and I had overcome addictions to alcohol, drugs, and sex in the past, I decided to treat my “food addiction” for what it was – an addiction.  

So I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app again and logged in my weight as 238 pounds on August 18th.  I have a  goal to be healthy, lose weight, and to get off of my sleep apnea machine.  Others have successfully been able to discontinue use of their CPAP machines with weight loss, and that was my goal going into 2023.  By August I was floundering on making progress, so I decided to trust in the Lord and to use the principles I had learned with my other struggles to fight my food addiction and beat it for good. I’m still fighting, but I am winning. Today I weighed in as 204.4 pounds this morning and I am without a doubt in the best physical shape I have been in for all of my 51 years and I have committed myself to treat my body as a good steward for the rest of my life.  “I ain’t going back.”, as I like to say.   There will be no going back to “normal” because my “normal” was overeating and bad health.  

A big part of my success was in seeing the truth of the “lies” that surround food addiction.  Some of the lies that are common in this struggle are:  

“Moderation is the key” – It might be for some but for the food addict, or any addict – that key don’t work! Our experience has shown us that we have a fundamental weakness in regard to our addictive area and we have to come to the conclusion that “moderation” in the area of our addiction will not work.  Sorry, grieve the loss – say goodbye to the notion that you could be friends with the thing that kept you in bondage and move on.   Elimination is the key to victory. Bye-Bye. Never again. “That stuff is poison to me.”   

“I love __________”  Fill in the blanks.  Whatever your substance of choice is, because it causes you to self-sabotage and keeps you in bondage you should hate it and will be better off if you learn to love the Lord and yourself more than the object of your addiction.  

“It’s okay to cheat once in a while.”  It’s not.  Your relationship with your body is like any other relationship and going against what you know is good, healthy, and right is NEVER okay.  It’s double-minded living at its finest.  It’s disobedience. It’s rebellion. And those things describe the devil more than the Lord and it’s no coincidence that the objects of our addictions steal our joy, cause pain, and ultimately lead to our destruction.  The enemy encourages our fleshly living because it kills us and prevents us from being the people who God created us to be.  

“My size is _______ and will always be _________”. My pants size was 40waist by 30 Inseam 40X30 for many, many years.  I didn’t have to check what fit because I knew “my size.” My shirts were XL. Period.  My mindset was that was what it was and that I had to be comfortable with that.  Along the way, I changed my pant size to 38X30.  Earlier this summer, I boldly bought and fit into 36X30, thinking I shouldn’t push my luck beyond that, but as the weeks past and I stayed true to my food plan, logging what I ate daily, and continued to exercise,  it became clear that my new size of 36x30 was too big. So last week, I decided to see what I could fit into.   32x30’s fit but are a little tight in legs but 33x30’s fit comfortably and are now “my size”.   Likewise, XL shirts hang on me now and Large shirts are my new size and are loose and comfortable.  

The “Lie of My Size” needed to be challenged, defeated, and “My new size” had to  be accepted.  I’m not who I used to be and, again,  “I’m ain’t going back”.   I have to believe that I have defeated my food addiction and now live according to my victory for the rest of my life.   I not only have to remain aware of the caloric, carbohydrate, and fat “costs” of the food I consume, and maintain my regular exercise routines, I have to also mentally accept the new “my size” and not go back into the darkness of the lies that kept me in chains.  

Another of those lies is: “___________ is good food!”  Again fill in the blanks, for me it would be chocolate, candy, cake, cookies, or ice cream, just to name some of the sugar laden carbohydrate high foods that would destroy my progress.  Those things taste good – but man, those are not “good foods”.  Don’t get me wrong – you can eat anything – really anything – you just have to know the “cost” and plan accordingly – but if you do the research – carb high foods are not worth “the cost” if you are serious about being healthy.   And as unorthodox or unconventional this idea may be to you, it is a better decision to decide not to eat these foods at all, rather than to be drawn in to eating them and having them destroy your progress or to keep you in bondage because you “need” for them.  You don’t need them. You are better off without them. And if you can admit that you are addicted to them, the best course is to eliminate them from your life.   

I don’t want to sound overly strict but if your “food addiction” is anything like mine – it wreaks havoc on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and it needs to be fought seriously and a huge part of the battle will be changing your mind and your relationship with the objects of your addiction.    

Yesterday I went shopping and bought a new black suit to replace my 50 regular jacket and 40x30 slacks.  The Haggar slacks I got were only available in 32 or 34 inch waist – and although the 32’s fit, they were snug in the legs, so I went with the 34’s, with a longer inseam of 32 inches. As for the jacket, a 42 Long was comfortable and is now “my size”.   I also bought some new shoes and will be ridiculously overdressed when I go to Christmas Eve service and my family Christmas Eve celebration in 3 weeks.   

As for the old suit, my wife has been giving away my big clothes to a Christian woman she knows who has been able to take them and give them to people in need. Yesterday she asked her if anyone could need a suit in my old size.   As it turns out, this woman was alerted that there was a woman in need of a suit for her husband who unexpectedly died and who needs a suit to put him in for his casket.   So my old suit will be a blessing to this woman in her hour of grief.  I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate. Where better to take a suit from my “dead man” than to give it to another dead man, where it can serve a purpose and where it can be laid to rest for good?  

I always thought “my size” was XL shirts and 40x30 pants. But sometimes the clothes do not make the man, and the Lord comes into your life and changes everything and shows you that the things you thought were set in stone and impossible to change only required agreeing with the truth and walking with God to overcome and defeat. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us we are new creations in Christ, and that’s the truth, but we have to believe it and live according to it to experience it.

So a lot can change in a few months, but a whole new life can be experienced when you decide to surrender to the Lord and ask for His help, truth, guidance, and strength to lead you out of the darkness of a dead man’s life to walk into the abundant life of freedom, victory, peace, and joy that the Lord.  So try “that on for size” and keep walking and talking with God.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse come from the section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
17  Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Today’s verses are the second of two passages of scripture that fall under the fifteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

 15. Members of the church must honor and obey the elders whom God has appointed to exercise authority in the church.

Today’s verses encourage us to “follow the leader” of our local church. This of course presupposes that they are teaching you from the Bible and encouraging you to put its teachings into practice in your life.  Pastors give good messages but the point behind their preaching is not to merely entertain us. They are exhorting us to live for God’s kingdom and to do the good works that He has prepared for us to do. So we should listen to their instructions and apply them to our lives where we can. 

And we should do so, not begrudgingly, like a painful chore or religious duty. We should embrace their encouragements for Christian living as the blessing they are. For they will lead us closer to God and closer to being the people He created us to be.  

So listen to your spiritual leaders and apply the wisdom of God’s word to your life and do it with joy!    

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from “God is in the Manger- Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.   

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ADVENT WEEK TWO -  MYSTERY

DAY TWO

The Mystery of Love

The mystery remains a mystery. It withdraws from our grasp. Mystery, however, does not mean simply not knowing something.

The greatest mystery is not the most distant star; on the contrary, the closer something comes to us and the better we know it, then the more mysterious it becomes for us. The greatest mystery to us is not the most distant person, but the one next to us. The mystery of other people is not reduced by getting to know more and more about them. Rather, in their closeness they become more and more mysterious. And the final depth of all mystery is when two people come so close to each other that they love each other. Nowhere in the world does one feel the might of the mysterious and its wonder as strongly as here. When two people know everything about each other, the mystery of the love between them becomes infinitely great. And only in this love do they understand each other, know everything about each other, know each other completely. And yet, the more they love each other and know about each other in love, the more deeply they know the mystery of their love. Thus, knowledge about each other does not remove the mystery, but rather makes it more profound. The very fact that the other person is so near to me is the greatest mystery.

All that is Christmas originates in heaven and comes from there to us all, to you and me alike, and forms a stronger bond between us than we could ever forge by ourselves.

Maria von Wedemeyer to Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

December 19, 1943, from Pätzig

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Philippians 1:3–14[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, ed. Jana Riess, trans. O. C. Dean Jr., First edition. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 20–21.


Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The Practice and Habit of Turning Mountains into Mole Hills - Purity 1157


The Practice and Habit of Turning Mountains into Mole Hills - Purity 1157

Purity 1157 09/27/2023 Purity 1157 Podcast

Purity 1157 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a bird’s eye view of the sun and clouds over a mountainous island surrounded by water comes to us from Chriss Osswald who shared this scene from his visit to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon back on September 15th.  

Well, It is Wednesday, and I thought that the collapsed remnant of what was Mount Mazama in Oregon was an adequate way to visually represent our arrival at another midweek summit – and to represent how a change in perspective, and our continued efforts at repentance, can make big problems smaller.   

Tonight the Celebrate Freedom Growth Group meets at Starpoint Church and when we “check in” I will be happy to announce that this week will mark 6 weeks of victory over my food addiction as 39 days ago I was convicted in my heart to turn my struggle into a battle and to start fighting it in earnest.  So, I enlisted the help of Scott Salvadore to be my accountability partner, started logging all my food intake into the My Fitness Pal App, and became more conscious of what my various food choices “cost me”.  

I am a child of the 80’s which witnessed the resurgence and expansion of “G.I. Joe” into the cartoon realm. One of the segments in the G.I. Joe cartoon was to give kids practical advice on how to be aware of the consequences of their actions and to “make good choices” by presenting little life lessons that always ended with the proclamation that “knowing was half the battle”.    

In the last 39 days, I have been made aware of the “caloric, carb, and fat” costs of the foods I eat and now “know” what foods “cost too much” and should be avoided to keep me within the “budget” of my food plan. 

But knowing that really was only half the battle! Previously, I “knew” what foods to avoid but I wasn’t intentional about monitoring my food intake and staying within the limits that would result in my drawing nearer to a healthy lifestyle outside of the obesity zone. If I wanted success, I needed to be consistent in my efforts and log my performance and progress.  So I had to “get serious” and stay the course without “cheat days, nights, or weekends”.   

Another problem with my “general desire to be healthy” 40 days ago was that I was more or less “going it alone” as the only people I was accountable to was “me, myself, and I.” and I had a bad habit of giving myself “grace” to compromise my convictions and fail at my food plan with my changing emotions or with periodic indulgences.  I was a master of self-sabotage and didn’t even really “know it” or didn’t let that continuous self-betrayal “sting” and cause me to see that I was my own worst enemy.  

I saw a gif this morning reminding Christians that “everything isn’t Satan” and that some of our defeat is because of “us” and that we should practice a little less “rebuking” and a little more “repentance”.  It turns out that not everything is the “enemy” and that the “man in the mirror” is often “our own worst enemy”.  

However, with a heartfelt experiential knowledge of the truth, the conviction to lean on God’s power to change, and enlisting the help of the body of Christ and the available technology of the day, we can overcome “the flesh” and make the “mountain” of our problems into “mole hills” that we can trample on and “get over”!

The word of God encourages us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and when we surrender to fight our battles with zeal as part of an overall campaign of war to become the people God created us to be – we can see our problems become smaller as our victory will be a foregone conclusion that we approach a little more each day.  

The experts tell us that it takes 6 weeks of a continued action to form a habit and I am right there with my efforts to conquer my food addiction but as I have said in the past, when we decide to get freedom and victory over something we have to make to decision that “this will be forever”. So now that my monitoring and healthy eating, and reporting to my accountability is forming into a habit, and I’m making progress, I have to continue to make the daily decision to keep going in the direction I have been walking and not compromise or turn back to the way things were before. 

Victory and Freedom over any hurt, habit, or hang up is possible – but we have to believe it is possible and then demonstrate our belief with continued consistent actions to achieve and maintain it.     

The word tells us the truth when it says that God has given the Christian all we need for life and godliness. We just have to “know it” and show it – because although knowing we have victory in Christ is half the battle, we still have to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit  and do “what is right” to achieve it.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Anger, Hot Temper.

Proverbs 25:28 (ESV)
28  A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Today’s verse falls under the ninth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Anger, Hot Temper

 9. Control Yourself

Today’s verse is the first of three verses of scripture that our resource provides to encourage us to control ourselves. And rather than presenting them all at once, we are doing them “one at a time, one day at a time. 

Today’s verse is a pithy analogy for the disaster our lives can become when we fail to practice self-control.  In ancient times, cities were protected by outer walls and gates that were guarded to keep out those who didn’t agree with the policies of the city and who sought to kill, steal, and destroy the communities within.  While some marauding invaders would trample cities through elaborate sieges or through the aggressive actions of “storming the gates”, often the easiest way to penetrate the city walls was by bribing the “gatekeepers”. Rather than starving out a city or expending energy battering the city defenses, devious men found that causing one person to compromise their allegiance to the city was an effective means to achieve victory.  

And this analogy of a city broken into and with walls toppled, is used by the word of God to describe the state of a man when he fails to practice self-control.  When we “betray ourselves” by compromising our convictions and giving into temptations – by releasing the reins on self-control – we end up standing in the ruins of our best laid plans because we relented and became our own worst enemies.  

So, even though it is known as “self-control” and there will be times when we will have to “go it alone” – let’s enlist allies in our battles by drawing close into an accountability community with others in the body of Christ, where we can report any suspicious activity and fend off any breaches along our “walls” to keep compromise at bay.    With a keen intention, relying on the Holy Spirit for strength and wisdom, and with the help of faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, we can watch the fruit of “self-control” grow and flourish in a life that is lived “walking in the Spirit”.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from  The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3) 

A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit

27 - The Spirit Transforming

2 Corinthians 3:18

Just as there are certain verses in the Old Testament and the Gospels which give us a miniature of the redemptive work of Christ for God’s people—such, for example, as Isaiah 53:5 and John 3:16—so in the Epistles there are some condensed doctrinal declarations which express in a few words the entire work of the Spirit in reforming, conforming, and transforming believers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 is a case in point: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This important passage supplies a brief but blessed summary of the progressive work of grace which is wrought in the Christian by the indwelling Spirit. It focuses to a single point the different rays which are emitted by the various graces which He communicates to them, namely, that wherein the saint is slowly but surely conformed unto and transfigured into the very image of the Lord.

There are many parts in and aspects of the Spirit’s work in reforming, conforming and transforming the believer, but they are here epitomized in one brief but most comprehensive statement, which we now propose to examine and expound. As an aid to this, let us proceed to ask our verse a number of questions. First, exactly what is meant by “the glory of the Lord,” into “the same image” of which all believers “are changed?”—are—not, “shall be.” Second, what is “the glass” in which we are beholding this glory? Third, what is denoted in the we are “changed into the same image from glory to glory.” Fourth, what is the force of “we all with open face” are beholding this glory? Finally, how does the Spirit of the Lord effect this great change in believers? Are they entirely passive therein, or is there an active co-operation on their part?

Perhaps it will help the reader most if we first give brief answers to these questions and then supply amplifications of the same in what follows. The “glory of the Lord” here signifies His moral perfections, the excellencies of His character. The “glass” in which His glory is revealed and in which those with anointed eyes may behold it, is the Holy Scripture. Our being “changed into the same image” has reference to our sanctification, viewed from the experimental side; that it is here said to be “from glory to glory” intimates it is a gradual and progressive work. Our beholding that glory with “open face” means that the veil of darkness, of prejudice, of “enmity,” which was over our depraved hearts by nature, has been removed, so that in God’s light we now see light. The Spirit effects this great change both immediately and mediately, that is, by His direct actions upon the soul and also by blessing to us our use of the appointed means of grace.

“The glory of the Lord.” This we have defined as His moral perfections, the excellencies of His character. The best theologians have classified God’s attributes under two heads: incommunicable and communicable. There are certain perfections of the Divine Being which are peculiar to Himself, which in their very nature cannot be transmitted to the creature: these are His eternity, His immutability, His omnipotence, His omniscience, His omnipresence. There are other perfections of the Divine Being which He is pleased to communicate, in measure, to the unfallen angels and to the redeemed from among men: these are His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His holiness, His righteousness, His wisdom. Now, obviously, it is the latter which the Apostle has before him in 2 Corinthians 3:18, for believers are not, will not, and cannot be changed into the “same image” of the Lord’s omniscience, etc. Compare “we beheld the glory … full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)—His moral perfections.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge     

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).

Friday, August 25, 2023

Unequal Weights & The Standard of Truth – Statements of Truth - 6 - Purity 1130

Unequal Weights & The Standard of Truth  – Statements of Truth - 6  - Purity 1130

Purity 1130 08/25/2023 Purity 1130 Podcast

Purity 1130 on YouTube: 


Good morning,

Today’s photo of the setting sun in a hazy sky over the mountains near Murphy NC comes to us from Fred Dimmick who shared this view Wednesday evening on social media, along with the following:

Sunset from the mountain

Cicadas start their call.

Coyotes howl

Bats take flight,

Good night to one and all.

Well, It’s Friday and as we are ready to say “good night” to another work week I am filled with joyful anticipation over the fact that I will be reunited with my beloved wife this evening after over a week’s separation. Last weekend TammyLyn was vacationing with family and this week she has been doing twelve-hour days at the Washington County Fair representing Boces and volunteering for Operation Adopt a Soldier and because of her late hours and my early rising, we haven’t even seen each other via FB messenger for our nightly Bible Study like we normally do. So I am longing to see her and will even brave the barnyard atmosphere and the temptations of “fair food” at the Washington County Fair to see her sooner rather than later. 

Well it has been over one week of victory over my food addiction as I have been diligent to log all the food I have eaten into the My Fitness Pal app and made “good choices” with the things I have allowed into the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  As a part of this battle, I have chosen to be accountable and to track my weight loss progress. Last Thursday I publicly announced that I weighed in at 238.9 pounds and am happy to announce that I am less than that today. I will report my weight as 237.8 officially, so 1 week 1 pound. Slow progress but I will take it.

However, while that will be the official end of this story, that’s not all there is to it. Part of my documentation process is taking a photo of the scale to have a photographic record of what I weigh, so I don’t forget and will have a visual record of my progress on my phone.  But here is the thing, I was a tad obsessive about staying on track this week so instead of just weighing in once a week, I was weighing myself every day and over the last week I saw the scale I was using fluctuate between 232 pounds to 235 pounds to 233 pounds to 238 pounds again.  What is now my “old scale” sits in the garbage can awaiting its final disposal at the dump tomorrow and this latest inconsistency is only one reason why it has to go.  

This particular scale that will remain nameless would measure your weight two different ways.  Sometimes you would step on the scale, the digital numbers would change a bit but then it would stop and report your weight. Other times it would display “Sensing” and or “Thinking” and ask you to “Step Off” the scale, before reporting in digital numbers what your weight was.   So what is that about? Why two different ways and why did the scale have to “think” about the number it was going to give me?  It was mildly annoying to have the two different ways of being weighed but it also seemed to have a discrepancy of how it was weighing me with each way. The “straight number” reporting method would be one number and the “sensing or thinking” method gave me another number – on the same day, immediately following each reading! And as I had this scale for at least a couple of years, I knew that I couldn’t really trust it because the numbers didn’t really reflect reality.  I couldn’t be two different weights.

Of the two methods, I preferred the “sensing” or “thinking” method because those readings tended to say I weighed less.  It was as if the scale wanted to give me a break and say I weighed less than I was. So, I took the fact that my scale was inconsistent with a grain of salt and just figured my health journey “wasn’t about a number”.  

But this week my scale started to try to sense things that were not there! I would walk by the bathroom and glance inside and see the scale’s led display screen glowing and saying “sensing”. I tried taking the batteries out and replacing them, but the problem persisted. For a couple of days, I left one battery out and would put it back in to weigh myself.  But yesterday, I decided to end the insanity and buy a new scale that at least would work, not have 2 methods of “thinking” about and reporting my weight and wouldn’t kill the batteries by trying to weigh things that were not there!

And while I have accepted that I didn’t lose 5 pounds in one week, like my old scale said I did, I am admittedly a little frosty when I consider that a scale would have such variances between readings and the fact that I had lived with it for so long.   

Even the Bible speaks about how God hates “unjust weights”. 

Proverbs 20:23 (ESV)
23  Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good.

Unequal weights are an abomination! And False scales are not good! Scripture!

And why? Because they are liars!  I don’t want a scale to “think” about what I way, I want it, to borrow an old co-worker’s phrase, to “tell me like it “T – I -  tis!”.  Don’t try to sugarcoat it scale! Tell me the truth!

Now that I think about it, those varying scales wreaked havoc on my emotions.  It’s very disappointing thinking that you lost 5 pounds and then discovering that you really only lost one.  That disappointment could cause someone to quit, to throw in the towel and to think that there was no point in trying to be healthy because they just continually gain and lose weight no matter what they do.  So “good night”, scale. I should have returned you or thrown you in the garbage a long time ago because you were an “unequal weight”! You were a false scale. I don’t need your lies that give me false hope. I need the truth!

And that brings us to our current series – Statements of Truth – that springs from the last portion of Step # 2, Deception Vs. Truth, of the Steps to Freedom in Christ by Dr. Neil Anderson            

That step deals with Deception, and because we have completed the process of examining, confessing, and renouncing all of the ways we have been deceived. the good doctor prescribes a healthy dose of truth for us:

Anderson introduces the Statements of Truth by stating: 

“For two thousand years Christians have known the importance of verbally and publicly declaring truth. Read aloud the following statements of truth, and carefully consider what you are professing. You may find it helpful to read them aloud every day for at least six weeks, which will help you renew your mind to the truth.”

So for our current series, we are presenting each of the remaining 6 Statements of Truth from Step 2 of the Steps to Freedom in Christ, one at a time, We are declaring them verbally and publicly, because we, like the Christians who have gone before us over the last two thousand years. know the importance of doing so. 

We are also sharing the statement’s associated Bible verses and sharing our thoughts about what each Statement of Truth is telling us, why they are important, and how they apply to our lives as Christians.  

So today’s Statement of Truth is:

6.    I believe that apart from Christ I can do nothing, so I declare my complete dependence on Him. I choose to abide in Christ in order to bear much fruit and glorify my Father. I announced to Satan that Jesus is my Lord. I reject any and all counterfeit gifts or works of Satan in my life.

And the Bible verses listed with this statement are: 

John 15:5, 8 (NKJV)
5  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

8  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NKJV)
3  Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

Today’s statement of truth brings us back to earth and has us focus on the fact that apart from Christ we can do nothing.  In truth, we are all dependent on Him.  If we don’t have faith in Him, we face God’s wrath and go to hell – so I don’t care what you may have accomplished in life, if that is your end when you “do it yourself” – it shows that you really accomplish nothing.  

However, when we put our faith in Jesus, all our good works are giving God glory. I know in my case that I would have never done some of the good things I have done since my conversion if I had never come to faith in Jesus.  Mission trips to Africa and Guatemala would have never been taken without Jesus.  My personal recovery and serving in the church in any capacity would have never happened without Jesus.  Volunteering for the AFSP, Salvation Army, and Operation Adopt A Soldier never happen without Jesus. This blog and this podcast never happen without Jesus.  My wife TammyLyn never happens without Jesus!   So I know how this statement of truth is true – because I chose to abide in Christ and have been blessed to bear whatever fruit the Lord wanted to produce in and through my life to glorify the Father.  

So yes, we announce to Satan that Jesus is our Lord, and we reject any counterfeit gifts or works of Satan (those worldly ways of wisdom – to lie, cheat, steal cleverly for instance) that we have learned by growing up in this world broken by sin.  

We stop doing things “my way” or “the world’s way” because it’s a “jungle out there”, and instead we follow the ways of the Lion of Judah and do things according to the “truth, the way, and the life of Jesus Christ.   He is the Living word of God and He alone is our standard of truth, and we dare not try to accomplish anything without Him.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Luke 21:34 (ESV)
34  “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

Today’s verse fall under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse.

 2. Jesus warns against the abuse of alcohol.

Today’s verse counterbalances any foolishness that we would try to participate in by suggesting that Jesus was a “drunkard” in Matthew 11:9. If you try to make the case that Jesus was a drunken party animal because He turned water into wine and says people call him a drunkard in Matthew 11:9 you would be joining in with the Pharisees who lied about Jesus and be blaspheming the Lord.  

While  the word of God doesn’t condemn alcoholic beverages it does condemn drunkenness. (1 Cor 6:10).  And in today’s verse Jesus Himself warns about drunkenness and the coming day of judgment. 

So if you have a problem with consuming alcohol, you slip into drunkenness. You should go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him if He wants you to continue in your drunken ways or if He could give you the strength to overcome it. 

I know personally how the “drunken verses” in the Bible convicted me to repent of my alcoholic ways and I know that the Lord is faithful in helping those who ask for His help to be free of the abuse of alcohol. 

So don’t pretend drunkenness is okay, and don’t you dare suggest that Jesus was a drunk, because those things just aren’t true, and the Lord calls us to walk in the light of his truth and to live a good and holy life.  

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from  The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3) 

A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit

21 - The Spirit Leading

A Caution

The wayward child and the self-willed youth is guided by his own unsanctified and unsubdued spirit. The man of the world is controlled by “the spirit of the world.” The wicked are governed by Satan “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). But the Christian is to yield himself unto “the still small voice” of the Holy Spirit. Yet a word of caution is needed at this point, for in our day there are many fanatics and impious people who do that which is grossly dishonoring to God under the plea that they were “prompted by the Spirit” so to act. To be “led by the Spirit of God” does not mean being influenced by unaccountable suggestions and uncontrollable impulses which result in conduct displeasing to God, and often injurious to ourselves and others. No, indeed: not so does the Spirit of God “lead” anyone.

There is a safe and sure criterion by which the Christian may gauge his inward impulses, and ascertain whether they proceed from his own restless spirit, an evil spirit, or the Spirit of God. That criterion is the written Word of God, and by it all must be measured. The Holy Spirit never prompts anyone to act contrary to the Scriptures. How could He, when He is the Author of them! His promptings are always unto obedience to the precepts of Holy Writ. Therefore, when a man who has not been distinctly called, separated, and qualified by God to be a minister of His Word, undertakes to “preach,” no matter how strong the impulse, it proceeds not from the Holy Spirit. When a woman “feels led” to pray in public where men are present, she is moved by “another spirit” (2 Cor. 11:4), or if one claimed “guidance” in assuming an unequal yoke by marrying an unbeliever, 2 Corinthians 6:14 would prove conclusively that it was not the “guidance” of the Holy Spirit. Divine Direction

The Holy Spirit fulfills His office of Guide by three distinct operations. First, He communicates life and grace, a new “nature;” second, He stirs that life unto action, and gives “more grace;” third, He directs the action into performance of duty. Life, motion, and conduct are inseparable in nature and grace alike. First, the Holy Spirit quickens us into newness of life, infusing gracious habits into the soul. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezek. 36:26). Second, He moves upon the soul and assists the new nature to act according to its own gracious habits and principles: He “worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Third, He directs our actions by enlightening our understandings, guiding our inclinations, and moving our wills to do that which is pleasing unto God. It is the last two we are now considering.

Divine direction is promised the saints: “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way” (Ps. 25:9): and this not only by general directions, but by particular excitations. “I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go” (Isa. 48:17). Divine guidance is desired by the saints as a great and necessary blessing: “Show me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day” (Ps. 25:4, 5). Mark the earnestness of this prayer: “show me, teach me, lead me.” Note the argument: “Thou art the God of my salvation,” and as such, pledged to undertake for me. Observe the importunity: “on Thee do I wait all the day,” as if he would not be left for a moment to his own poor wisdom and power. Even the “new nature” is utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit.

Though the children of God are “light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8) and have a general understanding of the way of godliness, yet much ignorance and darkness still remains in them, and therefore in order to a steady and constant course of obedience they need to be guided by the Holy Spirit, so that their light may be both directive and persuasive. Though Christians have a general understanding of their duty, much grace from God is needed to perform it by them. If left to themselves, their own corruptions would blind and govern them, and therefore do they pray, “Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me” (Ps. 119:133). The way to Heaven is a “narrow” one, hard to find and harder still to be kept, except God teach us daily by His Spirit. Wisdom from on High is continually needed to know how to apply the rules of Scripture to all the varied details of our lives. The Holy Spirit is the only fountain of holiness, and to Him we must constantly turn for directions.

But something more than knowledge is needed by us: the Spirit must persuade and incline our hearts, and move our wills. How strong are our inclinations to sin, how easily fleshly impulses override our better judgment, how weak we are before temptation! We know what we should do, but are carried away by corrupt affections to the contrary. It is at this point the Holy Spirit governs from within. First, by His restraining motions, bidding us to avoid and mortify sin; second, by His quickening motions, inviting us to the pursuit of holiness. And just so far as we yield to His “strivings” are we “led by the Spirit of God.” As moral agents we are responsible to co-operate with the Spirit and respond to His gentle sway over us. Alas, we so often fail to do so. But though He allows this up to a certain point—for our humbling—yet by His invincible power He prevents our making shipwreck of the faith, and after many chastenings, conducts us safely to Glory.[1]

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Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge     

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).