Lift up Your Hands

"And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power."
1 Corinthians 6:14

In navigating struggles and trials, one thing is certain.  Your trial will not last forever.  Yes, when you are in the thick of sickness, disease, debt, divorce and even weight loss, it feels like it's never going to end.  There is no light at the end of your tunnel.  But know this, it cannot stay dark forever.  The sun must rise again.  People often say, it's not what happens to you, it's what you do when it happens.  I believe this to be true.  Looking back over many of the incredibly stressful times in my life I can see when I handled stress fairly well, and when I didn't.
 What's interesting is that the circumstances weren't any different. The situation was the same.  
It was my approach to handling the stress.  At times, I could see that there was nothing I could do but pray.  And so I did.  And God comforted me.
At other times, I allowed the stress to get the best of me.  Resulting in unwanted behaviors like being short-tempered with family, snacking, etc.  
(No comfort to speak of here, just more stress.)
What I've found is this.  Learning to cope with stress is the key to winning in weight loss.  
Friend, you are not battling the food on your plate today.  You are not battling the fresh baked goodies in the kitchen or staff lounge at work.  You are battling the circumstances in your life, and the thoughts in your mind.  Which cause you to change what you put on your plate, or even add more to your plate.  Make sense?
Even as I type this morning, I glanced over at my Bible.  It was open to 1 Corinthians 6:14, the highlighted verse says this:
 "And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power."
Do you see that today?  There is nothing the Lord can't do.  He has promised to raise you up out of your pit of despair today.  Know that.  You know longer have to remain stuck in a cycle of oppression, anxiety and eating.  Reach up and allow God to transform the way you approach your circumstances today.  No, you cannot change certain things about where you are at this very moment.  But you can change everything about where you are going.  You just have to follow the right person.  God is here.  Right above you and me today.  Reaching down and waiting for us to lift up our hands.  Let's lift them up together today.  

Let's Pray.
Dear God,
I'm ready God!  Ready to move up and on.  I know I deal with stress in ways that contradict what I know about You.  I know You are my peace, my protection, and my power.  I will continue to persevere and press on.  God today I lift up my hands and release my struggles with my weight to You.  I will seek you early and often to provide the wisdom I need to fight my battles.  I praise Your holy name!
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen

E4M DAILY STRATEGY
Lift Up Your Hands

It's important to tone those arms as we lift them too.  Try these four fabulous moves to get toned arms, and work on those all important abdominal muscles too!

1. Walking Plank: Tone your abdominal muscles as you strengthen your arms. Put a spin on a traditional plank by moving side to side.

2. Kickboxing punches: If you’ve ever participated in a kickboxing class, you know that throwing punches burns a lot of calories. They also help tone and strengthen your arms and upper back.

3. Side Plank:  Most people think of this as an oblique exercise, side planks also work your shoulders and arms.

4. Arm circles: Strengthen your shoulders and arms with simple, yet effective circular motions. You can do this exercise in a matter of minutes without any equipment.