Anyway, yesterday morning he gave me a great message. I wasn’t sure when I was going to post it, but a dear lady named Keila from Brazil emailed me last night. In it, she mentioned a challenge she is going through and wrote these words:

“Jesus will hold my hand each second!”

That was confirmation to post this message now because the scripture God gave me to meditate on early yesterday morning was this:

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10)

When I wrote my free “I Want to Know Who God Is” ebook, I discovered the two words used to describe God most in the bible are ‘strength’ and ‘righteous’.

Who sits at God’s right hand? Jesus! That Isaiah scripture is one of my favorites but I never made the Jesus connection before now.  Jesus is the right hand that God sent to uphold us – he strengthens us, helps us, and leads us into righteousness – right standing with God and guidance on the right way to live.

I was compelled to read Romans next – I started out reading a few scriptures but ended up reading the whole book. Jesus was sent to help us who are weak and unrighteous – slaves to sin while we live in this body.

Jesus came to whoop sin’s behind (that image makes me smile) – triumphing over it each and every time while he lived in flesh just like ours, being tempted in every way we are tempted. And when the devil tried to kill him – fighting him even to the grave – Jesus defeated sin and death in the grave, emerging triumphant in his glorified body. He left sin and death behind in his dead earthly body!

That is what you have to look forward to as well – no more having to fight against sin in this “body of death” as Paul calls it. You will be truly free. But until that time, Jesus sent you the Holy Spirit so that you too can gain the victory over your flesh, just as Jesus did when he lived in his earthly body.

To gain the victory, we must commit to the following:

• Being led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:15-18)
• Abiding in God’s word so that we know truth (John 8:31-32)
• Set our minds on things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6)

As we do these things, the bible promises we will reign in life.

What a friend and brother, Savior, we have in Jesus! And if you don’t know him personally yet and want to know how you can welcome (or re-welcome) him into your life, here is how you can.

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

P.S. One of the most important things you’ll need to do to overcome eating issues is to renew your mind. That’s why one of the bonuses in the Take Back Your Temple eBook is “Prayers and Promises to Take Back Your temple”.

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

In this special bonus, you get over a dozen scriptures and prayers specifically related to God’s promises for health and strength so you can gain physical, emotional, and spiritual victory every day. Check it out!

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

In fact, the word “devil” comes from the Greek word “diavolos” which means ‘slanderer’ or ‘accuser’. If you allow slander or accusation to rule your mind, then mental strongholds are built that drive you to destructive habits. That will eventually ruin your life.

To be victorious, you must be faithful in “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)”.

I have a special article by Rhonda Jones of thechristianmeditator.com to assist you with that. Rhonda shares some excellent advice on how to renew your mind to God’s word and defeat negative thinking habits for good.
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How to Defeat Negative Thoughts with Christian Meditation

by Rhonda Jones

As Christians we are in a battle everyday of our lives. It is not a battle with our mates, kids, friends, or even our bosses. The greatest battle that faces every believer is the battle with his or her own mind. But what does it mean to battle with the mind? Our minds or thoughts are usually contrary to God and the scriptures. Instead of focusing on faith we focus on fear. Instead of focusing on abundance, we focus on lack. Instead meditating on the word of God, we meditate on news, sitcoms, and negative thinking. These thoughts steal our peace and joy, and interfere with living out God’s promises.

Here is what the Bible says about our minds:

• Romans 1:28: “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”

• Ephesians 4:23: “to be made new in the attitude of your minds.”

• 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

• Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern (conditioning) 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.”

Paul said it best in Romans 7:21 when he stated that he knows what to do, but has trouble doing it.

• “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

You can see from these scriptures that believers truly have a mind problem. Ephesians Chapter 6 tells us to cast down every fiery dart that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. This is easier said than done because many of our thoughts are unconscious. They just play like a broken record in the back of our heads over and over again and we live our lives according to what they are telling us. It’s kind of like living on autopilot.

So how does Christian meditation help believers bring healing to their minds? Christian meditation helps us to still our minds so that we can observe the subtle and subconscious thoughts that we’re thinking. Spend a day recording every thought that comes to mind. Write it down. Then review your thoughts at the end of the day.

I had my daughter do this for a day and every thought she wrote down was negative and debilitating: “no one will ever hire me, I’m a failure, I’m ugly,” etc. It was no wonder she was having so many emotional problems at the time. Do you know that we would never let another person talk to use like this, but too often we say horrible things about ourselves.

The good news is that once you know what is going on in your head you can do something about it. You can change your thoughts and change your life. You can replace negative thoughts with God’s word.

By getting still and quieting your mind and filling it with the truth of God’s word through Christ-center meditation you can uproot negative thinking and replace it with thoughts of peace, joy, and purpose.

CLICK HERE to listen to a free sample of Christian Meditation now

Rhonda Jones is the author of a series of Christian meditation and relaxation CDs that encourages listeners to relax, spend more quality time with God, and learn to live more consciously and in the present.

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I hope this article blessed you. Go ahead now and check out Rhonda’s Christian Meditation sample so you can see how it works. Just click the link below, scroll down the page and you can listen to the sample. See for yourself how relaxing and soothing it can be:

CLICK HERE to listen to a free sample of Christian Meditation now

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

P.S Please share this message with your email lists, on forums you visit, or on your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media pages. I need your help in getting the message out. Thank you in advance!

A barometer measures pressure in the atmosphere. I learned that when the atmospheric pressure is high in your area, that means fair weather because the atmosphere can resist stormy weather patterns that are trying to come into your area.

But when the atmospheric pressure is low, that means storms can come in to your area because storms take the path of least resistance.

The Spirit revealed this truth to me: The only was to overcome emotional storms is to keep the atmospheric pressure inside yourself high by being full of the Spirit. That way, when pressures are high in your external circumstances, you will be able to overcome them because they can’t get inside you – after all, you are already filled!

So from now on, think of your feelings as a barometer. When you are full of the Spirit, you are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

But when you are spiritually low, you are habitually worried, troubled, fearful, doubtful, depressed, jealous, prone to anger, selfish, envious, and lack self control.

Don’t use spiritual lows as an occasion to condemn yourself though. Think of them as a warning sign that you need to retreat to the Father and build up the spiritual pressure inside yourself again so that you can resist the storm.

Praying, meditating on the Father’s word, and speaking it to yourself throughout the day keeps the spiritual pressure inside yourself high. These disciplines also inspire you to praise and worship Him.

When praise and worship fills your heart, then you will know that your Spiritual atmospheric pressure is high enough to overcome any storms that come your way.

I hope you start practicing this principle every day. As you stay filled with the Spirit and are led by the Spirit, you will live a victorious life. You will also draw others to Jesus because they will see the difference in you and want the peace that you have!

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.

P.S. Do you know what is the #1 issue that stops women from reaching their ideal weight? Emotional eating! In the Take Back Your Temple ebook, I cover practical strategies for overcoming emotional eating as well as other “tests” that can sabotage your weight loss efforts – from night-time eating to food-pushing relatives!

One of the 8 bonuses that comes with the eBook is “Kiss Your Stress Goodbye” which provides over 40 strategies for managing stress effectively. Not only do you get the bonues, you get to try the program free for 30 days. If you are disatisfied for any reason, you may request a full refund, no questions asked - but, you get to keep all of the bonuses! There is absolutely no risk to you.

In my meditation, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that many people, especially women, use food as a form of retreat, a retreat from negative emotions or stress because they have come to associate food with rest, refreshment and renewal.

But this is an inferior way to retreat. And overeating eventually leads to more problems, such as weight gain. A good Christian weight loss program deals with the cause of the problem, not the symptom. When you resolve the cause, the symptom takes care of itself.

Father wants us to enjoy food but he also wants us to use it as it was intended – in moderation and to heal, energize, and nourish our bodies.

When we need a retreat, he wants us to retreat to Him for rest, refreshment, and renewal! Here are a couple of scriptures he gave me related to this (the bolded emphasis is mine):

John 7:38 (KJV)
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Father showed me that the real danger of excess in anything, whether eating or drinking or practicing addictions, is that they dull the ability of the person to hear his voice.

The Holy Spirit speaks to you all the time, but if you are burdened with worries, doubts, fears, overindulgence or addictions, then you cannot hear him.

And if you can’t hear him, then you can’t be led by him or apply his wisdom to your life.

That is why so many believers are not living victorious lives. They have static in their lives that is preventing them from receiving the Holy Spirit’s broadcast.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gave you free access to your Father. You need to build times into your day to retreat to him to pray and to meditate on his word. Doing this will renew, refresh and regenerate you so that you can face the challenges of life.

When your belly is full with the living water of the Spirit, then you will not only be refreshed yourself but you will pour out rivers of living water to others. You will supply refreshment to a world that is thirsty for answers, love and significance.

So today, resolve to retreat in the excellent way and go forth, full of the Holy Spirit into the purpose and plans our Father has for you!

Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

P.S. If you are struggling with overeating, stress eating, or just want to reach your ideal weight in a healthy, practical way, then check out my Take Back Your Temple ebook now. Remember, it comes with 8 bonuses, plus you can try it free for 30 days. If you are disatisfied for any reason, you may request a full refund, no questions asked – but, you get to keep all of the bonuses! There is absolutely no risk to you.

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

But I am confident that you will agree it is one of the best investments you can make in your health and to improve the quality of your life. Try it today:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

I identify with that because I too was plagued with worry and anxiety, frequently overeating to stuff my feelings down. Part of my healing was learning to rely on God to help me manage my negative emotions.

When I wrote my initial draft of Take Back Your Temple, I had a section on overcoming temptation. One of the tips was to “Stop, Drop & Pray.” You might know that children are taught they should “Stop, Drop & Roll” if their clothes catch on fire.

In like manner, when your life is on fire and you are anxious about any situation, great or small, your automatic reaction should be to “Stop, Drop & Pray.”

In other words, take a moment to acknowledge the negative emotion you are feeling (stop), humbly acknowledge your need for God (drop), and ask God for help in your situation (pray).

You can “Stop, Drop & Pray” anytime and anywhere. The “Drop” does not mean you need to get on your knees or even lower your head or eyelids. Instead, it is a position of the heart. In humility, you recognize God’s power and your total dependence on Him to get you through life.

Philippians 4:6-7 gives this prescription for anxiety:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So be anxious for nothing, but pray about everything…with thanksgiving!

Now you might wonder…how can you be thankful when you don’t know if God is going to answer your prayer? I used to wonder that. But I got a revelation on how you can be thankful even before you see your prayer answered:

1. If you ask according to a promise or word that God has already spoken in the bible, then you know that the answer to your prayer is “yes”. In John 15:7, Jesus said: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” What an amazing promise!
2. God knows what you are going to ask before you ask it because he knows everything. He is just waiting for you to acknowledge your need for Him.
3. Because God already knows you are going to ask, he has already answered “yes” in the spiritual if it agrees with His word.
4. So you can thank God on the basis of that “yes” even before you see the answer manifested in the natural!

Whenever you feel anxious or feel any negative emotion such as anger, depression, envy, worry and others, “Stop, Drop & Pray.” Study the bible so you can learn about God’s promises and ask more effectively for what you need according to His word.

If you have a story of answered prayer to share, please send it to me and I will post it on the site when it is available.

Thank you and enjoy the poster!

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ eBook
www.takebackyourtemple.com

P.S.  If you like gifts, then check out the bonuses that are available with my Take Back Your Temple ebook.

You’ll learn more even more about how to overcome obstacles that can sabotage your health efforts. Learn more here:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

When you eat sugar, you raise two neurotransmitters in your brain: serotonin and beta-endorphin. Both of these neurotransmitters influence your mood and give you a sense of calm, well-being, comfort, and just generally make you feel good. This is why many people crave sugar when they are emotionally upset.

However, your blood sugar levels spike too high when you eat sugar and your body has to release the hormone insulin to bring the blood sugar back into balance. If too much insulin is released, your blood sugar crashes, leaving you tired, irritable, moody, and brain fogged.

For many people, this sets off a daily cycle of blood sugar spikes and crashes as they consume more and more sugar to try to restore those initial feelings of calm and comfort – but it never lasts.

To break free of sugar addiction for good, you first need to address its spiritual and emotional aspects, then its physical aspects. Here are seven ways to do this.

1. Go Back to the Beginning. For many of us, our attachment to sugar goes back to childhood. In my own situation, I learned to associate sugar with comfort. My mother worked a lot as a single mom and before she would leave me with the sitter, she always gave me candy money so I could walk to the convenience store around the corner to get a treat. Now, I missed my mother and I was lonely, but the only comfort I had as a child was the candy. Eating the candy made me feel better.

Unfortunately that pattern continued as an adult. Whenever I felt emotionally stressed or upset, I craved candy and other sweets, never realizing that I was coping the same way I did when I was five. Take a moment to think about your own sugar addiction history. When did sugar become a coping method for you? Chances are, it was during periods of stress or emotional distress.

2. Re-think your coping choices. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Remember that a child does not have many options when they experience emotional pain, but adults do. Have compassion on the child/person you used to be but recognize that your way of coping then does not fit you now.

3. Ask God for help. Attempting to deal with emotional pain with food, sugar, sex, drugs or other addiction is like trying to fill a hole that does not have a bottom. No matter what you put into that hole, it will never be enough. The only thing that is big enough to fill the hole is God. Strengthen your relationship with him through prayer, praise, worship, and bible study. Ask him to reveal and heal any sources of emotional pain you have and receive that healing by faith.

4. Add more whole foods to your life. Eat high fiber fruits like apples, pears, and oranges to satisfy your sweet tooth without the sugar rush. Eating reasonable servings of sweet potatoes, brown rice and whole grain pasta also help keep your blood sugar stable and increases the body’s natural production of serotonin. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and other colorful vegetables to replenish B and C vitamins in your body; these vitamins help your body convert food into energy, but eating large amounts of sugar depletes them. Eating lean sources of protein like chicken, fish, turkey, beans, and low-fat dairy products (in moderation) will also help to curb hunger and cravings.

5. Limit the sugar in your life. If you are sensitive to sugar, change your diet to limit your exposure to it. Otherwise it becomes a case of “the more you get, the more you want.” Learn to read labels. A good guideline is to replace any prepared food or drink that has more than 10 grams of sugar per serving with one that has less sugar. Sugar goes by many names besides the obvious ones (those with sugar or syrup in the name) such as dextrose, fructose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, maltodextrin, barley malt, and molasses. If one of these names for sugar is one of the first three ingredients on the label, replace it with something else.

Also, limit your intake of fruit juice to less than 1/2 cup – fruit juice also raises your blood sugar quickly. Limit your intake of artificially sweetened drinks too, because they can keep your taste for sugar alive. Lastly, limit foods made with white flour and white rice because the body breaks them down quickly and reacts to them in a similar way as to eating sugar.

6. Make your own feel-good chemicals. I mentioned earlier that eating sugar increases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. There are other natural things you can do that have the same effect:

* Exercise. If sugar addiction is a problem for you, I recommend that you exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week to make some endorphins. If you aren’t exercising at all now, start with 10 minutes a day and work up. But here is a tip: When you are exercising, grin – show your teeth. When you smile, you send an “all is well” signal to your brain and it releases even more “feel good” chemicals. Also, when you give a wide smile, your mouth is open slightly, which increases your oxygen intake when you exercise, making it easier do. So smile when exercising. I dare you to put it to the test and see.

* Sunshine. Sunshine also increase the body’s production of endorphins also, so get about 15-20 minutes of sunshine exposure a day if you can.

* Hugs. Hug others as much as you can. If you don’t have anybody to hug, then hug yourself. The more hugs, the better. If you are married then have sex often. This releases feel good chemicals as well.

* Laughter. Get a clean joke book or watch a comedy program and make yourself laugh several times a day.

* Uplifting music. In the bible, David used music to calm King Saul whenever a distressing spirit came upon him. In similar fashion, listen to music that emotionally moves and soothes you, like beautiful classical music or praise and worship music a few times a day.

7. Find your joy. The bottom line is that you cannot have true peace or joy as long as an addiction controls you. Ask yourself: is food or sugar one of the few sources of joy or pleasure that you allow yourself? If that is the case, you can bring your life into balance. Take the time to think of other things you can add that bring you pleasure so that these activities are restored to a healthy place in your life.

I hope that you have found these tips helpful! I’d also like your feedback. What questions do you have about losing weight or getting healthy? Contact me and let me know. I am planning to add audio and video content to the www.takebackyourtemple.com website that will address the most asked questions.

I look forward to your feedback!

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of ‘MoneyWise Weight Loss‘ and the ‘Take Back Your Temple ebook

By Rhonda Jones

Need to Get Still Before God or Reduce Worry or Stress? Christian Meditation May Be Your Answer!

If you are like most believers you might be thinking “meditate!,” isn’t that for monks and those associated with Eastern religions? The practice of Biblical meditation for many modern day believers is relatively unknown. Yet, thorough research shows that Christian meditation is nothing new. You can find numerous books, websites, and articles on this subject alone. However, our greatest incentive for Christ-centered meditation can be found right in the Bible. Joshua said in 1:8 that if we meditate on God day and night that we will have success and prosperity in life. Psalms 16:11, tells us that in God’s presence is fullness of joy. But what does it really mean to meditate on God?

The synonyms for meditate are: reflect, pray, ponder, muse, ruminate, cogitate, study, think, and contemplate. Therefore, when we integrate the word meditation with Christian, Biblical meditation is simply the practice of reflecting, musing, pondering, and contemplating God, his principles, his word, and his presence. It is generally referred to as a method used to quiet our minds so we can move from knowing about God to knowing and experience God in a personal way.

There are countless benefits to Christian meditation. However, I believe the three greatest benefits of Christian meditation is that it allows us to spend more quality time with God, teaches us to control our thought life, and helps us maintain our mental health and emotional well-being.

The Psalms 46:10 tells us to be still and know God. In order to know God we need to spend time with him. The more time we spend in God’s word and abide in his presence, the more we take on his character and likeness.

Ephesians Chapter 6 instructs us to cast down every fiery dart that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. Christ-centered meditation can help you to observe the negative or destructive mental chatter or patterns in your mind so that you can eliminate and replace them with God’s word and principles.

Just like we rest and cleanse our outer and inner bodies, our minds also need to consistent rest. Without mental rest we become overwhelmed by the worries and the cares of our lives. It is also during times of quietness, stillness and reflection that we’re in the best position hear and commune with God. During meditation we learn surrender every situation to God. In return, we receive that peace that passes all understanding.

One of the most common ways Christians meditate is to focusing on a scripture or biblical word that helps them to silence their thoughts, thus creating a greater opportunity to hear God and connect with the Holy Spirit living within them. Guided Christian meditations are also available for step-by-step instructions on how to meditate on God.

I believe that it was during times of meditation that the disciples and prophets of old received many of their visions and revelations from God. The Bible says even Jesus spent hours alone with God (Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35). Our greatest inspirations and truths come during times of quietness, stillness, openness, and reflection – all components of meditation.

Rhonda Jones is the author of a series of Christian meditation and relaxation Cds that encourages listeners to relax, spend more quality time with God, and learn to live more consciously and in the present. Please visit her website at http://www.thechristianmeditator.com for additional information.