My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. – John 10:27

Have you ever tried to quiet your mind? I mean really try to think nothing? I tried this exercise recently and found it to be very difficult. I know there are various techniques that enable you to quiet your mind for a period of time; however, the quiet can’t last forever.

The interesting thing about this exercise is that I realized that my mind communicates to me during my waking time primarily in voices. The voices are only audible to me; however, they are definitely a sound in my thought realm.

The bigger question is whose voice is speaking to you? Often the voice sounds like you, sometimes it doesn’t. You know the voice sounds like you because you know the sound of your voice and what you would say. Do you know when God is speaking to you? The Bible refers to a still, small voice. If you listen carefully, you’ll realize that God is frequently speaking to you.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10

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In the Dake reference Bible for the notes on Psalm 96, it mentions 10 Things You Should Do Daily. Here they are:

1. Perform vows
2. Pray
3. Seek God
4. Praise God
5. Take Up the Cross
6. Live in holiness
7. Continue in one accord
8. Read the scriptures
9. Search the scriptures
10. Exhort one another

This seems like quite a bit to do on a daily basis, but it appears that several are just positive behavior habits that should be automatic. I didn’t quite understand some of these, so, I did a little more research. Here’s what I discovered:

First, Perform Vows. I didn’t quite understand what this meant, so, I had to look it up. Here’s the dictionary definition,

1. An earnest promise to perform a specified act or behave in a certain manner, especially a solemn promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order: take the vows of a nun.
2. A declaration or assertion.

Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day. (Psalm 61:8) I take this to mean that I should declare God’s Word over my life and behave according to His commands.

Second, Pray. I like this definition, “to enter into spiritual communion with God through prayer.” There are many aspects to praying such as praise, worship, thanksgiving, and petition.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. (Psalm 86:3) my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you. (Psalm 88:9) Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

Every day, in every way, I will serve the LORD.

Third, Seek God. What does it mean to seek God?

For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. (Isaiah 58:2)

How do we know God’s ways? Does God talk to you? How do you know God is talking to you? I spend time with God every day to get to know him better. One of the primary ways that I get to know God is by reading the Bible. His thoughts, feelings, and actions are in full display as shared by the writers who were Divinely inspired. When I spend time reading the Bible and listening to scripture, I begin to hear His voice in my daily activities. How do I know that it’s His voice? What He’s saying resonates with the Word that I’ve hidden in my heart.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that this process requires diligence to be effective. I like to memorize scripture and meditate on specific verses. As I do this, I receive understanding, or revelation, of that scripture. Some scriptures that I’ve meditated on previously will have an even deeper meaning when I come back to them later. What I’m trying to say is that the Bible is not just a book like other books, the Words in the Bible are Spirit and Life. As you consider each passage, the meaning speaks to your mind and heart at the same time. Your mind is renewed and your spirit is fed.

Once I have thoroughly prepared my heart with God’s Word, then, I’m able to fellowship with Him. When I know who He is and what He wants, we are able to have a relationship. He talks, I listen. I talk, He listens.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4″For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ” 6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)

This passage describes the power of persistence. Notice that the widow kept coming. Her persistence was rewarded with what she wanted. This is how a great canyon is created by a little stream of water – constant pressure. If you are persistent in seeking God, you will find Him.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.” – Proverbs 8:17-21

The above passage is wisdom crying out to us. Did you know that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7)? This is why you can see men and women who are successful by the world’s standard fall into the temptation of drugs, illicit sex, and a host of other destructive behaviors.

Talent and intelligence are no substitute for God. Do a Google search on suicide rates, and you will see that Physicians have a higher suicide rate than the general population. Although it’s hard to validate the statistics, Psychiatrists in America are believed to be the highest of all. What good is it to have money but no happiness?

“The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.” – Proverbs 10:17

It’s a simple formula, No God = No Wisdom.

There are some who will read this post and receive it at once, and there are others who will write a flaming comment. This, too, is in the Bible. “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.” – Proverbs 9:7

If you want to add to your wisdom, read a chapter from Proverbs every day. To get even more out of it, read it out loud. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17

I encourage you, if you hear the Word, share the Word.

This is my own weight loss story. I was prompted to write about it after a comment posted on an article in the Blessing Blocker series. I know my story will inspire you to start, continue or complete your physical fitness goals.

Shontta Before

I am five feet two inches tall and prior to any of my children being born my highest weight was 186 pounds. I know that many people would be ecstatic about weighing that much, but this is my story and this was not a healthy weight for me. I was not morbidly obese, but I was bound as bound as those people are. My disposition in life has always been sunny. I’m a natural optimist. However after age 16, I lost control of my weight.

In much of the black community, there’s nothing wrong with being healthy. In fact the first time I met my future mother-in-law, that was one of the first things she said about me, “She’s healthy!” Even though I enjoyed that time in my life, my being overweight still caused a sense of insecurity—I hid it well. To add insult to injury, my family members constantly teased me about my weight. I had two female cousins and two sisters who were all slim—I was the fat one.

Determined not to be a fat bride, I slimmed to a size 10 for my wedding. And you know what?! One of my aunts said while hugging me on my wedding day, “You’re gonna have to go on a diet girl!” I thought, “Are you kidding?! I’ve been on a diet for the last year!!” C’mon, it was my wedding day for crying out loud!

As hard as I had worked (or so I thought), by my third year of marriage I reached 186 pounds. I was mortified. There was something in me that always self-sabotaged. I cried, ate and complained to my husband (who by the way is one of those disgusting magic metabolism people!) because I now had size six-teens in my closet. I needed to find out why I hadn’t fully committed. Why did I really want to lose weight? Did I just want to be skinny? Am I that weak and superficial?

Finally, I started walking everyday—rain or shine. My husband went with me when he could. I thought I was doing pretty well. Then, I got pregnant! It wasn’t until after the birth of my second child that I really got my mind right. You see, I had never consulted with God on this topic. I didn’t let Him in at all. I took pills, went on all kinds of weird diets and exercised. Humans are by nature selfish and superficial. It is not until we realize the potential, purpose and resolve that we have in our minds and spirits that we can do dynamic things.

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
—Romans 12:2 AMP

This scripture changed my life! My mind had to be changed. I had to prove it to myself. Was it God’s perfect will that I be overweight and unhealthy? What kind of mother would I be to not take care of my body and place a burden of worry on my children? I thought about my body really being God’s temple—the place where His Spirit was dwelling. I read about the temple in the Old Testament and how it was cared for and kept. The Law also had many requirements for how God’s people were to keep their bodies. If it were that important to God then, wouldn’t it still be now?

You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that.
—1 Corinthians 3:16-17 The Message

The more I continued to let poor food choices and a lack of physical fitness dominate my life, the more I vandalized God’s temple! I was trampling the grace of God and defiling His temple. I can’t confess that by His stripes I’m healed when I am abusing my body with food (the same as with drugs or sex). My flesh was out of control where food and fitness were concerned.

I prayed and asked God to help me for the first time in all of my weight loss efforts. This time I was serious. I knew I needed His help. I was also dealing with some anger and depression residue from the death of my first child. I told Him that if He would tell me what to do, I would do it. At first, all I had to do was fast and pray. I did not exercise. It was like a mental and spiritual detoxification. I had no diet books, no gym membership or medication. I had given my heart and body to God.

There came a point after five or six months that I added in a moderate exercise routine. It consisted of walking and more praying. I had one of those neat baby straps; so I strapped my baby on my chest, and he slept while I walked. My goal was to weigh 120 pounds by the time he was one year old. I did not reach that goal.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
—Galatians 6:9

I was doing a good thing for myself, my husband, my children and God. I couldn’t afford to give up! So what if I didn’t get there in a year. With safe weight loss at one pound a week over the course of a year I would have only lost fifty-two pounds. I was trying to lose sixty-six. So actually, it took the correct amount of time—about 16 months (Hey, I had to go through the holidays!). Every so often God would tell me to stop eating or drinking something, or He would introduce me to some new exercise routine. Years fell off my life. My confidence and energy returned. That was nearly seven years ago. And as I said earlier, I was always a happy person—just not as happy as I was supposed to be. This time it was real. I wasn’t hiding anything.

When it got cold, I worked out indoors using fitness tapes and television programs. God helped me. And those same relatives who called me fat for years were now saying I was too skinny! Go figure?! Another lesson—you can’t please people, so quit trying. Live your life to please God.  This is when I was inspired to become a fitness instructor. The seeds were being sown into be during my own journey.

Now that is what I do. I often tell people that God has made me into the me that I’ve always wanted to be. Nearly everyday, I’m sowing health, life and fitness into others. Remember that whatever God has done in you, He wants to do through you! As I teach fitness, I believe that the life and vitality of God is surging through my body. I bring His life and enthusiasm to every class. It’s keeping His temple alive and well so that I can continue sharing my testimony.

I believe in you and so does God. Ask Him to help you in your weight loss and fitness goals. He promised to bless all the work of your hands—that includes your efforts to get healthy! I know He’ll give you the perfect plan that will take you from being overweight and oppressed to physically fit and free! The following is the confession I wrote to encourage a reader to reach her goals. Confess it over your life and write me with your success stories!

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19); therefore, I refuse to abuse it by overeating. God is working in me to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). I will ensure that the vessel He works through is physically, mentally and spiritually fit to do His work (Daniel 1:3-5, 8, 15). Lord, you said in Mark 11:23 that I will have whatever I say. I confess that every organ and tissue of my body is functioning perfectly. My blood pressure, body fat and blood sugar are all at healthy levels. I have self control (Proverbs 25:28; 2 Peter 1:6). I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13); I overcome every temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Whatever I do prospers, so I am prospering in my body as I commit to treat it as holy to the Lord (Psalm 1:3). I will live long on the earth in excellent health (Psalms 91:16; 92:14). This is the will of God for my life (Jeremiah 29:11).

Be blessed friends and have the perfect day everyday!
—Shontta
Psalm 138:8

Get ready because you are about to receive something that will change your life forever. There is a formula that will enable you to produce the life that God wants you to have. You are about to learn how to Grow a Good Tree. You will grow a tree that will produce good fruit in your life today, tomorrow, and the rest of your life.

16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. – Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version)

Here is the Five Step formula for Growing a Good Tree in your life.

1. Prepare the Soil
2. Plant the Seed
3. Water the Tree
4. Protect the Soil
5. Gather the Fruit

Prepare the Soil

One of the first steps that you must take to prepare your heart (your soil) is to follow David’s example and give thanks to God.
14Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: 15And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. – Psalm 50:14,15 (KJV)

Another thing that you want to do (also like David) is to praise Him.

Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. – Psalm 106:12 (KJV)

Praising God will show that you believe Him and trust Him. Believe that God is your source, God is your supply, God is good and He loves you. Praise Him with your words, praise Him with your actions, praise Him with singing and dancing, praise Him with your thoughts and words, and with everything in your being.

Next, spend time with God. You must make room for God every day. Even if it’s just five minutes at first, start to spend time with God. Some ways to enter God’s presence are through prayer, through reading the Bible, through talking to Him and about Him, through singing praise, and through thinking about Him and His goodness.

Finally, if you have unforgiveness in your heart, confess that sin and receive your healing. This will remove the bitterness that has tainted the soil of your heart.

Plant the Seed

Once you have prepared the soil, it is time to plant the seed. This is how Jesus explains the parable of the sower:

18″Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 18:18-23 (KJV)

You can see from this passage that your heart is your soil and the Word of God is the seed. When you receive God’s Word, the soil knows what to do with it. So prepare your heart and listen to God’s Word. Immerse yourself in His teaching. Follow His ways. If you have prepared the soil properly, the Word will be planted in the good soil that Jesus talks about. The soil that produces the multiplied harvest. A harvest that is 30, 60, or even 100 times what was sown.

Water the Seed

Often, the Bible discusses water in the sense of cleansing or repentance.

I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8

This repentance, or change, is necessary for your tree to continue to grow. Behaviors that are corrupt will hinder the growth of the seed that has been planted in your heart. However, if you will follow God’s formula for cleansing, you will add water to the seed that will enable it to grow.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

By removing this unrighteousness, we move closer to God. We are willingly submitting our will to God’s Will.

Water in plants acts like blood does in animals. It carries the nutrients to all parts of the plant; thereby, giving even the extremities life. Water, then, in this comparison to the Word growing in your heart would be the messengers. In today’s times, you can water the Word through going to church, listening to tapes, watching ministers on television, reading the Bible, confessing the Word, reading sound teaching on the internet, reading good books, and any other way of getting God’s Word to the tree that is growing in your heart.

Protect the Soil

Just as important as watering the tree, is protecting it from anything that can harm it. If you look at the types of soil in Matthew 18, you can see that three of the soil types will not produce the harvest. The reasons are the following:

1. The seed sown along the path does not penetrate the soil before the devil comes to take it away. Thus, if the soil, or the heart is hardened, it is easy for the seed to be removed. This may come in the form of becoming offended at the messenger or numerous other ways for the heart to be unreceptive.
2. The seed sown in the rocky places does not develop strong roots. If the rocks are not removed, they will prevent the roots from taking hold. Thus, when the first sign of trouble comes, the plant is uprooted. This could occur if you keep friends or habits in your life that prevent you from getting nourishment to develop and grow.
3. The seed sown among the thorns allows distractions to choke out the plant. The plant may actually even grow and develop but it doesn’t bear any fruit because worries, activities, and worldly wealth consume your attention and energy.

The good news for each of these issues is that they can be prevented or corrected if you will apply discipline and diligence.

Gather the Fruit

If you wait for the fruit to fall off of the tree, chances are that it wiill not be good to eat. Thus, it stands to reason that you will need to do something to gather the fruit.

26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. (Mark 4:26-29)

The seed knows what to do, and the soil knows what to do. By watching the progress of the plant, you will know when to harvest. The harvest is released when Faith is full-grown in your heart. When that happen, the Words you speak in Faith will release the fruit from the tree.

14A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him. (Proverbs 12:14)

The mouth produces the fruit (don’t be misled, Faith requires corresponding action; otherwise, it is dead, See James 2). Once the tree is fully grown, the mouth will speak with Faith, which brings the harvest:

45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45)

Words are the containers for our Faith. Words bring the inner image developed in the spirit man to manifest in the physical. It is when faith is fully developed that the image is ready to be released by the tongue.