Are You Chosen?

Dear Sisters,

How many of you have been chosen? Chosen by God to be a light unto this world of darkness. Chosen to live holy.  Chosen to make a difference. Chosen to do a holy work. Predestined to inherit eternal life. For many are call but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

You may feel like predestination isn’t fair because you don’t have free will to choose. Oh yes you do! …"choose you this day whom ye will serve;" Joshua 24:15 So what you do is make your choice. If you choose God, then you are chosen. If you reject him then you are not chosen.

What people fail to realize is that God already knows what you are going to do with your free will.  If you are going to use your free will to choose him, then he chooses and predestines you to live holy, because he knows that you are going to choose him. The same applies to those  use who are going to reject God. He knows that they will reject him and they are not chosen. And neither decision is a surprise to God. You can’t shock, astound or surprise God, because he already knows.   

People who are chosen of God want to please God with their lives and are determined to trust God and live according to his Word. They pray for God’s will to be fulfilled in their lives. They aren’t afraid to turn their lives completely over to the will of God. NEVER be afraid of placing yourself in the will of God, because actually, that’s the safest place that you can be.

If you are a Christian, you once were a sinner, but you made a choice. Now you are the light of the world.  "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."  Matthew 5:14  You can live holy. You can make a difference. You have the promise of eternal life. You are CHOSEN! Give God a praise!

Mammograms

Balanced Life Family,

This blog is geared primarily to women, however it can be helpful to men as well. Did you know that after skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women? Breast cancer in men is rare, because they don’t have breasts like women, but it does occur and can be fatal. Since this is breast cancer awareness month, I want everybody to be aware.

This is a very serious subject for me because my sister Debra, who was one of God’s precious saints and my best friend, passed away because of breast cancer. PLEASE, don’t let this happen to you. She was in the fourth stage before we knew about it. She knew that something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. She never had a mammogram.

Symptoms of breast cancer can include a lump or mass in the breast, breast swelling, breast pain, retracted nipple, nipple pain, changes in the skin, nipple discharge, and swollen lymph nodes. If you have any of these symptoms, please get checked by a doctor immediately. Don’t be afraid. All is not lost. Pray, trust God and see a doctor. If you don’t have any of these symptoms, I want to encourage you to do preventive care.

My sisters, when did you have your last mammogram? My brothers, I want you to encourage the women that you are close to and love, to get checked. Now if you are under the age of 40 sisters, you probably don’t have to worry about having mammograms yet. But what you should do is discuss with your doctor, your family’s health history, to determine when you should start having them.

 Sisters, if you are age 40 or over and are not already getting mammograms,  talk to your doctor about scheduling an appointment for one. You’ll need to have one every year or every other year. You may say, “I don’t need one. I do self-exams.” Self-exams are great, but you need more. You need a mammogram!

When the word mammogram is mentioned, some of you automatically think PAIN. That’s not always the case. Let me tell you, the process has gotten a lot better than it was when they first started.

Maybe you had a painful experience with mammograms. So did I at first. But I have a secret to share with you that should eliminate most of your pain. I found out that if you take a pain reliever like Tylenol, Motrin or Advil, about a half hour to an hour before your exam, the procedure is so much better. I’ve tried it and it works. (Be sure that your body can tolerate these pain relievers.)

Mammograms play an important part in helping to insure good health. They can detect breast cancer in its earliest stages long before either you or your doctor can detect a lump or tumor. And the earlier you find breast cancer, the better your chances are of beating it. If you’re afraid pray first, trust God and then just do it. Take good care of the body God gave you.

If you would like to read more blogs directly from my website, click on the link below.

www.getsomebalance.com

Hey Balanced Life Family,

Can you think of anything better than a contagious laugh that you absolutely can’t control? I’ve laughed so hard, that tears have streamed down my face. I’ve laughed so hard, I had to roll on the floor to get relief. That was quite a sight to see. Glad you didn’t witness that. Laughter can be awesome and it also has some long term health benefits.

Researchers have discovered that laughter can lower your chance of a heart attack. Laughter also boosts heart rate and the production of certain antibodies, which strengthens our immune system. Laughter has been said to lower your blood pressure. Just as getting upset (“blowing your stack”) can cause your blood pressure to rise, laughter can cause it to lower.

Want a quick work out? Laughter can work out the diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles and you’ll be so tickled you won’t even be thinking about exercise.

Laughter can certainly improve your mood. Now tell me, how can you remain angry, when a truly serious laughing spell hits. Impossible!

So if you’re feeling stressed out, you need a dose of laughter. It will definitely reduce your stress level. There’s plenty to laugh about. A good clean joke, a funny movie, a hilarious experience, and sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves.

Here are some inspirational quotes that I found on laughter:

It has been said that a good laugh is sunshine in the house.

A good laugh is cheap medicine.

An optimist laughs to forget; a pessimist forgets to laugh.

As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul.

In this world, a good time to laugh is any time you can.

Laughter ignites a fire within the pit of your belly and awakens your being.

A smile starts on the lips, a grin spreads to the eyes, a chuckle comes from the belly; but a good laugh burst forth from the soul, and bubbles all around.

Laughter won’t make your problems go away, but it will sure give you a little relief and a better disposition so that you can deal with them. So come on, stop stressing so much. Loose that “stone face” expression. Where’s your sense of humor? You can do it. You’ll feel better. LAUGH!

Are You A Thief?

My Balanced Life Family,

Are you a thief? Do you steal? Your first response, if you are a Christian, should be of course not. Let’s look at the scripture. "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." Malachi 3:8  

As Christians we are required to pay tithes. The word tithe means one-tenth. That means that one-tenth of your pay check or your increase belongs to God. Actually, it all belongs to him, but he requires us to give one tenth back. Then there is your offering, but we’ll talk about offering in another blog. Let’s concentrate on tithing for now.

Often times, people don’t have a problem paying tithes when they don’t make a lot of money, but when that check starts growing, the tithing obligation does as well. That’s when the devil begins to tell you to “Use your head and be reasonable”. “Are you really going to pay 7, 8, 9 hundred dollars in tithes?” “You need that money.”

You must remember that ten percent doesn’t even belong to you. That’s only ten cents out of a dollar, but if you spend it, you’re a thief. You’re robbing God!

Don’t let the devil fool you. You can’t afford NOT to pay tithes. Read  Malachi 3:9 "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." He’s speaking of those who fail to tithe. That means you won’t receive the blessings that a tither would receive, so don’t even look for them. You'll be cursed.  If you pay tithes the scripture says that God will "open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10  That means you’ll have more than enough.

So don’t let the devil fool you. Don’t be a thief. Don’t rob God. Pay your tithes!                             

Command Your Day

Greeting Balanced Living Family,

How are you feeling today? Is your spirit up or down? Are you rejoicing or are you sorrowful. The scripture says "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24    Now, exactly which day was the scripture speaking of? It’s speaking of the day that the Lord made, which is every day. That lets us know that we should rejoice and be glad every day. Is that possible? Yes!

We all know that life is not going to be just a “bowl of cherries”, but we who are Christians have help. When we face hard times, trials, disappointments and so on, we can rejoice and be glad to know that we are not alone. God will never leave you or forsake you when you belong to him. Trust in God and he won’t let hard times, trials, or disappointments break you, they’ll make you stronger in Christ. Now that’s something to be glad about!

Determine in your mind to rejoice and be glad daily. Didn’t you know that you have the power within yourself to command your day? Yes you do! Tomorrow when you wake up, make up your mind that no matter what happens, you are determined to have a good day, then have a good day ON PURPOSE! Go ahead, say it out loud. “I will have a good day! “ Command your day! I’ve tried it. It works.

 Remember that no matter how bad things seem to be, they ALWAYS could be WORSE. As for children of God, we know that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28  Everything that happens won’t be good, but through the process of time, it’ll all work out for your good.  So go through your day rejoicing and thanking God that things are as well as they are, because they certainly could be a lot worse.   

Sometimes we hold ourselves back from greater blessings from God simply because we are not thankful for the things that God has already done for us. We mumble, grumble and complain when we should be grateful.

Life is short. Each day is precious. A wise somebody once said, “Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”  Just as you treasure a present, let us treasure and make the most of each day of our lives.

Be grateful, rejoice, be glad and COMMAND YOUR DAY! Then have a good day on purpose.

Get Movin

Hey Balanced Living Family,

We need to be equally balanced, both physically and spiritually. Today I’m talking about taking good care of that body that God has given you. We only get one you know!

Our bodies were not made to be sedentary. We're meant to get up and move around. You’ve heard the saying, “If you don’t move it, you’ll lose it.” Well it’s true. Our bodies need exercise if we don’t want to lose our figures and our mobility.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to do anything that I don’t practice. I work out at LA Fitness 5 days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5am, and Saturday 8 am.  I include cardio, stretches, and weights in my workouts. I try never to spend more than 1 hour & 30 min. in the gym.

 I’ve been working out for many years so if you're just starting, please don’t try to follow my schedule. Start out a little at a time, as I did. You may start out by taking walks a few times a week. If you’re not comfortable walking outside, try walking inside a mall. You may prefer taking a bike ride. I want you to understand that you don’t have to spend money on a membership at a gym if you don’t want to. Getting involved in sports is great for people who really don’t want to start off with basic exercises. Maybe you know how to swim. Start swimming 2 or 3 times a week. Bowling, tennis, biking, skating, volleyball, aqua aerobics ... there are so many good sports. Choose one that is of interest to you.

For those of you that want to get a gym membership, get one. And when you get a membership use it. I know people who have paid faithfully each month for membership for years and never used it. Don’t let that be you. Start going 2 or 3 times a week. You’ll feel so much better. Let me caution you. “DON’T OVER DO IT!”  If you start out doing too much, you’ll probably burn yourself out and you won’t want to do anything. Just do a little at a time and gradually increase. So, if you want to look better and feel better, let's GET MOVIN!