Looking after the other “Temple”…..

I have already spoken about how my year has been and what I am expecting for 2015. But in this post I am going to speak about something else that is very close to my heart. It’s a passion and desire I have had for many years.

A passion that has brought me joy and has grown me as a person.

And that passion is “Fitness and Health”!

I am passionate about being healthy and staying fit! The origins of that passion can traced back to about 2012 when I was introduced to a group of doctors who worked for something called “Maximized Living”. They are chiropractic doctors but with a difference and they changed my whole perspective on health and fitness.

According to these guys, nutrition, exercise, right thinking, and adjustments all play a part in what you call health! I am not a doctor so I will not even attempt to explain all they do. All you should know is because of them my view on health has changed drastically!

I used to drink soda’s before I met them (Coca – Cola, Pepsi and so many more but it’s been at least 2 years from the last time I had a soda.

I loved all things sugar but once again in the past two years my sugar intake has dropped significantly! I stopped having sugar in tea or coffee.

Honey has been a great substitute! But the battle continues. My desire is to stop ALL artificial sugars! That is the goal.

I have done lots of 5 kilometer runs and even purchased exercise equipment since meeting the maximized doctor’s! I have attempted Crossfit but I am not ready for that yet. There is some work to do till I can do Crossfit! 🙂

These are just a few of the things that have changed since I met Maximized clinic but what does all this mean and what am I trying to say?

My goal is to get you to think about your temple, your body!

We are the temple of God and it is our responsibility to look after it!

A lot of people have not made the connection yet! What you do with your temple will determine how far you will go in your calling!

I have heard it being said, How can you lead and look after the body of Christ when you can’t even look after your own body?

Crazy huh???

There is some truth to that statement. How we look after our bodies is connected to God’s purpose for our lives!

God wants us to live a long and fruitful life but how will that be accomplished if we eat and drink junk and don’t exercise???

How will that happen if you don’t look after yourself??

Please understand what I am saying. We have a part to play in how long we live but it’s God who has the ultimate say. I have heard of people who are health freaks die at a young age. God is the one who has a say on how long you live but you have a responsibility to look after your body.

Let me give you an example of how this plays out in real life. I am a kids leader and as a leader I have to be fit and energetic all the time. But what happens if I don’t exercise and I don’t look after myself? It will be hard to give of myself fully! I won’t be able to jump with them and rum with them and play with them because I am so unfit! So as a leader it is my responsibility to stay fit and eat healthy and think healthy!

I hope that has given you a clear picture of what I am trying to say! Our health is important. So as the new year comes there are a few things I need to do concerning health and fitness. I need to step up and eat better than I am doing now! What I eat has changed so much but I could do better. There are enemies that have to go down! Giants that need to be slayed!

Red velvet cupcake!

I need to make another point clear. I am not talking about total abstinence!! It is okay to have a slice of cake once in a while. It’s okay to have that cheesecake occasionally! It’s okay to spoil yourself but there needs to be a balance! I am serious, a better word would be, I try to be serious during the week and then I spoil myself during the weekend! But even during the weekend I don’t go over the top!

This “enemy” is going down! haha!

As 2015 fast approaches what are some of your health and fitness goals? If you have any??

Just remember to go at YOUR pace! Do what you can do. If your goal is to cut out one teaspoon of sugar compared to the 15 teaspoons you usually have then by all means do so! Haha…..Don’t change anything because someone is pressuring you. It needs to be what you want, a personal conviction.

It took me a long time to change the mindset I had and even now, change is still happening but it has been so worth it! And it’s just the beginning! I am getting healthier as I get older.  What will your testimony be?

As I conclude I would like to leave you with a thought:

She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.  Proverbs 31:17 (Amplified)

It’s interesting how the Amplified describes strength! Strength here is described as spiritual, mental and physical fitness! So if that is what strength is the question is,

Are you preparing yourself like the Proverbs 31 woman? As a Christian you are complete when you are working on all three areas. You cannot just focus on the spiritual! And you can’t just focus on the mental part. It has to be ALL three! You are the temple of God and you have a responsibility to look after it! But focusing on the spiritual is not enough. You need all three!

With that thought I will leave you friends!

God bless

Rolain

The truth about the Proverbs 31 woman…..!

The title might be a bit much but I thought it would be really fitting for what I am about to write….
As men we have been told about the Proverbs 31 woman. Every Christian single man wants her. He prays for her.
Ladies, you may think you know Proverbs 31 but what you know cannot be matched with what we as men know about Proverbs 31. We sleep Proverbs 31, drink it, meditate on it, dream about it and so on and so on!
By now you must be thinking to yourself, common Rolain, let’s be serious please!   🙂
OK, let’s be serious. We may not drink it, and meditate on it as much as I say or dream about it but the fact remains, it is important to us. We want a Proverbs 31 woman. Ladies, you have been told to be a Proverbs 31 woman but what does that mean? We read stuff like this and are in awe… :

– A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman – who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. Proverbs 31:10

– She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm. Proverbs 31: 17

– She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat. Proverbs 31:27

As men we read this and develop this crazy idea that you are perfect!!! I don’t say this in a derogative way. For years I has this perfect image of a Proverbs 31 woman.    My wife will be flawless I thought to my self. She will be perfect……But is that what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman??
Ladies, this goes the other way as well. If my wife is expecting someone perfect then she is going to be seriously dissapointed!
I am human and I am trusting God to guide me in righteousness everyday. I lean on His mercy and grace everyday! I sin everyday! Does that mean I am not Mr Right???
Does being a Proverbs 31 woman mean perfection and flawlessness??? After all, Proverbs 31 doesn’t mention anything about her struggles with sin and failings or so we think! It doesn’t mention her having any battles so we think. We don’t see her in a confused state and we don’t see her struggling with fears so we conclude she is perfect! But that is not the picture Proverbs 31 paints. It paints a picture of a woman racked with sin who puts God first!! Don’t hide your imperfections. Men, don’t hide you faults. Our job is to put Him first. He should be the One you praise and direct the glory to.

But the truth is this. The Proverbs 31 woman is not perfect. Her trust is in God daily. She falls and makes mistakes. Ladies, Mr Right is in the same boat. He is flawed more than you know. Sin has left its mark! Don’t look for perfection. Expecting perfection from a person is impossible. They will never be perfect in this life. So if that is the case, what are we to look for in Mr Right and The Proverbs 31 woman? The end of Proverbs 31 puts it nicely:

Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears The Lord, she shall be praised!   Proverbs 31:30

This is what makes the Proverbs 31 woman a Proverbs 31 woman. Her strength is in God. Her confidence is in God. She is not perfect but she has a relationship with a perfect God! Mr Right has flaws. He doesn’t try to hide them and paint a false picture of who is. He shouldn’t! His trust is in God. This is what defines them, their relationship with God. We are all a work in progress. So as I end, men, we need to go into a relationship with the right image. You are flawed but so is the woman God has for you. She is not perfect and the same goes for you too…..Let us depend on God to help us in our relationships!
God bless…..

Rolain.

 

Relationships From A Friend’s Point of View……

 

Relationships!! When I say that I mean between a man and a woman. How do we carry ourselves around each other? As a man I see how we need help and grace! We are to honour God in the relationships we have, we are to put Him first as well. This post is directed more towards the men because as men we are called to lead. We are the ones who called to be the head. As men we can be so clueless at times hence this post. So if you are in a relationship and you don’t have a clue about what you supposed to be doing then this is the post for you. If you are not yet in one then this will help as well.

These are the thoughts of one of my best friends. She was kind enough to let me share it because I think it will give you an idea into how to treat a woman but more than that it will teach you how to honour the women God has placed in your lives.  It will teach you to treat her the way God wants you to treat her. We live in a world where relationships are painted as some small thing but it’s not. God created relationships.  We need strong relationships in our lives to grow and as men it’s our responsibility to lead the way. Women need us to be strong to lead. They need us to lead them deeper into God but to do that you as a man have to know! How can you be that man if you are clueless??? So let us move on.

*please note that this is not how all women think. This is how my friend thinks but she is a woman but not just any woman but a wise woman so I think there is a lot we can learn as men from what she has shared!!!
I am going to highlight a few things from what I have read and if I see a need to expound more on a point I will.

THOUGHTS OF A WOMAN ON RELATIONSHIPS

– In any interaction with a lady you BOTH need to decide, are we bringing each other closer to God or further away, and this also is true if she is just a friend, God needs to be at the centre.

This is so true. She is so right about that. If God is not at the centre of your relationship you are in trouble. God needs to be the focus of your relationship. He is not second or third or fourth! He is first!!
Men, it is our job to initiate where the relationship is going. It is our responsibility to lead the relationship towards God. Do not wait for the woman to start the conversation. You lead her! I read a quote the other day that said, “The greatest thing a man can do to a woman is to lead her closer to God than to himself.

– Games are for the court, field or the computer not a relationship and that goes for a friend too! You playing games and trying to get a reaction out of her leaves room for miscommunication, misinterpretation and it proves you are secure.

– A lady’s heart is a precious jewel and should be treated as such.

– Women are emotional, get over it and get used to it, it does not make them weak. Emotions are human. It’s HOW she deals with her emotions that is important.

– Study her, but she is not a test to be passed or failed. Never stop learning about her.

– (I really like this one 🙂 ) Be aware that a lady is always thinking 5 steps ahead of you in regards to this relationship whether purely friendship or something deeper, she is ALWAYS thinking and quite possibly taking what you say out of context, women look at details and will analyse them so you need to know that what you say IS IMPORTANT even if you are “joking”.

– The pace and direction of any relationship is dependent on the man. You are the leader, take responsibility for that. If she ends up going in the direction of a serious relationship do not blame her, you lead her that way!!!
(that is a hard one men)

– Your word means something…keep it and if you have not, man up and tell her!

– The best thing that you can do is be honest with her.

– You have no business  telling a lady how you feel about her if you are not prepared to act on those feelings.

I think I will stop there. I have given you a lot to think about. Relationships are so important. We need to guard the relationships we have. I hope your eyes have been opened but just beside been opened I hope you have been enlightened!!!
This is just a little of what I have been given but the bit I have shared should help you. Let us learn to honour God in the relatonships we have with each other!

Rolain.P