Day 4 Devotions: Emotions

Day 4: Emotions

I can’t tell you how many times my emotions have truly ruined an event or occasion for me. The first one out of many that just came to mind was a few years back we were in the mountains with my entire immediate family which totals about 22 or more at any given family birthday and we keep adding. Anyway, in the mountains on a tree farm, a little remaining snow on the grounds, coffee in my hand and the sun was shining, acre upon acre of trees a very Hallmark movie scene and what makes choosing the perfect Christmas tree very hard with 3 little children helping you. Well, we chose one for the kids tree and that was our plan for the day a small tree to bring home, but here I found myself being guided off to find our family tree, we found a beautiful big round one, in which I knew was too big to fit on our roof top and drive home, but I allowed all the other voices tell us it was the “perfect” tree for us. As it was being chopped down I knew it wasn't the right tree, I knew I was once again talked into something I didn't want and I was angry, I was angry with myself that as a grown woman I’m still being led astray, first by others and then by my emotions. As everyone laughed at the size, the inability to get it bundled and as I watch all of theirs load nicely onto their rooftops my emotions were boiling. I walked away crying I wanted to pay for the tree and drive away, I was mad and the more I showed it the more they laughed and told me to get over it, something I’m not good at. Once again I let my families opinions and suggestions ruin my day it actually stung me hard for a few months, yes it was a beautiful tree and my dad made sure it made it safely to our home but they try to jab it at me if given a chance. I worked so hard in my adult years to control my Irish temper and my emotions that I get upset when I let it get out of control over others or my lack of self control. I’m always working on it but I look back at events and it makes me sad to think I should have cast it all on Him, He would have taken my pain even as trivial as a silly Christmas tree.

Verse: 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Prayer: Lord, Thank you that you don’t let us stay stuck in our emotions, that you have offered us a way to let go, to truly give it to you and leave it there. We praise you for giving us emotions and feelings but help us control, express and use them for your good, help us to learn to humble ourselves more to you each day and find both forgiveness and peace knowing you care for each one of us even in our silliest more unrefined moments. I pray that I learn to bring it to you before I allow my emotions to ruin another event or memory. Amen

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven...

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted...

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

 

 

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design

Day 3 Devotions: Blessings...count them one by one:

Day 3: Blessings...count them one by one:

Stop right now and consider the blessings you have just today (share your thoughts or your list) but stop and think, sometimes it’s so hard to remember the blessings as we go about living in this crazy world we live in, the negative headlines, the sickness, the accidents and the list can go on, but let’s stop and start counting our blessings. Naming them one by one - each child, each laugh, your daily food, your senses in which to take in His great beauty, even as I write this my heart is overwhelmed with His great love for me. I hope you have that feeling the LOVE HE HAS FOR YOU! Don’t let the trivial things keep you from the joy’s of the Lord, we have so much to be thankful for that I want you to refuse to fall into the trap of having a “bad day” many people in the bible had “bad days” we’ve all had those days too. The lesson we need to learn is how they seeked wisdom and clung to God’s promises while proclaiming His holiness and faithfulness. Job is one I think speaks to me he had horrible days of losing everything  mostly testing of his faith, but because he was faithful throughout it all God blessed him more than ever and he did lose everything: is family, wealth, his friends he lost everything but his breath and faith in God.

Verse: Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Isaiah 25:1

Proverbs 10:22

Job 5:17

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I’ll be the first to say Thank you for blessing my life even when I know I don’t deserve any of it, thank you for the love you show each of us, may we see it and feel you close to use in good times and bad and help us to always keep our eyes on your blessings given to us. We ask that you guide us in using our blessings to bring glory and honor to you. We pray that we choose to live wholeheartedly for you and your kingdom. Amen

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design

Day 2 Devotions: Seeking WISDOM

Day 2: Seeking WISDOM

Oh Wise one where are you! Let’s take time to think about life, have you ever thought I shouldn't have done that or I knew better?  Am I the only one that has more of those thoughts than the feeling of wisdom. Wisdom does accumulate with age, experiences and life lessons but wisdom does not just evolve. True wisdom as to living a life according to His will means us asking for Him to guide, lead and direct us. So many times when in trouble or at a fork in the road of our life, we go to a friend, google it or ask what would you do on Facebook or simply stress out or worse make the wrong decision out of pride and fear, when our first response should be praying for Wisdom in all things.

God wants us to have Him as our first responder our 911 call not just sometimes but everyday of our life in every situation, how much greater would your life be if you first prayed before acting. Wisdom means having a clear insight and understanding, it means knowing how to apply that in all situations. making right choices, turning back from a dangerous edge, learning to listen to the voice that already knows the path before you and learning to walk that path is made possible through daily choices of connecting and seeking God’s great council.

How we gain Wisdom:

1. Be in the Word Proverbs 2:1-5, 5
2. Pray for wisdom James 1:5
3. Acknowledge Him Proverbs 3:5-6
4. Be humble Proverbs 11:2
5. Seek His wisdom  1 Corinthians 1:20-21

Verse: Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me into Your Truth and teach me. For You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that you see the whole picture and you have the directions for our lives already mapped out, teach us to stop and seek You first. Please guide us today as we take on our daily duties and help us seek Your will before even opening our mouths. Thank you for loving us even when we wander to those edges You’ve warned us about and the situations we should have learned our lessons from and for those of us still struggling with the same issues may today be the day that you seek your wisdom and when we seek it from You and Your Word our path becomes less bumpy and more joyful no matter what else is going on. Amen.

Joy Bracero: Daily Devotions for Women- Aligning Your Everyday Life According to His Plan and Design

Day 1: Thoughts, Prayers, Fitness and Cravings - Loving His Masterpiece

Day 1: Thoughts, Prayers and Cravings

OK, so I made it through my first day of competition eating plan and waking up at 5:25am to press play, Oh my goodness I don't know but I bet you can relate tell me I can't have something and I think about it all day long. I was not hungry, but my kids have left over Valentines hearts with chocolate candy in them I literally wanted to toss them out because I wanted them so badly, but honestly I didn't my mind thought I deserved just 1 right! Mind over Matter for sure.

My devotion today was focused on Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:12 - 2:11 searching for more that he had, a man full of wisdom and treasures untold, anything He wanted he had except that one thing the thing that made everything else in his life feel empty and lonely. To look around and continually seek something you can't see but earn for greatly makes one live in that place of here but not here, my mind is reaching and thinking of more of the empty space that is inside I know who wants to fill it but I am still searching and I feel I need to seek more to be more and to do more I feel I was made for more. I guess my question is what will truly fill this space of more and will I be satisfied when I find that thing I'm looking for or is it really nothing and I should stop trying.

My prayer: Lord, I want to seek You in all things my desire is to understand and be thankful that everything is a blessing from You to show your love to me and as I continue to seek and search for something more my prayer is that I do not place my hope or future in my work, money, others, positions or my surroundings but I continually seek You and follow Your will that I will find true happiness in You.

Fitness: Today was ok it was a Plyo with weights day my legs hurt my head lightheaded but I made it through because I'm determined to push past excuses, for too long I just go through motions of most everything thinking of the next thing on the list. My goal is to focus on my muscles, my heart, my mind and truly see our cool God's creation is and how much I limited myself due to my thoughts and whispers of "I Can't"

Nutrition: I touched on this earlier, I thought it would be harder than it was I understood it was a mind over matter. When I saw something I would have normally grabbed and taken a bite or I drank more water  and when I was hungry I ate my portioned containers. I felt good I felt energized all day and I was proud that not one thing was off even on day 1. I know I have 20 more days of this and it will test me but I also know this is help me CRAVE HIM more and the desire to grab things my body doesn't want nor need will be replaced with HIM. Cravings? No! Desires yes! we don't tell ourselves NO enough, do you agree?


I do like this idea of pushing past all of my excuses and limitations that I place on myself and I look forward to taking this one day at a day #21DFE 

Renew your goals: Success or Failure It's Your Choice

Happy 1st day of Summer

So today I'm going to do a 6 month check-up on my 2014 goals. I invite you to do the same, because the hype of the New Year and resolutions are just a few faded memories that sounded good at the time, we dreamed of the what if's. The I'd be debt free, I'd be fit for summer, I'd have my degree, I'd be off my medications, I'd have enough money for our family vacation, I'd be in a church family. I'd be married, I'd be starting a family.

First step of my review: Do my goals align with what God is showing me He wants for my life?

I know this is my hardest questions because I tend to have the "I'll do it myself thought" and then God says "hello, I'm still here and in control and this is not the time, the situation, or your choice, it's mine" So first and foremost bring your goals and dreams to prayer and ask for God to guide and direct you in your life. He wants the best for you, but he always wants your complete obedience along the way. I have to tell myself He wants to give me the desires of my heart, but only when my desires begin and end with Him as the center of my life. I can not expect Him to bless my life if I only sit and ask things of Him without asking Him to take part in my daily life.

Secondly I must ask if they are what I feel God wants me to do, my calling and mission than why am I not giving it my all?

I can sit here and blame so many things, someone told me I couldn't, I don't like being told no, I'm not good at this, I don't have the right people in my life, I'm not good enough, I'm too busy, I'm not creative, I thought I was outgoing...I'm not, too many upsets.

You might want to blame the world, blame your job, blame the busy gym, blame the church for making you "feel unwelcomed" or the school for not having classes that "fit" into our schedule, our family situation was not ideal to make things happen, we ran out of money before the month. Yes, all those are real life situations, so ask yourself how did you use those inconveniences and feelings, as excuses to throw in the towel? or as a catalyst to get out and get it done, to find a new way?

Making things happen is usually inconvenient why? because we take ourselves out of our comfort zone and it's not a popular place to be. To succeed you must reach failure, not to throw in the towel and give up, but to make the choices to push through and make it happen to get up and move past your failures. I've had more failures in my life than I can even get on here, but I'm learning that with each failure I turn to love it and push pass the urge to give up and change my goals, .If I did that I would be choosing to keep myself wishing, hoping and dreaming for the "What Ifs". God will Bless the path you chose if you are walking it with him by your side, if it's not the path for you He will start putting of road blocks, I didn't say inconveniences or a few pebbles to step over. I mean real hard road blocks that will leave you with no other choice but to say "I need a new direction God". You will find that a different path might lead you to your goal but it's with a new purpose at the end. All we do should point to Him; His love, His Compassion, His Salvation, His Guidance and His strength for we can do nothing truly well without Him.

Today think back on your 2014 goals and resolutions are you even close to checking off 1? if not why? Renew yourself today first to God ask Him to be your leader and your partner on this path and allow yourself to fall and fail, but get back up and keep pushing forward for in the pushing you will succeed. you will fall, you will fail and you will be tempted to give up but if you don't you will be stronger and on your way to success, you're future self with thank you.

JoyForFitness - Glorifying God through faith, family & fitness

Your "Daily Movement"

Yes we get into some details most people try not to talk about in public well, guess what I'm not most people, you're daily movement tells so much about you and your health, so let's get to it.

I get many emails & messages everyday asking what is the best fitness program or meal plan but mostly lately I get "I'm working out everyday I'm trying to eat healthy but... I'm not seeing results, I'm tired, hungry, bloated and my digestion is sluggish "(yes it's potty talk) because your "daily movement" is very important to your health and fitness and getting results from the inside out.

I don't talk about it on here often, but with my customers, clients and challengers it's a question and conversation we address because it is so very essential to your overall health. Sorry to say but looking fit and  healthy on the outside really doesn't tell the entire story, it's like reading the front and back covers of a book and saying you read the book, but to truly get the entire story you must open it and actually read the inside "stuff" to see how fit and healthy one truly is.

Your digestion and elimination are directly related to your health, your fitness and lifespan. You can not expect your car to run smoothly & efficiently let alone not stink or have some back fires when you don't get regular oil changes and flushes, well the same goes for your intestines. Your gut needs flushes and cleaning regularly but it has to be done with items your body can recognize. Try to put the wrong oil or gas in your car...hello! Your "regular" car doesn't know what diesel fuel  is and doesn't want it either, hence it needs a new transmission or trying to mix water and oil to do an oil change...yikes!!! You get the point your body needs the proper ingredients for optimal efficiency and to run the way it was meant to run. So let me ask you "how's your daily movement?" Are you cleansing your insides with proper food and nutrients? Or maybe you need a reset or a tune up! More information is included in the link below, including how to clean and reset the insides before you can polish, wax and tone the outside. It's about you getting health,y because yes, cars can get new transmissions but let's be honest you can't really get a new gut, this is yours to keep so keep it clean and healthy and working at its finest.

Daily activities to help with regular "daily movements"
1. eat fiber filled foods
2. exercise daily (walks are a great way to get things moving)
3. drink plenty of water throughout the day (don't chug a bottle at a time)
4. Eat whole foods opt for fresh and clean foods and lean meats.
5. Cut out processed and sugar filled products (rule of thumb if you can't pronounce it your body can't break it down easily - diesel gas in a regular gas car)

are you doing these things? are things are still sluggish check out the following link to see more about the Ultimate reset.  www.myultimatereset.com/joyforfitness

a video leads to you more info also http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Joyforfitness?bctid=1569966850001

Need more help and support please email or message me on Facebook or comment below.

Joyforfitness - Glorifying God through Faith, Family and Fitness