January 30, 2009
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Fresh Faith
I'm happy to report that I'm starting to feel a little bit better. Thanks for all your prayers. I'm still feeling nauseous but I haven't thrown up for a few days! Now instead of throwing up from everything except crackers, I have found that there are certain foods that I really need to avoid. Here's my list so far, which I will keep updating.
Foods I can't Stomach:
chicken (this kills me because that's all we have in the house)
eggs (this was supposed to be my 'easy' food)
shrimp
non-fresh food (can't eat leftovers the next day - which gets expensive)
soup - broth made from bones (my comfort food!)
Indian curry (homemade from Patak's starter sauce)
yogurt
Pho (do I need to say how tragic this is??)
MAYBE spicy foods (flaming hot cheetos, salsa, will test it again)The good news, though, is that I'm not so paralyzed by nausea anymore that all I can do is sit there. (Yup, there were days on end where I'd just lie on the sofa staring at the ceiling because moving made me sick.) Now I can actually read a little, so I started reading a book called Fresh Faith by Jim Cymbala. He poses this question - what amazes Jesus, the all-powerful, all-sovereign, all-knowing one? What amazes him? Only one thing - faith. He cites the two examples of the Roman centurion (Lk 7:9) and the Canaanite woman dog + bread-crumbs story (Mt 15:28). Jesus was amazed by their great faith, and He granted them their request. By contrast, when He went to his hometown, it was their lack of faith that amazed him and rendered Him helpless to do any miracles (Mk 6:5-6). Faith makes a difference!
I guess I've been having a bit of a defeatest attitude for awhile. One where I've felt like, "Well, if God's gonna do something, He'll do it. If He doesn't want to do it, He just won't." It doesn't matter if I pray or don't, have faith or not. But I'm not a Calvinist. Thanks to Pastor Cymbala, I am reminded that, deep down, I really do believe that when we have great faith, God responds to that. His heart is softened by our earnest hearts and our childlike faith. I need to have fresh faith. I want to have such great faith that I might "amaze" God.
Comments (3)
I've been reading daily devotions by Joel Osteen. This week's theme has been speaking words of faith. Here's today's -
"I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust" (Psalm 91:2, AMP).
Your words of faith activate the promises of God. What are you saying of the Lord today? In other words, what are you declaring that God will do in your life? The next verse in this passage says, "And He will cover me, deliver me, and protect me." Notice the connection. "I will say" and "He will do." What a wonderful promise! On the other hand, if we’re not saying anything, we´re not releasing our faith. So you could read the passage in the reverse, "I will not say of the Lord and He will not do."
It says in 3 John 2 that God wishes above all things that you prosper and be in health. You can take that promise and say, "God, You said You want me to be healthy. You said You want me to be prosperous. So I say of the Lord, ´You are my Healer. You are my Provider. You are my Vindicator. You are my Victory.´" Remember, when you start "saying of the Lord", your faith-filled words open the door for Him to move on your behalf. Before long, you´ll see His mighty works, and you´ll move forward into the life of victory He has in store for you!
glad you feel a bit better! =)
hehe. I guess I spoke too sound. I didn't feel all that hot the rest of that day -- and threw up in the evening!
guess there are just good days and bad days.
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