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Your Spiritual Diary MP3
My daughter, Jody called the other day with some information about a
health-related web site. Rather than espousing some new fad diet,
which they feel do not work, they address your whole eating lifestyle.
To accomplish this, they have you keep a food intake and exercise diary.
The idea is that from keeping such a diary you will find just where your
trouble spots are. The site comes with complete charts and
information that help you evaluate your food and exercise regimen.
Once you identify the trouble spots, you go about eliminating them and
finding the more perfect, well-balanced day. Following is a quote
from that web site:
We take the guesswork out of healthy living. By
recording your food intake and your activity level, you will gain
insight into the quality of the foods you are consuming, and you will
have a better understanding of your body's metabolism and how your food
and exercise come into play.
Does it work?
Absolutely! The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute proclaims that
"record keeping is one of the most successful behavioral techniques for
weight loss and maintenance." The Harvard School of Public Health says,
"It's easy to eat more than you plan to. A daily food diary can make you
more aware of exactly how much you are eating. Include everything, no
matter how small or insignificant it seems. Small noshes and drinks of
juice add up to real calories." Don't just listen to the experts; read
our testimonials.
The Tools
Our food diary makes tracking your foods easy. Simply search our
database of over 20,000 foods and add your items to your food diary. Our
system tracks calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium,
carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium,
and iron. At the end of the day, you can view your daily report and the
color-coded food analysis to understand the foods and habits that are
sabotaging your health.
The exercise log calculates the calories burned for over 600 activities.
Simply enter the amount of time that you performed the activity and our
system will determine how many calories you burned based on your body
type.
Use our charts and reports to build on your
good days and learn from your bad days. Check how many calories you have
remaining for the day. See what you would weigh in 3 months if every day
were like today. Visualize your success even before you notice a
difference in your body. Our charts and reports will motivate you to
succeed.
Some years ago a financial advisor had me do the same exact thing.
He asked me if I knew where I was spending my money. I said,
"Sure, I did." He had me keep a 30-day diary listing every penny I
spent. Even if I stopped at a convenience store for a soda or bar
of candy, I was to write it down. At the end of the month, we did
a tally by type of expenditure and were frankly shocked at all the
"leakage" of money. We identified scores of dollars going here and
hundreds of dollars being squandered there (when projected out over a
given year) on essentially useless and unneeded items. By
eliminating the waste, we gained a financial freedom and sharpened our
talent for stewardship.
Have any of us ever given thought to keeping a
Spiritual Diary? Imagine what it could reveal about our
status and position in the Salvation Process. This is a private
diary, just for you to aid you in your examination of yourself
throughout the year (1 Corinthians 11:28).
What to Record
Begin with the essentials. Log how many times and total minutes
you pray. Do the same for Bible Study, meditation and just reading
the Bible. Next, begin logging the instances in which you...
a) invoke the power of the Holy Spirit in the form of a Godly Principle
(Galatians 5:22-23)
b) face and defeat a single instance of temptation to sin (killing the
evil thought before it leads to temptation and sin).
c) repent of a sin.
d) forgive a brother or sister in the faith.
e) keep the Sabbath
f) fast
g) give of your substance in tithing, offerings, or giving something to
the poor, needy, widow or fatherless.
h) put your trust in God and Jesus Christ
You might want to contrast the time you expend on these elements with,
say, watching TV or giving to a hobby or other pastime.
You can make your entries in your diary as simple or complex as you
wish.
By the end of the month, like the diet and financial diaries, you may be
shocked at the "spiritual leakage" in your own Salvation Process.
From your findings you will be better informed as you take action steps
to improve your spiritual position in that process. What you are
looking to improve here is "fervency."
James 5:16
The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much.
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent
charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Romans 12:11
Not slothful in business; fervent
in spirit; serving the Lord;
1 Peter 1:22
...see that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently.
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