The Great Upholding

So, my mother-in-law...she "gets" me.  Not everyone can claim that.  Few can even say they like their mother-in-law.  But rare is it that a woman can say that her husband's momma "gets" her.  I can!  I can!  I woke up to this verse, shared by Debbie this very morning!

 "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 1:6. 

Compare this verse with what I read in my Made to Crave devotional this morning....well...hold on...we will get there!

Remember last night?  The shame I had?  Well, I spent time in prayer, and I trusted God for forgiveness and grace.  But, I still woke up with that "after-binge-hangover."  That feeling of letting God down.  Well, of course, God knew that needed to be dealt with right away, so Day 2 of the Made to Crave devotional (which I'm on!) was entitled "What If I Let God Down?"  During this devotional Lysa's pastor gave her some very wise words, "How can you let God down when you weren't ever holding Him up?"  Infact, as Lysa brought out, in Isaiah 41:10 it clearly states that God is upholding us!

 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

What two incredible pieces of encouragement for me (and hopefully you) this morning!  God started this work in me.  He will carry it out.  I'm not going to let Him down....as long as I keep clinging to Him.  My prayer for today is that God's words from Scripture will swirl in my mind and motivate me to obedience. I pray that I will be strong and not grow weary from doing good.  That I can keep in mind the harvest I can reap if I don't give up.   I look forward to coming back in a day or two and being able to joyfully share the way God strengthened me and helped me.

Now for some practical "housekeeping."  :)

If you have read my other posts on here, you know that I've been reading a lot.  I draw a lot of insight from the books that I'm reading, so I am going to be practical for a moment and let you know what I'm working on.

First Place 4 Health Bible Study Series: Motivated to Wellness (This is what I do for my Tuesday night Bible Study).  This book also coincides with the book "Motivated to Wellness."  However, I only skim this book here and there, as the Bible Study book has been much more interesting to me than the actual book itself.
I just finished Made to Crave by Lysa TerKerust, and I loved it so much that I purchased the Made to Crave Devotional.  It is just little tidbits of information to keep you going.  Some of it is quotes from the book, other is new material and Scripture.  It includes a thought for the day and a little prayer too!,
The Invisible War (What every believer needs to know about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare) by Chip Ingram.  This book really has helped me see how this battle of surrendering food to God is 100% a spiritual battle.  It helps me know offense, and defense, and has helped me move on confidently when I didn't feel I could any more.  I've been meeting with an amazing group of woman every 2 weeks to gain more insight on this book.
In about 3 weeks, I will also begin studying An Untroubled Heart by Micca Cambell as part of the proverbs31.org Onling Bible Studies.

I know that sounds like a lot, and some days it is, but as I have mentioned before, I have a hunger for God's word right now.  And these books are filled with Scripture.  So, I often have the book I'm reading in my left hand, while I'm taking notes and highlighting my Bible in my right hand.  And, even though they are not on the same subjects, the overlap is amazing and encouraging.

Anyways, I just thought it may help when I mention books if you had a list of what they are.  I would recommend any of the book to anyone who is struggling in ways similar to how I am stuggling.