Praise Series: A Healthy Praise

He is true to His word of trying Him and testing Him to see if He will not pour you out a blessing you will not have room for.

God is good in spite of it all, God is good. My health is on track, I am losing weight in a fast yet safe way, and I am learning so much about the junk we put in our bodies on a daily basis. I have been on a regimen of core and strength training with some cardio in there as well. I have also been taking a combination of two African herbs that we well in our natural health business. That combination is Borututu and Gota Kola Teas and it helps to eliminate all the unnecessary waste from your body which usually results in a noticeable weight loss when you are a big girl like me.

I asked God to take away the taste of any ungodly foods and drinks from me and I tell you He will do it. Now when I even try drink a soda it taste like I am pouring straight sugar down my throat. I stopped drinking sodas almost a year ago, but every now and then I would get a caffeine free one to satisfy my desire for the bubbles. I have found a great sparkling water called LaCroix that comes in many flavors and I keep two 12 packs in my home when our budget allows. It satisfies my need for the fizz.

I have anxiety disorder so it was very important for me to stop drinking and eating foods with caffeine. I am a chocolate expert and love it in all kind of ways. So when I found out I had to cleanse my system of it, I was devastated. My heart lose a love notch because it was so sad. I had to really pray for my chocolate craving to be released from me. It took a while and some detoxing, but praise God I am able to look at and smell chocolate without salivating at the mouth.

I prayed for more energy to get up and exercise and He led me to a combination of honey and cider vinegar and it is energizing. I am also eating a lot more fresh veggies with all the new basically fat free dressings I have been creating. Peppermint Tea is also good for energy as is the essential oil. One sniff of the peppermint and your energy and memory are refreshed.

I actually want to get up and exercise now and that has not happened to me in some years. I even exercise at my desk. This morning I stretched while my computer got started and while I waited for my tea to get ready. I try to get up to work out with Denise Austin, but I just can't seem to get it all together by the time she comes on. That is when I utilize my knowledge of exercise that I learned back in the 90s when I was an exercise junkie. Now that is a habit worth keeping!

My goal weight is 165lbs and I know that God will get me there because...Well...He's just good like that. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Fun Fridays

You Are The Godfather Ice Cream

Someone crosses you, and they'll end up with a scoop of this in their bed

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

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What Your Face Says

At first glance, people see you as driven and ambitious. Overall, your true self is passionate and physical. With friends, you seem logical, detached, and a bit manipulative. In love, you seem mysterious and interesting. In stressful situation, you seem like you're oblivious to the stress.

What Do People Think Of Your Face?

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You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

"Has someone seen the life I planned?It seems it's been misplacedI've looked in every cornerIt's lost without a trace..." ~ Beth Moore~From the poem: "The Life I Planned "

Funny quote! I say this because just the other day I was talking with my 14 year old as he watched me do a puzzle on Shockwave and I made a statement that this is not the life I intended to live at all.

I had to laugh at the thought of when I was in high school and we talked about where we wanted to be in 10 years. It is 20 years later and well I do not have my home, my 2 dogs, or my 5 kids. Now I did get my rugged husband, but we never travel all over the world nor did I become a lawyer. As a matter of fact I changed my major from journalism to psychology to liberal arts to..oh I forget!

I may have misplaced my plan but at this point in the juncture I would dare trade the journey.

I grew and grew from all the bumps and turns. All the dark corners had many a surprise and sometimes if I was not careful, I got bit right in the behind. The thorns in the rose bush bruised my something awful, but oh the beauty and the aroma of those sticky beauties. I have had some wrestling matches with the Angel, and I am elated at the blessings for hanging on in there.

Today I may not be the lawyer, the journalist, the psychologist, or the teacher I thought I would be; but you know when you think about I did not need a degree to become all those things. I got my learning from the school of hard knock and the University of Grace and Mercy.

I am the lawyer in the courtroom of life when I stand before God and plead case after case for myself and others that I pray for day after day.

I am the journalist when I write about His goodness in my life and spread the Word about Who He and what He can do for others.

I am the psychologist when I listen to a woman who feels as though her life is going nowhere fast and I have to help her to see through God's Word that she has a destiny and a reason to be.

I am the teacher when I share with my children and try to be the example of a virtuous Women filled with love and covered by grace and mercy.

So in essence my plan is a part of who I am. I did not know that all those things I wanted to be were skills and talents given to me. I did not know that the Holy Spirit would endow me with gifts that would be a part of what instilled in my heart to be.

Well it is 20 years later, and I am not the financially rich individual I thought would be, but Praise God I am the spiritually rich woman God designed me to be.

Article Thursday: Living Sacrifices

Living Sacrifices

Have you yielded your all as a sacrifice to God? Is your body ready to presented as holy before God? Where do you fall short in the true sacrifice of your life?

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Romans 12:1-2

We are to be living sacrifices for God. That means just what it says. In our soul and spirit, we must be willing to yield to God and His perfect will. We can’t say that Jesus is Lord over our lives if we are not living as true sacrifices in His service.

When we don’t allow ourselves to be full sacrifices to God’s service, then the control for much of what goes on in our lives is in our hands. We may think God has control, but if we have not yielded our lives to be conformed to His way and not that of the world’s, then we have not yielded full control.

Eventually, we all bow and confess before Him the truth of His Lordship. Why not yield it all over to him now? His will is not to force us into true service; however, His will shall also come to pass. We have a choice now.

For many of us, it is time to stop giving handicapped sacrifices. It is time to yield over a healthy, whole, and willing sacrifice to Him. Your life may not be perfect. You may have along way to go. That’s ok. Give Him all that you are now and the rest will come.

As we sacrifice and allow God to do His perfect work in us, our minds begin to be renewed. The worldliness within us begins to fade and our minds focus more on God and his will for our lives. We want to be more obedient to His way and His will. We want to do what is righteous and just in the eyes of God.

If we open our hearts to His will, we can find the true blessings and fulfillment we need in life. Only when we take a stand to be all that He has called for us to be, can we live the abundant life Jesus promised. To do less than to sacrifice, would be to tell God He can't do what He has promised and proved so many times.

It is only when these things take place that we can begin to prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

The following prayer is one that I say many times, as my journey is yet to be completed, and I have so much that I need to yield. I invite you to say this prayer if, like me, to yield it all over is daily need.

Lord,

I pray that You open my eyes to where I may be falling short in being a living sacrifice for You. I open my heart to the Holy Spirit, so that He can search me and show me where I need to be cleansed and purified. In this world today, there are so many pleasures that are easy to fall prey to. Father, I pray that You place blinders where evil tempts me with those pleasures. The only pleasure I should desire, are those that are pleasing in Your sight.

May I become a living sacrifice for You, dear Lord, so that what You have for me, shall be.

In Your service is where I desire to be.

This is my prayer to You on this day.

In the Name of My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Amen

Copyright©2005, LaTara Ham-Ying

Praise Series: The Most Effective Praise

The Most Effective Praise

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees rejoice

Psalms 96: 11-12

Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

Psalms 98:7-8

There an effective way to praise. One would miss it because it does not exactly deal with man. However, God's Word is not a mistake and what was discovered I thought to be very profound.

The scriptures talk about the praise of not man, but creation. You know the trees, flowers, animals, wind, mountains, and things we do not fathom having the ability to praise. I began to think about how it is that creation praises God. I discovered that the praise of creation is far greater that that of man, because we tend not to think of praise in this way.

What is this great discovery?

Well, to tell you the truth, it is not exactly as great or profound as say, Moses parting the Red Sea or Jonah living in the belly of the whale.

It does not have to do with anyone turning flips or speaking in tongues. It is not even about waving our hands or doing a dance.

As a matter of fact, it is really rather simple.

Creation praises God by doing exactly what it is supposed to do. It performs its God ordained duty. For example think of a tree as the wind blows. It doesn't fight it or try to beat it. That tree simply dances with the wind and goes with the flow. It is obedient to the call of God. What about the rain? At the appropriate time according to God’s will it falls to nourish the earth. What about the ant? He gathers food all spring and summer in preparation for the long winter months. Creation does not do this because they “want to”. No! They do it because it is what they were created to do.

Now, hold on. Are we not God’s creation? The last I checked His word said that I was “fearfully and wonderfully made”; which means I was created. Guess what? So are you.

So we have an obligation, as does all creation to give God a most effective praise. We must work at making ourselves available to the work God has for us to do: Both collectively and individually.

What a world it would be if we were each in our place of service. If each one of us would determine to do God’s will for lives and not be worried about what we want out of it. We could turn this world inside out and glorify God in away that would bring millions, if not billions, to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

So from this I have come to the conclusion that the best praise, one that honors God the most, is one that does as it is ordained. If you want your life to reflect a truly effective praise...do as you are ordained. Go forth and live in your destiny. Strive each day to accomplish something towards you calling in Christ Jesus.

Be obedient and know that this praise that is above the dance, above the shout, above the tear and the instrument, is the most effective praise.

To God be the Glory for all that He has, is, and will do in our lives.

Copyright 2004 LaTara V. Ham-Ying

Discover More Of God Everyday!
LaTara

Thursday's Article....a Little Late

When I die I want to be remembered for my virtuous character. I realize though, that I have a great deal of work to do. I was blessed however, to have a woman in my life whose character went beyond and left legacy of light. Read our story below and be blessed!

Legacy of Light

Teach older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us(Titus 2:2-8).

As Christians, we all need a person who will help to keep us grounded and rooted in the Word. We all need a Naomi, Barnabus, or a Paul, or a Titus 2 woman. Nancy Estrada entered my life in 1992 and became a part of my journey.

I was 23 and a new mother with no idea about life. We started talking because of Vacation Bible School. I was a teacher and she was the Teacher’s Coordinator. Our relationship grew from there.

It was a rocky road at first. I did not like to hear what she had to say. I was hard- headed, independent, and out to the world and everything that got in the way of my terror. I was also very low on what I call “Christ-esteem” and I had no true knowledge of His ultimate love for me.

Nancy saw through it all. Her light shined on me and she never gave up trying to get me to see what God wanted me to see. She was determined and I had no idea why.

I would hang up on her when she said things I did not like. I could not stand the fact that she could see beyond my tough demeanor and the wall I had built around me. Yet a part of me loved her in ways I did not even understand.

That was the working of God. He knew I needed her light in my life.

I sat at her feet, most of the time kicking and screaming, and she just loved me without condition. She allowed herself to be open about her own life; showing me that my reality was not what I made it to be. Through Nancy I began to see that my reality rested in Christ and that His love for me would carry me over, under, and through all my storms.

Her willingness to love me with all of my rough edges made the reward even more valuable when I began to blossom from the love I had received. I

Nancy was a true legacy of light and I am so grateful to God to have known her and to be able to call her my Spiritual Mother. Her prayers were sincere and the connection we had was deep. She was honest and transparent with her life. To be real was the banner she wore.

Even when she had cancer that was inoperable and was told that she only had a few months to live, she never stopped the work for which God created her. She lived 3 years longer than the doctors gave her. God was not ready for her yet.

Nancy went on with the work at hand.

She planned her own funeral, wrote her own obituary, and made sure that her children, grandchildren, and her “girls” as she called a select few of us, were all going to be alright. She told me that God had a plan for her and He was still not ready for her yet.

She did all she could until the cancer and all the treatments took its toll. That she knew it was time to rest. She understood that God was getting everything ready for her homecoming. Yet even in her weakness she still made time for us.

I can remember, when I was going through a very trying period and God was just about ready for her, I would not call her, because I did not want to bother her with my issues. The phone rang on evening and I heard this tiny, weak voice say, "You're being attacked, aren't you? I know because I too am being attacked." From there we shared how the devil was trying to tear us down. That's true love.

What a blessing it was for me to know that we were so connected, that she felt my anguish and shared in my triumph; even through her illness.

My last moment with Nancy was at her home with a few of her closet family members and friends. Along with my Pastor and his wife, we all shared in the Lord's Supper. What a poignant moment for a dynamic life.

Sadly yet joyfully Nancy died on December 2, 2002, leaving behind a legacy of light that reached to infinity and beyond.

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Nancy’s life was one that exemplified the Titus 2 woman. There are many girls and women out there who need this sort of mentoring. It is important that we as women help one another to be all that God has called us to be.

If you are unsure about mentoring or don’ t quite understand what it entails, I encourage you to read Titus 2. There are also some great links for sites and articles on the subject on the subject of mentoring. I pray that you educate yourself on the subject and begin to spread your legacy of light.

May you be forever blessed.

Copyright 2005-2006 LaTara V. Ham-Ying

Fun Fridays (Take a Fun Quiz)

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

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Your Power Color Is Indigo

At Your Highest: You are on a fast track to success - and others believe in you. At Your Lowest: You require a lot of attention and praise. In Love: You see people as how you want them to be, not as how they are. How You're Attractive: You're dramatic flair makes others see you as mysterious and romantic. Your Eternal Question: "Does This Work Into My Future Plans?"

What's Your Power Color?

Praise Series

I got this idea in my head yesterday to start a praise series here on the blog. This is going to be good for me because I am trying to truly find my way back to total praise. I lost it after a very deep depression took me to mind set that made me angry, bitter, and always feeling like the victim.

God has sent delivered and set me free, but there are areas that LaTara needs to lay hold to once again. Total praise is one of those ways.

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Let me tell you God is so good.

This weekend we finally found a church home. When I first came to Chicago, I knew I was going to have to adjust to going to church on Saturday and prayed God's favor over it and sat back to watch the action.

It was a hard adjustment and I had to really understand where my husband was coming from. Well, I got it by researching, looking at some historical facts, and listening to God.

After visiting many churches with too many cliques, and cliques within cliques, legalistic and church law issues, I was just ready to give up. A lot of what my husband did on Sabbath, he did out of his love for God but I was dishearten by the attitudes and reactions of some if not the majority of the members, that I would often times stay home. I felt like I was letting my husband down and that I was causing him to miss a blessing due to my lack of cooperation.

We would get involved with a church and then they would snatch the rug right out from under us. It was so ugly at times that I could sense evil in the middle of a service. It was a mess and I was just ready to give up and continue on at home as I had been doing for time now. Just God, me, and my family.

Well yesterday he took me to a church about 2 hours away and I could feel God's presence from the parking lot to the pews. Afterward we went to the Elder's house and there was yet another sweet spirit. I was in tears, privately thanking God as I watched my all of family be relaxed for the first time in four years and I was even able to close my eyes for a brief catnap. I wasn't worried about anything that someone was doing or saying around me.

That night after we sang and prayed I thanked the Elder and told him that for the first time in four years I enjoyed myself and felt the Spirit of God with me all day. That was important for me because my former church home back home in Los Angles is all about being real and making others feel welcomed. My former pastor was not about Church doctrine, laws, and all that other man directed stuff, He was all about God, His Word, salvation, and the move of the Holy Spirit.

With all that said, we are joining the church next week.

PRAISE GOD from WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

Never give up believing that He will because I am a witness. HE WILL!


Discover More of God Everyday!
LaTara