He Makes us Whole

Back day. Still not my favorite, lol, but I do it, because I realize it’s necessary. Truthfully I despise core much more than back day. And I did some core today also, so I suppose back day was great in that respect! Haha.

While I was lifting I was listening to a sermon by Steven Furtick called the #hauntedheart. He was talking about how what is inside of us can haunt us if we don’t expose it. For example: guilt, hurt, oppression, threats etc.

He reminded everyone that yes, when you are saved and receive Christ in your life that indeed we do become new creations.  Specifically we are told that we are made new, and that the old is gone.

The old being gone and the new coming in however is not an automatic snap of the fingers. It takes work. It takes constant work with God. Because all of our #struggles are in us and we have to purge them out.

We can never run from what’s inside of us. Never! Everywhere we go, it will go too. But we can, through God, purge those haunted, dark feelings from our heart and soul.

As I said in my post earlier this morning I’m not perfect. None of us are. It’s a constant progression toward what is good. And God is good! God is better than good. I truly don’t think there is one word that can summarize His greatness.

Be blessed today and keep seeking the One that can purge us and make us whole!

Going From Here to There

Shew! Life has been busy. It hasn’t slowed down, but I do have a semi-slow week. Grateful for that. I had chest and triceps today. Tomorrow is back day! I was proud of myself. I did 4 sets of my bench press today at 160 pounds. I’m itching to see what my 1 rep max is, I’ll try it one day soon.

I had an awesome lift today. As I was lifting these two simple words came to my heart: Here and There.

It is true in life that we are always somewhere. That is our “here.” Our here is our present state and condition. Inside of our “here” lies our projected image and life. It represents our current state of life made up of whatever we have allowed to enter our minds.

But our “there”…. If we can make it to our “there” we will find freedom and wholeness. We are always on a quest for something. Desiring more of this or that, but what stops us? What stops us is the stuff that is in between our “here” and “there.” It’s not just two simple points, it’s more than that.

It’s our fears. It’s our inability to effectively communicate what we need and desire most. It’s our inability to realize that no ONE person BUT God can successfully pick us up and help us to literally walk it out.

It’s discarding our projected image and being real enough with our self to say, “I need God.”

He’s right with us. He is in our moments of “here” desiring to help transport us to our “there” so that He can continue to move us even further in life.

Be blessed today!

Keep Walking. You Got This!

Woke up this morning and immediately was grateful! Grateful first that my feet hit the ground and I still have life! Grateful second for wonderful banking holidays like today! No work for this girl today!

Had a great workout today. Today I had to complete a high rep circuit style of workout. With each exercise consisting of 20 reps. 20 reps requires serious dedication for me. I get bored after about 10. But I hang in there and push through, only to repeat each exercise several times more. Haha!

Today is a new week. But more importantly it’s a new day, a fresh start and a new beginning. We are told in the Bible that God’s mercies are new every morning!

He never grows tired of us. Too often we limit ourselves because of our past and our “has been” moments. We can’t let those moments stifle us and stop us from moving forward.

God’s heart is that all would come to know Him. Not only that, but in coming to know Him that we would truly experience the life He gives us. Yes, in those moments still there will be hard times and trials, he never said there wouldn’t be.

But He did say this: No weapon forged against us will prosper. He didn’t say they wouldn’t come, but friends, if we stay focused on Him, when they do come we will be VICTORIOUS!

Be blessed today!

We Will Not Be Overcome

Awesome workout today with #AchievingProminence. Had chest today. I was consistent and solid. I did have a new exercise today…. Dumbbell pullovers. But I feel like I nailed them!

I leave later today for a short road trip and get back home tomorrow evening. But, I’ll be able to get Shoulders in tomorrow using the hotel gym. Next week I’ll be back on #RecreatingYou.

Last night a friend introduced me to an awesome song. It’s called Same Power by Jeremy Camp.

I listened to it over and over during my lift.

While I was lifting a very simple yet profound statement from God came to my spirit. It was this: I want to see my people worship me, obey me, and follow me during their storms. I don’t change. If I said I would do it, I will. Trust me!

Not doing the above is EXACTLY how David got off track at times, and it’s the same way we can too. Hard times and dark moments come. But in the Word of God we are blessed with several promises. God is a man of His Word. He wants us to trust Him even when we can’t see.

I pray the lyrics below bless you as much as they have blessed me.

“I can see the waters raging at my feet. I can feel the breath of those surrounding me. I can hear the sound of nations rising up. We will not be overtaken, we will not be overcome. I can walk down this dark and painful road. I can face every fear of the unknown. I can hear all God’s children singing out, we will not be taken, we will not be overcome. The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us.”

We have that power, because Jesus is inside of us. May we believe, rise up and walk this thing out.

Be Patient

Killed legs on #AchievingProminence today. I leave this weekend for another work trip and so I wanted to go ahead and get leg day out of the way. I had 4 sets of 15 dead lifts. Then everything else was 3 sets of 10, with 3 sets of 25 weighted walking lunges and 100 body weight squats. My back squats! The gym was crowded today so I didn’t take time to record. But I got all 3 sets in at 240. The depth of my squat now comes up to the level of a flat bench. Makes me happy.

You know, I was reminded today in my spirit of how we just have to be patient with life and the events of life. We are now people! We have grown accustom to that.

In order to see results we must lay off the now mentality and focus on consistency. This is not just in fitness, but in everything.

Stay the course folks. I’m learning that results come!

Be blessed today!

Purchase Ashley Horner Trainers Here

You Might Need a Pattern Change

Sometimes when the alarm goes off, you just don’t want to get up. It takes me a few minutes to CHOOSE to get out of bed. I plan for that, by setting my alarm a few minutes earlier than I really need to. I have to plan to snooze. Haha! But, I got up. Had a great time with God then I got at it with my workout. I had arms today and was extremely consistent. For kicks and giggles I thought I would push myself, so afterwards I completed a conditioning circuit of wall balls, lunges, squats, push ups, burpees and wall sits.

I continued on with the sermon series by Steven Furtick called #staythesame. Truthfully, anyone who is desiring a different result in their life can benefit from this series.

It’s so amazing to me how when I’m choosing a sermon it ends up being related (unbeknownst to me) to what I’m dealing with in my life.

Here’s the gist of what I learned through this sermon. We all look at our lives and the results we are producing. In some areas we are pleased and in other areas we begin to mope, whine and complain because we are not happy with our results. In order to change our results we have to change our patterns.

He gave a great illustration. He said, “If I take 111 x 6 it equals 666. But, I don’t like that number for what it symbolizes. Since I don’t like my result I change my pattern. So, now it’s 111 x 7 which equals 777.”

If you feel defeated stop and ask yourself why? What can you change?

Are you frustrated with your fitness results? Look at the pattern.

Your walk with God? What are your patterns?

There are some routines we have that need to stay the same and there are some routines that we need to change in order to bring better results.

Be blessed!

Stay The Same

Good workout today! I took the weekend off. While I was in Vegas for work I completed @ashley.horner #RecreatingYou and then picked back up this week with #achievingprominence. Had chest today. High reps but I got it done! I was proud of myself.

I listened to an AWESOME sermon while lifting today, that anyone can benefit from. The sermon was by Steven Furtick called #staythesame. It was just what I needed.

Often in life we desire to see change and results. Whether it be spiritual or physical change. Yet, we refuse to stay consistent with what some may call the mundane monotonous tasks. He said, “If you want to see the miraculous, stay consistent with the mundane.”

Stay grounded. Stay consistent. Stay rooted in the very things that will get you there.

In John 15 we are told that “He is the vine and we are the branches.” What I loved, that I never before considered: vines grow from the ground. They are the roots and the branches come from that.

Begin again today! Don’t lose focus. Don’t lose heart. Ground yourself in the very one who will get you where you need to be.

Have a blessed Monday y’all.

Purchase Ashley Horner Trainers Here

He is Faithful

Psalm 145:13 – “Your kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.  The Lord is trustworthy and faithful in all he does.”

I’ve read this verse a few times prior to today. But I have an even greater appreciation for it now than I have previously. David penned the words to this verse.

Think about it. When he was a young boy he was told he would be king. But several years (at least 15) passed before he saw this come to pass. But he knew God’s word and his promises were always true.

That’s just it! We may have to wait sometimes for our promises to come to pass, but they will come! Let’s keep holding on and pressing in until we get there.

Completed day 1 of #RecreatingYou today for my workout.

Be blessed today!

He Develops Us

So nice to sleep in today. Completed #AchievingProminence #day15 today. Chest day. Did a little bit of cardio to warm up. Then I had 2 rounds of 30 regular push ups, incline push ups and decline push ups. Got my lift and core in. Then as a finisher I had to do 100 push ups. I was laughing, because @ashley.horner said next to those push ups, “I don’t care how long it takes you, do not use your knees!” I did 2 sets of 50.

As I was lifting I started thinking about how we live in a world of instant gratification. Facebook. Instagram. Snapchat. All of these social outlets give us instant access to the world.

Unfortunately we have thrown at times, God into the same category: The category of instant.

Don’t misunderstand, I fully believe he is an instant God. But today, I mean this in a different sense. Today He humbled me. He knows my desire is to help build up his kingdom. I have no clue in what capacity that will manifest itself in. But, I do know I’m not patient and I want it now.

He told me I must be patient. Before we can fully walk in our callings, we must be developed. When film is developed it’s taken to a dark room. And it’s the same with us…. We must experience trials, hardships etc so that we come out stronger. So that we come out like the warrior he intended us to be.

He Multiplies What We Give Him

Strong leg workout today for #AchievingProminence. Cardio was a 1 mile run on an incline. Then I saw 3 sets of 12 of back squats, 3 sets of 25 weighted walking lunges, reverse lunges, plie squats, leg extensions/curls. All followed up with 100 bw walking lunges then core.

During my lift I listened to a sermon by #christinecaine. It was awesome. She preached on Mark 6. In short, the disciples were with Jesus. Multitudes, some 5,000 men plus their wives and children were there. The disciples realized they were probably hungry. They fed the people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

Here’s what’s awesome! God used what the disciples had and multiplied it. He uses what we have also, he just ask that we bring it. After feeding the multitude, Jesus said, “Take your baskets and fill them with the broken pieces. Then take your bags and place them in the front of the boat (he had told them to get in a boat and leave without him). You will face strong winds.”

I’ve read this story before but did not get this the first time around. Jesus was preparing them. He said your gonna face a storm. He was trying to prepare them. The broken pieces should have reminded them of what God did through them, by feeding the multitude. Instead they grew afraid!

Friends, what are we doing with the miracles that are happening in our lives? Are we taking those memories and storing them so we can draw on that power when hard times come?

He fills us so that when we face trials we can remember that He is the God who is!!!