Daily Maddie

Daily Inspiration with Maddie |Fitness and Nutrition

Believe

Accept Yourself

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Hi friends!!! I hope you are having a lovely day so far. You are probably wondering why its titled “accept yourself” and I am about to explain… So the world tells us to “love yourself” but what does Jesus say?

The other day I had this crazy realization when I was at the gym. The past few weeks I have been really struggling with myself mentally and physically. I was being so hard on myself for gaining some weight over quarantine and for not being more successful in my career etc. Anyways, so I am at the gym and all the sudden this idea hits me (holy spirit) ‘Maddie you just need to accept yourself. Accept where you are right now , because if you don’t you will continue running from yourself and end up how you don’t want to be…” I realized this voice was exactly 100% true. I was so scared of becoming this horrible person that I was actually turning into her… Crazy right? I truly believe it was the holy spirit speaking to me. Because it felt so warm and peaceful.

Why should you accept yourself? 

First of all, you should accept yourself because you are loved by the king of kings. God loves you so dearly that he sacrificed his one and only Son for you. He loves you so deeply he is still chasing you right now trying to get you to focus on Him. You should accept yourself because you are enough. Christ died knowing he was paying for your sins. That is enough honestly. If its not then listen up, the only true way to accept yourself is to accept Jesus in your life. If you never accept Jesus you never accept your true self. Think about it this way: God created everyone with a purpose. You are made in His image (Genesis 1:27) therefore you are meant to worship Him.

 

How do you accept yourself? 

By accepting Jesus first. As I just explained, you cannot fully accept yourself unless you accept Jesus first because Jesus is our true identity. And accepting yourself is owning your true identity. Knowing your true identity is knowing who God is and what He has done for us and what He promises us.

When should you accept yourself?

TODAY! Do NOT wait for tomorrow or another hour. If you have not already surrender your life to Jesus. After you have done so then you can fully accept who you are, knowing who you are is enough. I encourage you today to accept yourself. Accept where you are in life right now without thinking about striving for all the things you need to complete or finish or achieve. When you do this, I promise you will feel a huge burden lifted off your shoulders because it is not our burden to bury. Its Gods job to carry our burdens not ours.

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

xoxo

Maddie

Be Brave

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Are you worried? Are you scared? Are you unsure of what the future holds? Are you feeling uncomfortable with everything that is going on in the world? Well me too. Or at least I was…

What changed?

Well when I surrendered my life to Jesus, it changed everything. My whole perspective on life changed. My purpose was finally found, my whole body just felt completely filled with love, joy, and peace. I did the most bravest thing I have ever done by surrendering my life to Jesus, and it was completely worth it. Why? I am going to tell you.

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.

My Brave Testimony:

About 5 years ago I read a book in my bible study group called “Be Brave” just hearing that at the age of 18 I had no idea what that meant because I knew I wasn’t brave. I let people walk all over me. I was a doormat to my friends and family and most importantly I was a slave to sin. I was so sick and tired of feeling like a slave and just burdened by my problems until I truly found Jesus when I hit rock bottom a year later. I wanted to pursue Jesus but I also wanted my own plan for my life. I remember crying and balling my eyes out on my bed begging God to save me from this life I created. I turned on my worship music and the song ” I surrender” started to play and then I realized what I had to do. I had to surrender.

The truth:

Once I surrender, I felt free. Free from my sin, free from the mess I caused myself and free from the enemy. The weight was lifted off my shoulders and put on Jesus.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

From that moment on I was able to be brave. Not because I trusted myself or anyone else, but because I put my hope, trust and life into Jesus Christ. It was not easy surrendering. Sometimes I still have a hard time surrendering in certain areas of my life, but I do it anyway. You see being brave doesn’t mean you are in control or that you are strong. Being brave means putting control back in Gods hands because HE IS STRONG, HE IS LOVE and He has a plan for your life better than you can ever dream of. I encourage you today to surrender. Not one area of your life but your whole life. Being brave means to put your trust in the one who is Brave and He will make you brave!

xoxo

Maddie

Be Patient

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Patience can mean a lot of different things…but what it truly means biblically is to be obedient and be still and wait for the Lord. There is so many different verses in the Bible about patience. But the number one thing you must understand is the Holy Spirit gives us patience. However, the enemy will rush you and push you into pursing before God opens that door.

God’s got you

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. Patience is the opposite of everything the world tells us. Think about it. We live in a society where everyone tells you, you must have this NOW. With the media, the internet etc. everything is pretty much accessible at our fingertips. Need a hair dyer? Go to amazon. Need a new couch? Go to overstock. And on and on. So if we can have everything at our finger tips… when will enough be enough? Thats the thing, when you live as the world does nothing will ever be enough. You will always be striving for the next best thing… and I mean always. BUT, when you live with Christ, your life is completely different. You’re worth is in Him and for what He did for you 2000 years ago on the cross. Over more, you realize everything you need, you already have. Therefore you will have patience. So in order to develop patience you will need Gods strength and Jesus’s spirit living within you in order to be patient.

Gratefulness

Be grateful for where you are and thankful for where you are going. In order to be patient gratefulness is a necessity. If you are ungrateful you will never ever be patient. Why? Because like I said you will always be striving for more and more. Enough will never be enough. Therefore, you will be so impatient. But when you walk with Christ, and ask Him to give you a thankful heart that develops gratitude. I have a gratitude journal that I use every morning to think about the things I am truly grateful for, which is about everything. When you truly think about how grateful you are and blessed, you stop looking for things to satisfy you, therefore you become patient.

The bottom line…

Be patient. Be still. Wait for God. When you’ve done all you can… wait for God to do the rest. Do not try to BE God. That will never work. Just be grateful and thankful for where you are and that you have God on your side!

Bible verses about patience:

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Ephesians 4:2

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Psalm 37:7-9

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Proverbs 15:18

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Colossians 3:12

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Psalm 37:7

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Ecclesiastes 7:8

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

 

5 ways to spend more time with GOD

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Do you feel like you don’t spend enough time in the word? Or maybe you feel distant from God, Or maybe you don’t really see the need to spend a bunch of time with God. If either of these are YOU please keep reading or you just want to grow closer to God !

 

Here are the 5 ways to spend more time with God

Make the Time!!!

In order to spend more time with God you MUST make the time for it. Many people say ” I don’t have the time to spend with God” but the reality is if it is truly important you than you WILL make the time for it.  Even if you have to get up 30 minutes earlier DO IT. My church friend has 3 kids and a full time job and she gets up at 5am just to spend time with God before everyone else wakes up!

You will never regret spending time in Gods Word. You will only regret not spending enough time in the Word. Because the truth is God should be the center of your life therefore if He is than you should develop your time around Him and not your job or your other responsibilities.

Get rid of the distractions 

This can be one of the biggest problems a Christian faces and the enemy wants to distract you and keep you from reading the word as much as possible! You must fight this . Most people have developed the time to sit and read the Word , but few people actually read and absorb the Word !

Now in order to get rid of these distractions you must really focus on what is important… meaning is reading the Word more important or is scrolling on instagram or watching Netflix more important? You choose. The choice is up to you to decide!

Listen to the Bible 

Lets just say you woke up late and didn’t have time to read the Bible… well on your way to work you can listen to the “Holy Bible App” and it plays the Bible for you!! This is a great way to seek God more and Listen to His Word. Sometimes in the middle of my chaotic day I open up the Bible app and start playing Psalm 23 or even John . This has drawn me closer to God and allowed me to spend more time with Him during my day.

Journal!!!

Every Sunday when I have some quiet time as I prepare for the week ahead of me, I sit down with my journal and write letters to Jesus and my prayers. This has helped me focus on what truly is important and what is truly NOT important. I highly recommend this to those of y’all that struggle with finding Gods Presence in the midst of all your trials. When you talk to God, you are allowing God to work in your life in incredible ways and you are relying on His Strength and not yours.

Listen to Uplifting Music

This might be hard to do because the world we live in we are surrounded by rap and pop trash music. If you are trying to find fulfillment in this music you will not find it. The ONLY music that can make you fulfilled is Christian music. I used to listen to all kinds of music and I would only listen to Christian music when I felt like it, but then something changed. I didnt feel good anymore listening to this trash hip pop music. So I deleted all my music and only kept my Christian music and the result was I am able to praise and worship God all day long and find peace, joy, hope, love and pretty much overflowing of Gods goodness.

I encourage you to make these changes, because it has truly changed my life and I know it can change yours too!

xoxo

Maddie

How to be humble

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How to become Humble 

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”.

When it comes to being more like Christ the first thing we must do in order to have His mindset is to be humble. Why? Because if we aren’t it will ruin our relationship with God. What I mean is God is above us. He is God, not us. He is the Lord of Lords not us, therefore we must trust and lean on His direction and understanding vs trying to do everything ourselves.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Trust God always

When we come to terms with the truth and realize God is sovereign and He is the King that is when we need to humble ourselves and trust God more than we can ever trust ourselves. However, this world will tell you the exact opposite. People will tell you to “follow your heart; go with your gut; or do what you want”. But God says to

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding”. -Proverbs 3:5

Nevertheless, when you humble yourself you must realize it is a continual thing. You must continually humble yourself until you have fully adapted the habit. In order to fully be humble you must ask God to make you humble. God is able to do whatever is according to his will and if you believe you can become humble, God will do the rest.

1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”.

Be humble and Love God

To be humble, is to know who God is and to Love God more than you love anything else. Which is really difficult, but it is possible. In Matthew it says you cannot have two masters, you will either Love God or Money. Therefore you must choose what you love, God or this world? If you truly love God, you will ask God to make you humble and you will have faith that He can help you become humble!

 

Why you should be fit for God

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In this life we all strive to be healthy, but why? Because in order to do God’s Will we must be mentally and spiritually healthy in order to be physically healthy. I often get asked how fitness and faith go together. To me it goes together perfectly, but for some people they need to be explained why you should be fit for God. Therefore I am going to explain why you should and what it actually looks like.

Fit for God starts mentally and spiritually 

Many people think that being fit as all physical and if they achieve physical fitness they will somehow be mentally and spiritually healthy however this is false. What ever we do is this life starts with a thought and that thought comes from our heart. Furthermore everything we think, and do comes from our heart. In Proverbs 4:23 it says to “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”.

So if the bible says that everything starts in the heart we must be watchful of everything that is inner self. You must realize that being fit for God must start with our hearts desire and need for Him. We must recognize our need for God. Once we realize our need for him by humbling ourselves, God is able to lift us up. However we not only should realize we need Him we should believe He will take care and lift us up. We must have faith. 

Starts from Within 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). 

If you want to be fit you must realize it starts from within. Being fit for God starts in your mentally by praying to Him and asking Him for guidance and wisdom. Once you ask God and you start an intimate relationship with Him, you are able to be fit spiritually. You see God gives us free will because we must call on Him to help us, He is not going to help us unless we ask for it. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

 

So start by humbling yourself and God will start to take care of you. But you must continue to obey and trust Him in all circumstances. Always be thankful for Him and always rejoice and pray! Never ever give up the good fight of faith and God will lead you down a miraculous imaginable beautiful life.

Physically fit for God is a blessing 

Once you realize being fit starts mentally and spiritually. Next, you are able to start acting on it and be physically fit! Many people think that they do not need to workout or be more healthy. However, if you want to do Gods Will and be fully aware and awake you must be healthy in order to do it correctly.

In addition, being fit is a blessing that God gives us because it helps improve our bodies physically, mentally and emotionally to increase our spirituality. I used to take for granted the body God gave me, but filling it with pure trash of fast food, desserts, alcohol etc. Then one day I realized how unhealthy I felt and how unhappy I was with my relationship with food and God. Once I realized my need for God I was able to set aside my fleshy desires and start living the way God calls us to live which is for Him.

Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship”.

Today I encourage you to throw off your old self of bad habits and self destruction. Instead start living for God! Living for God is difficult in this dark and broken world. However, Jesus died so we may be reborn in Him and live to serve Him!