Daily Maddie

Daily Inspiration with Maddie |Fitness and Nutrition

be bold as a lion

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

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

Walk By Faith

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“For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

In this life we are either living by faith or sight. We are either trusting Gods plan or trying to “fit” God in our plans. There is no in between. We cannot serve two masters. We are either serving God to the fullest or serving ourselves or our flesh desires. Living by sight is temporary which is what 95% of people do because they cannot see the spiritual part that is unseen. However, when you live by faith you are living by the things that are unseen that is eternal. So my question is, Are you living for God or yourself?

What is walking by faith?

Walking by faith can also be translated into living by faith. Faith is “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

However, the meaning is actually quiet simple. It is fearing God above all creation, and all humanity. Walking by faith is obeying His commands, loving Him with all your heart, soul and strength, trusting in His Will and not your own, glorifying Him in everything that you do or say. Walking by faith is fearing God and putting Him above all. Its allowing God to be on the throne of your heart and believing the truth of the Word.

It also means “living life in light of eternal consequences. To walk by faith is to fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him, regardless of who says otherwise”. https://www.gotquestions.org/walk-by-faith-not-by-sight.html

Walk by faith of the Unseen

Living for God requires faith because its unseen we cannot see, but we have confidence in it and believe it will come true and that He will keep all His promises. However faith itself is not visible to the human eye; spirituality is the thing that is unseen.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Faith = God is on the throne of your heart 

When it comes to having faith we must realize what we believe in and what we fear. Do we fear mortal bodies or do we fear the one that can destroy our bodies in the eternal furnace? It sounds harsh but it is so real. Many people have faith in this world and a person or possessions but that is allowing that thing to be the throne of your heart and you will always be empty. However, when you allow Jesus to be the throne of your heart, you will be whole and complete, lacking in nothing.

In this dark and messed up world it is easy to walk by sight and very difficult to walk by faith. However, if you walk by sight it will only lead to death and destruction. But if you live by faith, it will lead to eternity with Christ Jesus. So what will you choose?

 

Set your mind on Jesus

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What exactly is our mindset?

Our mindset has to do with our soul/spirit. Meaning It is your most inner being. Its what you allow into your mind and dwell there. Our mindset has to do with what we truly believe in. Do you believe in Jesus and His resurrection that He died for you so you can be filled with the Holy Spirit and receive inner joy and peace, or do you believe in being successful in this life is true happiness?

How to change your mindset:

In order to change your mindset, you MUST believe it needs to be change. You must recognize there is things in your thoughts, words, and actions that need some change. Once you realize you need to change you MUST get rid of ALL negativity, and I mean ALL. This includes thoughts, habits, things in your life, people etc. Then you must replace this negativity with ALL positive thoughts.

We must rejoice in the Lord always. In order to be positive, we must have faith in God, love God, and put Him first and He will do the rest. In order to rejoice we must know and believe the truth. Did you know that Paul wrote Philippians in a jail? Because it was. How crazy is that the most joyful chapter of the bible was written in a jail cell. This proves that joy is not based on your circumstance, its based on your mindset.

Get rid of negativity you must replace it with positive:

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will”.

Meaning if you have an evil thought come to mind about your co-worker or boss and you wish they were dead replacing it with Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. Romans 8:5-8

You must let go of all negative habits and selfishness and turn to God and He will deliver you every single time. We must focus on God and loving others When we focus on ourselves that only leads to destruction. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Matthew 6:33.

In order to let go you must LET GOD take control. What I am is letting go of your flesh desires and submitting to God and letting God rule your heart. Once God rules your heart you will be able to keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him.

How Social Media effects us

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Did you know the music you listen to, the TV you watch, the things you look at effect your mental and emotional health? Because they do. Studies have shown everything we listen to, look at and observe effects us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

Social Media side effects 

Studies show that depression and anxiety has never been this high ever. I believe it is because of electronics. In this article it shows how electronics cause poor posture, risk of cancer, obesity, lack of sleep etc.

Music, SM, and TV are really fun and entertaining at the time. Although the things we will allow into our mind will can and will influence our thoughts and actions later. Have you ever memorized lyrics to a song and then months or even a year later you are randomly singing that song? Because that is what I am talking about. Anything you allow into your hears to hear and your eyes to see effects you whether you believe it or not. My job is to inform of these side effects because they are real and you must be discerning and wise to withstand the devils schemes. 

  • “ Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will”(Romans 12:2).

Stop conforming to Social Media 

God calls us not to conform to this world, meaning not to have faith in things we see and look at. For example, spending hours watching TV, scrolling on your phone, looking at other people’s lives you wish you had can cause you to be ungrateful and envious. I know this because this used to be me, I get it. What changed? I put God first by letting go of social media, TV, and all my electronics. Instead I began to soaking His word into my mind instead of false distractions. Also I stopped scrolling on Instagram at night and opened a real book and I have now found I am the least anxious and worried when I am off my phone and I am focusing on God.

My experience with Social Media

I do use social media for work, but that is all. I don’t just stay on there and hoping to find something interesting. If you are bored , then pray for God to give you excitement. Or you can open the Bible to see what God is trying to teach you, go for a walk, read a book, interact with your family. I think life is too short for you to spend hours on your phone. I have noticed with people on there phone they cant even hear things around them, its like hypotinoses. When you are in this state it is impossible to focus on God. Because then you are caught up of the distractions of the world. I am not saying get rid of it all together, I am suggesting you spend less time on it in order to focus on what truly matters which is God.

Get rid of the distractions

If you want to put God first in your life you must let go of the distractions. What I mean by that is let go of the notifications, TV show drama, sending a snapchat, scrolling on instagram etc. In order to follow Jesus we MUST get rid of all these distractions. This world is full of distractions and thats the devils scheme. He is trying to distract you from following Gods plan by all these electronics. Do not let the devil get a foothold on you! So stop walking by sight of what you see and hear and start walking and trusting God!

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

In order to be a true Christian we must only have faith in what we cannot see. Because if we have faith in what we can see we will end up brokenhearted and weak. However, in God weaknesses are made strengths.