18 and counting...

Fun story: I've lost 18 pounds.
More fun: In 1 month.
Crazy fun: I eat more...and I still eat ice-cream and donuts. "Shut up!" It's true.
Am I about to pitch a once in a life-time quick diet trick for you to join in on with me too?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!
Now that you know that the following information isn't going to be a waste of your time, I can get to the really good stuff. I haven't just shed pounds. Inches have melted away. I have muscles without flexing...shhh....it's top secret info. My enemies cannot know.
Then comes the fun part!
"What diet are you on?" "What have you changed?" "What's working?" "How can I do what you do?"
I remember asking all the same questions, and I have come to some very interesting answers this time around. Simply put...NO MORE GUILT! None. I eat a donut. So what? It's just a donut. I eat an apple. So what? It's just an apple.
One of the hardest things for me in life has always been to find balance. There were moments that I had found it, but I couldn't break through because the GUILT would pull me back so fast that I'd be putting out fires on my clothing and the smoke would linger for days. I'd sit in a dark cloud and stew. Putting myself down. Over and over again. Finding balance requires discipline. Discipline is something that can be taught and learned over time. Guilt is something that you either choose to carry with you or throw it out. I chose to carry it with me like an armor.
Guilt has a knack for keeping you immobile. If you don't move, everything can stay the same. God didn't create this world without an innate plan to have it constantly changing. Not only do things move and change on the earth, the earth itself moves and changes. The universe around it moves and changes. Guilt keeps you grounded in fear and keeps you from moving and changing.
My guilt led to fear and fear wouldn't let me move. I finally said to myself take some baby steps. Don't dive in and find excuses to stop again. Just take one baby step. Make one small change. OK. Now, take one more baby step. You GOT this! One more. YES! ...that's it. I haven't taken anymore yet. I've just taken a few small steps. I have many more to go. MANY...but just ONE at a time.

Truth time: I started doing this all by MYself.*
More truth: It wasn't until the 3rd baby step I mentioned above that I asked God to help me trust Him.
Crazy truth: It's easier for me to trust myself. I grew up that way. "I got this."
My truth: Without God. I will choose guilt again. I will slip into fear again.
Scary truth: With God. I will choose guilt again. I will slip into fear again.
I get discouraged by people who say things like, "We are His temple so we must take care of our bodies." "With Christ all things are possible." "He will never leave you nor forsake you." These are all from the Bible. Be honest. Did that just ring as guilt in your heart?? "Are you telling me that I'm defiling God's temple because I'm fat." "If all things are possible..." "...has God forsaken me." "Why can't I do this one thing and succeed?" See.
I love my church family in every part of the world...but...*sigh*...sometimes our "good intentions" rip people to shreds. What you wanted to say to encourage someone, to give them hope, only gave them GUILT. Guilt in their eyes and guilt before God. Your nuggets of love...were hidden words of judgement.
So...today I came across this, "Dig deeper to find out how to love yourself enough to cherish health. Plan better. Forgive faster. Get the healthy life you deserve." Want to know how I read it? "DIG DEEPER. LOVE YOURSELF. FORGIVE. YOU DESERVE." No matter what shape or size or color or age or height. Please know that you are WORTHY to live a guilt-free life. Once you take just one teeny tiny step...your world will be changed forever. Also, this is very important! That small step better not be something someone TOLD you to do. Let it come from within, when you dig deep down. Don't be a follower of others. I have found that people I tried to follow were in worse health than I was. Don't make that mistake. Listen to the inner most being of yourself. I'll be waiting to see what life has in store for you.

You can always email me with any questions, thoughts, comments: lisavikprik@gmail.com

To close, I am taking it one step at a time. It feels so good to not be carrying guilt. I am praying that the guilt stays far away. I hope to keep moving forward and forever changing.

*all by myself - Celine Dion's song sung by Bridget Jones in a movie about her personal diary.
*sigh* - was just a sigh.

I'm back!!

2 years!! Normally the excuse is that I've been busy...well...if you knew what happened to me in the past 2 years...I can get away with that excuse. Let's travel back in time really quick.
2 years ago...I was living in Ukraine. That's right! LIVING in UKRAINE!
18 months ago...I was traveling through England and Ireland.
17 months ago...I was living in Illinois.
16 months ago...I moved in with my best friend in Georgia.
1 year ago...I moved into a AirBnB home, still in Georgia.
8 months ago...I moved in with my folks in Maryland.
Where I am now. Phew! Now, does my excuse stand? Honestly it doesn't matter.
I AM BACK!

Perfect Timing

It's interesting how songs have a way of speaking to you at just the right moment. Recently, I heard a new song. I've listened to it a few times in the past month. 2 days ago, the song come up in rotation on my playlist, and the message of the song was exactly what I needed to hear at this moment in time in my life. I drew strength from it, and through its message, I drew strength from God.
Below is a link to the song, as well as the song lyrics. Maybe someone else needs to hear this too.

Give Me Faith - Newsong

I need you to soften my heart, and break me apart.

I need you to open my eyes, to see that your shaping my life.

And all I am, I surrender.

Give me faith to trust what You say.

That Your good, and Your love is great.

I'm broken inside.

I give you my life.

I need you to soften my heart, and break me apart.

I need you to pierce through the dark, and cleanse every part of me.

And all I am, I surrender

Give me faith to trust what You say.

That your good, and Your love is great.

I'm broken inside.

I give you my life.

I maybe weak.

Your Spirit's strong in me.

My flesh may fail.

My God, You never will.

I'm Losing It.....Losing It All for Christ!

Over the past year or so, I have found myself referring to myself as crazy. Typically that's nothing new, but now there was a different meaning to it. I wasn't afraid to be called crazy. I was going out of my way to be called crazy.

Why?

Here is my explanation:
Society has deemed what is normal. I am 25. This is the time to start building a career or continue towards obtaining higher education, begin a family of my own, have a stable job, have my own place or save for one, and so on. But....over the past 3 years, I have lived in 3 radically different places. I have had at least 3 different 'somewhat stable' jobs. I have attended 3 different Bible colleges. I've been to over 8 different churches as a regular attender. From all points of view, this seems a little unstable. Most people would say that I can't commit or that I am flaky.

Isn't faith about believing what one cannot see? I myself haven't been unstable. I just had one commitment that was more important than all the things by which society measures stability. I had my eyes on the One who hasn't left my side and continues to lead me each day on a path towards my calling. All the steps I've taken have brought me just a bit closer to where God wants me to be. They have helped mold and shape me into the woman of God that I am today. I still have a long journey ahead of me. I still have faults and flaws that I am working on with God to change in my life. God is the author of my story! He wrote the beginning. Together, we will complete this work, which He has begun in me.

A couple days ago, I told someone, "I would rather be remembered as being crazy than being stable, because that means that I am continuing to follow Jesus." Then this past Sunday, the Pastor had an amazing sermon about the 'crazy' people who were just following God's plan for their lives.

Noah: He was building a huge ark. On land. Not only for his family, but 2 of every animal. These animals came on their own (called by God) to Noah.
Abraham: He was asked to sacrifice his son. Thankfully, there weren't any witnesses. Otherwise, who knows how this story would have gone, especially if Sarah had found out.
Moses: The Egyptian army was chasing them. They had nowhere to go. He walked up to the Red Sea and held his staff over it. If you recall, he was actually considered crazy just for asking the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.
Joshua: Marched around the walls of Jericho (a big city). 7 days. On the 7th day, 7 times. Signing praises to God.

In each case, God did wonderful and miraculous things. He blessed His people for following Him.

Noah: His family was delivered from a terrible fate.
Abraham: He was promised to have as many sons as there are stars in the sky.
Moses: Delivered God's people out of slavery.
Joshua: The city walls fell, and Jericho was won back to the Israelites.

I'm not nearly as crazy as these believers, but these testimonies dare me to only get crazier for God!
Amen!

It's the Law

You may or may have not see this sign on the road. If you haven't, you shouldn't be on the road in the first place because you must be blind (they appear often on all highways), but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say you aren't blind, just ignorant. Ignorance is not bliss, especially when other people's lives are at stake! Normally, I would put Florida drivers on the spot. If anyone has ever been to Florida, you know what I'm talking about.
Now I live in Maryland and I have just had enough of the crazy. I commute daily from Baltimore to DC. That's anywhere between 1 and 2 hour(s) drive one way. Double it for there and back. Here we have some control freaks. We have anywhere between 3 or 4 lanes and all the slow people sit in the left lane. Everyone (whose anyone) knows to go to the right when traffic gets bad because everyone else just sits in the left lane, the slowest lane.

Why can't people just follow the laws of the road?
Here is a link that you can read about why there is this law in place and it's benefits.
http://slowertraffickeepright.com/

A Message (cont'd)

You thought I forgot. No, I didn't. I warned you in the beginning. My thoughts jump from one idea to the next without stopping. I must provide you with a conclusion to my original thought.
"You of little faith."
The reason I went on to talk about Peter was to show you that Peter was right there. Jesus was right there. Peter could touch Jesus. Peter could see the miracles. He was enveloped in the presence of God and still it was hard for Him to have faith. When I think, "You of little faith," I think it's how Jesus thought. He regarded His followers as little children. Sometimes it takes a child more than once to go through a lesson, the same lesson, before they understand the true meaning behind what is being taught. Well, that's the case for adults sometimes as well. Jesus was frustrated, but He never gave up teaching. The same goes for me. When I notice that someone is faltering, wavering in his/her beliefs for an answer to a prayer, I just pick up the s(lack) and have enough faith for the both of us! Miracles will happen. Healing will come! Restoration will come! Matter of fact, it is already promised. State it as fact based on the Word and declare it yours in the name of Jesus. Amen!
Here is scripture in accordance with what I've stated.
Isaiah 53:5
Acts 4:22
Acts 3:21
Romans 12:3
Romans 12:6
Actually, the whole Book of Romans is a great booster for our faith.

A Message

I was going to apologize for being MIA for a bit, but why apologize for life happening. I had some very interesting turns take place in my life over this past weekend, and no, I don't believe that I will be sharing them at this time. For this, I will apologize. There will be one story, but....I'll get to it later.
Anyway, I was on my way to work today and I did a really scary thing. I decided to think. I know, I know. I'll try to keep from thinking in the future. No promises though. Okay? Okay. Here is what I thought.

It all starts with one of my favorite quotes. Jesus would say this quite often to His disciples when He was aggravated by their confusion and misunderstanding. Know which one I'm talking about? No?
"You of little faith?"
It's one I like to quote in my head from time to time. It usually happens when someone comes to me for prayer. Now, you're probably trying to get the connection. Let me explain. I am often asked to pray for a specific situation in someone's life. I am glad to help and believe in an answer from God on their behalf. When the answer doesn't come right away, I begin to hear the following words from the individual: "If; What if; It's okay; Thanks anyway." My insides turn when I hear these words. WHAT?! I want to scream at the top of my lungs, "You of little faith!" Here I am praying, and my prayers are being cancelled out due to his/her lack of faith. I now understand how frustrated Jesus was back in the day. He would heal the sick, open blind eyes, feed thousands with what could only feed 3-4 people, calm storms, walk on water, and yet he still said to those who witnessed these miracles, "You of little faith." because they still didn't believe.

This brings me to a great topic. I was recently reading the New Testament, specifically the book of Mark. I began to make connections that I didn't quite put into one story line before. Peter. A disciple. One day Peter, James, and John were given a rare opportunity. While still on earth, they ascended a mountain with Jesus. There they saw Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus. Then, God came and enveloped them in a cloud and spoke to them. Aside from the everyday miracles, Peter witnessed this amazingly glorious event. Yet when the time came for Jesus to be nailed on the cross, three times, Peter denied any connection to Him or even knowing Him. Huh?! What in the world? What kind of person drops his family, sells his business, and leaves all his possessions to devote his life to following Jesus and then pretend that He has no idea who this "Jesus" is.

Let me paint you a picture closer to home. You have a good friend of 3 years. You work together. You live together. You eat together. You travel together. You moved far from your parents. You don't really have many of your own possessions because both of you travel a lot for work. You went from being your own boss in a major corporation to working for a non-profit where you make just enough to eat and put a roof over your head. Now, your friend is appearing in court because he/she is being wrongly accused of a crime he/she didn't commit. You attend all the hearings and trials. You witness your friend being charged by the jury and judge as guilty. Your friend will be serving a death sentence. Now, you see your friend being taken away in handcuffs. You begin to leave the court room. The people around you begin to question you about your friend and so do the press outside. Each time, you deny ever being friends with this person or even knowing who he/she is. Your friend hears about all these.

Here is the question: "If you were the friend who is now waiting to be executed, would you forgive the friend who denied knowing you and didn't stand by your side during the trials and sentencing?" Take a minute to ponder this question based on the entirety of the story, even though I'm not really looking for an answer here. I just want you to know what happened next in the story. Jesus was hung on the cross. He was dead for 3 days and then rose to life. Hallelujah! Once alive, one of the very first things He did was look for Peter. When he found him, He called him from work and prepared him breakfast. Jesus forgave Peter. This melts my heart every time I hear the story. God is so good! I love how much He loves us. I love the grace and mercy He shows us everyday. I want to be more and more like Jesus and walk in forgiveness to others always.

You know that He forgives us for all our sins, if we just seek Him and ask Him to come into our hearts. If you want that forgiveness, and would like to pray the prayer of salvation or have other prayer needs or questions. You can always e-mail me: lisavikprik@gmail.com

Quotes taken from the Gospels.
More specific ones from the following.
Mark 9:2-10
John 21:1-19
Matthew 8:26