Greetings everyone! I pray that your new year is off to a fabulous start! Keeping with the New Year, New You, New Life theme, I wanted to announce that this year, along with my blog posts that encourage and edify us spiritually, I will begin incorporating healthy living posts that focus on our physical health and well-being. I will occasionally feature healthy recipes, fitness tips, and other health highlights that will be helpful to us in our journey of being whole for God in every area. I alluded to this “new thing” in my previous blog post where I mentioned that we must put forth more effort as it relates to taking care of our bodies. We must commit to wholeness and healthy living not only on a spiritual level, but also physically, mentally, and emotionally – as our bodies are temples of the Lord Jesus and are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

You can read my previous blog post here: New Year, New You? What About New Life?!

We may feed ourselves spiritually with the Word of God on a regular basis (and this is paramount and truly more important than anything; including our necessary food – Job 23:12), but we must also be aware of what else we are feeding our minds, bodies, and souls. What does our diet look like? What are we watching on television? What type of music are we listening to? (We’ll discuss more of these things in detail this year.) After lightly mentioning this in my last post and exhorting us all to take more responsibility for our health in every way, God spoke to me and encouraged me to take it a step further and initiate that change by sparking the fire.

It is so imperative that we learn discipline and self-control in all areas of our lives. Some of us Christians have the spiritual aspect down; we have grown so much in our spiritual lives and in relying on God’s grace that we have forgotten that we’ve been commissioned to please Him with our entire lives. So you abstain from fornication and sexual immorality? Great! This is truly awesome. But do you exercise and eat healthy? Do you watch what you are feeding your soul in other areas? Are you being pure and healthy in mind, body, soul, spirit, and speech? It is all apart of being healthy for our Father God and honoring the Lord’s temple. You’d be amazed at how just being intentional in one area; being mindful of our diet, what we watch, who we spend time with, and incorporating things like exercise into our daily lives can also boost us in the spiritual realm. When we vow to take care of our body and soul in one area, it is pretty much a guarantee that it will transfer to other areas.

This is not a post of condemnation by any means (Romans 8:1); this is a call to action. We are not perfect. “Having issues isn’t the absence of victory in our lives. It might be the very call to action needed to get you to victory.” The beauty is that when we trust God with our flaws and imperfections, He is more than willing and able to help us become an example of His power and a better servant to His Kingdom. When the Holy Spirit is involved in our process of growth, sanctification, and maturity, we are destined to see true transformation in our lives. We have the victory when we commit to doing it with God. And we are going to help each other get to being better spiritually, physically, emotionally, and even financially!

With that said…My first Healthy Living Highlight is a recipe that I found on Pinterest! Finding recipes that are simple, healthy, and good for your body and soul have certainly made it easier to embark on a healthier lifestyle. (Feel free to comment and share some of your own as well!) In this blog post, I am featuring Breakfast recipes!

The first one: 21 Ideas for Energy-Boosting Breakfast Toasts. All of the recipes (ideas) included here are super simple, quick for your busy morning , and healthy. And who doesn’t want to get a jumpstart to their day?! Each of these ideas include healthy, nutritional foods and ingredients that will give you that extra boost you need. (And if you’re feeling extra motivated, take some time to look up some of these and learn about the health benefits!) Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. And I must admit: In the past I haven’t been so keen on eating breakfast; I love breakfast food, I just haven’t been consistent in ensuring that my day begins with a healthy boost. But, it is important. So if you’re like me, you can use some motivation! 🙂

You can view all 21 of them here: 21 Ideas for Energy-Boosting Breakfast Toasts 

The second one: Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs breakfast recipe. If you find yourself with a little more time in the morning, this is a great recipe to try. This is still a pretty simple and quick recipe. Quinoa is a grain that is high in fiber and protein, lacks gluten, and is an ingredient that can be used with just about anything to provide a health boost! As you know, eggs are also a great source of protein, and poached eggs are a great health boost because the egg yolk contains most of the nutrients we would lose if we were eating an omelette or scrambled eggs at a restaurant. Egg yolks equal nutrition! (Nothing against restaurants by the way. I am a foodie…I love to eat! And health-conscious ones are even better!)

You can view the recipe here: Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs (By the way, this blog is an awesome resource for additional healthy recipes! Save this one and try it one day for breakfast!)

The third one: Baked Oatmeal Casserole Recipe! Yum! Easy to prep and cook, tons of fresh fruits as ingredients as well as natural oats, and it serves 8 people! So if it’s just you, you can enjoy for a day or two. If you’re feeding a clan, mission accomplished as well! This recipe has received great reviews. If you try it, email me or leave a comment and let me know what you think!

You can view the recipe here: Baked Oatmeal Casserole Recipe

I also encourage you to check out this edifying blog post from Proverbs 31 Ministries regarding our physical and spiritual health, and how they are intertwined. Again, this blog emphasizes the fact that we are not perfect and we don’t have to pretend that we are…being imperfect is truly the beauty of being His. If we were perfect, we would have no need for a Savior. God enables us to become all that we need to be for Him in this lifetime; so trust Him with your life. You can do anything with Jesus Christ. This is targeted towards women, but men you can read as well – and I encourage you to! Wisdom does not discriminate! 🙂

You can view this encouraging post here: Proverbs 31 Ministries Devotional – January 8th

So you’re probably wondering at this point: Why did she title this post: When You’re In Love…? Well…When we’re in love, we go to great lengths to please the one we love, right? We go to great lengths to show them how much we love them. How much do you love your Father God? Let’s show Him by DOING. Love is an action word.

Do something new this year. And continue it. Honor God. Honor His temple. Live Healthy. Eat Healthy. Think Healthy. We’re in this together!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Porsche

Thank you for following my blog. Let me know if I can ever be of assistance to you in your spiritual journey by emailing me at loveisalifestyle1@gmail.com. Blessings!