Episode 268-Jesus and His Dad

Have you ever had a question you’d like an answer to, but the answer is not available. For years I’ve thought about this question because Jesus was divine. But then when He came to earth, He was fully human.

So when did Jesus figure out who He is and who told Him? When He was in Heaven He knew who He was. But when He came to earth He became a human. He came right out of His Momma’s box. He had the same abilities as His Daddy God, but when did He discover all of that? 

Was there a time that Father God said, “OK, Listen Son, this is who you are? This is your job here on earth. You will become the Savior of all people. It will be a really big deal.” 

I love to think of these kinds of conversation. Jesus came to earth as a helpless baby. He did that of His own free will. No one made Him do it. If you have never trusted Jesus as Your Savior, now is the time to do it. Let it be your Christmas gift to yourself. 

Pray with me. 

Jesus,

I confess. I love only myself. I try to fix issues in my favor. I don’t like people. I’d never die for anyone.

Still, I live in terror every day afraid someone will kill me. I need Jesus to help me, but I’m such a big sinner I don’t know how to change. I’ve been told once a sinner always a sinner.

But that’s not what Jesus says. He says no matter what, He loves me. Right now, I’m choosing to follow Him instead of my earthly desires. Jesus I give You every sin I’ve committed and every sinful thought.

I hand to you all these things that are bringing me down, breaking me down, and making me worried, anxious, and fearful to You, Lord.

Save me from myself, Lord. I need You.  

If you prayed this prayer, send us an email to [email protected]. 

If you are interested in joining Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy, go here: https://teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/ 

Episode 267-Craving Sugar?

It’s Christmas and you know what that means. Lots and lots of cake, candy, pies, and every other kind of desserts. It’s the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. It’s the day we get together with family and friends.

Most of us, though, aren’t focusing on the people we will see or even worshipping Jesus, who made a willful decision to come to earth, live as a human, and die on cross in our place. He did it for no other reason but to let us know how much He loves us. 

Still, all we can think about is getting our next sugar high. Yes, it’s very addictive. It’s like a drug. It is eight times more addictive than drugs or alcohol. And, it’s a killer. Sugar feeds cancer. It promotes obesity from which all kinds of diseases take hold of us.

The devil knows all of this. He has become a drug pusher to us who consider ourselves good Christians. It’s his voice speaking when we hear, “Go ahead and eat another piece of cake! As a matter of fact take two or three because it will be gone before you have time to finish everything on your plate. It tastes so good. It has to be good for you.”

However, my Friends, the devil is a liar. We know this, but we still want sugary foods because we feel like they make us feel better. And they do for a short-time and then our bodies crave more sugar. Only this time we have to eat more than before. It’s always a matter of more.

Can we stop craving sugar? Yes, we can. Are you ready? Join us in Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and start the New Year off right. 

Overcomers: https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/overcomers/ 

Episode 266-Bitten by the Fiction Bug

I’ve been bitten by the fiction bug, and no it didn’t hurt. It felt pretty good. After writing 10 nonfiction books, I finally wrote and published the fiction book God gave me the storyline to 10 years ago. 

“Rebuilding Jayne” is on Amazon now in Kindle, paperback, and will soon be out in Audible and a little later in hardback. It is Fiction That Transforms. This particular book’s tagline is “Her Father’s Protection. 

The best way I can describe this series is that it is the fiction version of my best-selling book, which is my memoir entitled, Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds.

It was a fun book to write because God was there the entire way. There was one time when I was writing a very integral chapter. It was a key piece of the book. I wrote the chapter and then went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, God clearly spoke to me and said, “Throw out that last chapter and start over. I will show you what to write.”

From the minute I put my hands on the computer keys to the end of that chapter, not one word had been in my head. It was if I was the scribe and God was the author dictating the words to me. That chapter set the tone for the entire book. He gave me places, people, and the depth of the story line. It was nothing I did except be obedient and write. 

Get the book. Write a review so others can find it. 

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Rebuilding-Jayne-Her-Fathers-Protection-ebook/dp/B0DGXTXR53/

FREE CHAPTER of Rebuilding Jayne: https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/rebuilding-jayne-free-chapter/

Episode 265-Build Each Other Up

In Romans 15 and 16, Paul covers a lot of ground to make sure he’s telling those in the church at Rome everything they need to go forward until he comes to them again in person. He’s teaching them and us how to build each other up. This is critical to any forward motion. We don’t do our journeys alone. We do them in a community of faith.

He encourages mature Christians, while at the same time warning them. Romans 15:1 AMP: “We who are strong in our convictions and faith ought to patiently put up with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and not please ourselves.”

In order to follow Jesus we need to deny ourselves or not just please ourselves. In John 5:30 AMP Jesus defines that as setting aside our selfish interests. If we are mature followers of Christ one of the first things we must let go of is our reliance on anything other than Jesus. 

Overcomers Academy Link: https://Teresashieldsparker.com/Overcomers/ 

Free Eating Stress Course Link: https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/stress/ 

Episode 264-Through it All

How can we be thankful in the midst everything is going on in the world today? We’ve been through a lot in the last few years and I just want to stop a minute and thank God even for the difficulties many of us have gone through.

One of my favorite songs is Through It All, written by Andre Crouch in 1971 after having purchased an engagement ring for a young woman. He was heart-broken when she announced that she was getting married, but not to him.

He wrote these words: “I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through; for if I’d never had a problem I wouldn’t know that He could solve them…I’d never know what faith in God could do. 

“Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God; 

“Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.”

Even though it was written 50 years ago, this song seems perfect for today.

We weren’t designed to do life on our own. We need God. So I challenge you this Thanksgiving to think about how going through difficulties has made you stronger and thank God for them. 

1 Thess. 5:18 TPT: “And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.” 

For more about giving thanks in the midst of both the good and the bad, listen to episode 264—Through It All.

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Episode 263-Focus on Jesus, Not Sugar

I’ve been reading and studying Romans 14 for several weeks. I thought when I first read it that it would an easy passage to talk about. I knew it related to my journey but in what way?

So I asked Jesus, “What is the message of Romans 14 for my listeners?” And He said, “Focus on Me, not on anything else. Not on sugar, not on food, not on diet laws, not on what to celebrate or not celebrate. Just focus on Me and everything will fall into place.”

Then it finally made sense. As a kid, I learned Romans 14:17 in the KJV, but I didn’t know the context of the verse. “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” 

The Amplified Version says it this way: “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking what one likes, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Did you hear that? It’s not about eating and drinking what we like. It’s all about the Kingdom of God. It’s about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Nothing else matters but allowing Him to lead us.

The MSG adds, “God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as He sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy.”

That makes a lot of sense because verse 18 in every version talks about serving God. We have to get our focus right before we can serve Jesus. I know that was certainly true in my case. For most of my life, my focus was definitely on sugar and not on Jesus. 

Romans 14:18 AMP says, “For the one who serves Christ in this way, recognizing that food choice is secondary, is acceptable to God and is approved by men.”

This entire chapter is about the freedom Christ brought. This was especially important to the Jewish believers. When Jesus brought us His freedom, it cancelled the rules about what foods are clean and OK to eat and which were unclean and shouldn’t be eaten. 

I get it. I really do. All their lives they had lived by what their “church” told them was proper. They knew that Christ’s liberty had set them free from all of the rules, but they weren’t ready to make the switch just yet. This was causing arguments in the church. In this chapter Paul is trying to tell the new Christians that what we eat or don’t eat is not something that matters regarding our heavenly destiny.

I talk about this as well as my own journey with sugar addiction in this episode.

Overcomers Academy: https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/Overcomers/ 

Episode 262-Time to Wake Up

It’s time for Christians to wake up to what’s going on in the world around us. The time is growing short. We are closer to meeting Jesus now than we were first saved.

In Romans 13:11-14 Paul gives a dire warning about the future and describes how we as Christians we are still always one day closer to meeting Him. 

He tells us how we should live by describing a normal day. First we have to wake up to the spiritual issues around us. Romans 13:11 tells us to wake up from our slumber. Second, we have take off the old clothes we were wearing in the darkness. Romans 13:12 tells us to “strip away what is done in the shadows of darkness, removing it like filthy clothes.

Next we must dress for battle by “putting on the armor of light,” as it says in Romans 13:12. We also must know our enemy and how to defeat strongholds. 

Finally, we have to know where we are going. We have to be dressed to run with Jesus. Romans 13:14 MSG tells us we can’t loiter or linger. We have to be up and about what God is calling us to do.

Overcomers Academy Link: https://teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/ 

Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds Link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Surrender-Teresa-Shields-Parker/dp/0986159247/ 

What is A Stronghold Link: https://www.teresashieldsparker.com/what-is-a-stronghold/ 

Episode 261-Holy Spirit Glow

Do you want glow with the power of the Holy Spirit? It’s certainly something I desire. This is lesson 20 in our study of the book of Romans. We’ve learned that Romans is all about the foundations of the Christian life, how to follow Jesus, how to renounce our fleshly desires, how to renew our minds and how to transform our lives.

Now in the latter part of Romans 12 we learn about serving God. After we learn to lay down our selfish desires, we begin focusing on what God wants us to do with our lives. It’s then that He starts showering us with His grace gifts so we can do the tasks He has called us to do.

These aren’t gifts to hoard. They are gifts to be used to serve Him. This where Romans 12:11 TPT says, “Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward Him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let Him fill you with excitement as you serve Him.” The Message says, “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.” 

Overcomers Academy link: https://Teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/ 

Episode 260-From the Inside Out

We can be changed from the inside out. We can renew our minds which will then transform us.

Romans 12:2 AMP and in the MSG gives us several keys to consider which we visit in more depth on the podcast.

First, to renew our minds we can no longer just go with the flow. We have to ask ourselves, is this really what is best for me or is it just what my flesh wants?

Second, we let God mess with our priorities, our habits and our comforts in order to transform us from the inside out.

Third, we don’t allow our old programmed minds to talk us into doing things that are not best for us.

Fourth, it’s not enough to just recognize and know what God wants for us we must quickly do what He wants us to do.

Fifth, our goals should always be follow God’s plans and purposes for our lives. 

Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds Link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Surrender-Teresa-Shields-Parker/dp/0986159247/

Overcomers Link: https://Teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/

VIP Freedom Coaching Link: https://Teresashieldsparker.com/vip-freedom-coaching/ 

Episode 259-Surrender Delights God

Why should we surrender to God? Because our surrender delights God. If there is anything we should want to do it is to please God. Surrender also has great value for us on our journeys which also delights God. Romans 12:1 AMP: “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies, dedicating all of yourselves, set apart, as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational, logical, intelligent act of worship.” What does it means to be living sacrifices? It means to be alive to what Christ wants for us and dead to evil things. It means to surrender to God and that means everything on our journeys. When God talks about living sacrifices, He is talking about the fact that we have died to living for what we desire and have decided to live for what Jesus wants. Gal. 2:20 NLT: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice to God is intelligent, rational, logical because we are obeying God. We are following the God of the Universe who is bigger than we can imagine, but small enough to fit inside us at the same time. Who He is and who we are makes surrendering every single part of our lives to Him a rational, and at the same time a very emotional, course of action. Doing this now and every single day is more than a starting place. It will define how we live in tandem with Him for the rest of our lives.

 Overcomers Academy Link: https://teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/