I love leading my First Place 4 Health class. We just recently started a new session and we are going through the FP4H Bible study A New Beginning. In the first week of study the writer clearly leads us to see that belief in Jesus Christ is the beginning of a new life in Christ.
At our meeting last week, I asked members of our class to share about when they asked Jesus to come into their lives. As different ones were sharing how old they were when they made this momentous decision, one of our ladies said, “I believe this happened for me during the last twelve weeks of Bible study.” She went on to say, “I always knew, but I don’t believe I ever appropriated my belief into my personal life.” We were all elated as this lady just began FP4H last session, and her life truly has a beginning point the day she asked Jesus Christ into her life.
I Samuel 16:7 says, The Lord does not look at the things man looks at; man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. Because this verse is true, the Lord Jesus looks at our hearts when we join the FP4H program and He knows what needs to happen first. For some of us, emotional healing is the primary need. For others, we need a change of mind; we must begin thinking we can succeed and believing that Jesus will help us win the victory. For some, like the lady in my class, we must turn to Jesus and ask Him to come in and take over our lives.
In the FP4H Member’s Guide, the physical section is included last even though weight loss is the primary reason that most people join the program. For this reason, we ask every new member to give God a year and allow Him to work in our lives in the most important area. Over the years I have seen God do just that again and again. Because He looks at the heart, He knows where change needs to begin.
Where are you today? Do you need a heart change? If this is your need, it won’t matter if you lose 100 pounds, you will still not be complete. Most people believe that if they could just lose weight, all their problems would be solved. However, sometimes weight loss strips away our protective shield and uncovers a myriad of other issues.
My prayer for each of us this session is that we put first things first and that we have a new beginning with our Lord Jesus Christ. His plans for us are for good, not for evil. His plans are to give us a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Do you need a new beginning? You can begin again right here, right now. It’s as easy as asking Jesus to be the Lord of your life in every area: spiritual, mental, emotional and physical.