Choosing the Narrow Path - Part 2 - Praise from GOD or from Man?

"PUBLIC PERCEPTION"..."spinning it in the media"..."what does the fan-base and support-base think?"..."what will PEOPLE think if I ________?"

It's amazing to watch how PULLED and LED by "what people think" that nearly all of mankind is. From athletes to entertainers, politicians to business executives...even religious leaders...the NUMBER ONE FOCUS is "What do PEOPLE think of me?" And then the decisions are made. Right versus wrong almost ALWAYS takes a back seat. It's about what the PEOPLE want and think and how they'll react. RARE is the case when someone does RIGHT and IMMEDIATELY credits GOD. RARE is the case when someone does WRONG and IMMEDIATELY (BEFORE being "caught") says, "I made a mistake, I've let GOD down and anyone else who has thought highly of me, I ask His forgiveness, and I WILL CHANGE." How powerful and profound this would be!...if GOD truly was NUMBER ONE in more people's lives. This is sad...wrong...upsetting...that our glorious and awesome Creator isn't IMMEDIATELY credited and isn't IMMEDIATELY apologized to...for "fear of the people's reaction."

Look at this POWERFUL and TELLING quote from Gwen...an excerpt taken from her "EXODUS Daily Devotional: Laying Down Your Idols" book...

"It really bothers me that God is not in the headline news every night. I would love to hear a newscaster say, 'And the hand of God spared this person from a fatal accident today.' It also makes me mad that God is not on the weather channel every night! Can you imagine hearing the weatherman say, 'And God did something new again. We guessed that it was going to rain today, but God decided to bring sunshine instead. What a God of surprises He is! And did anyone see the sunset He painted yesterday? He outdid Himself yet again!'"

And there's more from that excerpt...

"God is God, and I love it! I don’t want it any other way, and I wouldn’t want the world in the hands of anyone else. God has all authority and power, and I respect and uphold every decision He makes, from simple ones to difficult ones. Strive to begin each day standing in awe of God’s deeds, and give HIM credit where all credit and praise and honor is due!"

THAT, dear friends, is a FOCUS on giving GOD the PROPER PRAISE and HONOR and RESPECT that is due Him! NO cares about the "praise of men" or "how that will be perceived in the media." THINK ABOUT THIS...NO man or woman of GOD...EVER...throughout history...NONE...ZERO...put his or her "reputation" and/or "how I'll be perceived by MAN"...OVER the wants and wishes and praises and desires and commands of GOD.

Abraham, Job, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Hosea, JESUS CHRIST, Peter, Paul, John, Timothy, James, Titus...and since those days of the written Scriptures you've had MARTYRS and PROPHETS...people who RISKED and even GAVE UP their lives in many ways...and to this very day you have Gwen crying out to anyone in this world who will LISTEN, saying, "It really bothers me that GOD is not in the headlines news every night...God is God, and I love it! I don’t want it any other way, and I wouldn’t want the world in the hands of anyone else."

THOSE are no "common" statements to make...not in this generation.

TODAY on WDWB LIVE, at 3:30pm CST, we'll have a discussion with CHRIS ANCONA, a man who will testify about "Choosing the Narrow Path," STOPPING his known sins from the get-go of his hearing this Message, REVERSING course and getting on the NARROW path, and RUNNING FORWARD with this Truth in his life...putting this "GOD FIRST" attitude and life into PRACTICE...and emulating that incredible example that Gwen lays out in this Ministry...with all praise to GOD! We hope you'll join us.

Awesome WETV Feature! - PLUS...the Consequences of Choice & the Chain Reaction of Decision-Making

WOW! First thing's first! We are PRAISING GOD this morning for His powerful Hand...leading this Ministry's profile in the MEDIA right now! Did you SEE the WETV program "Secret Lives of Women" last night? The title is a little misleading...but behind the title, the point of last night's episode was about "extreme diets." NOW...anyone who knows ANYTHING about Weigh Down knows that NOTHING about it is "extreme." In FACT, here's a website that addresses that notion very specifically. The CONCEPT of returning to your normal, healthy weight WITHOUT dieting or "have-to" exercise is REVOLUTIONARY though in this generation. SO - on the show, Gwen and Weigh Down were featured as one of four types of "diets" or "philosophies of eating" profiled in an hour-long program. GOD really lifted UP and showed Gwen and this Ministry in a VERY POSITIVE, PRACTICAL, BEAUTIFUL light! It was wonderful! And when you looked and examined and compared the JOY and PEACE and RESULTS of how the Shamblins and Hannahs were shown...along with the Ministry and testimony footage...and the Remnant Fellowship church and the Assembly clips shown... VERSUS other options, it was AMAZING how GOD presented this to the world!!! Indeed, we PRAISE GOD!

And now, on with the Blog...

Consequence...Choice...Chain Reaction...

• In recent political stories, former New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer resigned after being involved in a Prostitution scandal. Former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards pulled out of the 2008 Presidential race as he admitted to a sexual affair.
• In financial news, long-time, world-renown financier Bernie Madoff was convicted and sentenced to prison for conducting a years-long Ponzi scheme, costing lots of people millions of dollars in invested money.
• In sporting news, football player Steve McNair was gunned down by a woman with whom he was having an affair and football player Donte Stallworth served jailtime and is suspended from playing in the NFL for a year after killing a man while "driving while intoxicated."

Every one of these CONSEQUENCES, played out in the public spotlight because of the fame of these individuals, began with a single DECISION...a CHOICE. Whether it was lust in the heart left unchecked, greed for more money and being dishonest for the first time, or drinking too much alcohol in one night, the consequences from what began as single decisions rapidly began unfolding until they spiraled out of control. BUT - this isn't about finger-pointing at those who live life in the "public eye." Weigh Down is the OPPOSITE of that. We've learned here that we need to look INWARD at ourselves...the "man in the mirror." CHANGE starts on the INSIDE. THINK about this...How did any of US get to be 50, 75, 100 pounds OVERWEIGHT? It started with a little bit of overeating...leading in some cases to bingeing...New clothes are needed, there's stress in the marriage, increased costs in health care, the children start picking up the same habits, depression sets in, and on and on. The CONSEQUENCES of that initial, unchecked GREED pile up in just as HARMFUL and DESTRUCTIVE ways as some of those PUBLIC situations play out. It's the same PROCESS...just not as "high profile" or maybe not as "instant"...but it LASTS for what turns out to be GENERATIONS. Once passed down, then the children grow up and pass it down to THEIR children, and on and on. We get the picture...It is a CHAIN REACTION! When GOD Almighty spoke as referenced in Deuteronomy 28, 29, and 30 about BLESSINGS and CURSES...and how they would affect future generations...this is what He was talking about! Setting in motion the RIGHT "chain reaction" is everything! And it starts, as we learn in Weigh Down over and over, with DENYING ourselves in those testing moments with food, or not lusting...FLEEING temptation, keeping the eating and drinking WITHIN GOD'S boundaries...keeping ourselves from spending and desiring possessions we can't afford...being SATISFIED with what we have until or unless GOD allows for more. The CHAIN REACTION...the concept of what GOD is teaching us by this beautiful, Spirit-led self-denial...is POWERFUL!

Jesus chose WISELY in His hours of testing...choosing GOD'S will. Paul accepted his mission to preach Christ for the rest of his LIFE after persecuting Christians and then being confronted on the road to Damascus...choosing GOD'S will. Moses accepted his charge to lead GOD'S people and confront Pharaoh...choosing GOD'S will. David ignored fear of Goliath and feared GOD, killing the giant and leading Israel to victory...choosing GOD'S will. The list of GREATS goes on and on. EACH of them made key, crucial, life-altering decisions of abandoning their OWN wants or fears...and made decisions that set off CHAIN REACTIONS of MORE great decisions and MORE obedience to GOD and MORE good fruit. They are remembered for their beautiful love for GOD and are HONORED FOREVER for it. It all STARTED though...with making those INITIAL RIGHT DECISIONS of self-denial. We can REVERSE any curses and BAD chain reactions that we've wrongly started in our lives. We're WATCHING that HAPPEN right here with our Weigh Down participants! Marriages, families, finances, health...ALL of it is TURNING AROUND by the blessing and mercy of GOD. People are making the DECISION to END their cycle of self-indulgence and start a NEW chain reaction...one of BLESSING for themselves, their families, and anyone who knows them. We'll talk about this awesome concept TODAY on WDWB LIVE...as TEDD ANGER stops by the studio for a visit about what he sees and hears on a daily basis in counsel and guidance of Weigh Down participants. He'll offer encouragement to anyone who wants to start this new CHAIN REACTION! Tune in at 3:30pm CST!

Media, Fame, Shock, & Reality TV...or a Testimony for GOD...A Choice Between 15 Minutes or Eternity

FAME - Fleeting or Eternal? What's the motive? It's a CHOICE!

TV.com's website ranks the list of most popular "reality TV" shows currently, this week, this month, and of all time. On the list, you'll see everything from "Survivor" to "America's Next Top Model" to "Punk'd" to "Ghost Hunters" to "The Apprentice" to "Man Vs. Wild" and lots more. As an American (especially) culture, we've become fascinated...no...obsessed with...the shock value and rush that accompanies a camera supposedly capturing "what's really happening" in people's lives or in competition or in relationships. There are LOTS of ways to become "famous." In 1968, American painter, film-maker, print maker, and "pop artist" Andy Warhol stated his belief that, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Whether or not that ever comes to pass, the point in mentioning it is that it seems more people WANT that "15 minutes of fame" now than ever before. People INCREASINGLY will do outlandish, embarrassing, immoral, even DANGEROUS things to "be famous." WHY? For what PURPOSE?

JESUS CHRIST was and is the most "famous" person EVER to walk the face of the earth. Did He SEEK fame for attention or self-glorification? Did He swallow disgusting things or compete for the love of women or risk His life in competition or backstab and undercut the Apostles in an effort to make Himself look better? Did Peter or Paul do that? Moses? Abraham? Queen Esther? Mary, the mother of Jesus? YET, these men and women live "famously"...remembered and revered...for WHAT? 15 minutes? NO - ETERNALLY! As long as GOD allows the earth to spin, these and many other great saints' names will be honored and revered and imitated...because of their RIGHTEOUSNESS and DEVOTION to the One True and Only GOD Almighty! Hebrews 11 and 12 speak of the great people of faith, the "cloud of witnesses" who surround us and see the lives we're living. What IS your AMBITION? Anything other than bringing glory to GOD by RIGHTEOUS actions and a PURE heart will be fleeting. What's 15 minutes? GOD lifts up for an ETERNITY those who love Him with a WHOLE and PURE heart!

Gwen Shamblin also has written, spoken, and lived this way, with ETERNITY and glorifying GOD as a motive, and GOD continues to lift her, her family, and this Ministry UP in the MEDIA! TONIGHT on WETV, this Message will once again be featured as a way to be healthy, happy, and have peace in your life. Over the past couple of years, GOD has featured Weigh Down on The TODAY Show, FOX News' DaySide Show, The Tyra Banks Show, CBS' The INSIDER Show, the BBC, and much more. GOD also has put Weigh Down in lots of print media...like Good Housekeeping, People Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, and in many newspapers. We can tell you in all honesty that HE has made it all happen. Gwen is doing everything she can to follow in the footsteps of those GOD has lifted up over the years...taking that "fame" and pointing people UPWARD to GOD! The impact has been ETERNALLY life-changing for those who have put the principles into practice and now HAVE this peace, health, and happiness. And the RESULTS are SO much longer lasting...so much more noteworthy...than the 15 minutes of fame that the world offers. Please help us spread the word about this Ministry. Share this link to our main website, http://www.weighdown.com, with your family and friends. It is changing SO MANY people's lives for the BETTER. And GOD gets ALL of the glory! In FACT, we'll visit with CANDACE ANGER on today's WDWB LIVE about how GOD is using the MEDIA to spread the good news about this Ministry around the world. Don't miss it! 3:30pm CST...