Rick Osborn | Life Coach, Nutrition Consultant & Graphic Designer

Are you slowly committing “foundational suicide”?

Are there cracks in your structure?

Are you trying to stand on quicksand?

Is it that for all of the struggling and fighting, you just keep sinking deeper?

Are you looking for solace, safety, security and relief from the hardships that you’re facing?

Well, there is hope. Whatever your situation, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Furthermore, maybe it’s time to look down and inspect what exactly it is that you’re standing on - or what you’ve built your life upon. Perhaps it sounds a bit cliché, but this IS your life and this IS a valid question.

My best advice - Make sure your structure exists on a real, right and firm base!

Let me explain. Look at what the Psalmist, King David of Israel (known as “a man after God’s own heart”) wrote so eloquently in Psalms 18:2 -

“The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer; My God, my Strength, in Whom I will trust; My Shield and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold.”

WOW! Could it be that God Himself is the answer to what’s plaguing you? According to David, that’s an overwhelming and amazing “YES”.

For clarity sake, let me just explain what this passage means on a very practical level.

Let’s focus on the key words in Psalms 18:2:

Lord - one who is in the position of power and authority. The fact that David calls God this shows that he’s acknowledging God’s sovereignty in submitting himself to who God is.

Rock - firm, solid, strong, hard, crushing, dense, lasting, unyielding. A “Rock” is foundational material. You can’t sink into rock. The fact that David calls God his “Rock” shows that David is acknowledging God’s power and strength in his life.

Fortress - a safe and secure place, where you are protected and not vulnerable to attack. The fact that David calls God his “Fortress” indicates that he realizes that the Lord is watching over him, providing protection, security and refuge.

Deliverer - one who rescues, emancipates, frees, redeems. The fact that David calls God his “Deliverer” shows that David knows that the Lord is is the One who will carry him out of his difficulties, suffering, sorrows, fear, danger and destruction.

God - is God is God is God. Many definitions come to mind, but the word alone implies omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence (all knowing, all powerful, present everywhere). The fact that David calls Him his “God” shows that he is acknowledging his personal relationship with the supreme Deity.

Strength - mental power, force, vigor, firmness or courage. David’s acknowledgment of God being his “Strength” show that he’s empowered by God and that he is emboldened to face life’s struggles because of this.

Shield - protection, force field, blocker, armor, resilience, guard. This goes hand in hand with Strength, but shows that David realizes that the Lord surrounds him with his protection and repels the attacks of evil and the enemy.

Horn - signifies strength and protection, like the horn(s) on an animal. The fact that David calls God the “Horn” of his salvation shows that he knows that God keeps him safe and secure, the protector of his salvation.

Stronghold - high tower, fortress, place of security away from danger. Again, the fact that David calls God his “Stronghold” indicates his knowledge that God has him in a safe place and is keeping him from danger.

David, someone who experienced pain, disobedience and sin on several levels knew God intimately. Not only did he know Him, but from the above scripture it’s easy to see that he derived great comfort and reassurance from this personal relationship. David sought to know God - experience Him and worship Him on a regular basis. He had a real, thriving relationship with God and communed with Him regularly. Read Psalms 63 and you’ll see what his daily meditation consisted of with the Lord. Through his steadfast faith and reliance upon God (and His attributes), he stood firm, faithful and consistent in the midst of adversity.

Ok, so what do we need to remember about this? Well, if we have a real relationship with Christ/God, then we have a real and solid foundation upon which to stand, to build a solid future and move forward. To quote a verse from an old, but great hymn -

“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand . . .”

What are you standing on?

I was watching the Today show recently. Their health/fitness/nutrition editor was being interviewed by Matt Lauer regarding the most popular diets that people are trying to follow these days. She had actual plates of food on display - representative of each particular diet. She then went on to pontificate upon the fact that no one could follow any of these diets for too long, as they all were too restrictive. I tended to agree with what she was saying until she made the statement -

“It’s all about counting calories.”

What really gets me is how people (and particularly this “expert”) can make such casual statements on national TV without a proper understanding of what’s really going on. I guess it’s due to the overwhelming sway of popular thought to believe such misinformation. The fact is -

IT’S NOT ABOUT COUNTING CALORIES!

It’s about chemicals and pesticides and hormones and toxins in the foods we eat, the water we drink, the lotions that we put on our skin, and the air that we breathe.

The truth is that our bodies are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. Yeah, I’m quoting a bit of the Bible here, but the veracity of this statement is that our bodies are incredible machines. We were created to eat to our heart’s content - the foods that are NATURALLY available to us. Most of the foods we eat these days are not NATURAL at all. In fact, they have as many chemicals and harmful additives as they do real nutritional content.

THIS IS WHAT IS MAKING US FAT AND SICK!

It’s not rocket science, it’s actually good common sense. And it’s not even hard to wrap your brain around the issue. Think about it the next time you put “food” into your mouth. Read the label. If you don’t understand the contents, then you’re putting something into your body that ultimately will cause you health problems.

If this is the kind of stuff you’re eating on a regular basis, then quit asking yourself, “Why am I fat and sick?” Instead, ask yourself, what foods can I change in my diet that will make me lean and healthy.

Once you make this transition, you’ll be well on your way to being a much healthier person!