Anthony Evans

So I’m the fat guy eating a burger right???? I see how this works! Ha! Great insight!!

As I read “Tell me what you can do as we believe and trust that God will meet us and do what we can’t”, obedience is better than sacrifice rang loudly in my ears.

Obedience is key in (actively) waiting on God. We never know what obedience is unlocking or locking; closing or opening in our favor. I have learned that even though what God is requiring of us seems SO hard, obedience makes it a little easier. Maintaining focus and not being moved by what is surrounding us (even if what is around us smells as good as alfredo) pushes us closer to the goal that has been set for us.

Discipline is something that I have to consistently try to maintain because I often fall short of the many goals that I set in various areas of my life. Someone once told me that my future success is hidden in my daily routine. I have always remembered that and try to not strive for perfection but strive for consistency in all areas of my life.

Achieving goals does indeed take great deal of discipline, sacrifice and tenacity. The major obstacle I always seem to face is not letting the little failures or setbacks along the way cause me to lose my focus or enthusiasm. Feelings of failure can really bring you down, you know? Goals require a “big picture” outlook, just like running this Christian race!

Thanks Anthony! What I appreciate most about your ministering is you expose the process of ‘working out your salvation.’ It’s about being aware of where you are, where God wants to take you and being intimate enough with Him to hear how to get there and sharing what you’ve learnt.

I am also blessed by the words spoken by Marsha (We never know what obedience is unlocking or locking; closing or opening in our favor). I often think if I would be more disciplined in prayer and reading the word how that would change my life and those around me. It is a conscious process of identifying and eliminating distractions…’setting your head as flint.’

Jada, I am going to memorize ‘my future success is hidden in my daily routine.’ It’s so true…there is a part of life that is just very routine, but God expects us to be faithful stewards of whatever He’s called to do in that season. If we are faithful He gives us more.

Anyway, enough said! Thanks again Anthony…and my sisters.

Excellent post Anthony, this is a conviction to me. I’ve been having problems with self-control as well. It is hard to sit and read my Bible sometimes, though it used to be easy. Plus I’ve also been trying to exercise because I want to be healthy as well…but running in the morning is tough to do. Self-control is one thing that definitely takes time, diligence, and daily commitment. God placed the seed of self-control in our spirits, now we just have to grow the fruits. I believe this video inspired me to do what is right spiritually and physically. Thanx for this…oh yeah Mavs? puhlease, I’m still pulling for OKC. However it’s all about Heat right now haha. Be blessed!

‘“Tell me what you can do as we believe and trust that God will meet us and do what we can’t” >>>What can I do? Discipline equals structure in my daily and them me not pretending like I can do it all! Great post…Just started a diet/exercise kickstart, too and the early morning workouts coupled with eating clean are killing!

We can always trust God to meet us and do what we can’t and I’ve had the very painful experience of loosing my only son, Michael in a car accident this past year. He was 23 and my best buddy. I miss him so very much, but the Lord has ministered to me so deeply through this experience. If not for Him , I would have lost it, I would have sucome to the grief even now, but still He holds my right hand and will not let it go. I had a dream about the accident about 3 weeks before it happened except in the dream it was my brother Nicky who passed away. My son and I actually prayed for my brother and about the dream together. I always told my son, he reminded me of his uncle Nicky. God keep speaking to me;” Be still and know that I Am God” those 3 weeks before the accident, and now I understand that even then he was preparing me. No one on this earth reflected Christ more beautifully to me than my son and the disapline in this is a disapline of Trust. We aren’t strong enough, bright enough, disaplined enough…but He is! and I can’t express how greatful I am to my Lord for that! He… is… the ONLY constant in this life and if we will simply trust Him He promises He will see us through.

Great post Anthony!

Annie, I’ve just been staring at my computer trying to come up with the right words to express how thankful I am that you chose to share your experience with us… I just can’t. Thank you for reminding me that the Lord is not slack concerning His promises to us.

Thank you for the encouragement to stick to our spiritual “diets”. Definitely not easy but well worth it. Your blog reminded me of a few things:
1. You never know how strong you are until you lift something heavy. The sense of accomplishment that comes from achieving a task, that at one point seemed next to impossible, brings one into the understanding of the freedom and victory (from and over strongholds) thru Christ
2. Godliness is not natural for us and we have to go through moments of discipline to grow as He desires. It doesn’t initially “taste” good but our “taste buds” are transformed with the renewing of our mind and the abstinence from “junk”.
We need to be obedient when the Spirit warns us to leave the “restaurant” – I’ll remember that analogy for a while.

Waking up this Saturday morning, and every morning for the past few weeks, I have had to cry out “Father, please give me the strength, just to make it today”. I too have been struggling to stick to a diet, both physically and spiritually. And no, this road has not been easy; but the father God never promised it would. But I am blessed to hear the things you have said, and they are so key. I am to do what I can, and the Father is faithful to do what I can’t. And it is in our efforts that we are blessed. I am going to do just those things that you mentioned, by setting my goal, and not looking for instant gratification, which will never come, but aiming to reach my goals, which will bring a future lifetime of health.

Anthony, your music has always been uplifting, and encouraging at times when I take my eyes off of the prize. Thank you for your examples, and the devotion you show to spiritually walking out a life of true worship to your fans. I hope to see you one day in St. Louis, Mo, at Grace Church, St. Louis.

Thank you. That was very encouraging. Blessings.

What is so awesome about this post is that as a man, you are concerned about weight “issues.” Not to say that men aren’t concerned, but it is always a hot topic among women, always! So thank you for your transparency. It is right on time. Just know that there are others that are praying and struggling with discipline. It is so easy to write/set a goal, but hard to follow through. You have encourage a sista to not give in, to make the sacrifice, to run away, to get up early or do whatever it takes to reach my goal. God is already there with the power and wisdom, we have to follow through. I wont give up until my desire for the Lord and his word is back, so dont you give up on your journey either! God Bless

It’s funny…I just saw ur blog today..and exactly how I feel…I realized on my way home frm d beach, exercise/work-out should really b part of life just like eating is part of life, So I decided 2 make better choices of what I put in my body whether food/edible or spiritual/mind bcuz I need 2 work them out in Action N I must or else,I will just keep them in n b unhealthy!! hmmm…am I making sense,that means I need 2 stay away frm junk foods cuz they r JUNK don’t need it LOL =D

Thanks for sharing!! It’s so easy to be tempted with what the world has to offer, but we need to remember that God is good and what HE has planned for us is to our benefit!! It takes a lot of sacrifice to be a Christ follower but the end result is always worth it! He doesn’t disappoint!! Thanks again! God Bless!!

I listen to your music and I was just searching for songs to listen to and I watched this and I am not a man that is little and my wedding is in less then a year and I think by watching this just now you’ve motivated me. I needed something to show me in a sense, show me that its not easy but making the sacrafice to put that burger down will help so as I continue to change who I am I’m going to continue to look at this to show me the way… Thank you so much for this …

Hi Anthony

Thanks for being such a blessing through your music and transparency about your life. I have to confess though, that any time you talk about your diet I have to laugh because it sounds way too extreme….

Just a few suggestions that wouldn’t make it seem so onerous:

-It should be a change in eating habits that you can maintain throughout your life as you get older and not just for a specific time

-Reduce the portions of what you usually eat…the body can be trained to feel full on less.

-Substitute unhealthy snacks (chips) with healthy snacks (low sodium nuts)

-Have your heaviest meal around noon NOT at night

-Stay away from sodas and juices…drink a lot of water

-Junk food should be used as occasional treats and not part of your regular diet…so since you love pizza, have a slice or two, once very 3 months:o)

-Grill or bake instead of fry…if you are going to fry…put it in the oven for some minutes after for the oil to drain out…

-Reduce the amount of flour (bread, pasta) in your diet

-Continue to exercise regularly

I believe food is necessary for its nutritional value, but also to enjoy…so lettuce with olive oil and sea salt is neither nutritional nor enjoyable…the occasional strawberry ice-cream or cake is also an allowable treat for persevering in a healthy diet.

Hope this helps.

Blessings
Rhonda

Thanks for the word! Confirmation for me as I am on a spiritual diet/life change myself. God is so amazing how He works. Here I was getting tempted today and was lead to open up your page. God IS good! Your message is a reminder to me that I have a goal. The only way to get to that goal is to keep my eyes on Jesus. It is easy to get caught up and distracted with all kinds of temptations of this world. I’m praying for all of us to rise up and stand firm. Let our “Yes” be “Yes” and our “No” be “No”. We are overcomers! Let’s claim it together.
PS: Thank you for being real!

Greetings! How goes the diet? One thing we all need to remember with goals of any kind is to make ourselves accountable to a person or persons that we trust. It helps!

Hey Anthony! I just wanted to pat you on your back for your commitment to your diet/goal! I saw you at Kairos and also saw some pics from the Cove! You look great…wait…not that you didnt before (lol). Well yet again you have encourage my soul!

Blessings!

http://vimeo.com/25881106

I wanted to share… and thank you and your fam

Blessings,

Brit

Thanks for sharing! I agree, starting is the hardest part. Once we get going, things get easier. Whenever I’m pursuing or going after a set goal, I always have to remind myself that I’m on a different journey. There’s always distraction or temptations (like you and your friend eating the burger and the person on the next table eating pasta). They’re on a different course. We have to stick to what will take us closer to what we’re going after. That’s what keeps me going!

Hi Anthony…

I am so very overwhelmed by the annointing you carry. Your gifting is incredible and your lyrics can only be a result of absolute intimacy with God. I am completely moved.

Your music is not easily available to us here in South Africa but Thank God for the www This is how I got to listen to your stuff.

I am coming to the US in December 2011 so if you will be ministering in that month, please let me know so I can attend.

Thanking You,
Sincerely
Noel (Pronounced “Nowell”)

Hi Anthony. Keep up the good work with your discipline! Every day I try to help people become more disciplined by keeping their committment to quitting smoking and staying quit. I wanted to take a moment and share my story with you. Hi. My name is Pam Behan. I recently had the honor of seeing Anthony perform at my church, Potential Church, in Florida. My family and I have been attending church for almost two years. I love our band, they are amazing. This one service they introduced “Anthony Evans”. He came out and while I didn’t know who he was, I looked at my husband and said, “I think he’s famous”! When Anthony started singing, I realized that all the songs that are sung in my church, are his! The message that day was amazing, and I decided to buy Anthony’s cd. One song changed my life. At the time, my marriage was in a bad place. Divorce was almost around the corner and I felt like my world was ending. I put Anthony’s cd in, and sang along with alot of the songs I was familiar with. Then a song I never heard before, “Love Is” came on. It moved me. I had played it for my parents that also are going through a hard time. I kept listening to that song, but it wasn’t until the day I had an appointment scheduled to go to a mediator and end my marriage, did it take on a different meaning. That day, my husband told me he would not go to the mediator and was going to honor his vows to me, regardless of my decision. While angry at him for “messin up my plans” I decided to hear him out. The long story short, is we both realized areas that were contributing negatively to our union. And although I wanted to continue to blame him for our problems, I had the courage to look at myself and realize my own short comings. I realized that Love truly Is giving without the need for reciprocation. I realized that God is in complete control of my life and that all things work together for good. And I realized that as hurt as i was, I never would’ve been able to get to a place of encouragement, renewal, and excitement, if I hadn’t gone through the pain. I asked one of our campus pastors who is in our band, if he could learn “Love Is”. I hope one day I have the honor of hearing them sing it. Thank You Anthony for singing from your heart. Thank You for being at Potential Church that day. Thank You for being the music my 2 year old is learning the words to:) PS, my husband and I got married on the beach and one day I hope to renew our vows and would love to have you come sing on the beach at your wedding! God Bless!

Warmly, Pam Behan

What a good word! God has really impressed upon me about getting healthy and being more self-disciplined this year and with His help it has truly paid off. I have now lost 50 pounds since the beginning of the year. God has taught me so much about being able to do the seemingly impossible with His help. I recently had the pleasure of attending Always Sisters Forever Brothers and Going Beyond Southaven. You sang “I Will Follow” and that song has truly been my mantra now for working out. When I wake up at 5:30 am and just want to go back to sleep God blesses me with this song that declares “Where You go, I’ll go. Where You stay I’ll stay. When You move I’ll move. I will follow You.” It gets stuck in my head and God is basically telling me, “Move! Get up! I won’t to show more of Me to you this morning while we are working out!” When I’m running around the track I find myself singing to myself those same words. If working out is where God wants me, then it is worth all of the sacrifice! I want to encourage you to keep going, lean on Christ, and you will be victorious!

Hey AE!

I will pray you may reach your goals with your diet. I know everything we do in the natural will also help us in the spiritual realm. I am trying to discipline myself to spend more time with GOD: 30mn prayer/30mn reading the word and I want to go as far as getting up early in the morning (it is not happening yet) but I believe as the 1hr with GOD is going in the right direction. I also want to use this opportunity for thanking you to choose the gospel as your venue because you could have chosen to sing for love in the world but no, you chose to sing for the highest love: the love of GOD and all your songs pretty much minister to me. “Could It Be” particularly speak to me at this moment of my life. After a broken engagement, I just realized that only GOD can really fulfill my emotional need. I have been searching for love in men when GOD wants me for Him. This christian life is certainly a journey … GOD bless you my brother and I’ll be praying for you and your goals.

Hello Anthony! It’s such a blessing to see how god is using you. It is very difficult these days to stay on the path without compromise. I saw you on tbn the other night while I was attemtping to work-out. Your voice is amazing. God has truly annoited and blessed you. I wonder how your diet went? I’m about to start a 90-day spiritual/physical fast. My plan is to read the bible in 90-days and also to eat healthy (fruits and vegetables). Your post has motivated me! I hope all is well and keep up the good work! God Bless.

Anthony, thank you for sharing your thoughts on discipline. I have recently been dieting for my health as well, but have not been able to follow it strictly. What you said really helped me.

You have a stunning voice, and when you sing with such precision you make it look like you’re not even trying! Keep it up, keep on rockin’, and spreading God’s love.

Bless you,
~B

Hi Anthony,

I am ecstatic that GOD put it into my heart tonight to look you and your music up. While visiting home last week, I heard Pastor Dale discuss you and your music at Church of the Redeemer. I was a bit late to the service and missed your performance but after coming across your page and reading some of your blogs and listening to your music (especially “Healer,” which I currently have on repeat , I must say that I am a huge fan! I wanted to leave a comment about your “Goals” blog entry. I am definitely one of those people who is constantly making goals for myself and revising them. I am often very prayerful before I go through something major or when I am calling upon GOD to help me accept major changes that are about to take place in my life. However, once I usually weather the storm and it is over, I often become very complacent and start to fall behind in my spiritual life. I often fall into a rut and start seeking GOD again. It’s an awful cycle and I believe that I need to start seeking HIM at all times. I need to truly learn to let go and let GOD at all times. I have been through a lot in the past 5 to 6 years and the mere fact that I am sitting here typing this right now is truly because GOD has brought me through. I believe that if I can always keep my eyes on the prize and remember/hold steadfast to the fact that He is “my Healer, my Portion, all that I need and more,” I should never waver again and be able to make those sacrifices and remain prayerful and achieve all of my goals. Thank you! Be BLESSED and please keep up the AWESOME music, blogs and much more! I’m hoping that when you’re in the DC area again or the midwest, I can catch a performance.

Valerie

Hello Anthony,
This blog is such a blessing and I really appreciate your sharing. The beginning is always the hardest. I had set a goal the latter part of last year to start eating healthier and exercising more, drinking more water… I’m on month 6 and I feel great, more energized and refreshed. I can whip out a can of vegetables and eat right from the can (lol)…which I just couldn’t bring myself to eat before. Also introduced lots of green tea throughout the day in my diet. I’m up early in the morning on the treadmill, doing zumba or walking…I did it more for getting healthy and natural foods in my body…I was reminded daily that my body is the Lord’s temple and that really help me get over some of the food temptations and unhealthy habits We absolutely must do what we can and leave the rest to God to help us get through. Thanks again for sharing…I love your voice and all your songs! You are truly blessed and highly favored…God Bless always!
Rose