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“Get Me Out Of Here!!”

I am being bombarded on every side with sickness.  I have three boys that have been sick and then I go to work and there have been two guys that have been sick.  One yesterday came to work so sick that I could feel it.  After about an hour I started getting a headache that lasted all day and still is hanging on.  It can feel so frustrating and it makes you want to crawl in the corner somewhere until this all blows over.

Then I was realizing something very important.  Is it really because of someone else that a person gets sick?  That is usually what people say.  “Yeah, I got this cold from Mary.”  Really, is that how it works?  The truth of the matter is that no one else is the blame when we get sick.  We get sick because our bodies are set up for it.  If our immune system is in the condition it should be in, we won’t get sick.  We need to take responsibility for our own immune system.  If we give our bodies what they need and eliminate those things that destroy our immune systems we won’t be getting sick.  We can resist.

This made me think of our Christian lives.  We are bombarded everyday with “sickness” (sin).

It is all around us.  It can seem frustrating at times.  You get bombarded at work, at school, in the stores, or driving down the road, it is everywhere.  You cannot totally avoid it.  You can’t control the work or school environment.  You can’t control what the stores sell or what they are playing.  You can’t control the billboards.  So the question is can we blame these things if we get “sick”?  The answer is no.  We need to take responsibility for our spiritual immune system.  We need to give our spiritual “body” (lives) what it needs and eliminate those things that destroy our spiritual immune systems.

First, we need to eliminate the bad that we can.  Just because we have billboards all around doesn’t mean we should purposely put those things before our eyes, like TV advertisements.  I don’t even know what the advertisements are today because I don’t have regular TV but someone recently told me the commercials are really bad and they were going to not have regular TV anymore.  We need to eliminate all those things that we have control over.

Secondly, we need to build our spiritual immune system.  If we are not making sure our spiritual immune system is strong we will get “sick”.  So how do we do this?

  1. Spend time in God’s Word each day.  Just like we need to take in good nutritious food for our physical bodies to stay healthy we need to take in spiritual food.  If we are not taking in good nutrition we will get sick, whether physical or spiritual.
  2. Memorize Scripture. We need to fortify ourselves with Scripture so that when we are surrounded with “sickness” (temptations) we can combat it.  Just like when physical sickness is around us we take extra precautions and take things to keep our immune system up, we can do the same with the memorized Scripture, it helps keep the spiritual immune system protected.
  3. Prayer.  Prayer is another key factor.  We need to ask God for physical as well as spiritual protection.  As long as we are following God’s physical and spiritual laws He can work and answer those prayers for us.

I do have to say some of us have to work harder at this than others.  When it comes to physical sickness I have to work harder in staying well and combating illness because I have had my immune system compromised with a major illness that has damaged my immunity.  There are others that don’t struggle as much because they have great immune systems.

I was very sheltered from the world growing up so I don’t have to struggle as hard as others that were very steeped in the world with my spiritual immune system, for which I am grateful. For some every time they go into a store and hear some music it is a struggle, when for me I don’t even notice it is there.

We are all on this journey and the answers are the same but to what intensity we need to implement is individual.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your protection.  Help us to stay so in tuned with You that we recognize the temptations and that we will be fortified with Your Word so that we can withstand.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Let’s be prepared physically and spiritually every day so that our immune systems are not taken down.

Love you all.

What do you do to help keep your physical and spiritual immune systems healthy?  I would love to hear your ideas.

 

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“It Hurts!!”

When you have children there is always excitement of some kind, especially with boys.  You never know what your day is going to bring when you get up in the morning.

I remember when one of my boys went hiking on our mountain alone many years ago.  He was quite a ways from home.  There was this tree that had fallen over and down a cliff.  He thought it would be fun, because it went from the top to the bottom of the cliff, to walk on the log down to the bottom.  It would make it easier and a shorter way to get home.  I don’t remember for sure how it happened, I think maybe it was slippery, but he ended up falling.  He had no one to help him so he had to keep heading toward home even though he had hurt his arm and was in a lot of pain.  He stopped at his grandparents because they live closest to the mountain.

When we got over there we knew it was more than just a sprain.  He had his favorite coat on and he wanted to get it off so if his arm swelled they wouldn’t cut his coat off.  We took him in and of course his arm was broke.  They gave him something to relieve the discomfort.  They put his arm in a cast to protect it and allow it time to heal.  The amazing thing about a broken bone is that once it is healed it actually makes the bone stronger.

This has made me think of those who have been wounded emotionally and maybe even physically by someone.  The pain is unbearable.  I can relate.  I don’t know all the answers but I have some thoughts that I want to share.

We need to learn to forgive and that can be so difficult.  But forgiveness does not mean you do not set boundaries.  If your heart has been hurt you need a healing time.  You need to put a “cast” around your heart and allow healing.  Also claiming Bible promises to relieve the discomfort of your heart.  Just like my son was not about to go on the log again unless he knew it was truly safe, you should not reconnect with people who have brought damage to you physically and/or emotionally unless there is proof that they are safe.  God loves you and you deserve to be treated better.

When my son’s arm was healed the cast came off and that bone with time became a stronger bone than before he broke it.  It is the same with the hurts and pains that we go through in life.  When we forgive, set boundaries, and healing takes place, we are able to take the “cast” off and we are stronger for the experience we have had.  And then God is able to use us to help and comfort others that are going through a similar situation.  God gives us a ministry.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the trials.  I don’t always feel thankful but I am because I know that through those trials I am going to get stronger and grow.  I pray that each of us will allow You to use our experiences to help those around us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

If you are in an abusive situation, it is okay to get out.  Forgive and let the Lord heal you.  And make sure to set boundaries.

I love you all.

Have you been hurt by someone?  How did the Lord help you forgive and set boundaries?

 

 

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“WHAT ARE YOUR SYMPTOMS?”

I don’t know about you but I can tell when my body is fighting something.  There are different symptoms at different times.  But the one that I have the most is that I start feeling really tired.  When I have a hard time pulling myself out of bed, no matter how much sleep I get, I know I have a problem.  It seems to be a different kind of tired.

If I accept the warning I will start taking something to help ward off whatever my body is fighting.  I not only take something to build my immune system and kill off what I am fighting, I also stop doing anything that would compromise my immune system.  I make sure that I am drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of rest.  I also stay away from foods that can lower my immune system, like sugar.  Note: I have read that after you eat sugar it can cripple your immune system for four to six hours.  If I follow these steps when I first recognize the symptoms I usually have no problem keeping well.  But if I ignore the symptoms I am sure to get sick.

This reminds me of our spiritual health.  Are there symptoms that can tell us that we are struggling with our spiritual immune systems?  I believe that there are.  If we find ourselves not having a desire to read the Bible or we find it boring, our immune system is compromised.  If we find sin more attractive and less repulsive our immune system is compromised.  I don’t know what your systems are but I think we all know deep in our hearts what it is for us.

So what do we do about it?  Just like with our bodies, if we notice the symptoms we need to start the fight right away, so with our spiritual lives.  As soon as we notice the symptoms we need to do what it takes to build our spiritual immune system.

Christ is our example and as I read about the life of Christ I see that He communed a lot with His Father.  Long before day He would go and spend time with His Father.  We are not eating enough healthy Food, drinking from the Fountain, and breathing from the fresh Air.

Here are some steps that I would recommend if you have recognized that your spiritual immune system is compromised.

  1.  Go to God and ask for His forgiveness.  When we have been compromising we have brought something between God and us.  It has put a wedge between our relationship with Him.
  2. Eat healthy Food, read your Bible.  Spending time in God’s Word.  Start by reading the life of Christ.  He is our example and we can learn so much on how to live our lives.  Memorizing verses that can help us in time of temptation is also helpful.
  3. Drinking pure Water from the Fountain of life.  Jesus is the Bread and Water of life.  We need to eat and drink of Him each day.  I think of it this way, as I “eat” my Bible each day, the Holy Spirit, the gift Jesus has given us, will speak to us and it will be like a fountain of Water providing us with cleansing, “digestive” help.  We cannot digest the Word of God without the Holy Spirit.
  4. Get plenty of “fresh air”.  I look at prayer as just as important as oxygen is to the body.  We can’t understand God’s Word without prayer.  Without prayer we cannot spiritually live. We need that constant connection with God.  Jesus spent entire nights in prayer.  It must be important.  Just like we cannot live without oxygen we cannot live without prayer.

Dear Father,

Help us to realize our need of You.  Without You we are nothing.  We can’t make it without You.  Thank You for Your unfailing love for us and Your patience.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Get reconnected with God today don’t wait.  The longer you wait the harder it is to do the right thing.  Your spiritual immune system will crash and you will get “sick”.  You can get well but it takes more effort.  Remember God loves you and is there to help you.

Love you all.

What systems do you get that help you recognize that your spiritual immune system is compromised?  What steps have you found to help you get back on track?  I would love to have you share.  I love to learn what has worked for others.

 

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“I HAVE A CRAMP!”

Have you ever had a leg cramp at night?  You’re in a deep sleep and suddenly this major pain awakens you.  You can feel your foot in strange contortions.  And the pain is excruciating.  I had this happen the other night.  I was having a cramp in my foot and up the calf of my leg.  No matter what I did I could not seem to get it to release.  I stood up and it seemed to calm but as soon as I would lift my foot, even to walk, it was right back at it.  I finally grabbed my lemongrass essential oil put a few drops in lotion and rubbed it all over my leg and foot.  Within seconds it had calmed and I was able to go back to bed.

How are you feeling right now?  Are you having some circumstances in life that seem even more painful than a leg cramp?  You would actually love to have a leg cramp in comparison.  You just want the pain to go away but everything you try to do doesn’t seem to help.

There is an “oil” that you can go to for healing, God’s Word.  There are promises that you can claim.  Fill your mind with the promises by memorizing Scripture.  And as you memorize the Scripture it is like spreading it over your whole life.  It may not take the circumstances away but it can lessen the pain.  Being able to put all things in the hands of God, trusting His Word, is an amazing relief.

Reach out to a friend who can pray with you, encourage you, and just be there for you as a listener.

The biggest “cramp” in my life was when I lost my daughter, the dream of my life.  I know that God sustained me through it but He also gave me friends that were a help.  They listened to me, let me grieve with them, loved me, and encouraged me.  That is what a true friend will do.

Words of advice to all of us, if you have a friend that is going through some really difficult times, reach out to them.  They will not always reach out to you for what they need, I didn’t.  I am not sure why I would not reach out but the fact still remains, I would not.  We need to be there for one another.

Dear Father,

You know the pain that each of us has experienced, is experiencing, and will experience.  Thank You that You are there for us in every circumstance.  It doesn’t always feel as if You are there.  Help us to cling to the promise that You have made, that You will never leave us or forsake us.  Thank You for Your never-failing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

God has promised to wash and heal us through His Word.  Cling to those promises today.  Do you need encouragement?  Reach out to someone today.  It can be a friend, counselor, or pastor.

Love you all.

What “cramp” in life has God brought you through?  What did He use to help you?  Share I would love to hear your testimony.  Are you struggling right now?  Share so we can be praying for you and encourage you.

 

 

 

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“BURNED!”

Have you ever been burned?  I am sure you have, we all have.  Like the time that I wasn’t thinking and I grabbed the hot oven rack without protection.  I put ice on it and then did a couple of applications of Lavender oil and I was good to go.
I remember another time when I was a kid.  I think I was 9 or 10 years old.  My brother and I had a motorbike.  He was driving and I was riding on the back.  I didn’t have the protection on my legs that I should and I touched the pipe with my bare leg.  It really hurt.  I do not remember what we did for it but I do remember the lesson learned about having protection on.
There are other ways that we can get burned as well.  Maybe you have been burned financially or some friend or family member has done something not so good.  Or someone has made a promise and they didn’t follow through.  These burns can seem harder to fix.  If you could just put some cold or Lavender oil on, it would be great but that won’t heal emotional wounds.
The wonderful thing is that God is the healer, whether physical or emotional.  There are things that He has given us to use for protection and healing.  Just like for the oven, I had oven mitts but I had to use my God-given brain and make a decision to use them.  This is true of emotional as well.  God has given us ways to protect ourselves.  We have God-given counsel in God’s Word that we need to heed and we will have less problems.
Are we going to make mistakes and make the wrong decisions at times?  Yes, but even when we make a mistake God can heal.  He gives us things in his creation for our physical healing.  He will also give us emotional healing, as we come to Him asking and claiming His promises.
God can use all of these things, whether we get burned physically or emotionally, to refine our character.  You might be saying, “But some stuff is my own stupidity.”  God can even refine our character through our mistakes, if we allow Him.  Inventors have made a lot of “mistakes” so to speak but yet through them they refined their ideas.  Now we have electricity and many other things because of “mistakes”.  Now this doesn’t mean just go out and purposely choose to make mistakes because God can bring good out of it.  But just know that if we come with a truly repentant heart God can use even our mistakes.  God reads the heart and He can only use it, for growth, if we are truly repentant.
God is very loving and forgiving.  We can come to Him with a repentant heart and He will forgive and refine our character.
Dear Father,
Thank You for Your forgiveness.  I pray that we will learn through our mistakes.  Help us to recognize and use the protection that You have given to us.  Help us to make wise decisions in our associations.  We may need to separate ourselves from people who cause emotional pain.  Guide each one of us with the decisions that we need to make.
Thank You for Your love.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Make the choices that you need to make to be protected, allowing the Lord to lead you.  And remember He is the healer.
Love you all.
Have you ever been burned physically or emotionally?  What did you do for healing?  And what ways have you learned to protect yourself?
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“COMPLETE DARKNESS!”

Sunlight and exercise is an important ingredient to having a healthy body.  Imagine someone who is closed in a very dark room and never let out in the light of day.  It would have such a negative effect on your mental health for sure. It also would lower your V-D levels so that your body could not absorb calcium, which weakens your bones.  We need sun and darkness for our sleep cycles to work properly so we can even function.  We would also get to looking so pale, of course, in the dark who would know.

Then if you add in with that no exercise we would be a real mess.  Our muscles would get weak.  There are muscles that help hold our body together and if they were weak it would be difficult to even lift things without pulling something out to socket.  I am telling you we would be a real mess.

There have been those that have been in concentrations camps that have gone through some of these things.  Even if they were brought out for one hour a week it is not enough to keep their health up.  They get so weak they can hardly function.  It is a long journey for them to even get their health back.  Sunlight and exercise are so important.

If we are going to stay spiritually healthy we need light and exercise as well.  Just like we need physical exercise and sunlight every day to keep physically healthy, we also need to have time with God in His Word.  We need to take in the light of God’s Word and we need to exercise by memorizing and sharing with others.  This is what helps keep our spiritual life healthy.

Going to church once a week for an hour does not do it.  It is just enough light to makes us not fit with the world or with a true believer.

How would your marriage survive if you only spent one hour each week together?  Or if you are single, would you be able to maintain friendships if you never spent time with them?

In order to build a relationship with God and to have a healthy spiritual life, we need to spend time each day with Him.  I know that there are those who just feel like they don’t have time.  But I am telling you, by experience, it is worth taking the time.

I told the Lord, “When you wake me up I will get up and spend time with You.”  He has been very faithful in waking me.  And He gives me the strength to make it through the day with less sleep, as long as I am faithful to go to bed when I should.

I have also discovered that if He wakes me and I decide to lay there a little longer, I fall back to sleep.  When I do get up my day does not go as well and I actually feel more tired.  How does that work? It is the power of God to bless obedience.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your love and for Your desire to spend time with wretched sinners.  You want to have fellowship with us and to transform us.  Continue to prompt us to spend time with You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to spend time in the Light and exercise both physically and spiritually.

Love you all.

What special things do you do to continue to build your relationship with God?

 

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“FEELING ANXIOUS?”

A lot of people these days are struggling with staying focused. There is a lot of worry and anxiety even among Christians. Why?

I spend very little time looking or reading about the news. Even when it comes to Facebook I avoid most of those things that are of political nature or what a lot of people may think as news worthy.

I am not here to talk about politics or to take any particular side. My focus today is to look at what you can do to help the anxious feelings that come your way. But what I do want to talk about is, what is newsworthy? Where should my focus be? Is it important for me to keep up with all that is happening? And the big and foremost question is how much of it is true?

I have seen, in my lifetime, all the excitement about what is happening and how it is fulfilling prophecy but it passes by and nothing happens. I have seen a lot of people just become complacent because things don’t happen the way people keep saying. So the question comes to me, what are we doing that actually turns people away from Christ?

A lot of what goes on in the news and on Facebook has very little, to no, real truth in it. It is all bent to the persons thinking. So the question comes, who are you really following and believing? Thus anxiety rules in a lot of people’s lives today because that is the goal of the media, which is backed by a mastermind, Satan.

Here are five steps that can help you stay going in the right direction, help you to lead others to Christ and help with anxiety.

  1. Stay focused on God’s Word. Spend time each day in God’s Word. By doing so you can get to know the One that can lead you into all truth.
  2. Memorize God’s Word. Hiding God’s Word in your heart can help you through the trials of the day and keep your mind focused on truth.
  3. Spend time in prayer. Pray for yourself, family and others, giving God permission to work in each life. As this becomes a habit in your life you will find that with each trial you will automatically turn to God just as the flower turns to the sun, trusting Him with all things.
  4. Spend quality time with family. Build relationships with those that you love drawing their hearts to you. As you draw their hearts toward you they will be drawn to God. As you spend time with God they will feel, when they have been with you, that they have been with Jesus.
  5. Reach out to others. Reach out to others with the love of Jesus. You have heard the old saying; “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” The same is true of people; you can attract more people with the love of Jesus than you can with the fear of the future and what is happening in this world. Fear won’t keep them connect with God, history shows that, but true love will.

If we get rid of all the drama of this world out of our lives and replace it with what is good and wholesome, like the steps above, we will be ready when Jesus comes. And we will win more people to the truth of Christ love. The devil doesn’t care what rabbit trail he gets us going down, he just wants us focused on something other than what will prepare us for what will happen in the future.

Dear Father,

Help us to stay focused on You in this world of chaos. You are the One that is in ultimately in control and we have nothing to fear for the future unless we forget how You have led us in the past. Keep us and guide us. Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

If you have been one that has been caught up in the drama of this world get refocused. Keep your focus on the Genuine, Jesus Christ, He is the only One that can guide you through life and through you win others to Himself. Jesus is coming soon and filling you life with Him is the only way you will be ready.

Love you all.

What would your life be like if you were able to get most the drama of this world out of your life and focus on what matters most?