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“Fear for the Future!”

Fear!

How often do you think about the future?  Do you have fears about what may happen next?  It seems that there are so many that fear more and more each day.  They see the things that are happening about them and they just can’t help but fear.

It is a fearful world in which we live without a doubt.  And we know it is way worse than we even know or can even imagine.  The atrocities that happen each day are beyond our knowledge and comprehension.  But we fear what we do know and what we don’t know.

There are people everyday that commit suicide because they fear and cannot handle the things that are happening around them.  But fear has a big part to play.  Fear that they cannot financially make it, fear for the future because a spouse, child, parent, someone they dearly love died, fear of being hurt again or killed, fear of failure and I could go on and on.  The fear is real and it is an overwhelming cloud that some can’t shake.

Failure…

I think for a lot of people the fear of failure drives them.  Every day they get up just to prove to the world and themselves that they are worth something.  Everywhere they turn they see or hear something that leads them to believe that they are not worth anything.

When you were a child you may have heard it said by your parents, schoolmates, or even friends.  They said things negative about you.  Some may have been joking and not even realizing how much it hurt.  Others did it to just hurt you or maybe make them feel better about themselves.  The idea is that you want to prove to the world that you are worth something and that you are better than they think.

Media…

Then there is the bombardment of media.  And it doesn’t matter whether you are a guy or a gal you need to look like the people seen on TV, Magazines, or billboards to be popular.  A lot of people try to imagine themselves looking like some actor, actress, or some popular singer.  There is this “ideal” look that becomes the “best” look and all you want to do is look like them.

The truth is that a lot of those people that you think you want to look or be like are the most miserable people.  Remember they are acting but inside they are dying.  And then we hear on the news that one of them committed suicide.  We should never look at someone’s life and think they have it better than we do.  We don’t know what is really going on in their mind and life.

The answer

Is the answer to fear simple?  I believe the answer to fear is simple but not easy.  You may be asking how can it be simple but not easy?  The answer is trusting and surrendering, which is simple but a lot easier said than done.  We are people that want to be in control of everything around us.  And to give that control to Someone else is the hardest thing to do.

Having trust in God and surrendering everything to Him is the answer that will bring peace and happiness.  It doesn’t mean all the troubles in our lives and what is happening around us will go away.  But what it does mean is we can have a life of peace and meaning.  God cares so much for us as well as those around us. We can’t even comprehend it.

Besides trusting God and surrendering, cut the negative out of your life.  Don’t listen to the news or read news magazines or newspapers.  Don’t spend time with those who are doomsayers.  Or make you feel you are worthless.  The devil doesn’t care where he traps us all he cares about is diverting us from the real goal in this life.  Instead, spend that time doing things that bring life to the soul.  Spend time in God’s Word and in prayer.  Pray for not only yourself but for those around you.  You can uplift the souls of others to the One who loves them.  Encourage them directing their thoughts to the One that can give them peace.

We can…

We can have peace in the midst of all the stormy blasts around us. Even though we may think we don’t “look” perfect, God dwelling in the heart is the greatest beauty.   It may not change the circumstances but life will be filled with joy even through the storm.  When we make Jesus our Captain we can weather any storm without fear, knowing that He is in full control.  And then He will shine through us making us the most beautiful people.  And then we bring the truth of peace and joy to others.

Dear Father,

We live in such a wicked world.  People are dying for lack of knowledge about the peace and joy that they can have.  Even as Christians, many times, we are lacking the joy and peace that we could have if we would stay focused on what You would have us do.  Continue to draw our hearts and minds back to You.  Help us to stay focused on the good and right so that we can shine for You and draw others to You.  Because it is only You that can give us true joy and peace.  And You are the only One that can bring us through the other side victorious.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender to the only One that you can trust today.  And let Him have full control.  Spend time out in nature.  I believe it to be God’s second book and we can be revived.

Love you all.

Has there been a time in your life that you have feared something, yet, when you put your trust in God, He gave you peace?  I would love to hear your story.  Share below.

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“The Machine is Down Again?!!!”

Disaster!

Have you ever felt as if everything is against you?  Things don’t go well at home, school, work, etc.  It seems like every step you make fails in some way.  And of course, your stress level is through the roof.

The stress has seemed to build in the last week and a half at my work.  It has caused stress for all involved.  I run a digital machine at a print shop.  One day a little over a week ago I made, what I thought was a routine call for a repair.  It wasn’t a big problem I was having with the print quality but it needed fixing.  The repairman came out the next day “fixed” the problem and we were good to go.  At least we thought it was fixed.

The next day…

The next day the problem started again.  The shop foreman had told me to go ahead and put in a call near the end of the day forgetting the fact that the next day was the end of the month.  We are always pushing as much out as possible the last day.  When digital is down it brings a real problem in getting through the work.

This time when the guy came for repairs he brought a helper and they got into the machine and replaced a lot of parts along with cleaning the machine.  In the process of taking out one of the rollers, which has a small long bulb that runs through it for heat, he broke the bulb.  No big deal right?  Wrong!!  They did not have another one to replace it.  So they had to order the part from back east.  It should be in the next day around 10 am and then they would have to come in and finish the work.  This was around 12 am so for me that meant time off.  So I went home early and didn’t come back in until around 11 am the next day.  Things got back together and I was finally able to print again.

Or was it?

I did start printing and the guy stuck around for a little while to see if things were going to go well.  It seemed good so off he went.  I started to notice that there was some kind of debris coming out with the paper when I was printing.  It was a concern to me.  Then I notice another problem.  There were some marks being made on the paper as well.  I opened up the machine to see if there was anything that I could see and all this debris was coming out of the machine.  By this time it was near the end of the day again.  So again I put in another call to service.

The next day the repair guy came right away in the morning.  He opened up the machine and started to take some things apart.  As he took things apart debris just fell out.  He was amazed that the machine had not thrown an error code.  Something had happened and it had totally shredded a belt.

He got everything cleaned up and got things running.  He stuck around for a while and noticed that there was another problem.  The machine was not heating up right.  And it was leaving a rub mark on the prints as well.  He figured out what the problem was but he had no parts for it.  It was Friday by now and he would order the parts and then be back on Monday around 10:30 am.  In the meantime, I could only run a certain weight paper because the heat wasn’t working for the more heavy paper.

Monday…

On Monday I waited and went into work around 10 am.  There had been some other lightweight jobs that had come in so I started printing them.  My boss came to let me know the repair guy called and the parts he had ordered were not going to arrive from back east that day as they were supposed to.  He was driving to another location, which was a 4-hour round trip drive to pick up the part.  So he arrived at about 12 pm.

The unusual thing is that the heating problem had gone away and we couldn’t see the rub mark anymore.  So he was afraid to even touch the machine since it seemed to be working now.  We didn’t know why but it was.  He stuck around for a few jobs and everything seemed to be fine.  So he finally left.  He wasn’t gone long when I notice the rub mark again.  It was only in a certain area so I could only run certain things that it did not show up on, how frustrating.

By this time we decided to wait until the end of the day to call it in so I could get as much printing done as possible being we had so much downtime.  I tried to put in a request on the computer after 5 pm so that a repair guy would contact us in the morning.  The repair guy had not closed out the last repair so it would not let me put in a new one.  I had his phone number so I texted him.  He said how sorry he was about the digital print not being fix and that he would come first thing in the morning.

Tuesday…

When he got there it did not take him long to see that there was a roller that needed replacing.  It had just been replaced last week but with all the debris from the belt that shredded it probably did damage to it.  He was concerned because that was the roller that the other repair guy had been trying to fix when he broke the bulb that ran through the center.  The new repair guy planned to be very careful.  The way that it is put together is not the best.  He proceeded to remove the roller but yes he broke the bulb.  Afterward, he let me know that it was not a big deal because the other repair guy had ordered two when he ordered.  He said, “I will just go pick it up from him and be back in about 20 minutes.”

When he arrived back I was working in the back in the bindery.  We were all discussing what would happen if he broke the second and last one.  Within seconds the guy came back and told me when he opened the box the bulb was broken in 3 pieces.  The choices were to order another one, which would arrive the next day around 10 am.  Or he could take a 4 hour round trip to the different location, where he had gone the day before and get the part there.  Of course, we asked him to drive and get it.  We needed our machine up and running.

Home…

The repair guy headed off for his 4-hour trip while I went home for a few hours.  The frustration I felt was unspeakable.  Financially we could not afford for me to lose hours and I had lost so many already.  I knew that I needed to quit thinking about it and just make the best of my time doing things that needed to be done at home.  It actually felt good to be home and I do miss it a great deal.

Soon the time came for me to head back to work.  The repair guy was there and things went quickly.  When I started printing the repair guy stuck around for another 30 minutes just to be sure that things were going to run well.  Then he left.

More problems…

He hadn’t been gone 30 minutes when I noticed another problem.  My foreman said let’s try to get through as much printing as we can before we call in again.  So I waited another few hours until the end of the day.

He came the next morning and fixed the problem.  And we were off and running again for a few hours.  It is Friday now and we are now waiting until Monday for another part.  Another repair guy did a temp fix that we know could quick working at any time.  Every time I pushed the print button I prayed it would work and I made it through the day on the temporary fix.  The question is when is this going to be over?  I don’t know!  It has been frustrating.  I have lost money, my boss has lost money and it has affected 3 other guys also in lack of hours.  And it has affected our customers and gives the potential for losing customers.

Learning…

But with all these problems what can I learn.  Because we all go through trials every day, right?  We can always learn things in all our everyday experiences.  God wants to teach us things.  The number one thing He wants to teach us is to trust Him.  He is beside us to guide us through all circumstances.  We just need to reach out to Him.  I am planning on a miracle.  Because even though I made less money I want to see how He is going to bless that money to fulfilled the needs that it provides.

Another lesson that came to me in this experience is that the digital machine is a lot like us.  The machine is fairly new, maybe a year and a half old.  And it reminds me of when a person decides to give their heart to the Lord.  You may or may not have grown up in a Christian home.  But you have to come to a point in your life where you surrender and give your heart to God.  And you become a new creation, just like a brand new digital machine.

But then…

Everything seems to be going well with our brand new walk with God.  We are having victories and we are on fire for God.  But as time goes by we tend to get distracted.  The devil makes sure it happens.  Things in our life start to breakdown.  It starts out small, just a “little print” quality.  Maybe we fail to spend the quality time we need one day.  We realize we need to get back connected so we seek out the Repair Man.  God is always there to help repair our lives and the great thing; we don’t have to wait because He is too busy.  We make things right with God and go on our way.

But the next day something comes up unexpectedly and your time with God is cut short again.  Believe me, the devil will make sure there are distractions if we are not intentional.  We get a little stitch of time with God but not what it should be.  And sometimes it goes into days, weeks, and even months that our quality time is diminished.

Major repair…

Before we know it we have become so spiritually wore out that we need major repairs.  The great thing about God is that when we let Him He repairs everything the first time.  But a lot of times what happens is that we don’t allow Him to get in and do the repairs before we allow life to take over again and get in the way of spending that quality time.  And every time we do that the need for repairs become more major.  The outcome can be different for everyone depending on how long we keep letting things go and not allowing God to fully repair us.

God is the only one that can do the major repairs that we need.  But we have to make a total and complete surrender to Him and allow Him to do it.  And we have to commit to spending the quality time with Him.  Believe me, I am speaking to myself as I write this.  It is so easy to get distracted.  And God also gives us so many opportunities to connect with Him throughout the day.

Time…

We need to have that special time each morning where we spend time in prayer and study of God’s Word.  And if we don’t initially schedule it in it won’t happen.  Besides our scheduled time, we should take advantage of every opportunity to connect with God.

For those of us who drive to work, we can be praying during those times.  Praying out loud can keep us focused.  This is a great time to pray about those things that are really on your heart for yourself, family, friends, etc.  It is a great way to keep yourself on track with keeping connected with God and keep your sanity while driving with “crazy” people on the road.  You can also be listening to God’s Word while you are traveling.  Some may be able to listen to God’s Word while they are working depending on where you work and what you are doing.  I actually have that opportunity at work and I love it.

Dear Father,

We live in such a crazy busy world.  Forgive us for not making you the priority that we should. I want to surrender my time to You and make sure that my time is used wisely.  I pray for the problems with my machine at work and for those that may be having troubles at their work.  Help us to reach out to You more and be a witness to Your power.  Thank You for the lessons that You teach us through the trials.  And I am praising Your name to see how You are going to stretch my paycheck this pay period.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today.  Be intentional about your time with Him.

Love you all!

What trial has come into your life that you have learned some lessons from?  I would love to hear it.  Please share below.

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“How Dark is Dark?”

Darkness!

How dark is dark?  I mean really what makes darkness?  How much light does it take to see through the darkness?  Are there different kinds of darkness or different levels of darkness?  The reality is there are different kinds and levels of darkness.  Is darkness good or bad?  I believe the answer is that it can be good or bad.  Someone who lives in a city doesn’t even really know what true darkness is because there are always lights somewhere.  They can put blackout curtains on which helps.  But there is another kind of darkness that is more visible in the city.

Darkness is relative

I wear a Fitbit.  For those who may not know, a Fitbit is a kind of watch.  It not only tells the time but also keeps track of your heart rate and sleep patterns along with a few other things.  You can’t see the time without the light coming on.  So if you need to know what time it is in the night you just turn your arm toward you and most of the time it automatically comes on.  Or if I need to see in the pitch black I push a little button on the side to turn on the light.

At night our eyes get used to the darkness.  If you live in the country where it gets really dark you know what I am talking about.  You get up in the night to use the bathroom surprisingly you can see fairly well.

When I know…

Sometimes when I know some object, like the vacuum cleaner, has been left out in my room I will want a little light to make sure I don’t run into it.  My Fitbit doesn’t have a really bright light.  But when you are in a really dark place if I push the button the little light makes my path plainer.  I am astonished how much that little bit of light actually helps.  It appears to be so bright.

At times I have had to go from my darkroom to go check on something in the other room.  At that point, I had to have a bigger light so I have turned on a lamp.  Once I turn the lamp off and head back into the other room where it is really dark I noticed something.  When I have had more light the darkness seems even darker and the little light from my Fitbit seems so dim.  The light from my Fitbit no longer can help me through the darkness.

Darkness is good?

So Darkness is good isn’t it?  When it comes to your room at night yes darkness is good.  We can’t get proper rest if we don’t have a dark room.  God made darkness for a reason.  And when we put light into the darkness that He has created it messes with our bodies.  It affects our melatonin, serotonin, and our circadian rhythm and many other areas.

We have been bombarded with light everywhere to mess up our bodies.  We need to take control and make changes if we are going to help our bodies stay well.  Good sleep is foundational when it comes to being healthy.  Figure out a way to keep your room and the rooms of your family dark.

Darkness is bad?

How can darkness be good and bad?  Darkness is good for sleeping well to improve our health.  But evil often happens in the cover of darkness.  Why do you think there are so many lights in a city?  I don’t know what all the reasons are for having all the lights in the city.  But my guess would be that partly it has to do with trying to keep down the crime.  Most criminals want to do their mischief in the cover of darkness.  And those in authority want to be able to see if there is any mischief going on around town.  Darkness in and of itself is not bad.  It is the things that darkness can breed that are bad, right?

I believe that there is another kind of darkness that is bad and that is the darkness of sin.  I think of sin as darkness in the life.  And the more sin that controls us the more darkness we experience.  There are many that have felt the darkness so deep within their lives that they have finally ended their lives.  This kind of darkness is very dark.

More light needed…

When we get used to the darkness of sin that is in this world we find that our “eyes” have adjusted and things don’t seem so dark.  But when you flood your life with the Word of God and prayer you realize how dark the world really is around you.  You can’t see without the light.  The darkness seems even darker than before.  As we draw closer to Christ the darkness (sin) will become distasteful to us.

But the devil does not give up on us.  He wants us in full darkness.  So he makes us busy or throws some curveball into our lives.  And unconsciously we think a little light, that seemed to work in the darkness when we first started out, will work now that we have been flooded with light.  When you added a little amount of light from God’s Word or a little prayer you seemed to have seen a little better in the darkness of sin and didn’t stumble over the obvious.

Less time…

But as you spend less time with God you are going to notice that the little light is not as bright as it was when you first started.  After being flood with God’s Word and prayer, sporadic or less time does not clearly light the path.  And we start to stumble over what we use to see as the obvious when we first started with a little light.

When we first give our hearts to God he gives us just a little light.  If He flooded us with everything it would be overwhelming.  We have all experienced being in a dark room and then having someone turn on a bright light.  It actually blinds us at first.  That is why God does not give us all the light at one time.  It would be so overwhelming that it would blind us to more truth.  As we accept the little light He gives we will be given more light until we are so flooded with His light that sin will be distasteful to us.

This world…

The things in this world have become so much darker.  Sin has gone way beyond what my imagination could have imagined.  Atrocities that I would have never thought could possibly happen have happened.  But the reality is without God’s Word flooding my soul I can do things that I would have never thought I would do.

The devil likes to bring us into a creeping compromise.  He does things gradually so that we don’t detect what is happening, especially if we are not staying flooded with His Word.  As we gradually compromise different sins seem less and less offensive to us until we are doing things that we thought we would never choose to do.

The devil…

The devil works in reverse to God.  He gives us a little darkness.  We still seem to be seeing okay with the light that we have so we don’t notice when we finally accept that little bit of compromise.  He keeps doing this so gradually that before we know it the little light from the “Fitbit” seems to be bright but it really is not.  We are going to stumble and fall.  Discouragement will come and we will wonder what has happened.  Sin will not seem as bad.

Serious condition…

This is a very serious condition to be in.  We need to be constantly flooding our souls with God’s Word and being in much prayer.  With the technology that we have today, we have no excuses.  We can be flooding our minds with God’s Word constantly.  Besides reading it every day we can be listening to it as well.  As you drive to and from work, instead of turning on the radio listen to God’s Word.  Or spend that time praying.  To keep focused, if you are driving alone, you can pray out loud.  If you are a stay at home mom, listen while you are working in the kitchen.  Use your imagination and figure out ways to flood your soul.  As I write these words I am feeling the conviction in my own heart and I want to make changes.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the light that You have for us to lead us through this dark world.  Thank You for not blinding us with overwhelming light.  But giving it to us gradually as we surrender each area.  Help us to keep growing.  Continue to guide us as we struggle through this dark world of sin.  Protect us from the power of the evil one and his sly ways.  Open our eyes and let us see.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make a commitment today with me to spend more time flooding your life with God’s Word and prayer.

Love you all!

Do you have an experience where you have had the light of God’s Word shine forth so vividly that you could see the obstacles clearly?  I would love to have you share.

 

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“Shocked!!!”

Shocked!

Have you ever been shocked?  I am not talking about the shock you might receive after walking across the carpet and then touching something.  I am talking about something that has happened that was unexpected.  It is news that you never thought would come and you’re so unprepared.

This happened to me at the beginning of the week.  I arrived at work on a Monday morning.  When I walked into the shop foreman told me to come to the lunchroom where everyone was gathered.  This is the place where we meet for a meeting.  My thought was I wonder what job went wrong.  When I arrived I was given a seat.  Then the news came, one of our coworkers had passed away over the weekend.  Shock ran through my body.  At that point, everything shuts down.  You can’t imagine, think, or even comprehend.

We thought…

He has been sick a couple of different times in the last few months.  We thought he had the flu or a cold.  But because it seemed to hang around some of us encouraged him to go to the doctor, which as far as we know he never did.  Last week was no exception.  On Friday he was doing so poorly he sat in his chair a lot and would roll to where he needed to go and only stand up and walk when necessary.  Other people were secured to help him with some of his work.  All of us were using hand sanitizer because we did not want to get sick.  Little did we know that what he had going on was not contagious.

As each of us worked on Monday it was hard to stay focused.  You just think that you must be in a dream and that you are going to wake up.  My coworker was always there early.  If I got to work and I didn’t see his car I figured something must be wrong.  And that is exactly what I thought on Monday.  I was thinking that maybe he finally stayed home to get well.  But I never dreamed of the reality.

It was sudden…

He was so young, only 55.  It was sudden for us but it wasn’t really sudden.  He was someone who did not take care of his health.  He did things in his life that contributed to these results.  I lost my grandma at 56 for some of the same reasons.  If you feel there is something not right in your body you should get it checked out.

But even if we do take care of our health we never know when it will be our last day.  We live in a sin-sick world and things can happen to the best of us.  Our bodies are so intricate we can’t know all that is going on.  And we could also walk out the door, get in our car, and never arrive to work because of a car accident that takes our lives.  Life is fragile and we should not take it for granted.  We just go on in life thinking that it is going to last forever.  Don’t get me wrong we don’t say it but that is how we live.

What would you change?

If you knew you were dying tomorrow or even today what would you change, anything?  What would you do differently?  How would you spend your time?  We waste so much time each day with things that are not important.  We think they are but when you look at it in the face of death the importance fades away.

You suddenly start to realize that your spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters, etc. are more important than things.  When was the last time you spent quality time with a person that you love?  What were the last words you said to them when you saw them last?  You just expect that you are going to see them tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year.  But you may not.

Fear

So you may be wondering if I am trying to create a fear in you.  And I would say yes and no.  We need to have enough fear that it makes us think.  But we don’t have to live a life of fear just a life where we are intentional about the most important things in life.  Suddenly time has more meaning when you lose someone unexpectedly.

I have had my share of losses in less than a year.  And do I have a little fear in my heart about what might be next?  Yes, I do.  But in this sin-sick world, we can’t get away from death.  It is what we do with the knowledge of death that makes the difference.

What makes us fear the future is when we forget how God has been with us in the past.  I can look back and see God’s presence through every difficulty.  And I know He will help me through all the sorrow and pain ahead because He is faithful.  He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.  And I not only have the promise I have the history behind it.  I can think back and see how He has been there for me.

After loss…

After loss comes it makes you think.  What am I going to change?  I am reevaluating my life.  When my time comes I don’t want anything to be between me and my relationship with God.  The things of this world are not worth it.  I want to have a solid connection with God each day, each moment.  I want to be ready when life is over for me.  And because I don’t know when that is I need to stay connected.

When I go to bed at night I want my last thoughts to be connected to God through prayer or Scripture.  I want my thoughts to turn to Him when I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.  When morning comes I want my first thoughts to be surrounded around Him.  And throughout the day I want my thoughts to keep turning to Him through all the trials and temptations.  So that if I go to bed at night and I don’t wake up again I will be ready.  Or if I leave home never to come back again I want to be ready.  I want to be ready when Jesus allows this day to be my last.

Dear Father,

It overwhelms my soul to think about what You have done for me.  Please forgive me for taking advantage of Your love and care without much thought.  I breathe and am alive today because You sustain me.  And I have been so ungrateful, I am not my own I belong to You.  I am asking You to take my heart for I cannot give it.  It is Your property.  Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for You.  Save me in spite of my weak, unchristlike self.  Mold me fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Your love can flow through my soul.  Surround me with Your presence and make me wholly Yours.

Lord, I pray that Your melting love will warm and soften my icebound nature.  And I pray that the mighty energies of Your Holy Spirit with all their quickening, recuperative, and transforming power, will fall like an electric shock on my palsy-stricken soul, causing every nerve to thrill with new life. Restore me from my dead, earthly, sensual state to spiritual soundness.

Thank You for Your power and what You are going to accomplish in my life.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Stay connected with God as if your life depended on it because it does.

Love you all.

Have you had something that has happened and been shocking to you?  What was it and what did you learn through the experience?  Please share below.

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“Can You be Toxic Spiritually?” Part 10

Toxic?

The truth of the matter is we are bombarded every day with so many things that are toxic to our spiritual lives.  Even if we are striving to live a clean non-toxic life we are bombarded with ungodly music, advertising, food, people, emotional stress, etc.  You might be saying, “Food, what do you mean.  How can food be toxic to my spiritual life?”  I will get to that question in a few minutes.

There are so many spiritual toxins that we may not be able to control.  Every time we go shopping we cannot control what we hear, music is everywhere.  We may even have music to contend with at work and it may not be the kind of music that brings health to our spiritual lives.  And then there are people.  Can people be toxic?  Yes, they can!!  But we can’t always control what people we are around.  It could be someone at work or it may be someone right in your own home.

What can we do?

“Breathing” (prayer) is a key component.  For more details on this component read part 6.  Just like we need to have fresh air breathed into our lungs to deal with toxins in the body we need “fresh” prayer to deal with our spiritual toxins.  We can’t expect to do a quick prayer in the morning and maybe a short prayer at night and expect that to deal with the problem.  We should naturally be “breathing” (prayer) throughout the day.  What would happen physically if you stopped breathing?  I will take a big breath in the morning and I will be fine throughout the day.  Breathing once a day doesn’t work and neither does praying once a day.  Prayer is just as important as breathing.

What we “eat” spiritually can also affect the toxicity within our spiritual lives. Read part 2 for more details on this subject.   We need to be careful about what we take in.  We know that we can be safe with God’s Word.  But even then we need to be sure that we are being “washed” with “soap” (Holy Spirit).  Just like we need to wash the wonderful foods that God has given us to get rid of any toxins that may be present, we need to be “washed” by the Holy Spirit to get rid of any “toxins” that may be present.

You may be asking, “Are you saying the Bible has the wrong things in it?”  My answer is no.  But without the Holy Spirit, we can get toxic ideas that are really not good food.  So the good food of God’s Word can become toxic without the direction of the Holy Spirit.  We also need discernment about any other books that we read, other than the Bible.  There are a lot of spiritual books we can read but we need to make sure they are not toxic to our spiritual growth.  They need to be in line with God’s principles laid out in His Word.

The rest we get…

The rest we get physically is very important.  But the rest spiritually is just as valuable and important.  They are really both intertwined.  Lack of physical rest affects our spiritual rest and lack of spiritual rest affects our physical rest.  How many times have you stayed awake at night because you are not spiritually resting?  If we are not resting in Christ our spiritual lives will become very toxic.  We have to be doing all the foundational things that I have talked about above in order for us to have that spiritual rest.

Exercise is another aspect that helps in eliminating our physical toxic load.  The same is true in our spiritual lives.  As we exercise our spiritual muscles with memorizing God’s Word it will help reduce our toxic load.  It will also help us rest in Christ.  We will have the help we need for us to rest physically as well as spiritually.  I have been awake at night struggling with worry.  I have found that as I pray and dwell upon Scriptures that I have memorized I go to sleep and have a peaceful rest.  It can also help you resist temptations that will bring more toxins into your life.

Emotional stress…

Emotional stress seems to be more powerful than anything.  Because it doesn’t matter what you are going through it affects you emotionally.  Emotional stress can be the biggest toxic load to our spiritual lives.  I believe that our moral character is made up of two things, thoughts, and feelings.  Our thoughts affect our feelings and our feelings dictate how we respond.  So one of the big things we need to control is our thoughts because that is where things begin.  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…” Proverbs 7:7.

We need to control our thoughts.  Now, this is way easier said than done.  And that is where memorizing scriptures and prayer come in handy.  It is like anything in life.  If you want to do something you learn how to do it and then you do it.  Take any career.  You go to school or someone trains you into a position.  If you don’t work in the area that you have been trained you start to lose the ability to do it.

I know that prayer and memorizing God’s Word are keys to keeping my thoughts where they should be.  But knowing it does not accomplish it.  Doing is what brings about success.  It will be a challenge at first just like it is in any career.  But when you do it every day it suddenly becomes a habit and you tend to do it without even thinking about it.

We need to flood our bodies…

Just like we need to flood our physical bodies with water to help get the toxins flushed out we need to flush out our spiritual lives with God’s Word.  “…Christ…loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” Ephesians 5:25-27.”

God’s Word is like water washing out the toxins in our lives.  Drink from it daily and not just in the morning.  If you were to drink only a glass of water in the morning and not drink anymore the rest of the day you would become dehydrated.  It would affect your body in so many ways.  The toxins would buildup, your brain would not function as it should, and you would be all together sluggish.  You might be able to get by for a little while but your health would fail.  The same is true with our spiritual lives.  This is one of the reasons why it is so important to memorize God’s Word so you can drink it in several times a day.

What about…

What about the cleaners in our homes?  Now in my last writing, I talked about ridding our homes of the toxic things that we use physically, like cleaners.  How does this apply spiritual speaking?  If the washing of God’s Word cleanses are there other things that we use in its place to “cleanse” us, maybe to get our thoughts on something else besides our problem we may be facing.

We want to cleanse our minds of the toxic thoughts that we are having.  But do you use God’s Word or are we browsing Facebook, watching YouTube clips, movies, music, religious DVD’s, etc?  In and of themselves these may not be bad but can they become toxic in our lives along with many other things.  If they are robbing our time from doing those things God would have us to do, spend time with Him, family, homeless, widowed, helping others, etc., then they are getting in the way.  There are some things that we need to totally eliminate and others refine how we use them so that they don’t control our lives.

I am grateful for all the options for us to keep spiritually healthy.  God has given us His Word as our guide.  Another guide that has so many lessons for us is nature.  The health that we can gain spiritually as well as physically is profound.  It doesn’t matter what time of year it is there are lessons for us to learn through nature.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your Word.  I give You thanks for the nature You have provided for our enjoyment as well as for great lessons that can empty us of the spiritual toxins within our lives.  Lord, show us those things that are toxic to our spiritual lives and help us to eliminate them.  Prompt our hearts to fill stay in Your Word and allow Your word to wash us clean from all the toxins of this world.  The worldly toxins are all around us Lord and we need Your help to guide us.  Convict our hearts and keep us in Your will as we surrender to You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Cleanse your life of all those things that are toxic to your spiritual life.

Love you all.

Is there a blessing you can share of something you eliminated from your life that helped you spiritually.  Please share below.  If you feel uncomfortable sharing publicly feel free to email me.  I would love to hear your story.

This is part 10 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I have shared with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I have shared has not been exhaustive, I have been sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 9 I talked about the toxic products that we use in our home every day and things that we can eliminate to maintain healthy immune function.  This concludes this series on how to maintain healthy immune function both physically and spiritually.  I pray that you have gained a blessing.  And as you make changes in both your physical and spiritual lives I pray that you will be drawn closer to Jesus and be ready for His soon coming.

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“Reduce Your Bodies Toxic Load” Part 9

Toxic?

The fact is we are bombarded each day with so many things that are toxic to our bodies.  Even if we are eating the best foods, clean of all the chemicals and pesticides, there are more chemicals that we are bombarded with each day other than just in our foods.

There are so many toxins that we can’t even control.  Every time we walk out our door and breathe the air we are being filled with toxins.  We even get it in our homes, from furniture too, carpeting, cleaners, clothes, and just the structure of our homes.  It is like how can we get away from it.  The reality is we cannot get away from it all but we can control as much as possible to give our bodies less to fight off.

What can I do?

I cannot exhaust everything that can make the difference in this writing but I am going to share what I can.  In part 5 I talked to you about the importance of breathing and how important it is to our health.  Even though we can’t get away from all the toxins in the air there are areas that are less toxic.  If you have the privilege of living in the country, rather than the city, the air is fresher.  There is a lot more of God’s green creation that helps to purify the air, like the trees.  You can also help to purify your home with having plants that give off oxygen for us.  I also love to bring in the outdoors by diffusing essential oils.  There are different ones that kill off bad bacteria that is in the air.  My favorite is a Protective Blend.

What we eat can also be a factor in ridding our body of toxins.  There is so much of our food today that is full of toxic substances.  The more we stay away from processed foods the better.  But even the fresh foods that God has given us to eat are covered with toxins.  The more we can eat organic and non-GMO foods the better.  And it is best to wash all our fruits and veggies with soap to get rid of what we can of the bad bacteria.

I make up a foaming wash that I use that works great not only for washing fruits and veggies but also to wash my hands.  I take a 10-12 ounce foamer and put around 2 T. of Dr. Bronners Castile non-scented liquid soap in and then add 3-4 drops of Protective Blend.  Then I fill the rest with water and I have a great fruit and veggie wash.

The rest we get…

The rest we get is very important when it comes to reducing our toxic load as well.  In part 7 of this series, I went into more depth about getting good rest and the benefits of it.  But in short, it also helps our bodies to deal with the toxic load.  And if we are not doing all things that help with the toxic load our bodies get to the point that they can’t take it anymore and they become very sick.  For more details what sleep does and how you can get more rest make sure to read part 7.

We also need to be exercising.  Exercise keeps our blood moving through more quickly so that the impurities are filtered out.  And also when we get moving it we start to sweat and actually sweat out toxins.  Our body systems work together and we need to be doing all we can to support all our body systems.

Emotional stress…

Emotional stress is very toxic to the body.  We have to learn how to reduce our emotional stress.  All the things I mentioned above will really help with our emotional toxicity but there are other things that also will help in this area.  I will be diving into this more in part 10 in this series so stay tuned.

We need to flood our bodies…

We also need to flood our bodies with water.  Now you can over drink water but on the majority, we do not have trouble with too much water in our society.  I hate to break it to you but coffee, sodas, or any other drink other than water does not work.  Imagine trying to wash your dishes with any other substance other than water.  They would not be clean.  The same is true of our bodies.  We need water to keep our bodies clean and cleansed of the toxins.

It is easy to figure out the minimum amount of water you should drink each day.  Just take your weight and divide it by two and drink that in ounces.  So if you way 150 you would drink 75 ounces a day which is around 9-10 cups of water.  Now for me, I drink more than the minimum.

Some people have a really hard time drinking water.  There are some little tricks that you can do that can help.  You not only help you get rid of the toxins but also give some flavor to your water.  Some people like to squeeze fresh lemon or lime in their water.  Now I am not talking about lemonade, just the pure lemon.  What I like to do is add a few drops of essential oil like Lemon, Lime, Wild Orange, etc.  It gives some flavor and helps detox me at the same time.

You might be saying, “I thought you just said not to add anything to your water.”  I did say that but it depends on what you add.  Essential oils like Lemon are actually added to many cleaning products such as dish soap.  If it can help detox my dishes it can detox me.  I am sorry coffee, soda, etc do not detox our dishes or our bodies.  There is a warning with this.  Not all essential oils are created equal so be careful which ones you choose to put on your body or take internally.  Purity is the key!  And even if you put it on your skin you are taking it into your body.

What about…

What about cleaners that are in our home?  Can they be toxic to us and cause our bodies to become toxic?  Absolutely!  That is why have made a big change in my cleaning products.  It has been a process.  But it has been so worth it.  I have tried different “healthy” laundry soaps and even though the smell is better than the ones you buy in the store, what I use now is even better for me.

And what I do for my dryer is wool balls with drops of my favorite essential oil on them.  You can change it up now and then with different ones.  I also have changed to a multi-purpose concentrated cleaner that I can mix up in different ways for different cleaning needs.  Also, there are DIY’s that I have used or want to try for the toilet, shower, sinks, etc.  My body handles these so much better.

And then there are the things that we put on our bodies like deodorants, lotions, soaps, shampoos, teeth, etc.  To have a healthy deodorant is a must. Using the deodorants that are antiperspirants is very unhealthy.  You want to the toxins to come out not be left in your body.  I have never used an antiperspirant but I have struggled with finding a healthy deodorant that actually works.  But now I have one and it is naturally infused with essential oils.  There is also an option for people who can’t use baking soda for absorbance.

I have changed my toothpaste to a natural one that does not have fluoride.  I love it and it has been a miracle for my mom.  She had been dealing with receding gum issues but the dentist told her that her gums are now reattaching.  I am so grateful!

I have also changed my shampoo and conditioner and what I actually put on my hair.  There are so many toxins in hair products and it goes right into your body.  It makes me cringe to think about it because it goes right into your brain.

What about perfumes? There are so many options with essential oils with DIY recipes for perfumes and it is way healthier for your body.  You will smell great and the oils are a blessing to your body.  Depending on which oils you use they can be relaxing during a stressful time at work, give you energy when you need a boost, etc.  I have several blends of oils that I get to use as a perfume.  One of my favorite essential oil blends for perfume is Hope.  I love the smell.  But another reason I love it is that the proceeds help support organizations like Operation Underground Railroad that are fighting against sex trafficking worldwide.

Lotions are another area of so many toxins.  I love the lotion that I use now because it has no scent.  Whenever I use some lotion I can choose to leave it with no scent or I can add one of my favorite essential oils to it.  For me, I love it when I know that I am using things that do not fill my body with toxins.

I am so grateful for the options that we now have to keep us healthier.  If we want to support healthy immune function we do need to make the appropriate changes in order to accomplish our goal.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You have ways for us to stay healthier.  It can be hard to follow a plan that is healthier for us.  Please give us the courage and the strength to make the changes that will make us healthier.  It can be more expensive for us to make those changes but Lord I have found that as I follow your plan for a healthier lifestyle You always come through with the blessings I need to accomplish my goal to be healthier.  Thank You for leading and guiding in each our lives.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start out making some changes today in your toxic load.  Just take it a step and a time and you will get there.

Love you all.

What changes have you already made in your life to eliminate your toxic load?  Share in the comments.

This is part 9 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 8 I talked about the rest that can bring complete rest and how it helps us maintain healthy spiritual immune function.  Coming up in part 10 I will be talking about toxic load when it comes to our spiritual lives.  Toxic things bombard us each day that can affect our spiritual lives.  What can we do to help reduce toxic load so that we can “Maintain Healthy Spiritual Immune Function?”  Stay tuned!

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“The Rest That Can Bring Complete Rest!!” Part 8

Rest?

Yes, rest!  There is a rest that can give you the most out of each day and out of each night sleep.  And this rest goes beyond just relaxing.  The fact is we can do all the right things for our bodies to be healthy, eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, etc, but if we do not learn how to deal with the stresses of everyday life it will affect our immune systems and ultimately our health.

The question is how can we get rid of our stresses.  We are bombarded with different stresses every day.  But I believe there are some stresses that we can eliminate.  I don’t know what those might be for you.  Maybe you have a very stressful job that you need to eliminate.  How about the news, maybe you need to eliminate it.  There are always some things that we can control.  We are bombarded with so many negative things that bring stress and we don’t need to fill our minds with those things.

But the question is what about the things we can’t eliminate.  At that point, it boils down to trust. And I am talking about trust in Whom, not what.  I am not talking about trusting in you, that is the worst kind of stress you can bring on yourself.  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give your REST.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find REST unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.  Now there is some serious rest.  We need to be yoked up with Christ.  As we lay our burdens on Him, He will carry them for us.   And we need to trust Him with our burdens and quit taking them back.

While Resting

There is a difference between physical sleep and the rest that Jesus wants to give us.  We should sleep a certain amount of hours every 24 hours.  But resting in Christ should be 24/7.  There are so many things that take place when we are resting in Christ.

The growth that takes place in our spiritual life is best accomplished when we are resting.  As we rest in Christ in all circumstances healing begins to take place in our spiritual life.  The toxins of our past begin to evaporate and repairs take place.

Now we can’t just rest in Jesus.  We need to be doing all the foundational things that I have already talked about in previous writings.  We need to be feeding ourselves wholesome spiritual food, reading God’s Word being the best option.  Exercising our spiritual muscles by memorizing God’s Word helps us in time of temptation, especially when we are struggling with resting in Christ.  And most of all, we need to make sure that we are “breathing deeply” (praying).  These are foundational for getting the rest we need in Christ.

Our spiritual immune systems can’t even begin to keep up with the toxins of this world.  And the repairs, if we are bombarding our spiritual life with things that our poisons to us, will never be accomplished.  We can’t avoid or control everything we are subjected to every day in this world but we need to control what we can.  Evaluate your life and make sure that you are not poisoning your spiritual life with the choices that you are making.  We can’t get proper spiritual rest when we are filled with toxins and poisons.

Preparing for proper rest

It is so important what we put into our spiritual life.  And we are not going to be able to rest properly if we are putting in the wrong things.  Just like it is good to eliminate bad foods for our physical health, we need to eliminate bad reading material.  We should not be filling our minds with things that do not uplift us spiritually or draw us away from God.  Most of us know deep within our hearts that we cannot have proper spiritual rest if we filling our minds with ungodly things.

There is another factor that can affect our spiritual health and whether we can rest properly.  How much time do you spend in God’s Word compared to other material?  There are many wonderful foods that we can eat for our physical body.  But when we eat too much at night too close to going to bed it affects whether we get proper rest.  I believe it works the same for our spiritual life.

There are many writings out there that are good and wholesome.  But as we are approaching “night” (Christ coming) we need to make sure that we are “eating” less of the good wholesome writings and more of God’s Word if we are going to be able to have proper rest through the darkness of night.  We need to know God’s Word so well that when we no longer have it to read it will be hidden in our hearts to bring us through the night in restful peace.

More Factors

For proper physical sleep, we need to have a room that is void of all artificial light so that we have total darkness.  But for proper spiritual rest, we need something a little different.  We do need to have our lives void of any “artificial light”.  But we do not want any darkness in our spiritual lives.  Proper rest for our spiritual lives we need to be void of all “artificial light” and filled with the light that comes from God.  God’s light will shine in all the corners of our lives and sees all the dark corners that need to be eliminated with His truth.  And when we are filled with His light we get the proper spiritual rest we need.

Now some people may think I am crazy on this next point but I have seen the results in my own life.  There are studies that show that we have to be off our electronics 1-2 hours before going to bed to get proper rest.  It is best if you are going to read before going to bed to read an actual book.  I believe this it is true spiritually as well.  Now don’t get me wrong I think electronics have helped us in many ways when it comes to studying God’s Word, in one sense.  But I also believe it has been a hindrance.

I thought it was really great when I got a smartphone.  I could carry my Bible with me everywhere.  But I started to use it all the time instead of opening up my Bible.  What I found started to happen is that when I did pick up my Bible I couldn’t remember where to find the books of the Bible.  As “night” is drawing near, I think we need to be more in the Word in its natural state.  There is something about picking up that sacred Book and holding it in our hands and actually reading from its pages.  I believe we can rest better.  What screens do to our brain compared to just picking up a book is profound.  We can rest better physically as well as spiritually if we pick up the actual books and read them.

Helpers

God has given us things in nature that we can do that can help calm us or relax us so that we can get good physical rest but what about spiritual rest.  What are the helpers that we can use?

Believe it or not when our bodies are in the physical condition that God would have us to be in it actually helps us with our spiritual rest as well.  So it is very important for us to be following God’s health plan.  And even if we are eating all the things that God has made for us to eat but there is one of those food items that our body can’t handle we need to eliminate it.  We live in a degenerate world.  And because of that some of us may have sensitivities to some foods that we need to eliminate.  When we feel good physically it is amazing how much that affects our spiritual life.  And the same is true when our spiritual life is where it should be it affects our physical life.

Resting in Christ is really a choice.  No one can force us.  And it takes faith in the One Who created us, trusting that He knows what is best for us.  “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” 1Peter 5:7.

Reading the promises that God has for us can be a helper in resting in Him.  A really good book in the Bible to use for this is Proverbs.  The great thing about Proverbs is that it has 31 chapters.  Now take that book and read one chapter each day of the month, matching up the day of the month with the chapter.  Some months you will just read through 30 chapters and other months 31 chapters.  You can either read it just before going to bed or in the morning.  Better yet read the chapter twice in the day, once in the morning and once before going to bed.  After a while, you will have the book of Proverbs memorized.  Proverbs is full of wisdom, instruction, and comfort.

Getting out in God’s nature can help us rest in Him.  When we see the birds of the air and how they are filled with joy we see God at work.  Look at the flowers and how beautiful God has made them and how they still give off their beauty even in a storm.  Nature is God’s remedy for our physical as well as our spiritual lives.

Dear Father,

Thank You for being there for us.  And for being Someone we can rely on in every situation.  Thank You that we can rest in You if we so choose.  You are the only One that can give us rest.

Thank You for Your patience with us.  Continue to guide us through our lives.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

No matter what your circumstances give all to Christ and let Him carry it.  You can find rest in Him only when you realize Your weakness without Him.

What do you do that helps you rest in Christ?  Please share below.

This is part 8 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 7 I talked about how important proper physical rest is and how it helps us maintain healthy immune function.  Coming up in part 9 I will be talking about toxic load.  We are bombarded with toxins every day and our bodies can become overwhelmed.  What can we do to help reduce toxic load so that we can “Maintain Healthy Immune Function”?  Stay tuned!

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“Time to Rest? What is True Rest?” Part 7

Rest?

What does it really mean to rest?  Is it just about how much sleep we get?  I believe that it goes much deeper than just sleep.  We might go to bed at night but what is our quality of sleep?  There are a lot of factors that come into play.

How much sleep should we really get?  And how can we get the best quality sleep?  I know that there are mornings I get up and I might have slept but I do not feel rested.  If we are not having the sleep and real rest we need it can affect our health dramatically.

As far as how much sleep we need it is different for each individual.  Those who are young and older need to get more hours of sleep.  Also, those who are sick or have a weakened immune system also require more sleep.  There are some basic guidelines that a person can look at and then they can also individualize them.  You can sleep too little and be tired and also sleep too much and be tired.  Oversleeping is not healthy either.

While Sleeping

There are many changes that take place while we are sleeping.   For children, they actually grow while they are sleeping.  Although they are growing all the time it seems that they actually grow more at night while they are sleeping.  It gives the body a chance to work more when the child is asleep.

Our body also restores and repairs itself while we are sleeping.  During this process, it is actually detoxing our bodies so that our immune systems are being built up to be ready for the next day’s threats.

Now if we are not doing the foundational things that I have already been talking about in the previous writings in this series it will affect our sleep.  We need to be eating healthy, making sure we get exercise and doing some other factors that will be talking later in this series that will affect our sleep.  Our immune systems can’t even begin to keep up with the toxins and the repairs each night if we are bombarding our body with things that our poisons to us.  We can’t control everything our bodies are subjected to but we need to control what we can.

Preparing for Sleep

There are things that you can do that will help prepare you for a good night of sleep.  Most people in our society today eat their biggest meal in the evening.  They are usually having harder to digest foods as well as eating late.  Then they go to bed in the hope to get a good night of sleep.  But the reality is that your body has to work so hard at digesting the food that it is definitely not a restful sleep.  And on top of it you’re not burning all the calories that you just ate because you are sleeping, therefore, it turns to fat.

The best thing to do is to make your supper meal the smallest and easiest to digest meal of the day.  And to make sure it is eaten several hours before you go to bed so that most of the digesting is completed.  This seems like a really hard thing to do but if you schedule your day and plan things out it is possible.  I know traditions are hard to break.  But keeping our immune systems healthy is so important.  Ask those that haven’t cared and have gotten really sick with something really serious.  Suddenly at that point, the changes that we needed to make seem very important but it could be too late.

More Factors

It is really important that your bedroom is really dark.  There should be no artificial light, like clocks or chargers.  Remove anything from your bedroom that lets off a light.  Any kind of light affects your sleep pattern which can affect how restful of a sleep that you get.  When there is light, when we should not have a light, it affects our circadian rhythm.  Thus we do not get a restful sleep and we do not have the best day either.  So make sure to remove everything that is producing an artificial light from your room.  If you are in an area where it is light a lot of hours in 24 it would be good to get blackout curtains so that your room can be completely dark.

The last factor that I am going to talk about in this writing is electronics.  The lights from our electronics affect our sleep.  The lights keep us stimulated.  I know that a lot of the devices now have a different color of light going into the evening to help with this issue.  But even that is not full proof.  And then there is the television as well.  The best thing to do is put away those devices at least 1 hour before going to bed but 2 hours would even be better.  You might be thinking, “I can’t do that.  How am I going to watch anything in the evening or keep in contact with my family and friends?”

Here is my suggestion.  Spend time with your spouse or family.  Because I hate to break it to you but watching something is not spending time with your spouse or family.  Do some things that are interactive.  Read together, play a board game, take an evening walk, etc.  There are endless things that you can do which involve more communication, which will draw your family closer together.  Reading (a real book, not on your electronics) before going to bed can get you into the sleeping mood as well.

Helpers

Some people really struggle with calming down at night.  And they may have some imbalances.  I have found some things that have helped me in the process.  God has given us things in nature that can help in the relaxing process.  Taking a stroll in the outdoors in the evening can be calming.  Just being out in nature is relaxing.  If you live in the city this may be a little difficult but give it a try.

I have also found some products that really help me.  Valerian root taken in a capsule can be very relaxing if taken an hour before bed.  Also, if you have the time you can get in a warm bath with 1 cup of Epson salts along with 20 drops of relaxing essential oil like lavender.  Another thing that I like to do is diffuse some essential oils by my bed; my favorite is a Restful Blend.  I put a drop on each foot of Restful Blend and Vetiver essential oil.  The oils help get me relaxed and ready for a good night of sleep.  I feel more rested in the morning.

Another thing that I have found to be helpful if I do it, is thinking about a Bible verse as I lay in bed.  Instead of thinking over the things of the day and maybe worrying about the things coming tomorrow I can think of promises and pray.  I can say I never make it through my prayer.  Even when I wake in the middle of the night, praying helps me go back to sleep more quickly.  So instead of counting sheep spend time praying for others.

Dear Father,

Our need for good sleep is very necessary for us to have a good healthy immune system.  As we make a commitment to get the rest we need You to help us follow through.  Thank You for giving us such amazing bodies.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Commit to getting more rest today.  Your life depends on it.

Love you all!

What do you do to help you relax before going to bed?

This is part 7 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 6 I talked about how prayer is the breath of the soul and how it helps us maintain healthy spiritual immune function.  Coming up in part 8 I will be talking about another kind of rest and how it helps maintain healthy spiritual immune function.  Stay tuned!

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“Please, I Want to be With You Even if It Kills me!!”

Please!

Have you ever wanted to do whatever it took to be with someone?  You knew the hardships that it would take but it did not matter because you loved them.  The love was so deep that the difficulties seemed small in comparison.

Then there is the other side where you have put all the effort into being with that person that you love.  You finally were able to be with them and then they reject you.  It is hard for you to believe that this is happening but it is.  The agony that you feel is beyond words.  It seems to them that it just takes too much effort on their part to accept you so they leave you to suffer with no thought what you have done for them.

Our Dog

We have a wonderful golden retriever that we got in 2006.  He has been the joy of our family’s lives.  Rascal loves everyone he meets, on the most part.  He has recognized two bad people that have come to our home in the almost 13 years we have had him.  Rascal is a protector of his family and he has an unconditional love that is beyond words.

He has had many trials in his life.  He was backed over accidentally when he was sleeping in our driveway, which broke his back.  After much agonizing pain and surgery, he was put back together.  I wouldn’t say he was normal but he repaired well.  I remember how much pain he was in and how he couldn’t walk.  He slept on our living room floor.  I remember sleeping beside him and how he would nudge me to be comforted.

Then I remember the time that he had a tumor the size of a soccer ball in his tummy.  It turned out to be a big blood clot and not cancerous.  But he had to have surgery again.  And then he had cancer in a toe, which they removed.  Despite all these things he loves his family and wants to be with them.

Walking

One of the things that he has always loved to do is go walking and hiking with whoever will take him.  He gets so excited!  He recognizes the signs when someone is getting ready to go for a walk.  Even in the summertime when you are not grabbing a coat, he knows.  He knows when you’re putting your shoes on to go to work or to go walking.

Rascal has gone hiking up our mountain with us, taken mile hikes or even several mile hikes.  He doesn’t seem to care as long as he can go with us.  If we were going somewhere and the van door was open we would be sure to have an extra passenger. And getting him back out of the vehicle when he was not allowed to go was tough.  He just wanted to be with us no matter what.

But because of age and all the things he has been through walking has become more difficult.  He still gets excited like a puppy.  And he will still head out on a walk with you but often turns around and goes home after a short time.

But not today

But this day was different.  The whole family, excluding one, was home and headed out on a walk.  As we walked down the private road he was coming with us.  But when we started up the side of the mountain he stayed down on the road and just wondered farther down the road.

We were visiting and taking our dear time getting up the hill to a landing before going farther up the mountain.  Once we got to the landing we stood and talked and played a little with the snow.  As we started up the mountain again we saw Rascal laying in the snow on the other side of the landing.  We realized what he had done is gone to the end of the private road and headed up the neighbor’s driveway.  Once he got to the private drive that headed to the landing area he hiked up near to the area where we were.  The problem was is this driveway had not been plowed so there were several feet of snow.  He was only going down into the snow probably 6-12” but it still made for a hard hike.

He couldn’t walk

By the time we found him, he could no longer walk.  His back legs were done for and he could not even get up.  We thought if he rested for a little bit that maybe he could walk but he still could not.  So two of my sons each took turns carrying him down the mountain the way that we came up, while I ran back to the house to get a sled.

He has never liked to ride in the sled but when we brought the sled and sat it next to him he immediately started crawling into it.  He realized his need and realized we were trying to help him.  We brought him back to our house and dumped him on the living room floor because he couldn’t even bring himself to get out of the sled.  He lay there for several hours before he finally tried to get up.

Life will never be the same for him.  But what amazes me is his perseverance.  He loves his family so much that he wanted to be with them and he was willing to do whatever it took to be with us, no matter what the cost, even if it killed him.

It made me think

How much do I really want to be with God?  How much do I really love Him?  The reality is that if I really love Him I will want to be with Him all the time.  I will go where He wants me to go.  And whatever He asks me to do I will do it.  I will do everything no matter the cost.  No matter how rough the road and the trials that may come my way I will continue to go toward God not away from Him.  Just like our dog Rascal kept pulling himself up the hill I will continue to persevere in my walk with God.  I won’t give up when the way gets hard, no matter what pain may come.

But even though I will not give up and keep persevering I will not try to do it on my own.  I may feel at times that I am on my own but I trust His promise that He will never leave me or forsake me.  Rascal has had his share of BIG “trials” that he could not have made it through if we had not carried him and guided him.  When he was run over we had to carry him from the house to outside several times a day so he could go the bathroom.  It was hard for him because he wanted to do things on his own but we could not let him.  And even though he really couldn’t he would want to try but we had to stop him so he would not get more damage.

To me, that sounds so much like us.  We don’t want to give up we want to do things on our own even though it is going to cause us damage.  There is a difference between Rascal and us.  God does not force us to allow Him to carry us through as we forced Rascal.  So we go ahead and do things on our own and cause more damage to our lives.  And here is the crazy part.  A lot of times when things don’t turn out and we go through more pain we blame God.  We can learn a lot of lessons from God’s creation.

I want to come to the point that I want to follow God and stay close to Him even if it kills me.  And the reality is that is where we need to be. How many people have died because they stood true to God?  We need to come to the point that He is all that matters in life.  He is our all in all.  Does that mean life will be smooth and easy? No!  But He will carry us just like we carried Rascal.  And just like Rascal did not resist we need to allow the Lord to carry us and not resist.   The most wonderful thing is no matter what has happened in life when you come to God for help He does not reject you.  Nothing is ever too bad for God.  He loves you more than you or I can even imagine.

Dear Father,

I believe we have such a short time left on this earth and we need you more than ever.  Please bring us through whatever it takes to help us trust You and allow You to carry us through the tough times.  We need to have a heart for You and we need You to help us even to have that heart.  Take our stony hearts and give us a heart of flesh.  I want to thank and praise You for what You are going to accomplish in our lives.  Thank You for always being there and never rejecting us when we reach out to you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make the decision today to stay connected with God even if it kills you.

Love you all.

Have you had a time in your life where you knew God carried you through?  I would love to hear your story.  Share it below.

For those that were looking for the next in the series that I have been writing, it is still coming. After having the experience shared in this blog this last week it was on my heart to share so I have.  Stay tuned for the next in the series of “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function” not only physically but also spiritually.

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“Prayer, The Key That Unlocks?” Part 6

Breathing!

In my last blog, I talked about the importance of breathing.  And you may be thinking what does breathing for our physical life have to do with prayer.  I believe that prayer is just as important in keeping our spiritual body alive as it is for breathing to keep our physical body alive. And both are intertwined.

I remember the day that I woke up and I felt so depressed I didn’t want to get out of bed and I did not.  It is hard to even explain the feeling I felt.  And you might be thinking, “You can’t go by your feelings.”  There is truth to that but I can say only those who have dealt with deep depression can begin to understand.  It is something that is out of your control.  Believe me, it was one of the most devastating times of my life.  It is like being in prison and unable to get out.  The panic is unbelievable.  I couldn’t “breathe” (pray) and I felt the life draining out of me and I couldn’t stop it.  I would try to “breathe” (pray) but my “throat” was closing up and I was suffocating.

Thankfully I had a friend that had been through a time in her life with deep depression.  She was someone who understood and would encourage me.  My friend got me a little journal.  She told me that every time I would read something in God’s Word or something would happen that was encouraging to me that I should write it down so I could look at it again and again when needed.  To be honest, I was seeing nothing in God’s Word that was an encouragement, all I could see is condemnation.  I even read the story of the prodigal son and I could not see the love of God.  But I kept being persistent.  I didn’t read my Bible every day but I would try to keep picking it up and reading now and then.

This went on for weeks and weeks.  Then one day I read a verse that actually penetrated my heart.  It is a verse that is so famous and we all know.  This is my entry in my journal May 2, 2000,  “ ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ John 3:16.  This is the first thing that I have been able to read in a long time.  The Lord brought this to me.  He loves me.”

Fresh air

I compare prayer to breathing.  It is the breath of the soul and without it our spiritual life is dead.  As I was going through my time of depression I kept crying out to God in desperation just like I cried out to my husband when I couldn’t breathe.  It was like God was saying to me, “It is okay I am here.  Slow down, take your time and breathe in slowly.  I will give you life.”

After I found that verse things started to move very slowly.  I was taking little gasping “breaths”.  But I was still getting “oxygen”.  How could this verse seem like I had never read it before?  I grew up a Christian I had known this verse all my life.  But at that moment it felt like something different.  I was able to go to God and breathe in the “fresh air” he was giving me.

Then I picked up my journal to write again.  God had filled my lungs with the “fresh air” of continual prayer that I was able to see even more clearly what He had for me.  Here was my entry, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is thy keeper:  the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:  he shall preserve thy soul.  The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” Psalm 121:1-8.

The amazing part about this entry is that it took place on May 5, 2001, almost 1 year to the day of my first entry.  From that day I was able to put more entries in more often and I no longer felt like I was suffocating.  My “breathing” (praying) was no longer shallow and hard to do.  My “breathing” (praying) changed that day, I started receiving “fresh air” and I could “breathe” (pray) deeply now.  And prayer started to unlock the windows of heaven.

Daily need

Prayer is needed daily.  Just like we cannot go without breathing we cannot go without prayer.  It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, “Pray without ceasing.”  This doesn’t mean that we will be on our knees 24/7.  But we need to always have that continual connection with God throughout the day.

How long can you hold your breath?  Most untrained people cannot hold their breath more than around 30 seconds before gasping for air.  And it is more about the build-up of carbon dioxide than it is of lack of oxygen.  The longest holding breath on record to date is around 22 minutes and he did it underwater.  Most of us would die before we made it through that experience.  God has given us a body that has a need for fresh oxygen constantly.  And when we don’t give our bodies the oxygen that it needs damage starts to happen.  Your brain begins to be affected after 6 minutes without oxygen.  That is why there is such a concern to get oxygen to someone right away because of the brain damage it can cause.

The same is true of prayer.  Prayer is like oxygen to the soul.  How can we go without prayer?  “Carbon dioxide” (sin) starts to build up in the life and it will cause damage to our brain spiritually speaking.  We no longer feel a need for prayer and we start slowly dying spiritually.  “Breathing” (prayer) is so important.

I don’t have time

You might be thinking, “How can I pray without ceasing?” I don’t have much time to pray.  And now you’re saying I need to be praying all the time”  What I would as is, “Do you have time to breathe?”  You don’t want to die so you breathe.  How desperate are you to live, spiritually speaking?  We need to become how I felt when I couldn’t breathe physically.  I was desperate for air and I was not getting it.  We have to be so desperate for spiritual oxygen that God becomes the priority in our lives.

One thing that I have learned is choosing to take time for prayer time expands my time.  I am an early riser and spend time in prayer and study.  I have always had a time of prayer, maybe 5 minutes.  But I have felt the need many times to spend more time in prayer with things that are burdening my heart.  And the more time I pray the more time I have.  You say, “What? That is impossible.”  But what I say, “With God all things are possible.”

A lot of times I will have a short prayer time before I get into studying God’s Word.  And the plan is that after I study I will have a longer prayer time.  When I do things that way I never have more time.  But I have found that when I have a longer prayer time first I have plenty of time for my study.  As I pray it is almost like time stands still.  It seems impossible but that’s God.

Pray without ceasing

But what about the “without ceasing” part?  It is really about the attitude of prayer.  We are so in connection with God we are constantly lifting up praise and request throughout the day.  But, you might be thinking, what about at night?   One thing I like to do, which I am not as consistent as I want to be, is be thinking on God’s Word or praying as I drop off to sleep.  I have that when I do this my nights are different.  The dreams I have through the night are different or I may not even dream, at least that is what it seems like.  And might night of sleep is still better.

The most amazing part of going to bed with your last thoughts on God is what happens when you wake up throughout the night.  When I wake up my thoughts immediately go back to prayer or thinking upon God’s Word mode.  And as I get up to use the bathroom I choose to continue those thoughts instead of diverting them to other things.  When I get back in bed it is seconds and I am back to sleep.  All I can tell you is that it is amazing!  I want to strive to have this experience more often.  I have not experienced this the majority of my life but I want to be.

In this earths history, we don’t have time to stop “breathing” (praying) or to “breathe” shallowly.  We have got to take deep “breaths” all day long.  When we learn to breathe physically as we should with deepness rather than shallow breathing it brings physical life and health.  The same is true with prayer.

Dear Father,

We tend to get caught up in the things of life that keep us from “breathing” deeply, forgive us. Help us to strive to do better so that our spiritual life will become healthier in You.  We have but a short time.  Game playing is over!  Help us to realize how much we need You.  Thank You for the power that You have given us availability to.  It is most amazing!  Thank You for Your love and forgiveness.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Commit today to “breathe” more so that your spiritual life will live.

Love you all!

What do you do to help bring your prayer life more meaning and help you remember to do “deep breathing”?   And what were the benefits you received?

This is part 6 in a several part series “Maintaining Healthy Immune Function”.  There are many things I will be sharing with you on how to support your immune system, both physically and spiritually.  Although what I am sharing is not exhaustive, I am sharing just a taste from my own experience.  In part 5 I talked about how fresh air and breathing right helps us maintain healthy immune function.  Coming up in part 7 I will be talking about how important proper rest is for the body and how it helps us maintain healthy immune function.  Stay tuned!