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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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“Is There Power in Our Thoughts?”

Power!

Is there power in our thoughts?  And if there is power in our thoughts how powerful are our thoughts?  I am not an expert in this matter by any means but over the years I have learned different things.  I have also learned from my own experiences.  Our thoughts can play a major part in whether we are sick or well, happy or sad, a winner or a loser, successful or a failure, etc.

I have told the story before about how one day I couldn’t breathe.  My husband told me later that I had started to turn blue.  This was due to some physical issues I was dealing with at the time.  I am still not immune to having this happen even today.  So what made the difference in how it plays out today versus then.  It all has to do with my thoughts.  Believe me when you can’t breathe you go into panic mode and your thoughts are not thinking anything pleasant.

At that moment…

When I couldn’t breathe and I was in the panic mode my husband came beside me and calmly helped me work through it.  I don’t remember what he said at the time but it calmed me and helped me get my breath.  When I had another occurrence sometime later it was at that moment I realized the power of my thoughts.  I realized that if I didn’t think about the fact that I couldn’t breathe but focused my thoughts on breathing, and realizing no matter how I felt I was getting air, I was able to get passed the difficulty.  At that moment I took control of my thoughts and every time I have had this breathing issue since that time I keep my thoughts focused.  I even was able to help my father-in-law multiple times when he could not breathe due to his congestive heart failure.

So how powerful…

So how powerful really are our thoughts.  Some say that our thoughts make up 75-95% of physical and emotional issues others say nine-tenths.  The bottom line is that our thoughts play a big roll in our health, whether emotionally or physically.  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 7:23a.

It is so important not to allow how we feel to control how we think.  Now, this a lot easier said than done.  We have all been there.  We wake up feeling a little down, angry, discouraged, sick, etc. and we follow how we feel.  But we should not follow how we feel because it will destroy our day.

Moral Character

For me, I believe that our thoughts and our feelings make up our moral character.  How our thoughts go our feelings go and therefore we respond in kind.  If someone does something to us or someone we love, we may feel angry about it.  And there may be a good reason.  Maybe your kid got bullied at school or you were falsely accused of something you did not do, etc.

The Bible says, “Be ye angry, and sin not.”  And I think a lot of us stop there.  But we need to keep reading.  “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” Ephesians 4:26.  So when something initially happens we may be angry and for a good reason but we should not allow that anger to stay with us, otherwise, it becomes sin.  And it has an effect on our behavior, besides destroying our health.  This may be so difficult if you are living with an abusive spouse, parent, child, boss, friend, etc.  But it is imperative that we do this if we want to have our characters prepared for heaven.  If there is abuse involved we may need to physically separate ourselves from it.

Anger never affects the other person it only effects us.  Worry doesn’t help the situation or the person you may be worried about, it only effects you.  As we continue to dwell upon the negative we will have a negative response.  But if we dwell upon the positive we will have positive responses and it will transform our lives.

…Our health

Not only does the thoughts affect us negatively or positively emotionally but the same is true for our health.  Unfortunately, we live in a world of sin and death.  We are bombarded each day with things that can affect our health.  And if we have done all we can to keep the laws of health we may still get some sickness.  But our thoughts can play a roll and we can choose to control our thoughts.

I have seen and heard stories of people that have destroyed their health by their thoughts or gotten better by their thoughts.  When you are sick with something simple like a cold do you wallow in self-pity?  Or do you keep a positive outlook?  Those that keep a positive outlook get well sooner than those who do not.  Two people may be both doing the same things to get well but they are thinking different thoughts and there will be a different outcome.

Believe me, we all have been there.  When things are not going well it is easy to get discouraged and not be able to look on the positive side of things.  So I am not saying that this is an easy task.  But I believe it is possible with the help of our Saviour.  And the truth is that even if they don’t get well and end up dying they have lived a happier life.

I believe…

I believe that the Father’s presence encircled Christ, and nothing happened to Him but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world.  This was Christ source of comfort.  I believe that this can be the same for us.  If we are choosing to walk with Christ we will be filled with Christ through the Holy Spirit.  The blow (crisis, health issue, trial, etc.) that is aimed at us falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds us with His presence.  Whatever comes to us comes from Christ.  We have no need to resist all the blows, Christ is our defense.  Nothing can touch us except Christ gives permission.  And we know His promise which says,  “All things,” which He permits to happen, will “work together for good to them that love God.”  Romans 8:28

The key is to be abiding in Him.  We can’t be doing our own thing that is going against God’s laws whether they are health or civil laws and expect His blessing.  But if we are fully surrendered to Him everything that comes to us is for the purpose to refine us as gold that has been tried in the fire.  He wants us to see our need and come to Him and lay all our burdens upon Him and allow Him to carry us through.  And in the process, our characters are being refined.  This is not easy but it all boils down to trusting God.  How much trust do we have?

The Red Sea…

I think of the children of Israel when they were at the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was behind them.  Have you ever felt that there was a trial or crisis before you that was as insurmountable as what the children of Israel faced?  I sure have.  Even as I write I am in the midst of a crisis.  I don’t just write this only for you but it helps me to see what I need to be doing during the time of crisis and how I need to trust God.

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day:  for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.  The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” Exodus 14:13-14.  I love these verses.  This is a promise that as I am surrendered to the Lord He is there to fight my battles for me.  I need to follow His direction and trust Him through every circumstance.

This goes back to our thoughts.  We need to keep our thoughts on the promises of God.  And as we do this our feelings will fall into place, which will form a character that reflects Christ.  If we allow our feelings to be at the forefront they will be controlling our thoughts and our characters will be reflecting self.  A life of self is miserable for ourselves and those around us.  We need to keep things in the right order and God is the one that can help us do it.  He is the one that will part the sea.

Dear Father,

We need You so desperately!  We struggle with trusting You through every circumstance.  Lead us to Your promises as we see You.  We lay our plans and our circumstances before You asking You to take them and lead us through on the dry ground.  You have never promised to take the “sea” away but You have promised to walk us through the mist of the “sea” on dry ground.  You have promised to never leave us or forsake us.  We cling to those promises today.  Help us to keep our thoughts in tune with You.  Thank You for Your unfailing love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender your thoughts to Christ today.  Your thoughts are so powerful!

Love you all!

Have you seen the power of thought and how it affected you?  I would love to hear your story.  Share below.

 

 

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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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“Get Rid of the Clutter?!!”

It’s hard to believe…

It is hard to believe that we are already in 2019.  Time has passed so quickly and now we have to get started writing a new year.  Just about the time I am doing well at remembering the correct year to write the year it changes again.

Most people make some kind of New Years resolution or change that they hope to keep.  It seems that it is not always easy to do.  One of mine has been to exercise more regularly.  Exercise is so important and the older I get the more I realize it.  I know that when I regularly do cardiovascular and aerobic exercise, which I do by getting on my treadmill and lifting weights, I create more energy, have less pain, and get more done in a day.  You may be thinking, “How can you get more done in the day?”  It is really simple.  If you feel better and your mind is clearer you can accomplish more in less time.  It’s amazing.

Clutter

The other area that I wanted to work toward is to de-clutter my home.  With me working part to full time and homeschooling, besides doing a home business and helping my husband with his businesses, things have gotten out of hand.

One of the excuses I have made for not exercising is that I can’t even get to my treadmill because stuff is in the way.  So I took some time off of work to work on de-cluttering.  Now that my kids are older there have been lots of things that I could take to a second-hand store or just put in the trash.  So I have ended up with several boxes of second-hand items and several bags of garbage and I am not even done yet.

What I have learned through this whole process is that it would be easier if a person de-cluttered more often.  Maybe make a commitment to do a little de-cluttering every day or once a week.  It is less overwhelming when it is done a little at a time than waiting years and then doing it.

Our lives

It made me start to think about our spiritual lives.  Do our spiritual lives ever get cluttered?  I believe we do.  And it is easy to keep ignoring it.  But as we ignore it, it gets harder to actually make changes because it looks and feels too hard to do.  And we also start to get comfortable with the clutter.  But we don’t need to get discouraged or have it feel as if it is impossible.

As I have been de-cluttering areas of my house I have gotten some help here and there from my family but most of the work has been done by me.  My daughter was going to help me and she did some but she ended up getting sick.  So the main bulk of everything I de-cluttered was left to me.

God is our helper

But in our Christian walk, it is not the same, “Praise the Lord!”  Although doing stuff ourselves may be hard but it seems easier and automatic.  Humanly speaking we want to be in control so it is hard for us to let go and let God.  But He is the One that does the bulk of the work if we allow Him, and we are just His helpers.  So what is our part compared to His?

1.  Be much in prayer.

We need to be in prayer each day.  Asking God for forgiveness, cleansing, and for Him to fill our lives with His Holy Spirit.  We need to ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth before picking up and studying God’s Word.

2.  Study God’s Word

We need to be in the word everyday.  As we are studying God’s Word He will show us areas in our lives that need to have a cleaning.  The great news is that He does the cleaning as we cooperate with Him.  Our job is to surrender each area of our lives to Him as He shows us.

3.  Memorize His Word

We need to hide God’s Word in our hearts.  If there is an area in our lives that we are struggling with we can find a verse that we can claim whenever we are tempted.  Believe me, the devil is not going to leave you alone.  But you can have peace in surrender.

Let God clean

When God shows you areas of your life that need cleaning surrender it to Him.  Ask Him to take away the desire, claim His promises, and let Him work.  One thing about God He is a thorough cleaner.  We don’t have to worry about any area being left no matter how deep it is buried.

It is not easy to allow God to do the cleaning because that means we have to die to self.  Self has to go.  But God can even help us get rid of self as well.

Dear Father,

I want to surrender every area of my life to You starting out this new year.  Give me the strength to allow You to work within my life.  I do want to be clean so that I can be ready for Your soon coming.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today and let Him thoroughly clean up your life.

Love you all.

Do you have a testimony about how God has helped you in the cleaning process?  I would love to hear it.  Write it below.  Also, do you have a favorite promise that you cling to in time of temptation?  Please share it.

 

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“It is Too Late!!!”

To Late!

What is the feeling you get when you realize that you are too late?  Maybe there are some things that you are late for that don’t really bother you, like being late to church or to an appointment.  But there are other things that you may have a sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you did not make it, like your flight or maybe being late to work when you know it could mean you lose your job.

We are human and we can disappoint people many times because we are late or forget different things.  Maybe we forget an anniversary, birthday, or some special occasion.  Or maybe we miss or are late to a funeral, wedding, or something that means a lot to someone if we are there.  What would it be like if you are a bride or groom and you are late for your wedding?  There could be a lot of feelings like fear and anger.

What about God?

So what about God is He ever late?  In human thinking, I think we would all say at times, yes.  But when we go through a situation and we are able to look back most of the time we can see His leading and know that He is always right on time.

We have been in business for ourselves for close to 30 years in our area and it has not been the greatest since 2008.  After that time, we were not surviving and ended up in a lot of credit card debt.  For the last couple of years, we have not had money to pay our taxes so we have had to do an extension.

I finally went to work outside the home to try to help and we also started another business.  For our 2016 tax year, we had to extend and we filed in October of 2017.  We had some money we could send when we filed but we did not have the full amount.  We kept praying and asking for jobs with our new business because we knew if we just got one good job we could pay our taxes.  But it did not come.  Then one day we finally got a job.  It would be enough to pay our taxes but then there is a waiting game because we get paid from insurance companies.  God had it all under control because the check came like a day or two before the IRS bill.

God hurry up!

Have you ever felt frustrated with God about His timing?  I have been there multiple times and I know He is trying to teach me to trust Him.  And because I am failing He keeps bringing me around to the same trial again.  He wants me to trust Him no matter what happens.

Our taxes for 2017 were no different.  We had to extend and actually file in October.  I kept thinking I don’t have to worry because God has this, He will supply it when I need it.  But the time kept going by and no job to cover the taxes.  We filed in October of this year and were not even able to send money with the filing.  So we waited for the bill and the fine that would result.

And praise the Lord again we got a big job that would pay our taxes but there was a hitch.  The insurance company was not paying as quickly.  They were taking their time.  We had not received the tax bill yet but I knew it would be coming soon.  I started to get anxious and frustrated.  I failed to trust.

Soon the tax bill came and still no check.  I was like “Lord, why?”  My husband would call the company.  The person that writes the check is out of the office.  Or the most famous line of insurance company’s is “We are dropping it in the mail today.”  And then you call them a week later and they just dropped it in the mail yesterday.

I was rather fit to be tied at this point.  Knowing that a double fine was going to be happening if we did not get this check in the mail.  Yes, the check finally came.  It was going to be late so I tried to pay online but could not get it to work so we did second-day air to try and get it there on time and paid extra for it to happen.  Of course, it did not happen.  So it was late and yes we got more of a fine.

What is God trying to teach me?

So I start to question, what does God want to teach me through this whole experience.  I know that He wants me to trust Him through each circumstance.  A big thing that I am realizing is it is all His money.  If He wants to “waste” money on fines then it is really His business.

What I do is I start to look at all the things that I could use the money for, the bills that I could pay off so that we are closer to being out of debt, etc.  But God has other plans.  He wants to refine my character.  My money, time, family, debt, etc. all belong to Him and I need to let Him work out the details.  We have been following a plan to become debt free and I need to just give everything to Him and allow Him to keep it instead of continually taking it back.  The thing is that He always comes through.  It may seem late to me but His timing is never late.

I am sure I am not the only one that struggles with these issues.  I encourage you to trust Him fully.  And I can attest that God always comes through.  “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6, 7

Dear Father,

I know that You want to teach us to trust You.  Please forgive us where we have failed.  Give us the courage and strength to lay all in Your hands and to leave it there.  Thank You for Your love and patience with us.  Your love is way beyond our comprehension and we struggle with understanding it.  But we thank You for it.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today.  He loves you and wants the best for you.

Love you all.

Do you have an experience that you can look back and see the hand of God, even though when you were going through it you could not?  I would love you to share your experience below.

 

 

 

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“What is Whiter Than Snow?”

Snow!

I don’t know about you but I love this time of year to see all the beautiful snow that covers the earth.  Yes, there is a love-hate relationship with the snow because it takes so much work.  What I love about it is how it covers all the ugliness and makes everything look clean and white.

Although, if the truth is known, snow is rather deceiving.  It may look white but it is very dirty and unclean.  It amazes me that it even has a semblance of white when it gets to the ground.  But if you look at it really closely it is not really white.  It is absorbing all the toxins and dirt in the air.

This makes me think…

This makes me think of the Christian life.  We think that all the good things that we do are for the glory of God “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6.  We may think that we look as “white as snow” but if we look a little deeper we can see all the dirt mixed in.  I think of that dirt as self-woven into the Christian life.

Whiter than snow

How many of you have studied a spider web?  It amazes me every time I look at one and study it.  Spider webs are so intricate.  It reminds me of the way a life of a Christian should be.  But we cannot weave a web that is that intricate or perfect.  We need to let God do the weaving.  As we draw near to God, humbling our hearts, He will draw near to us.  It is God that does the work in us, by us, and through us to the glory of His name.  But if we weave self into the web, the beautiful pattern that He can create will be spoiled.

Our part is to allow Him to do the work in our lives and to follow Him as He leads us.  God does not just want to make us as white as snow.  He wants to purge us with hyssop so that we can be clean: wash us and make us whiter than snow. (See Psalms 51:7)

When we try to do the work on our own the “snow” is polluted with the “toxins” of this world and self.  We need to let go and let God do the work in us and cooperate with Him.  It is our decision but it is His power.

Dear Father,

Forgive us for trying to do things on our own.  Please help us to surrender all to You and to cooperate with Your leading in our lives.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today and let Him “weave” your life to be like Him.  And then you will be whiter than snow.

Love you all!

What memories do you have about snow?  And what spiritual lesson have you learned?  I would love to hear your experience.

 

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“Happy Thanksgiving!”

Thanksgiving!

What is Thanksgiving?  Is it all about the food?  Filling our guts until we can’t hold anymore and sitting down in misery?  Maybe we don’t think about the misery part but when you overeat you definitely feel it and it is no fun.  But a lot of people forget and do it all over again next year.

But when I think of Thanksgiving I think about family.  I think about it being a time for the family to get together and enjoy fellowship.  And to be thanking and praising God that He has brought us through another year, taking care of us through any trial or difficulty.

When you think about the first Thanksgiving, the year had not passed without difficulties.  They had lost family members; there were major difficulties they had overcome.  But the time of Thanksgiving was to praise the Lord for what they did have and for what God had brought them through.

Memorable

I am sure you have some memorable Thanksgivings.  As I sit here and think, there is one that comes to my mind.

Our family had gone for the day to my husband’s brother’s home.  All the children were still young enough that they enjoyed going outside and playing.  One of their favorite things to play was tag in the dark.  They would try not to come in the house because they would be afraid we would be ready to leave and if they showed up we would be prompted.

One year we were visiting as adults have a great time.  Suddenly someone came in with one of my boys.  There was a definite problem.  He had been running through the dark and ran into a barbed wire fence.  The warning had been issued but there are just some children that don’t really listen or think about it.

When I saw his eye I had to praise the Lord.  Right under his eye, he had been sliced open.  If he would have hit a little higher it would have been his eye and he probably would have been blind in one eye.  We immediately took him in for stitches.  Thanksgiving day was almost over but we had the biggest praise.

Then I thought

As I have sat here thinking about this story I thought about another aspect, a spiritual one.  For those of you that know my family you would know which child this happened to.  And we can think that he just never listens or does things without thinking.  These things are very true but how many of us do the same thing.  You might be thinking, “I have never been hurt like that, maybe once in my life but not like this kid.”

I can agree physically speaking but what about spiritually.  How many times do we not listen to God and what He is trying to tell us?  Maybe we don’t even study God’s Word because we don’t want to even know.

What happens is we end up with “wounds” when we choose not to listen?  God is the only One that can “Stitch” up those “wounds” but the scare will always be there.  Every time we make a decision in life we need to consider the “wounds” we cause ourselves or others and whether it is worth it.  But most of the time we don’t even think we just do what seems right feels right, or just what we want to do.

Dear Father,

Help us to examine our lives to see where we really are.  We need You to stay close to us and not give up on us.  Give us the courage to study Your Word and listen to Your voice.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to be thankful this year.  Surrender all to God and listen to His voice.

Love you all!

Do you have a memorable Thanksgiving?  I would love to hear your story. Share below.

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“It’s Broken?!!”

Is it really broken?

Have you ever had something quit working and you wondered if it was really broken?  You looked it all over but couldn’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be working.  Or may you drop something and you pick it up and looked it over very carefully and didn’t see any cracks or any evidence of a problem.  But the next day it falls apart in your hand.

I work at a print shop and run the big digital machine.  There are so many intricate parts and pieces, along with the fact that it is digital that many things can go wrong.  Recently, I came into work and started the process of doing all the things I need to do to prepare the machine for the day, cleaning, calibrating color, etc.  It wasn’t long into the process when the machine gave me an error code.  The error let me know that I need to change a part that is called the cleaning web.  It is a web that runs through its cycle and you have to take it out and put and new one in.

The company where we bought the machine leaves some parts there that are easy for me to change out and the webbing is one of them.  I have done it before and it is very easy to do.  I swapped out the parts but there was a problem.  When I put the new part in, the machine was not detecting it as a new part so it would not let me print.  I had to call the service department to come in and fix the problem.  Now when you call service and when you actually get someone to respond to your call it can be several hours before someone comes to fix it and that means not printing for several hours.

What else could I do?

I had another cleaning web.  It wasn’t brand new but a tech had replaced the webbing part of it so that I could reuse it.  So I decided to try it to see if it would work.  But it did not work either.

When I finally got a call from a tech guy to let me know when he could make it out, he told me that when you replace just the webbing of the part you need to make sure and wind past the blue strip before it will register.  I let him know that I did not replace the webbing part myself it was a whole brand new part, done by a tech.  Then he let me know he couldn’t come out but would try to find someone that could.  I had so much printing to do that it was hard to wait.

I went to the Bindery department and started helping them out.  The Lord gave me this idea.  We actually have two places in the machine that have this same part.  I thought that maybe if I swapped out the parts it would register.  So when I went to go try that I noticed that the cleaning web that I had used that the tech had put new webbing in was not wound past the blue line.  So I did I wound it and yay it registered with the machine and I was able to get on printing.  I still had the brand new one that wouldn’t work but I wasn’t concerned because I would have the tech figure that out when he came in.  Now I was up and running and that was all that mattered.

New Webbing

I was thinking about the cleaning web and how it relates to our relationship to God.  The brand new part reminds me of how God wants to give us a brand new heart.  Where the problem starts to happen is when we try to do things on our own.  We have come to God and given Him our heart and he has come in a given us a new heart but then we start to try to do things on our own.  And at that point, our new part is not registering with the “Machine”, the One that can keep our heart clean and keep our spiritual machine running correctly.

Then there is the side where we don’t really want God to replace our heart and give us a new one we just want to do a little cleaning.  So on our own, we try to replace the “webbing” but the problem, we have is that blue line and our lives are not registering with the “Great Machine” (God).  And the blue line is sins that we aren’t willing to give up and they are coming between God and us.  But the beauty is that if we confess the Lord will forgive and it will be just like winding the web forward, we will be able to connect with God.

What should we do?

Stay connected to God each day by prayer, the study of His Word, and putting His Word to memory.  Put your full trust in Him to do the work in your life.  He will lead you and when He shows you the path follow His leading.

The Lord is in no hurry.  A lot of times we begin to weave in our human threads to compose the pattern of the web.  But He waits until we lay down our own human inventions and will accept His way and will.  Then He can come in and do a marvelous work in us.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You will do the work in our lives if we allow You.  Lord, we need Your help in doing this.  We are so weak and feeble.

Lord, I give you permission 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 myself 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.  Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today and allow Him to weave the web of your life.

What has been a help to you in your walk with the Lord?  I would love to have you share about your experience.