Just Like Clockwork

                                         

Our feelings, along with our thoughts, tell our mind what our body needs. Negative feelings show us unresolved conflicts. They can also simulate a situation that is not happening, but it is so real in our mind that it makes the brain think it is actually happening.

If our feelings are negative, our brain gets negative messages and sends chemicals to treat those negative issues. This causes damage to some of our physical organs, even though nothing is actually wrong.

For instance, we may feel stress from imagined danger. Our mind sends chemicals to fight or to flee from the danger. There is no real danger, so this unnecessary surge of chemicals cause us to develop chronic illnesses.

Every beat of our heart sends electromagnetic frequencies and laser-like emissions of light from our heart to our DNA in our body; so that we can adapt to or overcome issues in our environment (Isaiah 58:8).

If we only treat the physical symptoms, which present at any given moment in our life, we are still sick from the cause of those symptoms; and in many cases the medication causes new illnesses from their side-effects.

Pharmaceuticals, which we take (pharmaceuticals from the root word pharmakeia meaning "sorcery" - Strongs 5331), rarely if ever heal the root cause of our illnesses, and open us up to other diseases caused by the medication.

Yet, if we treat our negative thoughts and feelings (Biblical counseling), spine (chiropractor), kidney and gastroenterological issues (eat organic and take supplements our body lacks) and restore these four entities to function positively, we are healed from most of our diseases. 

We can listen to sage advice from other people who have been healed from diseases with which we currently live. We can change our lifestyle from one of sin and convenience to a spiritual side and a holistic approach with organic food and supplements.

Our convenience and processed foods, along with genetically modified foods, antibiotics and pesticides are often the culprits making us ill. As we walk in the Holy Spirit, and listen to His advice, He teaches us what we are doing that is making us sick and what to do in order to walk in health.

God wants only the best for us; and He will lead us to read articles or books, to meet people and learn wisdom from them in order to help us to overcome our negative lifestyle in our habits, thoughts, words and deeds. Then we can enjoy a life complete in Christ, just like clockwork (Colossians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, we are more wondrously and intricately made than we ever realized (Psalm 139:14). The parts of our body are inter-related and inter-connected with the same precision as our solar system; each part intricately dependent on each other part to function at optimal level. Lead us to the functional medical practitioners that will truly help us to heal, rather than incorrectly prescribing medication that may remove a symptom, but ultimately cause side-effects which will complicate our bad health.

Teach us to eat foods in the ways that You designed for us, in as pure an environment as we can attain on this sin-cursed earth. Ultimately, however, we place our trust in Your Spirit within us to lead us to reduce illness, repair bodily functions and walk in ultimate mental, emotional and spiritual health until You see fit to take us home. We look forward to our reunion with You in Heaven (Psalm 116:15).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus spent His last three years on earth traversing through cities and villages; teaching, preaching the Kingdom of God, healing sickness and disease; and having compassion for the multitudes of weary masses who were scattered without a shepherd. - Matthew 9:35-36

Learn more at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZAu7azfXt0

Healing Relationshiips - Part 1

There are four types of human relationships. We all fit into one of them, or a combination of several:

Independent - self-sufficient

Codependent - live for others

Dependent - despise living alone, have no personal
                   identity 

Interdependent - mutual, reciprocal relationship 

These relational types describe how we relate to other people. If we are already functioning in interdependent relationships, we are healthy and have healthy interactions.

Otherwise, we are in needy, dysfunctional relationships, which are unhealthy for us and the other people in our life. Changing our beliefs about life and our self, and altering our attitude will bring needed healing to our soul.

In dysfunctional associations, we expect the magic of a fairytale existence; we pride our self in living as the martyr or savior; we give sacrificially and then feel anger and bitterness when we do not receive the love we believe we are owed in return.

In unhealthy relationships, our self-worth is based outside of our self, in people, places and things. We desire financial security, privacy, status in society, respect, degrees or popularity. We resent any change or adjustment required of us.

However, everything in life is fluid, temporary and undependable. We even disappoint our self. We cannot look to external values and relationships for our security.

When we concentrate on maintaining the status quo, we fail miserably every time we try. That is why the Serenity Prayer has grown in popularity.

Following its advice will ensure that we keep our focus on eternal matters, rather than on temporal issues, which cannot help but to disappoint us. We will also walk in God’s will each moment of every day.

Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

“Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.  
-by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

Thought for the Day:

Attempting to control our environment and relationships will guarantee that we suffer from stress-related issues, as well as to alienate those who mean the most to us. 

No Higher Honor

 

Have you ever met a "control freak"? They attempt to subjugate the people and events around them. Some of them desire to wield power. Others are insecure and endeavor to control their environment to ensure their safety. A third type of control freak was oppressed as a child; and, as an adult, vowed never to allow that to happen again.

The greatest problem with control freaks is that they are rebellious to God's authority in their life. They do not seek His will, but they make their own plans and move mountains to attain them. Some of them manipulate, demand, steal and finagle to get their own way. Their motivation is to preserve their concept of their own self-worth, because their value comes from their achievements (Colossians 2:8).

Control freaks actually believe that God let them down; therefore, they must make their own way in life. Satan reinforces this confusion by using commercials, billboards, social media, office politics, family expectations and a host of other worldly standards to force the unwitting to base their value on earthly concepts.

The problem is that even the richest, most powerful, successful and beautiful people in the world never really believe they have attained the pinnacle of acceptance they so crave. The devil convinces them that they are actually unlovable and unacceptable in order to keep them on the rungs of that illusive ladder of success.

They even perceive rejection from others when it is not there. A muddle of inferiority, hopelessness, insignificance and self-criticism overwhelms them. It is only in the very center of God's will that we find our true joy and contentment (Philippians 4:11-13). He redeemed us from our sinful lifestyle and adopted us into His very own family (1 John 3:1). There is no honor in life higher than this.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for creating us with Your purpose in mind (Psalm 139:13; Ephesians 2:10). You gave each of us gifts and talents, which we need in order to accomplish Your will for our life (Romans 12:6). There is no need for us to strive to achieve success that is out of Your will for us. Even when we accomplish our goals, they will ring empty and hollow. Thank You for adopting us as Your children. Help us to find our worth only in our relationship with You.

Thought for the Day:

God's Biblical principles are our standard and give us wisdom for living; apart from Him we are nothing. - John 15:5

Healthy Sense of Self for Christians - Part 2, Led By the Spirit

Human beings are the result of all of the nature and nurture that God provided for us in our lifetime. He intended that we have the parents, the environment and the genes that we have in order to be the person He needs us to be. This way He can use us to help others with our unique skills and talents. But we do not have to indiscriminately help everyone who needs our help.

Love does not mean giving people what they want, it is following the Spirit’s leading in everything we do and say. Reaching a balance in the area of ministry is both basic and simple. If God does not give you peace to comply with someone’s request or a need that they may have, then do not get involved. God teaches us to develop healthy boundaries based on the Holy Spirit’s direction. This is crucial for creating a safe place - a home base - for the authentic person whom God created us to be, as we follow His will throughout our day.

Many of the ministry needs that we try to respond to may appear Biblical on the surface. The issue is legitimate and the person is in real need. However, serving others without Spirit-led boundaries eventually starts to feel like slavery and bondage, and may even cause us to grow more and more resentful and angry in our soul. If the Holy Spirit does not direct us to get involved and we do so anyway, this can have an oppressive effect on us, because it becomes a “works” brand of Christianity.

Let me give you one example from Jesus’ life. He walked among the multitude of sick people beside the pool of Bethesda (John 5: 1-18). They all needed His help, but He only healed one of them. He could have spoken a word and healed them all at once; or He could have sat there the whole day and ministered to each one individually. However, He followed His Father’s directions instead of humanisticly responding to all of the needs (John 5:19). Jesus set boundaries, and He gave us an example of how to set them too.

If we do not set limits on our activities as the Holy Spirit directs us to do, then our responses to other people come merely from the complex network of carnal thoughts and emotions in our soul. We may have a nagging sense of doubt and shame because of our past; therefore, we are driven to help by the fear of rejection. We may fear that God disapproves of us when we meet our own basic needs, so we spend all of our time caring for others instead.

If we do not follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we run the risk of getting worn out and of distancing our self from God, which will cause us to lose our spiritual anchor. Anything that affects our spiritual, mental and emotional well-being also affects our physical well-being. Hospitals and doctors offices are full of people with psychosomatic (mentally induced) illnesses.

God has a much richer plan for us, in which learning to love ourselves is vitally tied to learning to love our neighbor. Having a solid, healthy sense of who we are in Christ, and of our God-inspired, unique individuality, goes hand-in-hand with being able to enter into loving “interdependent” relationships with our family, our church and our community.

When you feel overwhelmed, take a time out and hide beneath the shadow of the Almighty. Seek refuge under His wings. This keeps out unwanted intruders of doubt, insecurity, fear and obligation, and provides a safe place where you can grow and develop as an individual. The sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit during these times does a complete work in our body, soul and spirit. He renews our strength and He equips us to perform the works that God calls us to achieve. 

This “home base” provides a place to gather our authentic thoughts and feelings, as well as gives us the time needed to decide whom we are in Christ – without the fear of being shamed or verbally attacked by well-meaning brethren. This is a secret place where we can honestly face the realities of our life. We can also ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance and ask God for the strength to be able to step aside and to allow Christ to accomplish His will through our life.

God's plan for our self-development involves a building up of our selves in a grace-filled, restorative experience of Christ in us, which is our hope of glory. This way, we can live less like Martha who frantically rushed around serving others – and more like Mary who allowed herself to sit at Jesus' feet first (Luke 10:38-42). From this passage, it is clear that God does not want us to give out of obligation. He wants our giving to flow from our genuine desire to serve Him and from our choice to obey the leading of His Spirit.

Being able to choose the boundaries we feel comfortable with is a key step in being able to give genuinely, rather than under compulsion. As we spend time with Him, and receive His grace and care for us, there is a natural overflow of this love, grace and caring outwards to others. Allowing one's “self” to be built up in Christ's love makes it possible for us to serve others out of love, rather than out of coercion or codependence.

How do we know where to draw our boundaries? How do we know how much giving is too little or too much? No two people have the same boundaries. To answer this we need to listen to our own soul – our mind, will and emotions - and to the leading of the Holy Spirit within us. Service without boundaries easily leads to resentment and anger. It is not the amount we are giving that counts, but the process – serving from a cheerful heart – that really matters. If God does not give you peace to comply with a request or a need, then do not get involved.

Giving of one's “self” as an overflow of the grace we have experienced may not always come easily or without difficulty or pain, as Jesus showed by his life and death. God wants to put His hands around our tiny "sparks" of genuine giving and to nurture them gradually into a torch blazing with agape love. Our light will then shine like a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14). With God's hands sheltering our obedience to His Spirit from the winds of guilt, shame and perfectionistic expectations, our love can grow – step by little step – into a flame of genuine caring and nurture. This allows God to minister through us only to those to whom He leads us.
 
Allowing God to build up our feelings of self-worth and to help us to develop secure boundaries is a spiritual priority. Allowing God to teach us to say "No" is more important to our spiritual growth than saying "Yes" to yet another "spiritual" activity. We do not always need to have a clearly articulated or spiritual-sounding reason for saying, "No." If God is not leading you to say, “Yes,” then by all means, please say, “No.”

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, prompt us to take time to just sit at Your feet like Mary did and to soak up God's grace until we are filled with Your Spirit. Then, help us to serve others from a place free of resentment. If we do find ourselves not feeling genuinely led to give, help us not to force ourselves, but to obey the Spirit who leads us by His peace from within.

Thought for the Day:

Our giving comes from a genuine desire and freedom to serve God. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7