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I have seen a lot of
suffering over the years. One
lady in particular that I counseled summed it up by having all of the
phobias and “terrors of the night” that I’d been seeing rolled
into one. She panicked and
imagined the worst, before there was even any real problem to worry
about. Her life was
severely impacted and she couldn’t move forward in any direction.
She clung to people in her life as if she were drowning and felt
that she could never be happy unless people were constantly reaffirming
her worth by showing her love, or what she perceived to be signs of
love, (which was often closer to abuse). Today people are crying
out in very real agony over rising bills, medical expenses and more and
more sicknesses that “seem”* to
require doctors and medicines than ever before. Our generation has been
made to believe that we all have to live this way.
We expect we’ll need a mortgage, car payments, insurance
burdens in case of this and that, college expenses worse than mortgage
costs, and then we live in fear of the dreaded popular diseases that
“of course all people get”. ** In fact, every month or
two the television commercials and doctor’s news warn us of a new
“flavor” of sickness, and we sometimes obediently develop the
symptoms, whether there really is a germ there or not.
Even if we don’t get the sickness they’re subtly programming
into our belief system, we become further burdened by worry that we
might. We are “warped”
into patterns of thought and emotions that are not naturally present all
the time and are undermining our health and our lives. At least ten years ago,
my youngest sister told me that she believed the tribulation would be an
emotional battle, not necessarily anything of substance and real.
If this is true, one would think we must surely be in the middle
of it. Has there ever been
a time of suffering greater than this? Yet at the same time,
has there ever been a more glorious and wonderful time to live than
this? This generation is
marked by a lack of self-control, lack of self-respect and what I call
“the terrors in the night” that the enemy can put into your heart if
you are not firmly anchored in the Lord. The burdens in our society combined with other factors, lead to depression, chaos and obsessions/addictions, and yes, it could look like an emotional and spiritual tribulation. Obsessions such as the
woman mentioned above, where she must be loved (or abused) by a man to
be happy, I hear the echo of millions of people, men and women, who are
going down similar paths. Child
molesters, drug addicts, over-spenders with overdrawn bank accounts, it
seems to be all one in the same problem.
A desperate searching for something more than we have, for
something that can fill the void inside us. What we need to do is
STOP. A giant stop sign
should be painted on our eyeglasses.
Stop and stand still, be thankful for what you have and where you
are. Stop and stand still,
know that God is there, all powerful and capable of delivering you to
safety. Stop so that you can
see that there IS no real danger around you, other than what you create. The over spending, too
many possessions, burdens of having to care for, insure, clean and move
all that we have, are taxing our minds and our bank accounts.
We set up chores to do, taking the children to events, extra jobs
that have to be manned, and more babies.
We feel obligated to do things for everyone around us that we
have no time for, and no business loading onto our schedules.
Always MORE. (More
than human beings were designed to bear.) The
keyword is LESS. Clean
out your closets and home, give much away.
Clean out your schedule books, and clean out your minds and
hearts. Return to an
awareness of the basics of mankind.
Knowing who you are, where you are hoping to go, and what is
truly important in this short span of life between birth and death.
Learn what is truly your obligation or job, and what is not. When you are
discovering yourself again, be still and know the power and the wonder
of the Lord. Seek HIM
alone, first and with all of your heart, and HE will add to your life
all that needs to be in it. Be faithful to your
spouse, and attentive to your children’s TRUE needs.
The most important thing to pass on to them is the knowledge of
and obedience to the God who will judge us. Our people are in
desperate need of some kind of sanctuary, a place to hide from the
constant, relentless pressure and the voices that demand more. The Holy Spirit IS that
sanctuary, and we can increase His effectiveness by finding a quiet
place to seek Him. Hollow out, empty out, a prayer closet in your home, or find
a nearby park bench. Find a
church that will allow you to come inside and pray, and a person who
knows the Lord well to assist you back onto a good path. READ your Bible; know
scripture yourself in increasing amounts.
The enemy can’t fight against the Word of God.
Use it as a sword and learn spiritual warfare.
There are many books on the subject, and you can train yourself
to be the victor instead of the victim. The battle is the
Lords, God said. The decisions are already made and won, it is simply our
place to act in obedience and learn.
To know and stand upon the firm ground of God’s power working
in our lives. (There are
“faith confessions” on this website that will help you as
“tools” to accomplish this.) Your emotions are the
ripe soil that the enemy loves to plant seeds of destruction in, but by
controlling your mind and reactions, determining that you will take
every issue and concern to the Lord before you allow your emotions to
kick in, you can thwart his plans. Control the gardens of
your spirit, and allow only God to plant in them.
Remember the verses about hearing of wars and calamity, and
rumors of wars, but knowing that the end is not yet.
Let these constant alarms wash past you without sticking.
Don’t be overly concerned about terrorism, war or starvation.
Obey the Lord and follow His “recipes” for having abundance
and having your needs met, and you will walk among these things
untouched. There is no need to get
upset over who is elected to office, who may threaten us, or which
hurricane is headed this way. Everything that there
is belongs to the Lord. The
storms and the seas belong to the Lord, and obey His voice.
They will obey ours too, if we grow strong in the Lord and learn
to use His anointing power. (Jesus
said, “These things and more shall you do if you believe on me…”) Everything that exists,
that belongs to the Lord, is given to God’s people, freely and
abundantly available for the people who claim the name of Jesus.
(Jesus said, “I have come that you
might have life and have it more abundantly.”)
(God supplies my needs through Christ Jesus.) Everywhere you stand is
Holy Ground, if you love the Lord.
Everything you touch, or lay your hand to, can be victorious and
successful, if you first tend to what is important.
Tend to God’s business first, seeking Him, and all other things
will be made right for you. (Jesus
said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be
added unto you.”) This generation today
doesn’t know that it is all right to do things differently, or simply,
or to NOT get caught up in the fads of the moment.
They don’t know that there were simpler ways of doing each
task, and if our modern ways are unavailable to us, there are the basic
ways, the first ways that worked well for our forefathers, that we can
still use. On the Internet there
are many websites devoted to teaching a simpler life, cooking and making
due with what you have. It’s
called frugal living, and responsible living. For instance, at
Christmas time, do your adult children and friends know that it isn’t
necessary to go into debt to give a good, loving gift?
There are many things we can make, or just enjoy the company of a
person in place of a gift. If your power is off,
do you know how to cook? If
water is not safe to drink after a storm, do you know how to purify
water? There are many
natural and old-fashioned solutions to life’s problems that will
empower us if we learn them now. Why are these things
that are so crucial to life, not taught to our children in school?
Because the eyes of the world are on false things, “gods” if
you prefer to use that word. We
prepare them to live IN the world AS part of the world, but what happens
when the “world” fails them? When
disasters strike and governments fall. Search for the websites
that teach the “old” skills. Take
a cooking class, to learn how to bake breads and pies better.
Take a sewing class and discover a whole new world of clothing
opportunities. Learn to cut your
children’s hair, and to repair your own car.
As you learn these things, share them with your family, and
experience quality time together, as well as quantity time. The television is a
wonderful thing, but it will tell you lies.
The constant marketing brainwash is to make you dependent on
products and lifestyles they want to sell you.
They show families living in unreal situations and make you
believe if your family doesn’t respond this same way, there must be
something wrong with you. Unrealistic
expectations bring sorrow, and failure.
Avoid hearing and seeing them. Simpler lifestyles and
needing less will free you up for the important joys in life.
You’ll have more money for a vacation, or to pay off your debts
and live without so much shame and fear. More importantly, to
have money for the real crises that come along, dental needs, unexpected
car repairs, or sudden job transfers that require a move.
The things that we normally don’t set aside money for because
we’re so caught up in the “world”. Being happy is a
CHOICE. It is a system of
electrical brain wave activity that triggers memories and emotions.
Caused by internal chemicals produced by the body through
physical activity and certain foods you eat, and by repetition.
Did you know that you train yourself to feel and act in certain
ways, by repeating them? You can train yourself
to feel happy by working this system backwards.
Begin by putting a smile on your face.
It will trigger a backwards response of the feeling of happiness.
Your subconscious and your body will not know the difference, and
will give you the health benefits of happiness, as well as get yourself
into the habit. Each time
you do it, it will get easier to feel it all over. Next, get more
activity. Move your body.
Get outside and walk, or march in place in your house, but you
must increase the activity level enough and for long enough, to trigger
the endorphins your brain produces that cause a feeling of happiness. We don’t get enough
clean air to breathe usually, so doing this outside will give you twice
the benefit, unless you live in a city with smog.
Sometimes our doom and gloom is actually a response to the lack
of sufficient fluids in our body, and the lack of movement of our
muscles. Another great robber of
joy is the lack of proper lighting in our homes and work places.
We must have a certain amount of strong light in a day, or we
suffer from a well-known and documented condition of seasonal depression
from light deficiency. It’s
not just green plants that need sunlight to thrive! There are many kinds of
light in sunlight, and our bodies need them all.
We produce certain necessary vitamins from being exposed to
sunlight, but don’t overdo it. People
who are taking medications should check with their pharmacist to find
out if sunlight is not recommended for people on your medication. You could also install
more and brighter lights in your home.
Do that anyway, to save your eyesight. So to start you on an
immediate course change and down the path of happiness and fulfillment,
these simple things can be done today and cost nothing! 1. Read your Bible and use scripture for promises, for a chant
in meditation and for a weapon to prevent harm. Rely on God for your
needs and for your security. (Find
the tools here: www.blessingmeadowsministries.com/faith_confessions.htm) 2. Find a place to go regularly where you can be alone and seek
God. Pray, meditate, and
just listen to nature. Listen
to the wind and the rain, and imagine what God wanted you to hear in its
voice. These things are
naturally calming, they’re the music that God programmed the earth to
sing to you, to aid your healing. 3. Sort out your home and eliminate both possessions and
obligations. Pare it down
to the barest minimum that you can stand, and then keep going now and
then to eliminate more. Pare
down expenses too, and experience the joy of having more money.
Practice saying no, and as you get better at it you’ll
experience a feeling of power. (Read
this article for more help: Ten
Ways Family and Friends Use You ) 4. Get physically moving. Brisk
walks of 15 minutes or more are your goal, or marching in place or
dancing. Anything that gets
your heart pumping and your mind focusing on the next step instead of
your next problem. Start
with 5 minutes at a time, and work up to it.
Imagine how much more joy you will have when you lose weight, or
firm up muscles and can DO more physically than before! 5. Get outside and breathe fresh air! Learn to breathe deeper and fill your lungs.
Breathe from your diaphragm and expand your chest, not just your
tummy. Take a few minutes
each day to open the doors and windows and exchange the stale air inside
for fresh air outside. Don’t
worry; our homes are still more polluted inside than the air outside
most days. (Deep breathing
along with massaging your tummy helps keep your internal organs
stimulated and in good health.) 6. Install more lights in your home and open the curtains.
Let the sunshine in, and get outside in the middle of the day for
a few minutes to be “shined on”.
This exposure to sunlight resets our clocks too and aids natural
sleep, as well as helping the body produce the chemicals and vitamins it
needs to. (You may have
heard of a condition called SAD, meaning depression that is seasonal,
brought on by lack of sunlight during winter months.) 7. Adjust your sleeping schedule.
Go to bed a bit earlier each night and get up a bit earlier in
the morning. Some people
are sleep deprived, but most people experience fatigue as a symptom of
depression, and more actual sleep isn’t what’s needed, just an
adjustment of the hours. 8. Look in libraries and on the Internet (and in magazines) for
information on how you can live simply.
Look for older ways to do things, alternatives and cheaper ways.
Learn to make your gifts and your own clothes.
Ask older people in your community to share their knowledge. Bake
more, and teach your children to do these things.
Share time with the family as you explore frugal living.
(Baking goodies yourself with olive or coconut oil, will
eliminate deadly trans fats from your diet which will give you longer
life, a trimmer body and greater overall health.
It also creates memories your children can keep of you long after
you have passed on.) 9. Perhaps most importantly, change your way of thinking.
If you find yourself often being negative or jealous of the good
fortune of others, or their incomes or vacations, or if you criticize
easily. At first, though it
sounds mechanical, say out loud phrases such as “I wish the best for
them”, “God bless _____”, “I’m so glad for these people, and I
hope they get even more joy, money, health, etc.” Don’t
allow yourself to speak negative opinions or conjecture about why
someone has bad luck and don’t make negative observations about
people. When you point out
someone’s flaws, you are narrowing your spiritual heart and squeezing
the Holy Spirit out of you. You
should be inviting more of Him in, not pushing Him out of your life by
your unholy words and thoughts. If
a negative thought about someone comes into your mind, immediately say
“God, I bless __(name of person)”.
Add with it a big smile and let it seep into your heart. Know
that God alone will judge people and He is keeping everyone in His
hands, ordaining their lives and fulfilling what people’s behavior and
beliefs are dishing out to them. It’s
not your place to name a person’s sin; God sees everything.
When you call someone else’s sin into the spotlight, some of
that light is going to point right back at you and reveal all that you
have wrong in your life. Jealousy
and envy are symptoms of a fear of lack.
If you truly believed that God would and WILL give you all the
desires of your heart, you would not have time to be jealous over
someone else’s goods. You’d be claiming all that you want in Jesus’ name,
speaking the words before the reality appears, to make it appear! Use the faith confessions below to claim more of what you
want. 10.
Remember that you are SPIRIT inside a body temporarily.
You will never die, but only change your clothing in death.
You are NOT just a body with a spirit somewhere inside. Body is not most important; it is only a vehicle to get you
around while you are here on this earth. Therefore
the body can be ugly, deformed or poor, yet it serves just as well
whatever purpose God put us here for.
Don’t allow the fads of our day to convince you that money,
beauty and health are all important. Understanding
ourselves and knowing our relationship with God, is what is ALL
important. How you interact
with others, how you have helped others, and how your spirit and joy
ease the passing of this life for those around you, is important as
well. * Our
bodies were designed to heal themselves, and they do a remarkable job.
Every cell is in communication constantly with other cells and
with the brain. The moment
a virus or organism tries to invade, it knows what to do and goes about
doing it as long as the body is not depleted of rest and basic minerals,
vitamins and chemicals to do this job. All
that we need was supplied to us in the foods we eat, and in simple plant
materials (herbs) that God provided here on earth. The knowledge of how to heal ourselves beyond what the body
can do, is known by ancient peoples, - such as the Native American
tribes, Ayurvedic medicine in India, and Chinese medicine in the
mountains of Tibet. A body
given the basic building blocks of nutrition and rest will right itself
if we stop knocking it off its feet (figuratively).
We can also help this process with meditation, guided imagery,
EFT, reflexology (which is based on the acupressure points from the
Ancient Chinese knowledge), and energy from healing hands and prayer.
Don’t
underestimate the power of God to heal a person either.
This one power deserves it’s own book.
For more information on these subjects, see my pages on health and healing: Faith Confessions To Claim God's Power And Put It To Work Good
News, Here is the Power to Overcome! Natural Cures Found In Common Foods Quick,
Simple Method To Stop Pain and Heal Physically or Emotionally **
As I said, our bodies were
designed to heal themselves and to interact in this world with all of
these known bacteria and viruses. Many
people never come down with something they’ve been exposed to, and I
think this is the way God had intended originally.
If we keep our minds clean of emotional clutter, and live simply, in joy and thanksgiving, we can avoid much of the illness that is going around. Read more about how to do this here: Damage Control For Your Health Creating
Abundance Through Brainwave Frequency You may use this article to post on your site or send to a friend in an email, as long as the following bio remains with the article and nothing is removed. Lisa Tyler pastors the Blessing Meadows Ministries Church and is a writer and artist. You can read more of her work and devotionals at www.blessingmeadowsministries.com.
© Lisa Tyler 2007
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