I am grateful that God gave me athletic abilities and all the fun I got to have in sports over the years; that I got to play on a soccer team, softball, swim team, basketball, volleyball and track teams. :)
I'm grateful that God made school relatively easy for me and that I always enjoyed learning.
I'm grateful that God always gave me good friends in every grade or group; that I always had people to hang out with and talk to.
I'm grateful I never had to live alone, that I have always had someone there for me, to share life with. :)
I'm grateful for all the times my step-dad took our family out to eat. I love eating out! :) And for the movies he took us to. :)
I'm grateful for Jesus of course, and that he died for me so I can go to heaven someday. :)
I'm grateful for great churches I have been in, great church people that have felt like family, and great sermons.
I'm grateful for Hillsong worship music and how it just leads me right into God's presence every time! For how phenomenal they are and their brilliance in song writing and for how real and inspired their lyrics are.
I am grateful for all the times I got to sing in school assemblies and churches etc. Even though I was super nervous for them, they were all fun experiences.
I am grateful that I have mostly gotten to live in California and for the beautiful weather there.
I am super grateful for the beach and all the fun I have had boogie boarding in the waves.
I am grateful that Disneyland, Seal World, Knotts and 6 Flags exist and are so much fun! :)
I am grateful for the camps I got to work with and go to all these places for free. :)
I am grateful for all the jobs I have gotten to have with kids and how fun they have been. :)
I am grateful that I never stayed with the wrong person for too long. That God made me wise enough to break things off when they needed to be. :)
I am grateful that in everything God has guided me and showed me what to do.
I'm grateful for all the times I have gotten to move and explore and see NEW things. :) woohoo! :)
I am grateful that the end is near, at least I think it is, and that Jesus will take us home to heaven soon. :)
I am grateful for all the pools I have gotten to swim in over the years and all the fun I had with friends at the pool when I was younger. :)
I am grateful for the laptop I currently have and that it is so fast and easy to use. :)
I am grateful, very grateful, for fruit and how good it tastes while still being good for me. :)
I am grateful for encouraging Bible verses that have lifted my soul so many times. :)
I am grateful that God is always listening to me, that he is always here beside me and I always feel him and know that he is protecting me. :)
I am grateful that the Holy Spirit lives inside of me and guides me into seeing things more clearly about the Bible, about life.
I am grateful for comfortable clothes and tennis shoes that don't hurt my feet lol. :)
I am grateful that I have a comfortable bed to sleep in; people in most other countries do not. :(
I am grateful for all the times both my grandmas put me to work and trained me to love working and find joy in getting things done. :)
I am grateful for good movies I have seen that have taught me more about life and broadened my view of things.
I am grateful for raisin bread; I really, really like cinnamon raisin bread. lol :)
I am grateful for all the road trips I have gotten to do with my mom and brother; being in Vegas together, seeing Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and Colorado Rockies. So many good times. :)
I am grateful for the time I got to hike down the Grand Canyon and camp out with friends after high school. :)
I am grateful that I have always had enough money, enough to meet my needs, but not too much as that may have spoiled me. :)
I am grateful that for the most part I am content with what I have; I love my car, the clothes I already have, things we have etc.
ah....so many things to be grateful for in life for sure..... :)
Saturday, June 22, 2013
I Am Grateful For....
I am incredibly grateful for my husband first and foremost.
He always gets me groceries, whatever I need, which I always find amazing lol. I hate the process of carrying them in so it is so nice that he is willing to get them. :)
I am grateful that he is so sweet and so kind to me. :)
That he takes me out to eat a lot and to the movies.
I am grateful that we will be having a baby soon. I can't wait to see what he or she will look like!
I am grateful that my mom is a good mom and that she raised me in the church. :)
I am grateful for air conditioning. I really don't like the heat lol. :)
I am grateful for winter and snow and pretty landscapes.
I am grateful somewhat for summer in that you can go swimming in the summer. :)
I am grateful that Ben and I might be moving to Texas soon and we might get into the nicest apt I will have ever lived in! I am so excited about that! May God open the doors. :)
I am grateful that Ben doesn't mind working 12 hours a day so I won't have to and I will be able to stay home with the baby. :)
I am grateful for this blog and that it gives me a sense of purpose in life and something to do with all my time.
I am grateful for my brother and best friend Ashley and how they have always been there for me. :) For all their great advice over the years. :)
I am grateful that I have a very godly grandma who encouraged me to follow God as best as I could. :)
I am grateful that most of my family is Christian or at least religious, so we have always been united and there has always been a lot of love there. :)
I am grateful for all the pets I have gotten to have over the years. They were all so wonderful and so cute! :)
I am grateful that even though Roger died, God has replaced him with another wonderful, loving Christian guy and I have everything now that I did then. :)
I am grateful that I got to do my life long dream and go to Australia when I did. :)
I am grateful that I live in America and that we are still a free nation, for now, and that we are pretty well off overall.
I am grateful for my car and this it hasn't had any major issues in 10 years! Yay for Toyota Echos! lol :) I am so glad I have only had to do oil changes on it and minor up-keep and it has never broken down on me. :)
I am grateful for all the jobs I have had over the years and all the great co-workers I've had who I learned so much from about life and inter-personal relations. :)
I am grateful to all the authors who wrote all the great books I have read over the years that have encouraged me in my faith and made me wiser.
I am grateful for my professors in college that they passed me even though I didn't always do the reading. lol :)
I am grateful that God gave me the gift of writing and that I can use it for his glory. :)
I am grateful for all the times I have gotten to travel....India, Taiwan and Mexico.
I am grateful for getting to work on a cruise ship when I did and how fun that was. :)
I am grateful for the cruises my step dad took our family on and that he bought me my first laptop and printer etc.
I have been SO blessed in so many ways and I know I am so lucky to have gotten to do and have all that I have!
God has blessed me beyond reason really. He is so good to me! :) THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING! Amen :)
He always gets me groceries, whatever I need, which I always find amazing lol. I hate the process of carrying them in so it is so nice that he is willing to get them. :)
I am grateful that he is so sweet and so kind to me. :)
That he takes me out to eat a lot and to the movies.
I am grateful that we will be having a baby soon. I can't wait to see what he or she will look like!
I am grateful that my mom is a good mom and that she raised me in the church. :)
I am grateful for air conditioning. I really don't like the heat lol. :)
I am grateful for winter and snow and pretty landscapes.
I am grateful somewhat for summer in that you can go swimming in the summer. :)
I am grateful that Ben and I might be moving to Texas soon and we might get into the nicest apt I will have ever lived in! I am so excited about that! May God open the doors. :)
I am grateful that Ben doesn't mind working 12 hours a day so I won't have to and I will be able to stay home with the baby. :)
I am grateful for this blog and that it gives me a sense of purpose in life and something to do with all my time.
I am grateful for my brother and best friend Ashley and how they have always been there for me. :) For all their great advice over the years. :)
I am grateful that I have a very godly grandma who encouraged me to follow God as best as I could. :)
I am grateful that most of my family is Christian or at least religious, so we have always been united and there has always been a lot of love there. :)
I am grateful for all the pets I have gotten to have over the years. They were all so wonderful and so cute! :)
I am grateful that even though Roger died, God has replaced him with another wonderful, loving Christian guy and I have everything now that I did then. :)
I am grateful that I got to do my life long dream and go to Australia when I did. :)
I am grateful that I live in America and that we are still a free nation, for now, and that we are pretty well off overall.
I am grateful for my car and this it hasn't had any major issues in 10 years! Yay for Toyota Echos! lol :) I am so glad I have only had to do oil changes on it and minor up-keep and it has never broken down on me. :)
I am grateful for all the jobs I have had over the years and all the great co-workers I've had who I learned so much from about life and inter-personal relations. :)
I am grateful to all the authors who wrote all the great books I have read over the years that have encouraged me in my faith and made me wiser.
I am grateful for my professors in college that they passed me even though I didn't always do the reading. lol :)
I am grateful that God gave me the gift of writing and that I can use it for his glory. :)
I am grateful for all the times I have gotten to travel....India, Taiwan and Mexico.
I am grateful for getting to work on a cruise ship when I did and how fun that was. :)
I am grateful for the cruises my step dad took our family on and that he bought me my first laptop and printer etc.
I have been SO blessed in so many ways and I know I am so lucky to have gotten to do and have all that I have!
God has blessed me beyond reason really. He is so good to me! :) THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING! Amen :)
On Depression: Drugs Make it Worse
Check out this radio interview. This guy is brilliant! Very wise! It would be good for any and all of us to heed his advise and take note of what he says.....
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/02/143055122/combating-depression-with-meditation-diet
Some of what I thought were his best points....
"About one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 takes an antidepressant drug, according to a report from the CDC, and the number of Americans taking antidepressants has gone up over 400 percent since 1988. Why the rise? Are we more depressed than we used to be, simply more medicated or both?"
Wow that is insane! Yes I know most people I know have taken an anti-depressant at some point. I am one of the few people I know that never have. I considered it a few times, because wouldn't it be nice if one little pill could solve all of our problems lol, but I always knew deep down it wouldn't. Thinking that is a lie from Satan really. Only God can help us, and even then all our problems won't be solved. Life is hard because we live in a fallen world, and it always will be hard. We just have to accept that and appreciate when things are actually good and when we are happy. :) But no one can ever be always happy. Not until we reach heaven we can't be. :)
This is so true! "Many parents think that it's their job to make kids happy all the time. We're not supposed to be happy all the time. Our moods are supposed to vary. They're not supposed to vary so extremely that they disable us, but I think it is perfectly normal to have lows, as well as highs, and there may be even some value in those experiences."
Yes there is value in the lows. I have learned my most in the lows and grown the most in wisdom when times are the most hard. The lows make you appreciate the highs of life. So in the end, they are good. We wouldn't realize how good things are sometimes if we had nothing to contrast the good times with. Thus, bad times are good as well as good times. :) What a paradox.
"One of the research findings that's - I think, find very interesting is that the more people have, the less content they seem to be."
Very true. Why? Because those who have are always wanting more. Those who have are so used to shopping and getting and getting that they rarely stop to be grateful for what they already have. Life becomes a rat race, a never ending acquiring of more and more things, only to leave them more and more miserable. Very sad. :(
"The pharmaceutical companies have been very effective at convincing people that ordinary states of sadness are now matters of imbalanced brain chemistry which needs to be treated."
Yes this is so true! Doctors, for some reason, often seem to want to convince you that something is wrong with you. Why? So you will need THEM! So they can "fix" you. So you will depend on them. So you will spend all of your money on Them. It is a huge scheme if you really think about it. I know some doctors are good, but some are con artists. Just like some dentists who tell you you need 5 fillings and you go to another dentist and they say no, you have no cavities. It's like that. Watch out for the con artists in the medical field. They are certainly out there, like wolves in sheep skins. :(
We are not forever victims to our circumstances. This is a lie of depression and what can lead to depression. We can change things sometimes. But if we cannot, we can change how we react to it. I love the quote, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." :) Do what you can with what you have. :)
"There is a disturbing and growing body of evidence that the major class of antidepressant drugs, the SSRIs, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, don't work so great, in fact that they barely can be distinguished from placebo even in severe depression now."
Yes I have always been skeptical of how well they work for sure. The placebo effect means, the person taking the pill expects to feel better simply because they are taking the pill and so they do, even though the pill may not actually be doing anything. Very funny and quite ironic. :)
Wow "There is also, I think, great concern about... a new problem just coming to light. It's called tardive dysphoria. That means lingering depression caused by the drugs."
Yes I have heard that in taking Advil too much it can actually cause rebound headaches. Taking headache medicine can give you more head aches. The same can be true of anti-depressants. They may actually only worsen the problem. :( Very sad.
".... The drugs produce the very problem they're meant to treat."
What? Yes how ironic.
"If you increase serotonin at neural junctions with a drug, the body responds over time by producing less serotonin and dropping serotonin receptors."
Yes this makes sense. If you are synthetically taking something your body thinks it doesn't need to produce it anymore, thus it shuts down production of whatever supplement you are taking. So if you are taking serotonin essentially your body will just stop making serotonin, therefore making you forever dependent on the drug, on this outside source, to give your body what it needs. So crazy. :( And quite scary. Hence, once doctors get someone hooked and started on any medication, they may just have to be on it for life!
A lesson in this: don't mess with nature and the way God created the body to function. It runs just fine most of the time if we would just leave it alone. :( And always remember to eat apples lol :)
"It's just like trying to treat acid reflux with drugs that suppress acid: You take it away, and you have a worse problem than you did to begin with. So the drugs may create their own need."
Wow what a trip! I have noticed that since I stopped taking Advil for headaches, since I need to be careful of that in pregnancy, I have been getting less headaches. How ironic isn't it. :)
A call in...."My niece, who is a freshman in college, was given antidepressants and committed suicide shortly thereafter." So sad :(
Writer's response: "There are some significant adverse effects of antidepressant drugs. They may increase cardiovascular risk. They may increase cancer risk. A latest finding is that pregnant women who take them, there are higher rates of autism in their offspring. These are not benign agents."
No they are not at all my goodness!
Prescription drugs are drugs just like street drugs. They have negative effects on the body. They are addictive. They lead people to more depression and suicide even.
In the case of the girl who committed suicide, my theory is that anytime we take drugs, prescription or not, we are opening a door to Satan in our lives.
He then has greater access into our minds, our dreams, even over our bodies.
My husband had an odd encounter, believe it if you want. He was smoking heavily for a time and some demons literally picked him up off his bed in his sleep and told him, "You have given us authority over your body since you have chosen to smoke so much and damage your body."
I know many people smoke, but everything in moderation. Perhaps one cigarette a day isn't horrible, but if you allow it to master you, to control you, you have opened a door to Satan in your life.
If you allow anything to master and control you, you have opened a door to Satan, it doesn't matter what it is.
May God help us to be self-controlled in all things. Amen :)
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/02/143055122/combating-depression-with-meditation-diet
Some of what I thought were his best points....
"About one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 takes an antidepressant drug, according to a report from the CDC, and the number of Americans taking antidepressants has gone up over 400 percent since 1988. Why the rise? Are we more depressed than we used to be, simply more medicated or both?"
Wow that is insane! Yes I know most people I know have taken an anti-depressant at some point. I am one of the few people I know that never have. I considered it a few times, because wouldn't it be nice if one little pill could solve all of our problems lol, but I always knew deep down it wouldn't. Thinking that is a lie from Satan really. Only God can help us, and even then all our problems won't be solved. Life is hard because we live in a fallen world, and it always will be hard. We just have to accept that and appreciate when things are actually good and when we are happy. :) But no one can ever be always happy. Not until we reach heaven we can't be. :)
This is so true! "Many parents think that it's their job to make kids happy all the time. We're not supposed to be happy all the time. Our moods are supposed to vary. They're not supposed to vary so extremely that they disable us, but I think it is perfectly normal to have lows, as well as highs, and there may be even some value in those experiences."
Yes there is value in the lows. I have learned my most in the lows and grown the most in wisdom when times are the most hard. The lows make you appreciate the highs of life. So in the end, they are good. We wouldn't realize how good things are sometimes if we had nothing to contrast the good times with. Thus, bad times are good as well as good times. :) What a paradox.
"One of the research findings that's - I think, find very interesting is that the more people have, the less content they seem to be."
Very true. Why? Because those who have are always wanting more. Those who have are so used to shopping and getting and getting that they rarely stop to be grateful for what they already have. Life becomes a rat race, a never ending acquiring of more and more things, only to leave them more and more miserable. Very sad. :(
"The pharmaceutical companies have been very effective at convincing people that ordinary states of sadness are now matters of imbalanced brain chemistry which needs to be treated."
Yes this is so true! Doctors, for some reason, often seem to want to convince you that something is wrong with you. Why? So you will need THEM! So they can "fix" you. So you will depend on them. So you will spend all of your money on Them. It is a huge scheme if you really think about it. I know some doctors are good, but some are con artists. Just like some dentists who tell you you need 5 fillings and you go to another dentist and they say no, you have no cavities. It's like that. Watch out for the con artists in the medical field. They are certainly out there, like wolves in sheep skins. :(
Amen...."We can't change what happens to us, but we can change our reaction to it."
We are not forever victims to our circumstances. This is a lie of depression and what can lead to depression. We can change things sometimes. But if we cannot, we can change how we react to it. I love the quote, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." :) Do what you can with what you have. :)
"There is a disturbing and growing body of evidence that the major class of antidepressant drugs, the SSRIs, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, don't work so great, in fact that they barely can be distinguished from placebo even in severe depression now."
Yes I have always been skeptical of how well they work for sure. The placebo effect means, the person taking the pill expects to feel better simply because they are taking the pill and so they do, even though the pill may not actually be doing anything. Very funny and quite ironic. :)
Wow "There is also, I think, great concern about... a new problem just coming to light. It's called tardive dysphoria. That means lingering depression caused by the drugs."
Yes I have heard that in taking Advil too much it can actually cause rebound headaches. Taking headache medicine can give you more head aches. The same can be true of anti-depressants. They may actually only worsen the problem. :( Very sad.
".... The drugs produce the very problem they're meant to treat."
What? Yes how ironic.
"If you increase serotonin at neural junctions with a drug, the body responds over time by producing less serotonin and dropping serotonin receptors."
Yes this makes sense. If you are synthetically taking something your body thinks it doesn't need to produce it anymore, thus it shuts down production of whatever supplement you are taking. So if you are taking serotonin essentially your body will just stop making serotonin, therefore making you forever dependent on the drug, on this outside source, to give your body what it needs. So crazy. :( And quite scary. Hence, once doctors get someone hooked and started on any medication, they may just have to be on it for life!
A lesson in this: don't mess with nature and the way God created the body to function. It runs just fine most of the time if we would just leave it alone. :( And always remember to eat apples lol :)
"It's just like trying to treat acid reflux with drugs that suppress acid: You take it away, and you have a worse problem than you did to begin with. So the drugs may create their own need."
Wow what a trip! I have noticed that since I stopped taking Advil for headaches, since I need to be careful of that in pregnancy, I have been getting less headaches. How ironic isn't it. :)
"There's a simple exercise from positive psychology called keeping a gratitude journal. You get a little notebook, keep it by your bed; during the day, make mental notes of things you have to be grateful for, jot them down when you go to bed. Doing that for one week can cause improvement of mood for up to six months. And that's pretty dramatic."
I have done that for quite some time and yes it is very effective in keeping you happy and positive! It is very cool and so simple :) but u have to remember to keep what u write positive. lol
I have done that for quite some time and yes it is very effective in keeping you happy and positive! It is very cool and so simple :) but u have to remember to keep what u write positive. lol
A call in...."My niece, who is a freshman in college, was given antidepressants and committed suicide shortly thereafter." So sad :(
Writer's response: "There are some significant adverse effects of antidepressant drugs. They may increase cardiovascular risk. They may increase cancer risk. A latest finding is that pregnant women who take them, there are higher rates of autism in their offspring. These are not benign agents."
No they are not at all my goodness!
Prescription drugs are drugs just like street drugs. They have negative effects on the body. They are addictive. They lead people to more depression and suicide even.
In the case of the girl who committed suicide, my theory is that anytime we take drugs, prescription or not, we are opening a door to Satan in our lives.
He then has greater access into our minds, our dreams, even over our bodies.
My husband had an odd encounter, believe it if you want. He was smoking heavily for a time and some demons literally picked him up off his bed in his sleep and told him, "You have given us authority over your body since you have chosen to smoke so much and damage your body."
I know many people smoke, but everything in moderation. Perhaps one cigarette a day isn't horrible, but if you allow it to master you, to control you, you have opened a door to Satan in your life.
If you allow anything to master and control you, you have opened a door to Satan, it doesn't matter what it is.
May God help us to be self-controlled in all things. Amen :)
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Random
lol :)
and this is a good and true quote: "Marriage is glorious but hard. It's a burning joy and strength, and yet it is also blood, sweat, and tears, humbling defeats and exhausting victories.
Marriage, next to our relationship to God, is the most profound relationship there is. That's why, like knowing God himself, coming to know and love your spouse is difficult and painful yet rewarding and wondrous." (Timothy Keller)
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Love Quotes
Some GREAT love quotes I saw. I echo all of these for my husband! :) He is so awesome! :)
"You are my soul-mate, my best friend, and the love of my life… I don’t ever want to be without you… You make my life so much better than I could ever imagine it could be… You make me feel so safe and so secure and I know it will all be OK… I am so blessed to be on this journey with you my love…"
"I needed your love and then you were there… I am the luckiest woman in the world… There is a love in your heart like I have never felt before and a tenderness in your eyes that melts my soul… I fall in love with you more each and every day….... "
"You made me a believer; you reminded me that God sends people into our lives for a purpose and to bless us. I thought my heart was broken forever and it would remain shattered into pieces. But God has his own ways of showing his love. He sent you into my life to heal my soul and to soothe my sad heart. Thank you for coming into my life when I was lonely and sad and bringing life to me again."
"I want to grow old with you and spend the rest of my life with you……You charmed me with your patient nature and stole my heart with your smile. I adore you for every thing you do for me. You understand me completely. I am so very deeply and irrevocably in love with you for your sheer awesomeness! You know how to cheer me up on the sad days. You encourage me to do things and to not give up. You help me overcome my fears and learn to trust again. Thank you for being so wonderful!" :)
"You made me a believer; you reminded me that God sends people into our lives for a purpose and to bless us. I thought my heart was broken forever and it would remain shattered into pieces. But God has his own ways of showing his love. He sent you into my life to heal my soul and to soothe my sad heart. Thank you for coming into my life when I was lonely and sad and bringing life to me again."
"My love for you is timeless and endless. You enrich my life in more ways than I can ever express in words. I felt strongly connected to you the moment I held you for the first time. I was drawn to your soul in a way I have never experienced before. Your presence brings a sense of peace, calmness and happiness to my heart and soul. We were created and paired by God to be together till eternity. We are tied in an unbreakable divine bond of soulful love." Amen! I love that one. :)
"I want to grow old with you and spend the rest of my life with you……You charmed me with your patient nature and stole my heart with your smile. I adore you for every thing you do for me. You understand me completely. I am so very deeply and irrevocably in love with you for your sheer awesomeness! You know how to cheer me up on the sad days. You encourage me to do things and to not give up. You help me overcome my fears and learn to trust again. Thank you for being so wonderful!" :)
"Love is one of the most beautiful feelings in the world. To love and to be loved back, to care for and be cared back, to yearn for and be longed for in return, is simply magical! To love is to give away everything, to sacrifice everything, without the slightest desire to get anything in return." Amen :)
Praise God for his gift of our ability to love one another. :)
Be blessed! :)
Be blessed! :)
Cancer and Our Lifestyle
When I was younger I thought I would discover the cure for cancer someday. :)
I wanted to get a degree in Biology, become a botanist, and climb trees in South America.
I thought maybe the cure for cancer would be in some undiscovered plant in some exotic dense rain forest.
Cancer is a very odd phenomenon if you really think about it.
And as far as I know it didn't even exist over 40 years ago.
No one's great grandparents died of cancer.
So what do we have in our modern society that they didn't have then?
McDonald's and other fast food for one.
Medications. Pharmaceuticals. Ever since the drug revolution of the 60's, drugs have become a huge part of our every day lives, some are legal and some are not.
It's possible the ozone layer is getting more and more depleted due to increased emissions from cars etc. So we are getting more and more harmful rays from the sun.
I don't think that has led to the myth of "global warming," but cancer, perhaps.
What did the American diet consist of 50 or 60 years ago? More salad I'm sure, and more vegetables.
Meatloaf, pasta, fruit, nuts.....
What did it not consist of....not as much ice cream or cake I'm sure. :) Not processed foods like TV dinners. I have always been very much against TV dinners. All the preservatives in them could easily be a cause of cancer.
Did you know every day our body produces a cell that would have been cancer but our immune system kills it.
So cancer, therefore, seems to be caused by the breaking down of one's immune system.
What keeps a healthy immune system?
SLEEP is a BIG NUMBER ONE on that list. Most people really need at least 9 hours of sleep every night. But how much sleep do most people get? 5, maybe
What else....eating green things, as my grandma always told me. Anything green that you eat will make you live forever she said, except green jello of course. :)
Just think of what Adam and Even probably ate in the Garden of Eden....lots and LOTS of fruit....probably vegetables, because Adam worked a garden, tomatoes, grain of some sort....
Also how much would they have slept?
They most likely slept from sundown to sun up, which if you think about it would be about 12 hours in the winter and 9 hours in the summer.
That was how things were supposed to be.
My entire life I have always gotten at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I have always known that sleep is very, very important.
People may say they don't have that much time. But we make time for what we want to make time for. It would usually just mean less or no TV for most people and hence more sleep. :)
Also, it's interesting that humans didn't even eat meat until after the flood.
I've always been somewhat anti-meat, at least anti eating a lot of meat.
I probably only eat meat once a week, like chicken for one meal.
I get my protein from eggs, cheese, nuts, yogurt and milk. And I eat a lot of fruit. :)
Although according to my grandma I shouldn't even have milk, yogurt or cheese. She always said milk was made for baby cows, not people. But I love dairy and that would mean no ice cream either, which would be very sad. lol :)
But biblically milk would seem to be ok, because the Israelites were headed for a land "flowing with milk and honey." That could have been goat's milk, but who knows. :)
I think exercise is important, but not as important as what food we put in our body. Some foods simply can't be digested, and all the exercise in the world won't matter if you're eating a lot of processed foods.
But our lives are very sedentary now. I'm guessing in the Garden of Eden, Eve's life consisted of walking around the garden all day while Adam worked the garden. It doesn't really say what Eve did, but I'm guessing she walked around a lot.
But today we sit a lot. We sit when we drive. We sit while the laundry machine is running, instead of how we used to manually have to wash clothes. We sit and watch TV.
And we don't have to walk to get anything. We don't have to walk to get water. We don't have to walk to get food, except just a short saunter into the kitchen.
Everything is right at our finger tips. Hence the obesity epidemic in America.
So what is the cure for cancer?
Perhaps just eating better and sleeping more.
If I get cancer at some point then you will know I'm wrong. :) But for the most part I have slept plenty and eaten relatively well, and I don't think I will get cancer. At least I'm hoping I won't. :)
I have never been addicted to smoking. I've never been addicted to anything really.
I have only drank in excess I think 5 times in my life. I admit I tried pot once but otherwise have not done drugs.
I have never taken a prescription for anything, other than anti-biotics when I was very little for ear infections.
I have tried to avoid soda for the most part and desserts other than ice cream. I haven't eaten candy much since I was a kid.
The only thing that really is lacking in my life though is eating more vegetables. I'm big on fruit but not so big on veggies.
You know how they say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Well perhaps 5 fruits a day keeps any disease at all away and will keep you out of the hospital completely. :)
The only time I've needed to see a Dr. was when my appendix burst when I was 10. I had surgery and they removed it. But otherwise I have been perfectly healthy, aside from getting the flu sometimes.
Praise God! Of course my good health could also be attributed to God's protection and my guardian angels. :)
But yes, I highly advise you look at what you eat and try to eat more fruit. :) And you will live long and prosper lol hopefully.
God bless!
I wanted to get a degree in Biology, become a botanist, and climb trees in South America.
I thought maybe the cure for cancer would be in some undiscovered plant in some exotic dense rain forest.
Cancer is a very odd phenomenon if you really think about it.
And as far as I know it didn't even exist over 40 years ago.
No one's great grandparents died of cancer.
So what do we have in our modern society that they didn't have then?
McDonald's and other fast food for one.
Medications. Pharmaceuticals. Ever since the drug revolution of the 60's, drugs have become a huge part of our every day lives, some are legal and some are not.
It's possible the ozone layer is getting more and more depleted due to increased emissions from cars etc. So we are getting more and more harmful rays from the sun.
I don't think that has led to the myth of "global warming," but cancer, perhaps.
What did the American diet consist of 50 or 60 years ago? More salad I'm sure, and more vegetables.
Meatloaf, pasta, fruit, nuts.....
What did it not consist of....not as much ice cream or cake I'm sure. :) Not processed foods like TV dinners. I have always been very much against TV dinners. All the preservatives in them could easily be a cause of cancer.
Did you know every day our body produces a cell that would have been cancer but our immune system kills it.
So cancer, therefore, seems to be caused by the breaking down of one's immune system.
What keeps a healthy immune system?
SLEEP is a BIG NUMBER ONE on that list. Most people really need at least 9 hours of sleep every night. But how much sleep do most people get? 5, maybe
What else....eating green things, as my grandma always told me. Anything green that you eat will make you live forever she said, except green jello of course. :)
Just think of what Adam and Even probably ate in the Garden of Eden....lots and LOTS of fruit....probably vegetables, because Adam worked a garden, tomatoes, grain of some sort....
Also how much would they have slept?
They most likely slept from sundown to sun up, which if you think about it would be about 12 hours in the winter and 9 hours in the summer.
That was how things were supposed to be.
My entire life I have always gotten at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I have always known that sleep is very, very important.
People may say they don't have that much time. But we make time for what we want to make time for. It would usually just mean less or no TV for most people and hence more sleep. :)
Also, it's interesting that humans didn't even eat meat until after the flood.
I've always been somewhat anti-meat, at least anti eating a lot of meat.
I probably only eat meat once a week, like chicken for one meal.
I get my protein from eggs, cheese, nuts, yogurt and milk. And I eat a lot of fruit. :)
Although according to my grandma I shouldn't even have milk, yogurt or cheese. She always said milk was made for baby cows, not people. But I love dairy and that would mean no ice cream either, which would be very sad. lol :)
But biblically milk would seem to be ok, because the Israelites were headed for a land "flowing with milk and honey." That could have been goat's milk, but who knows. :)
I think exercise is important, but not as important as what food we put in our body. Some foods simply can't be digested, and all the exercise in the world won't matter if you're eating a lot of processed foods.
But our lives are very sedentary now. I'm guessing in the Garden of Eden, Eve's life consisted of walking around the garden all day while Adam worked the garden. It doesn't really say what Eve did, but I'm guessing she walked around a lot.
But today we sit a lot. We sit when we drive. We sit while the laundry machine is running, instead of how we used to manually have to wash clothes. We sit and watch TV.
And we don't have to walk to get anything. We don't have to walk to get water. We don't have to walk to get food, except just a short saunter into the kitchen.
Everything is right at our finger tips. Hence the obesity epidemic in America.
So what is the cure for cancer?
Perhaps just eating better and sleeping more.
If I get cancer at some point then you will know I'm wrong. :) But for the most part I have slept plenty and eaten relatively well, and I don't think I will get cancer. At least I'm hoping I won't. :)
I have never been addicted to smoking. I've never been addicted to anything really.
I have only drank in excess I think 5 times in my life. I admit I tried pot once but otherwise have not done drugs.
I have never taken a prescription for anything, other than anti-biotics when I was very little for ear infections.
I have tried to avoid soda for the most part and desserts other than ice cream. I haven't eaten candy much since I was a kid.
The only thing that really is lacking in my life though is eating more vegetables. I'm big on fruit but not so big on veggies.
You know how they say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Well perhaps 5 fruits a day keeps any disease at all away and will keep you out of the hospital completely. :)
The only time I've needed to see a Dr. was when my appendix burst when I was 10. I had surgery and they removed it. But otherwise I have been perfectly healthy, aside from getting the flu sometimes.
Praise God! Of course my good health could also be attributed to God's protection and my guardian angels. :)
But yes, I highly advise you look at what you eat and try to eat more fruit. :) And you will live long and prosper lol hopefully.
God bless!
Doctor's Myths
"It seems that the healthiest people on the planet right now are those that have deviated from the norms of conventional medical quackery, and have migrated towards natural health.....Find the healthiest 5 people you know and you’ll find they typically don’t subscribe to the health myths promoted by mainstream medicine."
http://www.realfarmacy.com/top-5-health-myths/
Yes I am the healthiest person I know and I know it's mainly because I eat a lot of fruit, take walks when I can, and have never taken any type of medication, and never will. :)
I heartily agree with everything in this article! Please read :) "People perish for lack of knowledge." Increase your knowledge so that you will live long on the earth and live well. :)
Perhaps the biggest health myth today is the public’s misconception that mainstream medicine and the healthcare system helps sick people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The freedom of people to choose natural healing, alternative medicine and methods of disease prevention could soon be threatened by corporate lobbyists who will do anything to protect their wealth at the expense of your health.
Promoters of conventional medicine claim that all the drug studies, approvals, surgical procedures, all other treatments are based on scientific evidence. But is it really science? What passes for “science” today is a collection of health myths, half-truths, intellectual dishonesty and fraudulent reporting to help serve higher interests. Science is not really science anymore.
90 percent of all diseases (cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease, etc.) are easily preventable through diet, nutrition, sunlight and exercise. None of these solutions are ever promoted by conventional medicine because they make no money.
No pharmaceuticals actually cure or resolve the underlying causes of disease. Even “successful” drugs only manage symptoms, usually at the cost of interfering with other physiological functions that will cause side effects down the road. There is no such thing as a drug without a side effect.
There is no financial incentive for anyone in today’s system of medicine (drug companies, hospitals, doctors, etc.) to actually make patients well. Profits are found in continued sickness, not wellness or prevention.
Almost all the “prevention” programs you see today (such as free mammograms or other screening programs) are nothing more than patient recruitment schemes designed to increase revenue and sickness. They use free screenings to scare people into agreeing to unnecessary treatments that only lead to further disease. Mammography is a very good example. Chemotherapy is another.
Nobody has any interest in your health except you. No corporation, no doctor, and no government has any desire to actually make you well. This has served the short-term financial interests of higher powers in the west very well. The only healthy, aware, critically thinking individuals are all 100% free of pharmaceuticals and processed foods.
The main advances in combating disease over the last 200 years have been better food and clean drinking water…not vaccines. Improved sanitation, less overcrowded and better living conditions also contribute. This is also borne out in published peer reviewed research which prove that vaccine did not save us.
All vaccines contain sterility agents, neurotoxins, immunotoxins, and carcinogenic compounds. Some examples include formaldehyde, a carcinogen found in almost every vaccine, neurotoxins such as monosodium glutamate, potassium chloride, thimerosal, sterility agents such as Triton X-100, octoxynol-10, polysorbate 80, and immuntoxins such as neomycin, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium deoxycholate to name a few of many.
It is no coincidence that the more educated you are, the less chance you will vaccinate which contradicts the misconceptions of many health professionals who profess that parents don’t vaccinate because they are under-educated, poor or misinformed. Those who become fully informed of the dangers of vaccines never see them in the same light again, as their motives then become clear.
Perhaps one of the biggest health myths propagated in western culture and certainly in the United States, is the misuse of an invented term “bad cholesterol” by the media and medical community. Moreover, a scientifically-naive public has been conned into a fraudulent correlation between elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cholesterol has not been shown to actually cause CVD. To the contrary, cholesterol is vital to our survival, and trying to artificially lower it can have detrimental effects, particularly as we age.
We have become a culture so obsessed with eating foods low in cholesterol and fat that many health experts are now questioning the consequences. Could we really maintain a dietary lifestyle that was so foreign to many of our ancestral populations without any ill effects on our health? Many researchers are now concluding that the answer to that question is “NO.” Current data is now suggesting that lower cholesterol levels predate the development of cancer.
The ‘noddy-science’ offered by marketing men to a generally scientifically-naive public has led many people to believe that we should replace certain food choices with specially developed products that can help ‘reduce cholesterol’. Naturally this comes at a price and requires those who can afford it to pay maybe four or five times what a ‘typical ordinary’ product might cost. But is this apparent ‘blanket need’ to strive towards lowering our cholesterol justified? And, indeed, is it healthy?
The cholesterol itself, whether being transported by LDL or HDL, is exactly the same. Cholesterol is simply a necessary ingredient that is required to be regularly delivered around the body for the efficient healthy development, maintenance and functioning of our cells. The difference is in the ‘transporters’ (the lipoproteins HDL and LDL) and both types are essential for the human body’s delivery logistics to work effectively.
Problems can occur, however, when the LDL particles are both small and their carrying capacity outweighs the transportation potential of available HDL. This can lead to more cholesterol being ‘delivered’ around the body with lower resources for returning excess capacity to the liver.
(May God increase our wisdom more and more. Amen. :)
http://www.realfarmacy.com/top-5-health-myths/
Yes I am the healthiest person I know and I know it's mainly because I eat a lot of fruit, take walks when I can, and have never taken any type of medication, and never will. :)
I heartily agree with everything in this article! Please read :) "People perish for lack of knowledge." Increase your knowledge so that you will live long on the earth and live well. :)
Myth #1
Conventional medicine and the healthcare system helps sick people.Perhaps the biggest health myth today is the public’s misconception that mainstream medicine and the healthcare system helps sick people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The freedom of people to choose natural healing, alternative medicine and methods of disease prevention could soon be threatened by corporate lobbyists who will do anything to protect their wealth at the expense of your health.
Promoters of conventional medicine claim that all the drug studies, approvals, surgical procedures, all other treatments are based on scientific evidence. But is it really science? What passes for “science” today is a collection of health myths, half-truths, intellectual dishonesty and fraudulent reporting to help serve higher interests. Science is not really science anymore.
90 percent of all diseases (cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease, etc.) are easily preventable through diet, nutrition, sunlight and exercise. None of these solutions are ever promoted by conventional medicine because they make no money.
No pharmaceuticals actually cure or resolve the underlying causes of disease. Even “successful” drugs only manage symptoms, usually at the cost of interfering with other physiological functions that will cause side effects down the road. There is no such thing as a drug without a side effect.
There is no financial incentive for anyone in today’s system of medicine (drug companies, hospitals, doctors, etc.) to actually make patients well. Profits are found in continued sickness, not wellness or prevention.
Almost all the “prevention” programs you see today (such as free mammograms or other screening programs) are nothing more than patient recruitment schemes designed to increase revenue and sickness. They use free screenings to scare people into agreeing to unnecessary treatments that only lead to further disease. Mammography is a very good example. Chemotherapy is another.
Nobody has any interest in your health except you. No corporation, no doctor, and no government has any desire to actually make you well. This has served the short-term financial interests of higher powers in the west very well. The only healthy, aware, critically thinking individuals are all 100% free of pharmaceuticals and processed foods.
MYTH #2
Vaccines prevent diseases and increase immunity.
The term “immunization”, often substituted for vaccination, is false and should be legally challenged. Medical research has well established that the direct injection of foreign proteins and other toxic material (particularly known immune-sensitising poisons such as mercury) makes the recipient more, not less, easily affected by what he/she encounters in the future. This means they do the opposite of immunize, commonly even preventing immunity from developing after natural exposure.
The actual frequency of health problems has been estimated by authorities to be possibly up to 100 times, or more, greater than that reported by government agencies. That difference is due to the lack of enforcement or incentive for doctors to report adverse effects. With the anti-vaccination movements now exposing the truth on the internet, the medical community is now on high alert, defending their claims and being told by vaccine manufacturers that they must never let their patients (or parents) think that the risks could outweigh the benefits, when in reality, it is precisely the opposite that is true.
The benefit risk ratio is an important decision in anyone deciding whether to vaccinate or not. Contrary to popular belief and marketing, childhood diseases in a developed country are not as dangerous as we are led to believe. Catching a particular disease does not mean you will die from it. Vaccines were actually introduced at a time when diseases had already declined to a low risk level. This fact is proven, scientifically.
The actual frequency of health problems has been estimated by authorities to be possibly up to 100 times, or more, greater than that reported by government agencies. That difference is due to the lack of enforcement or incentive for doctors to report adverse effects. With the anti-vaccination movements now exposing the truth on the internet, the medical community is now on high alert, defending their claims and being told by vaccine manufacturers that they must never let their patients (or parents) think that the risks could outweigh the benefits, when in reality, it is precisely the opposite that is true.
The benefit risk ratio is an important decision in anyone deciding whether to vaccinate or not. Contrary to popular belief and marketing, childhood diseases in a developed country are not as dangerous as we are led to believe. Catching a particular disease does not mean you will die from it. Vaccines were actually introduced at a time when diseases had already declined to a low risk level. This fact is proven, scientifically.
All vaccines contain sterility agents, neurotoxins, immunotoxins, and carcinogenic compounds. Some examples include formaldehyde, a carcinogen found in almost every vaccine, neurotoxins such as monosodium glutamate, potassium chloride, thimerosal, sterility agents such as Triton X-100, octoxynol-10, polysorbate 80, and immuntoxins such as neomycin, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium deoxycholate to name a few of many.
It is no coincidence that the more educated you are, the less chance you will vaccinate which contradicts the misconceptions of many health professionals who profess that parents don’t vaccinate because they are under-educated, poor or misinformed. Those who become fully informed of the dangers of vaccines never see them in the same light again, as their motives then become clear.
MYTH #3
We must all focus on lowering bad cholesterol.Perhaps one of the biggest health myths propagated in western culture and certainly in the United States, is the misuse of an invented term “bad cholesterol” by the media and medical community. Moreover, a scientifically-naive public has been conned into a fraudulent correlation between elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cholesterol has not been shown to actually cause CVD. To the contrary, cholesterol is vital to our survival, and trying to artificially lower it can have detrimental effects, particularly as we age.
We have become a culture so obsessed with eating foods low in cholesterol and fat that many health experts are now questioning the consequences. Could we really maintain a dietary lifestyle that was so foreign to many of our ancestral populations without any ill effects on our health? Many researchers are now concluding that the answer to that question is “NO.” Current data is now suggesting that lower cholesterol levels predate the development of cancer.
The ‘noddy-science’ offered by marketing men to a generally scientifically-naive public has led many people to believe that we should replace certain food choices with specially developed products that can help ‘reduce cholesterol’. Naturally this comes at a price and requires those who can afford it to pay maybe four or five times what a ‘typical ordinary’ product might cost. But is this apparent ‘blanket need’ to strive towards lowering our cholesterol justified? And, indeed, is it healthy?
The cholesterol itself, whether being transported by LDL or HDL, is exactly the same. Cholesterol is simply a necessary ingredient that is required to be regularly delivered around the body for the efficient healthy development, maintenance and functioning of our cells. The difference is in the ‘transporters’ (the lipoproteins HDL and LDL) and both types are essential for the human body’s delivery logistics to work effectively.
Problems can occur, however, when the LDL particles are both small and their carrying capacity outweighs the transportation potential of available HDL. This can lead to more cholesterol being ‘delivered’ around the body with lower resources for returning excess capacity to the liver.
(May God increase our wisdom more and more. Amen. :)
Family Traits
Psychologists say that we pick someone to marry that remind us of someone in our family.
They usually say we pick someone who has the same addictions or negative qualities as someone in our family of origin, but it can also be that our spouse reminds us of the good things in our family. :)
In many ways I feel like I have known Ben my whole life.
He is very funny and silly, like my dad was. He can do a million different voices, which is really cool. :)
He has the build of my brother, being tall.
And he is a good listener like my mom and has a lot of patience like her.
He has done good things for people and tried to share the gospel with others like my grandma.
And he is a good spiritual leader like my grandpa.
He has a sense of fashion like my brother, which I appreciate. :)
His teen years were very much like my brother's.
However, his adult life has been very much like my mom's, or my own, in that he has read several Christian growth books by Max Lucado etc.
His calm, relaxing nature is like my mom.
But his silly, funny side is like my dad and brother.
His patience and ability to forgive so easily is like my step-dad.
Likewise I think I remind him of his sister in my intellect and love of learning, his dad in my independence and his mom in my caring, compassionate side.
And my silly side reminds him of himself I think. :)
Praise God for sending Ben into my life. He is such a blessing! :)
They usually say we pick someone who has the same addictions or negative qualities as someone in our family of origin, but it can also be that our spouse reminds us of the good things in our family. :)
In many ways I feel like I have known Ben my whole life.
He is very funny and silly, like my dad was. He can do a million different voices, which is really cool. :)
He has the build of my brother, being tall.
And he is a good listener like my mom and has a lot of patience like her.
He has done good things for people and tried to share the gospel with others like my grandma.
And he is a good spiritual leader like my grandpa.
He has a sense of fashion like my brother, which I appreciate. :)
His teen years were very much like my brother's.
However, his adult life has been very much like my mom's, or my own, in that he has read several Christian growth books by Max Lucado etc.
His calm, relaxing nature is like my mom.
But his silly, funny side is like my dad and brother.
His patience and ability to forgive so easily is like my step-dad.
Likewise I think I remind him of his sister in my intellect and love of learning, his dad in my independence and his mom in my caring, compassionate side.
And my silly side reminds him of himself I think. :)
Praise God for sending Ben into my life. He is such a blessing! :)
Friday, June 14, 2013
Conflict
"Conflict brings people closer." An odd concept but true.
It is the silent couples who never say anything about how they feel that are more likely to get divorced I think.
"Don't let the sun go down on your anger" because it gives the devil a foothold in your marriage etc.
Quiet resentment can be more toxic than heated discussion about things.
So talk about what you are feeling, with the person you are feeling it about, and you will feel a lot better. :)
As John Mayer says, "Say what you need to say." :)
God bless!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Generational Curses?
Do generational curses still exist? Are they real? What happens if our parents have sinned? Is it passed down to us?
Here is an account of an amazing family of God:
Joel Houston is the main song writer of Hillsong's worship music. At least he has written all the best songs, in my opinion. One of his first songs written was Everyday, which was a huge hit. He also wrote From the Inside Out, With Everything, Aftermath, Hosanna, Lead Me to the Cross, The Stand, Take It All, Freedom is Here, etc.
He wrote, or co-wrote, all the songs that were performed at the live in Miami concert. I've probably watched that on youtube about 20 times or so, over and over. I was blown away by their heart for God and the genius of their music.
I didn't realize this until recently, but Joel Houston is the oldest son of Brian Houston, who is currently the head pastor at Hillsong Church. So that makes sense then how he comes up with such amazing lyrics for these songs, he had/has an amazing father! He was raised and trained well in the gospel and in having a passion for Jesus!
If you have ever seen Brian Houston preach on a youtube video you can tell he is on FIRE for God!
The ironic thing about this story though is that Brian Houston's dad and Joel's grandpa admitted to molesting a child several years ago and so had to step down from leadership at Hillsong Church. That came as a shock to me. I didn't hear that until I was physically out in Australia to check out their church.
At first I was disoriented that if the father did that, how is the son now running the church? I thought of the verse about generational curses, "Up to the 6th and 7th generations...."
But praise God generational curses can be broken! Through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
It gives me hope somewhat about my family history and my dad.
Just because my dad was and still is a child molester doesn't mean I have to be cursed or have it affect my life at all. That was him, not me. He is that way; I will never be. We are two different people.
Just because our parents may have committed some crazy sins, we do not have to have guilt or shame over their sin. They are a separate person from us. We did not sin even though they did.
I know in some cultures, such as Asian culture, family is everything. If one member of a family does something it brings shame to everyone and taints the character and name of everyone in the family.
But in Christ we are individuals. He sees each of us separately from the family we came from.
What did Jesus says about who his family was? He said, "My mother and brothers are whoever does the will of my Father." The same is true for us.
And look at how Jesus' family was behaving at the moment. They were calling him crazy for preaching etc. So if Jesus didn't have the perfect family, it is ok for us not to also. :) Amen!
In regards to my dad, I have not considered him to be my dad for quite a long time. I always reasoned that he gave up his right to be my dad when he molested me.
If someone is a dad they have to act like it. Dads are supposed to protect. He did not. Therefore, he was/is no longer was my dad.
There are many cases of people who come from atheist or reprobate families in some way. But once they become a new creation in Christ, that is not their family anymore. Their church, or those who are fellow Christians, is/are their family.
We are still supposed to honor our biological father and mother in that we don't wish badly of them or slander them or curse at them etc. But honor is different than identifying with them. Honor is different than being best friends with them and saying we are a part of them.
So if your biological family is nothing like you, don't worry about it. :) Your true family is whoever belongs to the body of Christ. Embrace that fact and you will have peace. :)
May God be with you! :)
Here is an account of an amazing family of God:
Joel Houston is the main song writer of Hillsong's worship music. At least he has written all the best songs, in my opinion. One of his first songs written was Everyday, which was a huge hit. He also wrote From the Inside Out, With Everything, Aftermath, Hosanna, Lead Me to the Cross, The Stand, Take It All, Freedom is Here, etc.
He wrote, or co-wrote, all the songs that were performed at the live in Miami concert. I've probably watched that on youtube about 20 times or so, over and over. I was blown away by their heart for God and the genius of their music.
I didn't realize this until recently, but Joel Houston is the oldest son of Brian Houston, who is currently the head pastor at Hillsong Church. So that makes sense then how he comes up with such amazing lyrics for these songs, he had/has an amazing father! He was raised and trained well in the gospel and in having a passion for Jesus!
If you have ever seen Brian Houston preach on a youtube video you can tell he is on FIRE for God!
The ironic thing about this story though is that Brian Houston's dad and Joel's grandpa admitted to molesting a child several years ago and so had to step down from leadership at Hillsong Church. That came as a shock to me. I didn't hear that until I was physically out in Australia to check out their church.
At first I was disoriented that if the father did that, how is the son now running the church? I thought of the verse about generational curses, "Up to the 6th and 7th generations...."
But praise God generational curses can be broken! Through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
It gives me hope somewhat about my family history and my dad.
Just because my dad was and still is a child molester doesn't mean I have to be cursed or have it affect my life at all. That was him, not me. He is that way; I will never be. We are two different people.
Just because our parents may have committed some crazy sins, we do not have to have guilt or shame over their sin. They are a separate person from us. We did not sin even though they did.
I know in some cultures, such as Asian culture, family is everything. If one member of a family does something it brings shame to everyone and taints the character and name of everyone in the family.
But in Christ we are individuals. He sees each of us separately from the family we came from.
What did Jesus says about who his family was? He said, "My mother and brothers are whoever does the will of my Father." The same is true for us.
And look at how Jesus' family was behaving at the moment. They were calling him crazy for preaching etc. So if Jesus didn't have the perfect family, it is ok for us not to also. :) Amen!
In regards to my dad, I have not considered him to be my dad for quite a long time. I always reasoned that he gave up his right to be my dad when he molested me.
If someone is a dad they have to act like it. Dads are supposed to protect. He did not. Therefore, he was/is no longer was my dad.
There are many cases of people who come from atheist or reprobate families in some way. But once they become a new creation in Christ, that is not their family anymore. Their church, or those who are fellow Christians, is/are their family.
We are still supposed to honor our biological father and mother in that we don't wish badly of them or slander them or curse at them etc. But honor is different than identifying with them. Honor is different than being best friends with them and saying we are a part of them.
So if your biological family is nothing like you, don't worry about it. :) Your true family is whoever belongs to the body of Christ. Embrace that fact and you will have peace. :)
May God be with you! :)
Who Do We Judge?
Who are we to judge? Those inside the church or those outside? Are we to judge anyone?
Yes.
Paul says, "I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" (1 Cor. 5:10-12)
Hence we are to hold our fellow believers accountable and judge their actions, but we are never to judge those outside the church.
It is loving to confront our brother or sister in Christ's sin. It is tough love. And it is needed more in the church today.
Why does Paul say this? He says, "Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?" (1 Cor. 5:6)
Meaning one instance of sin could corrupt the whole church.
The context is that in the church in Corinth there was a man sleeping with his father's wife, so his step-mom, and the church did nothing about it. Paul is telling them to take action; expel him, excommunicate him. They should not be tolerating such sin to take place. The longer they allowed it, the more others would have thought that immoral behavior was ok and acceptable.
I can imagine the early church got confused about the concept of grace. They may have thought that everything was ok because they were now under grace. "Well God will love me no matter what right so it doesn't matter how I live." But no, Jesus said, "IF you love me you will keep my commandments." And James said, "Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do."
Just because we are under grace does not mean we can live however we want. Jesus said, "I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." We are not saved but what we do, but if we are saved, we will do and not do certain things, through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us.
We cannot judge those outside the church because they do not know better in a sense. They are slaves to sin. They almost cannot help themselves. Think of them as having a disease and sin is merely the symptoms of the disease. You cannot cure the sins until you cure the disease, and that is by having their heart turn from stone to flesh and having their mind regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
But if someone says they are a believer than they need to act like it. And if they are not, we are not supposed to even eat with such people.
Why does Paul say we are not to eat with them?
Eating in the Judea-Christian culture was a way to identify with and become a part of one another, because now each of you had the same food inside of you. It was/is a bonding experience. This is why it bothered the Pharisees so much that Jesus ate with "tax collectors and sinner." Back then, you only ate with people like yourself.
"...Anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people."
So what fits into these categories?
Sexual molestation of children obviously does. Sexual immorality covers a lot of things. Viewing pornography would fit into that category. Pre-marital sex. Affairs.
There are Christians who occasionally mess up. I do not think that is what Paul is referring to here. He is saying if this is their lifestyle, if it is a habit for them, then you are not to associate with them. If they are always sexually immoral etc. then you need to expel them....until they repent and turn from their habitual sin.
What qualifies as someone who is greedy? A lot of people could fit into that category, but mainly if someone loves money more than God. That is also living in sin, to worship money over God.
An example of an idolater would be someone who worships their car and is in love with their car more than they are in love with God.
We can also idolize people. If a "Christian" habitually idolizes things or people over God, we are not to associate with them.
A slanderer would be someone who is always gossiping about other people and knocking their character. We are not to associate with a "Christian" who does that.
A drunkard would be someone who continuously gets drunk, even though they know it is wrong and that the Bible clearly says that we are not to. "Do not get drunk with wine." That is pretty black and white. Christians may slip up and get drunk at times, but again, if this is a habitual action for the person, then we are not to associate with them.
A swindler is someone who steals or cheats people out of money. This is not very common today.
The problem that people in the church often make is doing the opposite; we judge the world and NOT those in the church. It's like we want to protect our own but point the finger at all the poor lost souls out there, the ones that Jesus felt the most compassion for.
Who did Jesus have a bone to pick with when he came? THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. Those IN the church. So who should we be judging? The gay community and people who have an abortion? No! We are to have compassion on them and show them God's love, not his condemnation. Who are we to judge?
Those who say they are Christian but are not acting like it. Those are the ONLY people that we in the church should be judging.
May God make us better about this as a community.
Have compassion on the lost. They are like sheep without a shepherd remember? But hold your brothers and sisters accountable to the word. We are to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling" as Paul says. Amen? Amen.
May God bless you! :)
Yes.
Paul says, "I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" (1 Cor. 5:10-12)
Hence we are to hold our fellow believers accountable and judge their actions, but we are never to judge those outside the church.
It is loving to confront our brother or sister in Christ's sin. It is tough love. And it is needed more in the church today.
Why does Paul say this? He says, "Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?" (1 Cor. 5:6)
Meaning one instance of sin could corrupt the whole church.
The context is that in the church in Corinth there was a man sleeping with his father's wife, so his step-mom, and the church did nothing about it. Paul is telling them to take action; expel him, excommunicate him. They should not be tolerating such sin to take place. The longer they allowed it, the more others would have thought that immoral behavior was ok and acceptable.
I can imagine the early church got confused about the concept of grace. They may have thought that everything was ok because they were now under grace. "Well God will love me no matter what right so it doesn't matter how I live." But no, Jesus said, "IF you love me you will keep my commandments." And James said, "Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do."
Just because we are under grace does not mean we can live however we want. Jesus said, "I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." We are not saved but what we do, but if we are saved, we will do and not do certain things, through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us.
We cannot judge those outside the church because they do not know better in a sense. They are slaves to sin. They almost cannot help themselves. Think of them as having a disease and sin is merely the symptoms of the disease. You cannot cure the sins until you cure the disease, and that is by having their heart turn from stone to flesh and having their mind regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
But if someone says they are a believer than they need to act like it. And if they are not, we are not supposed to even eat with such people.
Why does Paul say we are not to eat with them?
Eating in the Judea-Christian culture was a way to identify with and become a part of one another, because now each of you had the same food inside of you. It was/is a bonding experience. This is why it bothered the Pharisees so much that Jesus ate with "tax collectors and sinner." Back then, you only ate with people like yourself.
"...Anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people."
So what fits into these categories?
Sexual molestation of children obviously does. Sexual immorality covers a lot of things. Viewing pornography would fit into that category. Pre-marital sex. Affairs.
There are Christians who occasionally mess up. I do not think that is what Paul is referring to here. He is saying if this is their lifestyle, if it is a habit for them, then you are not to associate with them. If they are always sexually immoral etc. then you need to expel them....until they repent and turn from their habitual sin.
What qualifies as someone who is greedy? A lot of people could fit into that category, but mainly if someone loves money more than God. That is also living in sin, to worship money over God.
An example of an idolater would be someone who worships their car and is in love with their car more than they are in love with God.
We can also idolize people. If a "Christian" habitually idolizes things or people over God, we are not to associate with them.
A slanderer would be someone who is always gossiping about other people and knocking their character. We are not to associate with a "Christian" who does that.
A drunkard would be someone who continuously gets drunk, even though they know it is wrong and that the Bible clearly says that we are not to. "Do not get drunk with wine." That is pretty black and white. Christians may slip up and get drunk at times, but again, if this is a habitual action for the person, then we are not to associate with them.
A swindler is someone who steals or cheats people out of money. This is not very common today.
The problem that people in the church often make is doing the opposite; we judge the world and NOT those in the church. It's like we want to protect our own but point the finger at all the poor lost souls out there, the ones that Jesus felt the most compassion for.
Who did Jesus have a bone to pick with when he came? THE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. Those IN the church. So who should we be judging? The gay community and people who have an abortion? No! We are to have compassion on them and show them God's love, not his condemnation. Who are we to judge?
Those who say they are Christian but are not acting like it. Those are the ONLY people that we in the church should be judging.
May God make us better about this as a community.
Have compassion on the lost. They are like sheep without a shepherd remember? But hold your brothers and sisters accountable to the word. We are to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling" as Paul says. Amen? Amen.
May God bless you! :)
God Opposes the Proud
Why does God oppose the proud? What does God hate about pride?
Pride is at the root of all sin. Pride was what caused Satan's downfall. Pride is what made him want to rise up against God and take his place.
Pride is what makes people lazy and slothful. It makes them unwilling to help and care for others because they are too focused on themselves.
Pride leads people into lust because they are following the flesh instead of the Spirit. They are living life the way they want to live it, not the way God does.
Pride leads to anger and dissension among people. "Pride only breeds quarrels."
Pride leads to gluttony and over eating because you want all the food for yourself and forget about others who may actually need it rather than your just wanting it.
Pride leads to vanity, obviously. If you have pride you think you are the most imporant, most attractive, most wonderful person in the entire world. But that is not possible, because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
And the irony of pride is that if you think you are humble, you probably have a lot of pride. But if you recognize that you have pride, you are most likely actually quite humble. :)
What else does the verse say? "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Grace. Such as good things. Gifts. He shows his favor on those who are humble.
He opens the present bag of heaven for those who are humble. :)
Those who think they deserve nothing, he wants to give them everything.
But those who think they deserve everything, God may give nothing.
Not only will he give nothing, but he will actually oppose someone if they are proud.
Make their life harder. Close doors. Cause misfortune to come upon them to teach them a lesson.
I love the quote, "Bend the knee or have it broken." :) That is how God works.
Sometimes people have the thought that God is punishing them. I have never had this thought. But some feel that because of past actions God may be punishing them.
God does discipline those he loves, but if we have confessed it and repented of sin "there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Amen?
God has grace on the humble, on those who confess their wrong.
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will heal us from all unrighteousness."
But the prideful person who does not think he has anything to confess, that is the man that God will "punish" or oppose until the person sees that he needs to come before God humbly and confess.
So be humble and lay down your pride. Recognize that you have pride, because everyone does. That is the first step. And then ask God for help with it.
We can't do it, but God can. God can help us become more and more humble; become more and more like Jesus every day.
Amen :) May God bless you!
Pride is at the root of all sin. Pride was what caused Satan's downfall. Pride is what made him want to rise up against God and take his place.
Pride is what makes people lazy and slothful. It makes them unwilling to help and care for others because they are too focused on themselves.
Pride leads people into lust because they are following the flesh instead of the Spirit. They are living life the way they want to live it, not the way God does.
Pride leads to anger and dissension among people. "Pride only breeds quarrels."
Pride leads to gluttony and over eating because you want all the food for yourself and forget about others who may actually need it rather than your just wanting it.
Pride leads to vanity, obviously. If you have pride you think you are the most imporant, most attractive, most wonderful person in the entire world. But that is not possible, because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
And the irony of pride is that if you think you are humble, you probably have a lot of pride. But if you recognize that you have pride, you are most likely actually quite humble. :)
What else does the verse say? "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Grace. Such as good things. Gifts. He shows his favor on those who are humble.
He opens the present bag of heaven for those who are humble. :)
Those who think they deserve nothing, he wants to give them everything.
But those who think they deserve everything, God may give nothing.
Not only will he give nothing, but he will actually oppose someone if they are proud.
Make their life harder. Close doors. Cause misfortune to come upon them to teach them a lesson.
I love the quote, "Bend the knee or have it broken." :) That is how God works.
Sometimes people have the thought that God is punishing them. I have never had this thought. But some feel that because of past actions God may be punishing them.
God does discipline those he loves, but if we have confessed it and repented of sin "there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Amen?
God has grace on the humble, on those who confess their wrong.
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will heal us from all unrighteousness."
But the prideful person who does not think he has anything to confess, that is the man that God will "punish" or oppose until the person sees that he needs to come before God humbly and confess.
So be humble and lay down your pride. Recognize that you have pride, because everyone does. That is the first step. And then ask God for help with it.
We can't do it, but God can. God can help us become more and more humble; become more and more like Jesus every day.
Amen :) May God bless you!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Death
Death is so final, so unrelenting.
When people die early it comes as such a shock.
People aren't supposed to die in their 20's and 30's.
Why does God let that happen?
How is life so fragile?
Of course, the main reason death is so hard for us, is because that is not how life was supposed to be.
Death came with the curse, when sin entered the world. We were not supposed to die.
But one day, all will be as it should be again. No more death, no more pain.
And we will rule with Christ, forever.
But we just have to be patient until everything is as it should be, again.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus come! :)
When people die early it comes as such a shock.
People aren't supposed to die in their 20's and 30's.
Why does God let that happen?
How is life so fragile?
Of course, the main reason death is so hard for us, is because that is not how life was supposed to be.
Death came with the curse, when sin entered the world. We were not supposed to die.
But one day, all will be as it should be again. No more death, no more pain.
And we will rule with Christ, forever.
But we just have to be patient until everything is as it should be, again.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus come! :)
Kim Walker
Probably the Christian that I most admire in the world and that I feel is the most anointed is Kim Walker. Check out her story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69XbbLb45ws
She points how worship is not just about music; it's about God's presence, about feeling his presence and Responding when we feel him. It's about honoring and praising God. Worship doesn't have to just be in singing.
I think my blogging is my form of worship for the time being. I love to sing too, but anything we do to bring God glory and honor IS worship. Anything we do that brings attention to him is worship. Anything we do that says "Thank you!" and "You're so amazing!" is worship. :)
She points out the verse that "We love God because he FIRST loved us."
She says, "When we get one taste of his love, we cannot help but fall so crazy in love with him." Amen? Amen. Why? Because we are grateful, that the God of the Universe loves US!
"All it takes is one encounter with God's love and you cannot help but be changed."
Because God's love is so amazing! It is so different from anything else we have ever felt! It is the only thing that can fill us to overflowing and give us a full and whole life! :)
She says, "If you are not passionate about your relationship with Jesus, it's because you don't KNOW how much he loves you."
That's true. I used to not get it. I used to think God loved me IF I did a,b and c and didn't do d, e, and f lol But I remember one evening I was reading, ironically, about the 5 points of Calvinism in my room, and it just hit me like suddenly. The light went on, for the second time, and I was like "Woah, God REALLY loves me! Like just me, not anything I have done or can do. He just loves ME!" And I was completely blown away by that realization. :)
I wonder if you have had that; that light go on. Do you know how MUCH God loves you? Do you know that he died for you he loves you so much? You know you really love someone when you would be willing to DIE for them. Have you ever felt that much love for someone else?
Most people with children know what that intensity of love is like. Well THAT is how much God loves you! Amen? Yes :)
Kim says, "I know that I know that I know that my father is crazy about me."
Some people question if they are really saved. Don't do that. Don't doubt God's promises to you and his love for you. If you are his child, he is completely crazy about you! You are the apple of his eye! And he is so proud of you, no matter how much you might fall or struggle.
He can't get enough of spending time with you. He always wants to hear what you have to say. He always wants to wrap his arms around you and comfort you, if you will let him.
This is my favorite song by Kim Walker....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwl2rIRV4s0 "You Are Faithful."
God does not promise like man might promise. God lives up to his word. He is faithful to his word.
May you know more and more how MUCH God loves you. :) It will change your life once you fully realize how much he does. :)
May God bless you!
She points how worship is not just about music; it's about God's presence, about feeling his presence and Responding when we feel him. It's about honoring and praising God. Worship doesn't have to just be in singing.
I think my blogging is my form of worship for the time being. I love to sing too, but anything we do to bring God glory and honor IS worship. Anything we do that brings attention to him is worship. Anything we do that says "Thank you!" and "You're so amazing!" is worship. :)
She points out the verse that "We love God because he FIRST loved us."
She says, "When we get one taste of his love, we cannot help but fall so crazy in love with him." Amen? Amen. Why? Because we are grateful, that the God of the Universe loves US!
"All it takes is one encounter with God's love and you cannot help but be changed."
Because God's love is so amazing! It is so different from anything else we have ever felt! It is the only thing that can fill us to overflowing and give us a full and whole life! :)
She says, "If you are not passionate about your relationship with Jesus, it's because you don't KNOW how much he loves you."
That's true. I used to not get it. I used to think God loved me IF I did a,b and c and didn't do d, e, and f lol But I remember one evening I was reading, ironically, about the 5 points of Calvinism in my room, and it just hit me like suddenly. The light went on, for the second time, and I was like "Woah, God REALLY loves me! Like just me, not anything I have done or can do. He just loves ME!" And I was completely blown away by that realization. :)
I wonder if you have had that; that light go on. Do you know how MUCH God loves you? Do you know that he died for you he loves you so much? You know you really love someone when you would be willing to DIE for them. Have you ever felt that much love for someone else?
Most people with children know what that intensity of love is like. Well THAT is how much God loves you! Amen? Yes :)
Kim says, "I know that I know that I know that my father is crazy about me."
Some people question if they are really saved. Don't do that. Don't doubt God's promises to you and his love for you. If you are his child, he is completely crazy about you! You are the apple of his eye! And he is so proud of you, no matter how much you might fall or struggle.
He can't get enough of spending time with you. He always wants to hear what you have to say. He always wants to wrap his arms around you and comfort you, if you will let him.
This is my favorite song by Kim Walker....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwl2rIRV4s0 "You Are Faithful."
God does not promise like man might promise. God lives up to his word. He is faithful to his word.
May you know more and more how MUCH God loves you. :) It will change your life once you fully realize how much he does. :)
May God bless you!
Lord You Are Beautiful
One of my favorite songs/hymns is:
Oh Lord you are beautiful
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me :)
That song has such a sweet melody and I'm sure it's wonderful music to our Father's ears.
But think of the words. "Oh Lord," so he is the highest one, he is our Lord, our King.
"You are beautiful"....how often do we think of God as beautiful? We usually think of his power and his might, but he is also beautiful. Why? His amazing grace makes him beautiful. :)
"Your face is all I seek," if this were actually true of us, how much better would our lives be? If we only sought after seeing God's/Jesus' face and nothing else, not gaining more money or trying to impress anyone else. What if our only goal was to seek God's face, to see him closer than we already do?! So cool :)
"When your eyes are on this child," we are his children. I love the verse, "How great is the LOVE the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!" Amen? Amen!
And his eyes are on us. God is everywhere at the same time, but sometime he gives people special attention. This is why we are to pray as much as we can, to get God's attention, to have his eyes on us in a sense.
Then it says, "Your grace abounds to me." Don't we all need more grace? I know I do, with myself and with others.
Another great song goes "Grace, grace, God's grace.....grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace....grace that is greater than all our sins."
Amen! His grace is so amazing. It gives us peace. It sets us free. It makes us happy and gives us new life!
My favorite song has always been Amazing Grace. It is the only song I can play on the piano. I taught myself one day after school. :)
God's grace is also so amazing to us because it is not at all how the world works. If someone hurts us, we want them to at least say sorry. But God loved us "even while we were still sinners!" Even when we had our backs turned to him, he loved us. That is why his grace is so amazing. He didn't have to love us, and most wouldn't have, but God did and does.
It is good to think about God's grace and appreciate it from time to time. We have so much to be thankful for. Amen? Amen.
Grace and peace be with you. :)
Oh Lord you are beautiful
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me :)
That song has such a sweet melody and I'm sure it's wonderful music to our Father's ears.
But think of the words. "Oh Lord," so he is the highest one, he is our Lord, our King.
"You are beautiful"....how often do we think of God as beautiful? We usually think of his power and his might, but he is also beautiful. Why? His amazing grace makes him beautiful. :)
"Your face is all I seek," if this were actually true of us, how much better would our lives be? If we only sought after seeing God's/Jesus' face and nothing else, not gaining more money or trying to impress anyone else. What if our only goal was to seek God's face, to see him closer than we already do?! So cool :)
"When your eyes are on this child," we are his children. I love the verse, "How great is the LOVE the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!" Amen? Amen!
And his eyes are on us. God is everywhere at the same time, but sometime he gives people special attention. This is why we are to pray as much as we can, to get God's attention, to have his eyes on us in a sense.
Then it says, "Your grace abounds to me." Don't we all need more grace? I know I do, with myself and with others.
Another great song goes "Grace, grace, God's grace.....grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace....grace that is greater than all our sins."
Amen! His grace is so amazing. It gives us peace. It sets us free. It makes us happy and gives us new life!
My favorite song has always been Amazing Grace. It is the only song I can play on the piano. I taught myself one day after school. :)
God's grace is also so amazing to us because it is not at all how the world works. If someone hurts us, we want them to at least say sorry. But God loved us "even while we were still sinners!" Even when we had our backs turned to him, he loved us. That is why his grace is so amazing. He didn't have to love us, and most wouldn't have, but God did and does.
It is good to think about God's grace and appreciate it from time to time. We have so much to be thankful for. Amen? Amen.
Grace and peace be with you. :)
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Romans Highlights Cont.
Romans 3:All the World Guilty
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
We, on our own, do not seek God. God has to draw someone to himself in order for that person to see him. I believe God draws everyone at some point in their lives. Apart from God opening our eyes, we cannot see him. Paul says that the "gopel is foolishness to those who are perishing" and that "the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers." Satan is trying to blind all people. Combined with our original sin passed down from Adam, and Satan's deception, no one seeks God apart from God's assistance. Arminians believe that man jumps up to God at some point; that of our own will we choose God. Calvinists believe that God reaches down to some and pulls them out of the deep water they are in apart from their own will at some point. I believe it is both; God reaches down to everyone and some reach back up and take his hand. That is the most consistent, I think, with scripture. "No one comes to the father unless he be drawn." But also, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." It is both us and him, just like the Christian walk is both us and him. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling....for it is God who...." works in you. It is not all us and it is not all God, it is both. We work together as a team, in salvation and in the process of sanctification.
Paul later explains in Romans that apart from the law we would not know what sin is. We may have a general idea of what seems right and wrong, but the law explicitly says what is right and wrong. Therefore, if we know the law, we are without excuse. As Christians we are still to strive to live up to the law, because Paul says, "walk in a manner worthy of your calling." We are called to live differently than the world, to be set apart. We are not saved by the law, but if we are saved, we will live up to most of the law, because we walk in the Spirit not the flesh.
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We are all sinners. No one can say they are perfect. Many may think they have never done wrong, because they may live relatively good lives. But if they have ever told a lie, in their entire lives, they have sinned.
"We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."
We are justified by faith in Jesus alone; that he died, rose again and is sufficient to cover all of our sins. We are not saved by fulfilling the law. That would be trying to be saved in our own strength. Left to ourselvse, apart from God, we cannot fulfill and live up to the law. It is only after we are filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in the Spirit that we can live by the law.
"Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law."
We are not saved by the law, but the law is not voided through faith. Paul says "we establish the law" meaning we bring about the law, we are finally able to hold to the law through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us.
Jesus said, "I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law." We are not saved by trying to live up to the law, but as James says, "Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do." If we truly saved, we will live out the commandments of the law. Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments."
And the commandments now in the new covenant go beyond just the 10 that were given to Moses. They now include loving your neighbor, which covers a lot of things. They cover that we are not to lust; sins of the heart, not just outward actions. They cover not gossiping or slandering. Now instead of there being 10 commandments it is more like there are 100 or more, but we are not trying to live up to them in our own strength anymore as they did before Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit's assistance to help us obey God's commandments.
Romans 4: Justification by Faith
16 "For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace."Grace is unmerited divine assistance. It is something we did not earn. We are saved by God's amazing grace, not by anything we have done.
This verse is referring to Abraham:
"Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."
Our faith will be credited to us as righteousness, just as Abraham's was. Abraham believed that God would give him a son. He had faith in God's promise to him, and so he was made righteous through his faith. We have faith that Jesus' death on the cross is sufficient to cover our sin, and so this faith is also credited to us as righteousness. It seems too simple, but that is how it is.
Romans 5: Results of Justification
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
"We exult in hope of the glory of God."
"We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
"Having now been justified [by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.... if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many."
Medications Are Dangerous
Thus was my advice to a friend who is considering getting on medication. And I will say the same to anyone reading this blog who is on or may ever go on medication....
I have never been on any medication myself. I have just seen my mom and best friend Ashley go on tons of different things and they all just seemed to make them worse. Both struggle with depression.
Definitely first check out a support group or bible study at church. That would be the best thing for healing and peace.
After Roger, my previous fiance, died I even seriously considered getting on meds, but then I was like, hm....no that's how he died lol. And now being pregnant I thought about it because I seemed to be having crazy hormone issues with pregnancy, but praise God they have leveled out.
Just pray about it.
If u do go on something, make sure it's a really small dose and something u can get off of easily.
Roger who died was on like 5 different things. I'm still not sure exactly what caused his death, but I think all the meds didn't help.
He was on klonopin for anxiety, which is really strong and just as addictive as cocaine supposedly. And he was taking synthetic Testosterone shots. He was on Cialis for blood circulation. The day he died he also took two anti-biotic pills for a cold he had.
So I have certianly seen medication and what it does etc. I have seen the effects of medication on everyone around me all my life.
Roger was trying to get off the Klonopin and for some reason thought Methadone would help him wean off the klonopin, but he was having serious trouble sleeping, couldn't breath, having anxiety, he was always itchy etc. It was bad.
So I've seen how hard it is to get off these things once you start, which is always why I caution anyone against getting on anything.
With some of these medications once you're on them, you're on them for life. :(
I have never been on any medication myself. I have just seen my mom and best friend Ashley go on tons of different things and they all just seemed to make them worse. Both struggle with depression.
Definitely first check out a support group or bible study at church. That would be the best thing for healing and peace.
After Roger, my previous fiance, died I even seriously considered getting on meds, but then I was like, hm....no that's how he died lol. And now being pregnant I thought about it because I seemed to be having crazy hormone issues with pregnancy, but praise God they have leveled out.
Just pray about it.
If u do go on something, make sure it's a really small dose and something u can get off of easily.
Roger who died was on like 5 different things. I'm still not sure exactly what caused his death, but I think all the meds didn't help.
He was on klonopin for anxiety, which is really strong and just as addictive as cocaine supposedly. And he was taking synthetic Testosterone shots. He was on Cialis for blood circulation. The day he died he also took two anti-biotic pills for a cold he had.
So I have certianly seen medication and what it does etc. I have seen the effects of medication on everyone around me all my life.
Roger was trying to get off the Klonopin and for some reason thought Methadone would help him wean off the klonopin, but he was having serious trouble sleeping, couldn't breath, having anxiety, he was always itchy etc. It was bad.
So I've seen how hard it is to get off these things once you start, which is always why I caution anyone against getting on anything.
With some of these medications once you're on them, you're on them for life. :(
Wisdom in Romans
Romans is considered by most to be the most theologically important book of the Bible.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Some in the early church may have been ashamed of the gospel because it was opposed so much. Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the gospel. Many were put in prison and beaten, including Paul.
But why does Paul say he is not ashamed of it, because the gospel is Power. :) It leads to salvation. It is the light.
Paul says, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
What does he mean by this? It shows that God is righteous because he finally sent a sacrifice that would fulfill justice and meet the payment due for our sins. And if we have faith in Jesus' sacrifice, we are saved. It is not our works that save us. It is faith, and faith alone.
"For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.... when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them."
This is an argument for those who have never heard the gospel. Some people ask, "What about those in other countries who have never heard the gospel?" Well they will be judged apart from the law. They will be judged by how well they followed their conscious, since the law is somewhat written on their hearts. This means they should instinctively know what is right and wrong because we are all made in the image of God.
Also God reveals himself to those who truly seek him. If they do not have a Bible in their language God can always speak to them in dreams, in a burning bush :), in miracles etc.
Yes often times Christians are hypocrites. They want to judge the world while they are living in sin themselves. Will not the world judge us if we judge them? Yes. That is why Paul says, "Judge not lest ye be judged." Beware of judging anyone, because it will almost always backfire on you.
......
I will analyze what I think are the best verses in Romans. :)
Romans 1: The Gospel Exalted
"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ."
The fact that a savior would come was prophesied in the Old Testament several times. Some prophecies portrayed Jesus as a suffering servant and some talked about what he would appear like in his second coming.
It was prophesied that Jesus would be from the line of David, which he was through Mary. The beginning of Matthew points that out. It was prophesied that he would rise from the dead. It was prophesied that he would reconcile his people to God, as he did, most of them. :)
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Some in the early church may have been ashamed of the gospel because it was opposed so much. Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the gospel. Many were put in prison and beaten, including Paul.
But why does Paul say he is not ashamed of it, because the gospel is Power. :) It leads to salvation. It is the light.
Paul says, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
What does he mean by this? It shows that God is righteous because he finally sent a sacrifice that would fulfill justice and meet the payment due for our sins. And if we have faith in Jesus' sacrifice, we are saved. It is not our works that save us. It is faith, and faith alone.
Romans 2: The Impartiality of God
"Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."
For example, we might judge another for being mastered by something, but are we mastered by something in our own lives?
We may judge another for getting angry but do we get angry?
I love the quote, "We hate in others what we hate in ourselves."
We judge and despise MOST the sin we see in others that reminds us of the sin in OURSELVES.
When we see some familiar failing in someone else it is like a mirror is held up to us, and without realizing it, we see ourselves. It is the sin within our own selves that we hate. But we want to point the finger at the other instead of correcting that behavior in ourselves, because that seems easier.
This may be why when two people are too similar they may not get along. Opposites attract partly because they have different flaws and struggle with different sins. :)
We can forgive and overlook the person opposite of us more because their struggle is different from our own. But when we see our own sin in someone else, boy do we try to go to war with that person.
But it is really ourselves that we are mad at, not that other person.
"The kindness of God leads you to repentance."
We once debated a topic in Torrey about would you rather be a king that is feared or loved. One who is feared may appear to have more power, but it is the one who is loved that actually does, because his subjects are loyal to him outwardly and inwardly.
God knows this. He is the wisest being alive. He knows that it is kindness that wins people over. It is love that draws people. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up (as in die for all men) I will draw all men unto myself." It was God's love poured out for us that has drawn us to him.
In the same sense, it is not when the church judges others that they are drawn to it, that only pushes people away. It is when the church really loves others that people will be drawn to it.
Something to keep in mind. :)
"There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
This could be an argument for the rapture. :) This could be referring to the after life, heaven and hell, or it could be referring to the seven year tribulation, that I think is coming soon. Perhaps this is saying the church and those who love God will be spared and taken up before it gets bad here on earth. I hope so. :)
"For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.... when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them."
This is an argument for those who have never heard the gospel. Some people ask, "What about those in other countries who have never heard the gospel?" Well they will be judged apart from the law. They will be judged by how well they followed their conscious, since the law is somewhat written on their hearts. This means they should instinctively know what is right and wrong because we are all made in the image of God.
Also God reveals himself to those who truly seek him. If they do not have a Bible in their language God can always speak to them in dreams, in a burning bush :), in miracles etc.
" You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,' just as it is written."
This reflects a great quote I once heard. "The main cause of atheism in the world is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."Yes often times Christians are hypocrites. They want to judge the world while they are living in sin themselves. Will not the world judge us if we judge them? Yes. That is why Paul says, "Judge not lest ye be judged." Beware of judging anyone, because it will almost always backfire on you.
......
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