Jesus, Yourself

Preparation

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Preparation

“The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.”  Deuteronomy 4:14 

I read this verse in a devotional this morning and it really struck me – that this is showing me that God prepares us for where we are going. 

Backing up in this chapter, in order to read the context, I see it starts with the exact same them of preparation right in verse 1.

“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.”  Deuteronomy 4:1

It goes on to tell them not to add or take away from what is commanded.  That may seem obvious, but is it.  I too often find myself adding to what God shows me – you know if he asks me to walk a mile, I can think well it’s a lovely day, maybe he really wants me to walk two.  Sadly, I also can rationalize doing less than he commands at times as well.  Like, I know you wanted me to go speak to that person, but they look busy. 

Verse 5 once gain seems to be saying what verse 1 and 14 said, relating the statues and judgments as preparation. 

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.”  Deuteronomy 4:5

Verse 6 is so cool.  It basically says do what you are told.  And in doing so you will demonstrate something aka be a witness. 

“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Deuteronomy 4:6

Wow I love this chapter.  Verse 9 encourages us to not forget and to share with generations. 

“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”  Deuteronomy 4:9

Beginning in verse 15 this chapter then shifts and begins to focus on a temptation that will be there for them because of how they received the Word of God.  You see they received it by hearing a voice, but not by seeing anything or anyone of form. 

“So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.”  Deuteronomy 4:15-16

This really resonated with me as well.  Not necessarily forming traditional visible idols, but idols, nonetheless.  Our God is invisible, oh His works are very much visible (see Romans 1:19-20).  But because He is invisible the temptation can be there to look for and/or create substitutes that we are sometimes more comfortable with.  So this same caution can apply to us today. 

May we focus on hearing and doing the instructions from our Lord, that we may be the witnesses He has called us to be, and that we will be prepared to possess the land He desires to give us. 

Jesus, Mind

Kingdom of God

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Is Technology Disrupting Brain Development? | by Jump Associates | Medium

Yesterday I heard two messages that both mentioned the kingdom of God and I feel like God linked them together in a way that I had not considered before. 

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 3:2   

The word “repent” in this case comes from 2 Greek words meta, which means change, noeo’, which means mind.  So, repent really means change one’s mind. 

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 14:17

Combining these verses – it can be understood as Jesus encouraging us to change our minds, because righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit is at hand. 

With that as background, I’d like to expand on the role of the mind and the kingdom of God. 

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Romans 12:2

“Transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  That phrase itself points out how we can be transformed – changed from the inside out.  The verse goes on to say what is possible when our minds are renewed, “that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  I want to live in such a way that I can prove the will of God.  I think of this as meaning that I am able to demonstrate to others (and myself) the will of God.  In other words, live out this life the way God wants.  Please understand, this is not about salvation or how you get to heaven – that is about faith in the finished work of Jesus and making him Lord of your life.  This is about how we live our life. 

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”  Romans 10:9-10

Often the “kingdom of God” can feel theoretical. 

Back to changing our mind and the kingdom of God.  Often the “kingdom of God” can feel theoretical.  That is why I love the Romans 14:7 verse so much because it brings it down to somethings that we can all relate to.  In the message that I listen to yesterday, the speaker pointed out that sometimes we tend to focus more on the righteousness portion of the kingdom of God, but if we are not living in peace and joy and demonstrating these in our life, we are portraying an incomplete message of what the kingdom of God is. 

The peace and joy portion of what makes up the kingdom of God reminds me of the post I recently put up about Romans 15:13.  In that post I personalized the verse as “Now may the God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing, that I may about in hope by the power of the holy spirit.” Joy and peace are not things to muster up by some sort of forced will power, they are listed among the fruit of the spirit. This means like apples are fruit of an apple tree, joy and peace (among other things) are the fruit of the spirit.

Body, Mind

Peri-menopause and Anxiety

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Today I watched a video (link) titled “How to calm menopause anxiety”. I would suggest it might be better titled as “How to calm peri-menopause anxiety.” I say that because it focuses on a symptom that tends to happen as we transition from “normal” periods to that place where we no longer have periods (after 1 full year of no periods we are then in menopause). Even with this slight tweak to the title, I felt there was many really practical and do-able tips in this video.

Hydration

I had not realized, but apparently dehydration can induce anxiety. Also dehydration can lead to similar symptoms like heart palpation. So, a really simple tip she gives if you find yourself getting anxious or feeling a panic attack coming on is to drink a full glass of water. She especially points out that sometimes if you get first thing in the morning anxiety, it may especially be related to hydration.

Low blood sugar

Low blood sugar levels can actually trigger anxiety symptoms. In the video she recommends eating little and often.

Relaxation / Meditation

She really encourages 30 minutes each day of “me time.”

Deep breathing

Her recommendation is breathing in very slowly to the count of 4, pause, then breath out slowing to the count of 4. I would add, if you are a Christian, you may want to look into breath praying. The basic idea is you breath a scripture phrase, or truth in slowly, pause then breath a scripture phrase, or truth out slowly.

Walk

In the video she suggests even a 10 minute walk, especially outside is great.

Journaling

She suggests that not only should you journal your feelings, but jot down facts about what you observe. She suggests that these may lead you to see patterns, for example does the anxious feeling happen every afternoon around 4. If so, maybe it is blood sugar related. I would caution with this, let this serve you, not the other way around. I say this because the thing with anxiety is sometimes it can lead to over-reaching for control.

I hope you find some of these practical tips helpful.

Jesus, Spirit, Yourself

Hope, Peace, Joy

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God has brought this verse, Romans 15:13 in several ways over the last couple of months. The non-personalized version reads,

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

At times God prompts me to personalize verses. Too often when I read “you” it is processed by me as “you” as in everyone else. But when I read it with “I” or “me” it helps me to realize in a deeper way how the verse applies to me! If this is helpful to you, I encourage you to adopt this as well.

Now – timing matters

I love so much that this verse begins with “Now.” Faith is always in the now. In the verse that provide what faith is, also begins with “Now”, “Now faith is…” and in the Romans 15:13 verse the timing is now (perpetually) for us to have hope, peace and joy by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fill – the opposite of empty

I know many are feeling empty right now. This scripture prayer asks God to fill us with all joy and peace in believing.

Abound

What a wonderful word to precede “hope” with. “Abound in hope.”

How?

The ending of this verse let’s us know how it will be done, “by the Holy Spirit.” This not about a pep talk or self-will. It is a work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, Mind, Spirit, Yourself

God Affirmations

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This morning I did a search on Biblical Affirmations. Let’s face it, we all have times where we are struggling more than others. I have found that stating and re-stating truths is one of my greatest weapons on those rough days.

I found this resource – it is a little over an hour. It is this really cool combination of “I AM” statements followed by reading of scriptures that support those affirmations. Apparently this ministry has many such videos – consider checking them out. I pray that this resource will help you in a time you might be struggling or just bless you in a time when you are at rest.

Jesus, Mental Health, Spirit, Yourself

Being Seen

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I listened to a podcast called Things Above, which is based on Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things that are on earth.” In this episode, the host, James Bryan Smith, talks to Michael John Cusick. He is a Christian Counselor who runs a ministry that does intensive counselling in Colorado. His ministry is called Restoring the Soul. I want to share some of my notes from this podcast in the hopes that it will be helpful for others.

The scripture he began speaking about was Proverbs 20:5 “The purposes of ones heart are deep waters, but a person of understanding draws them out.”

He related this to all the ways we mishandle our pain. Wow, did that resonate with me! In other words, often we can deceive even our own selves about why we are doing the things we are doing.

He shared about 5 “W’s” – Wickedness, Weakness, Woundedness, Warfare, and Wiring. Many people focus on the first W – through sin-management. Addressing the other 4 Ws often take care of the sin, without making it the focus.

Shame breads disconnection.

He shares that our deepest calling is to live in place where our soul is Seen, Soothed, Safe, and Secure. Our brain and nervous system is designed to be interpersonal. He goes on to explain how our “fig leaves” (referring to how Adam/Eve tried to hide their sin) do not cover as much as we think. He describes how when God sees us at our worst, He greets us with “well, of course.” Simply because we are so well known.

He talks about these needs for being seen, soothed, safe and secure are needs our entire life. When we don’t get these met, we tend to either try to play big or play small. When we don’t sense that anyone is coming for us, we find substitutes. He encourages us to take time to receive the gaze of God in our life to heal areas where we have not felt seen, soothed, safe or secure. Wow, again. How often have I tried not to “need” anything. Or respond with things like “I’m fine.” When I refuse to receive, I am refusing to be seen and soothed.

So this week I want to encourage you to allow yourself to be seen, soothed, safe and secure by receiving was is needed from God.

Jesus, Yourself

How God Leads

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The Way God Leads“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”  Psalm 32:8

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I really struggle with knowing what I should do.  I can be guilty of analysis paralysis. 

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6

Let’s get practical with how to apply this verse.  As we go about our days, we need to make a routine of pausing to acknowledge God. Dallas Willard suggests beginning each day with this phrase, “God is here.”  I find that simple phrase so powerful.   

I’ll be the first to admit, at times, I have felt lost; felt like my prayers asking God for direction went unanswered. As a matter of fact, right this moment, one area of my life comes to mind that I have been seeking God for direction in for quite some time and I’m still not clear on what my next right step is. So I am coming to you as by far not an expert. However, I know God’s Word is true and I love knowing and reminding myself of His promises along these lines.

Here are more verses where He promises to lead us.

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

Isn’t that verse such a reassurance! I know for me, even with the current situation in mind, I can look back on my life and acknowledge that God has been leading in ways that I didn’t necessarily notice at the time. There were times when I noticed I was at a crossroads and needed to make a decision, but there have been many other times when I didn’t even know the choice I was about to make was going to be significant in my journey. That’s why it is so wonderful to know that my Redeemer is the very one who is leading me. On the other hand, there have been times when I have known of my need for wisdom and I have called out to God asking for insight.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [a]without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6

Another way I have known God to provide me with insight is directly through His word.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

This next verse is one that I have clung to since my teenage years, which is when I first learned of it, I believe. Did you realize one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all Truth. Sometimes I pray, Lord, guide me into what is true here.

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13

Sometimes His leading is something we consciously pray for, and that is good. However, other times it starts with us simply committing what we are doing to Him. Have you stopped to consider that? We really all serving someone each day. That someone can be the Lord, it can be ourselves, it can be others, as in people-pleasing, or it can be a number of other things. I encourage you to begin your day by simply saying, God, I commit this day (this work, this trip, etc) to you.

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:5

Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

There are things we do not know. It may seem obvious, but it is just a fact of life. However, we do have access to an all-knowing God. Jeremiah has a wonderful exhortation for us to call out to God and He will answer. He’s going to show us things we do not know. That has to be one of the things I’ve actually struggled with at times. Simply the fact that He shows me something I did not expect or that was not on my radar screen so to speak. This should not surprise me, but somehow sometimes it still does. So may I encourage you when you see something that is unexpected, don’t always quickly dismiss it. Take it before the Lord, and ask Him if it is something He is showing.

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3

The last scripture I’m going to share is also such a reassuring one for me and it speaks to relationship. After all, if we are looking for guidance, don’t we want to be reassured that we are known by the one doing the guiding!

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27-28

Body, Resources

Body Resources

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This page will be a compilation of various resources I have come across which I feel are very helpful to our physical bodies.

Chair Yoga (Christ Centered) —

This particular video is one I have shared with my dad, who just turned 80 this year. My dad used to do yoga at a local Y as part of their Senior Sneakers program, he really enjoyed it. However due to schedule changes, this is no longer an option for him. He is not at all technical, he does not have a cell phone – smart or otherwise, he does not use a computer. So I’ve found that I can bring my iPad over to his house and we can do short videos like these together. He really seems to enjoy them and I do as well.

Adrenaline Rushes and/or Hot Flashes —

From time to time I have experienced adrenaline rushes and/or hot flashes. In other words, for me, this means that there are times that seemingly out of nowhere I get this surge of “urgency”. That is how I describe it when it feels like I kind of just need to get out of where ever I am. Here are a few things I tend to do which I’ve found helpful.

  • Get up and walk, even if it is just pacing. This allows the adrenaline kind of outlet.
  • Deep breathing. If you’re like me, you find specifics helpful. Specifically I’ve done metered breathing like this — inhale deeply to the count of 4, and exhale to the count of 4. I also heard a 4-7 breath as being quite helpful. So that looks like inhale deeply to the count of 4, pause, exhale to the count of 7. Here is what an expert has to say, “Some women find deep-breathing exercises helpful. Research suggests that a technique called paced respiration can cut in half the frequency of hot flashes. To perform paced respiration, take slow, deep, full breaths — expanding and contracting the abdomen gently while inhaling and exhaling — at a rate of about six to eight breaths per minute. One of the best ways to learn paced respiration is by taking a yoga class. Practice this technique twice a day for 15 minutes. You can also use paced respiration whenever you feel a hot flash coming on. Stress-relief techniques and biofeedback may also be of some benefit.” Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/dealing-with-the-symptoms-of-menopause
Body, Mind, Resources

A New Category – Resources

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When I created this site, one of my goals was to be a resource to you, the reader. I know in my life often when I’m going through something I look to my computer and search for resources – things that I can practically do that will be helpful to me. I’m guessing you are the same. So with that in mind, I’ve decided to create a category specifically for this. I will be tagging resources that I come across with the “Resource” category to make it super easy for you or me to come back to in order to easily find things that will be useful.

I plan to have sub-categories within this broad category of Resources.

If you have a resource or know of one, I’d love to hear about it, please feel free to comment.

Mental Health

Christians and Mental Health

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Part of why I created this blog was to provide content that is the type of content I have searched for in the past and either not found the type of content I was hoping for or I felt like there was something I could add on the subject.

Christians and mental health is definitely one of those subjects. I feel like there is a lot of well-meaning content, which can be shaming simply because of its incompleteness or because of a lack of empathy. Some such things that I have seen often are messages that seem to indicate if a Christian struggles with mental health issues it is automatically an indication of a lack of faith. I don’t think that is the case.

I think a significant point for us to realize is that as Christians we are three part beings – spirit, soul and body. We are to care for each part. Each part actually can impact the others as well.

Paul prayed,

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Too often I have acted as if God is only concerned with my spirit.

I am realizing that is a lie. It is incomplete.

In different seasons of my life I have really struggled in my soul. It might be helpful to describe what I feel the soul is – I have heard it described as your mind, will and emotions. I think that is a fairly good description. This makes sense because God tells us that the battle field is in our mind.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Because this is a subject I have done a lot of reading and searching and praying about, I am going to continue to write about this and I am going to provide links to sites and resources that I have found along the way to be helpful. In the hope that this will serve as a resource for others and will also serve to help to allow you the grace to quiet the shame and simply receive the truth of God’s love, as I seek to do the same.