Tag Archives: walk

100 spiritual walking steps – 27 – the festivals along the way

~I apologize, before hand, for the inconsistencies in this post, as I am using a speech to text program, and have only one hand with which to type. please give me grace for the mistakes.

Right now, the Jewish community is celebrating Sukkot. This holiday began the evening of October 12 and continues until the evening of October 19. Everyone else, especially the pagans, are preparing to celebrate Halloween. Although the celebration is always October 31, the communities celebrate Halloween on various days to make it safer for the children.

How does one walking along the path of life choose which festivals to participate in? Or DO you participate in any festivals?

Because I am a Christian, and because I try to live my life through Biblical principles, I will not be discussing festivals of other religions. I will be discussing festivals/holidays, celebrated or not celebrated, by the various forms of Christianity.

There are some in the Christian faith that don’t celebrate any holidays. Their thinking is that the Jewish festivals are gone/past because we are not bound by Jewish law under Christ, and the so-called Christian festivals were Christianized pagan holidays, and we should not participate in the holidays of the pagans.  Some take this as far as to not celebrate birthdays. Some will not celebrate the national holiday because of the rebellion to the authorities of that day.

On the other hand, there are those of the Christian faith that celebrate everything, with no difference from the world. their position is, it’s all in fun!

As for my personal opinion and position, I am torn.

When Jim and I married, Jim was not that big on holidays, but I had sweet memories of them.   In the beginning, Jim and I chose not to celebrate holidays in the same way as the world. Then we joined a church that exposed the pagan origins of Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.  At this point we stopped celebrating holidays, except Thanksgiving and birthdays.  This caused a great rift with our extended families.

When the children came along, and the first one went to public school, I decided to focus on the Christian aspects of the US holidays, such as Christmas.   Everything we did related to a Scripture verse, or Biblical principle, to be tangible lessons about God’s grace.   We didn’t do Santa because we didn’t want to lie to our children.  We did do Nativity scenes, but made sure they understood that there were no Kings at Jesus’s birth.
My purpose was to give them a godly worldview in the midst of an ungodly world, something to hold onto, that illustrated our difference.

We did participate in harvest festivals as opposed to Halloween parties.  But as we participated in the Halloween alternatives our children asked us what was the difference.  In our understanding of the Bible, and the origins of Halloween, we felt it was a pagan holiday and as Christians we should have nothing to do with pagan celebrations.  Our children concurred, therefore we quit. “and a little child shall lead you”(Is 11:6)

Today, I am looking into the Scriptures that talk about not participating or joining in any way the ways of the pagans.  That said, I do not believe that it is right to throw out an error free thing that evil has used for a sign for itself.

  • God gave the rainbow to Noah as a promise. -error-free
  • Homosexuals have used the rainbow to declare their opposition to God’s design in Genesis.
  • do we throw out the rainbow?
  • The Bible says in Psalm 8 that creation declares the glory of God, God created the Evergreen – error-free
  • Christmas trees go back to the pagans,do we have to give the pagans the evergreen tree?
  • Doesn’t God teaches about eternal life with that?  Didn’t God create the evergreen tree first?

****but what to do with this passage in Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 10.2-4 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the people [are] vain: for [one] cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

I cannot get over the fact that this sounds like a Christmas tree.  But not an evergreen tree, growing in the forest. Man has taken what God meant for good and used it for evil.

  • I believe that Judaism is the foundation of Christianity.
  • I believe that God intended celebrations and therefore instituted them in the Jewish religion, as a remembrance His works before the eyes of his people.
  • I believe that God wants us to celebrate, and that the celebrations are meant to remind us of His activity in our lives.
  • I believe as Christians that we should participate in communion (the Lord’s supper) as a remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross.
  • In that regard, awhy we don’t celebrate the feast of the Tabernacles as our Jewish brothers and sisters do but with the glorious knowledge that the foreshadowing as been fulfilled in Christ’s birth, God Tabernacle-ing with us.
  • why don’t we celebrate Passover, the great foreshadowing of our deliverance?

Do we throw away the Old Testament? is celebrating the biblical feasts really being bound by the law?  I don’t believe Jesus came to abolish the Old Testament but rather to fulfil it.  And if the same celebrations were good enough for Jesus, why not remembering Him in the celebrations that He fulfilled?

As the day nears for Christ’s return, I want to be sure that when He calls out my name I am not entangled with things of this life. I am 51. If God grants me the gift of 70 years I have 19 years left. (Ps 90:10) I have 19 years, 29 maybe, to give, to serve my Lord Jesus.  No man knows the day that Christ will call him home.(Luke 12:16) When He does call my name, what will He find me doing (Luke 18:8)? I have been convicted that while I believe there is room to have parties, to have fun, to laugh, to sing, yes, even to dance, I need to number my days (Ps 90:12), and to the best of my ability to all things to the glory of God (I Cor 10:31).

Since we are in October, and Sukkot and Halloween are upon us, I an going to post links for these two holidays, and let the reader decide.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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100 spiritual walking steps – 25 – at a crossroads

~I apologize, before hand,  for the inconsistencies in this post, as I am using a speech to text program, and have only one hand with which to type. please give me grace for the mistakes.

Have you ever been at a crossroad?
I mean, we’ve had big crossroads,

are we going to sin, or choose Jesus?

but I’m talking about more specific things to ourselves.

Like for me, I’m being convicted about what I put in the Temple of God.
Understand I’ve been convicted before, but this time it’s like I’m at a crossroads, before it was just stuff to work on while I was walking down the road headed towards being like Christ.

Now, it’s like there are some things that if I hold onto them I will have gone down the wrong road. None of them are “sin” in the eyes of most, or in many interpretations from the Bible. These are things specific to me, between me and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have several things at this point that God is holding up in front of me, and it’s like I can’t go forward with him unless I drop these things.

One is about headcoverings. this comes from first Corinthians 11
Another is wearing dresses. this comes from first Timothy 2
then there’s the food I eat.

1Cor 3:17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

Actually, it’s all about how I treat the temple God.

These could be a legalistic issues, but for me it’s something the Lord is working in my heart for many years. What is the struggle? why do I have a problem? Am I…

  • sitting on the fence?
  • regretting my hand to the plow?
  • wondering how much is worth sacrificing?

I’ve heard the teachings that first Corinthians 11 is for the social issues of the day. well, specifically, first Corinthians 11….

I can’t even separate the verses about headcoverings without separating the verses about Christ being the head of the church,or man is the head of the woman, or God is the head of Christ. 1 cor 11…..can you?

what does this mean?

John 15.10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

OR

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

OR

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

I put my hand plow, I don’t want to turn back.
I’ve been sitting on the fence for way too long.
How much is worth sacrificing for the One who sacrificed His life for me?

can I give up everyday ice cream?
can I wear a scarf on my head?
can I wear dresses and skirts?
Is that too much to ask from someone who bought me with His blood?

I’ve done it before, and quit because it bothered others.  It didn’t line up with their interpretation of the Bible.  They felt my life, my practices, were judgments on them.

Is that really my problem?  No I don’t want to be a stone around the necks of those who have not studied the Scriptures enough to stand on their own.  But does that mean I compromise what God has put in my heart?  Or does it come down to the 10 virgins, and I’m giving up my oil to those that did not gather enough for themselves?

Like I said, I am at a crossroads with things the Lord has put on my heart, and my understanding of Scriptures.
My crossroads is this,

are you going to obey what I have shown you?
yes or no?

the bottom line is, am I going to say yes Lord, and trust others to Him?
Oh yeah, one question I’ve been asked by those who I have shared this struggle with is, what does Jim say?
Jim likes me wearing headcoverings
Jim likes me wearing dresses
Jim would like me to eat healthy

So then, the other crossroads, am I willing to give up”fitting in” to please my husband, and obey my God?

As I write this out, I’m shaking my head. By God’s grace, I will walk out my specific commandments with courage, with grace, with peace and with out condemnation or fear of what others might think.

and today, on Facebook, from my friend Pam Dodson, I read this quote

“When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.” C.S. Lewis

there’s really nothing else to say.

 
Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!
 

there are giants in my land – part three

~It would seem that part three should be the third giant, but it’s only the second. I explained the giants in number one, and discussed the giant of fear in number two.

The second giant that has overshadowed my life is the giant of depression.

Many people think that the opposite of depression is happiness. Happiness is based on what happens around you, and joy is based on your Jesus relationship.

There is a simple circle that brings this truth to life.
Jesus came that we may have joy

John 15.11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.

In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy

Psalm 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

The joy of the Lord is our strength

Neh 8.10 : for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

We can do all things Christ Jesus who strengthens us…

Phil 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

…Because Jesus came that we might have joy

John 16.24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

So the bottom line is, if I’m depressed, where my dwelling?

Several years ago I wrote a post called “The Oil of Joy”, and that was the beginning of my battle with the giant of depression. The giant of depression had been around for quite a while, but this is when I started to learn how to battle. Here it is.

Joy is a choice. This is what God was telling me.

With my past experience with abuse, which plunged me into deep depression, medically declared not recoverable, as well as a mother with Bi-Polar/Manic-Depressive, and a daughter diagnosed as the same, as well as suicides running through the family spirit….Joy has been an elusive concept at times. I don’t take joy for granted. I respect the warning signs of depression.

It’s a choice? None of the above was a choice!
What choice do I have?

Psal 16:6 (KJS) The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant [places]; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because [he is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

I can choose to trust in the Lord, look at what He has done for me, seek His counsel, hearken to His words, bless Him, set Him before me, and to stay in His presence, at His right hand.

Isai 61:3 (KJS) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

I can choose to go to Him. He is glorified when I allow him to give me the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise of the spirit of heaviness…He wants to have the glory of being my joy! He knows that I am mourning, and has prepared a solution for it…before I was even conceived!

Hebr 12:12 (KJS) Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

My hands hang down when I am discouraged, my knees are feeble when I am afraid…..and then Lord says:

Nehe 8:10 (KJS) Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for [this] day [is] holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

He is my strength! If I let Him be my joy…then I will be strong..in Him!

2Tim 1:7 (KJS) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

He can calm my mind…when I am depressed, I do not have a sound mind…I am fearing…and that is not of Him! If I ask, He will give me the mind of Christ…and renew my mind. (Phil 2:5, Rom 12:2) He tells me to

1Pet 1:13 (KJS) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Last week, I was overcome with discouragement…when all in the house were sick or not up to par, and the plan wasn’t working, and there was so much to do. I had finally, taken a walk with the Lord…and had started to pull out of the dumps…but even the work of Saturday, the hugeness of it, without really even touching what I needed to get done for school brought me to my knees in tears. I went to my prayer closet (bathroom) and cried. Where is the joy? And He gently reminded me that joy is a choice…a choice of where I spend my time, where I place my heart, where I walk, and with whom I talk. In HIS presence is fullness of joy! I had been too busy doing what I thought He wanted me to do, that I hadn’t been with Him.

When I was marching around the house, thinking on the sins that were attacking our family, I had great joy…..from the presence of the King.

My prayer is(Acts 17:27-28) That in Him I would live, and move and have my being. That I would walk after the Spirit (Rom 8), (Gal 5:16-25) and live in the spirit-

Gala 5:25 (KJS) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

This is part of the Big Plan that God has for my family…

Jude 1:24 (KJS) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

it was some time after this post that I changed my signature Bible verse to Psalm 63.7

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I learned that if I abide in the secret place of the most high and dwell under the shadow of the Almighty(Ps 91), nothing can keep me from singing.

I have written about the power of music to quiet demons in one’s head.

David played for Saul to quiet his demons. 1 Sam 16.23

God inhabits the praises of his people.  Psalm 22.3

Psalm 100 gives step-by-step how to abide in the Lord and in his joy with singing.

  1. A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
  2. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
  3. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
  4. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
  5. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

There are Giants in My Land

In 2006, the Kendrick brothers brought us the movie “Facing the Giants”
In that same year, Max Lucado wrote Facing Your Giants.
Years ago, Jim and I heard a talk about Goliath and his four brothers.
We also learned about how to conquer 5 giants in the Advanced Seminar through IBLP.

In 1 Samuel 17, a shepherd boy named David, came to the army of Israel to see how things were going. His brothers were in the Army. Saul was the king and the Philistines were taunting and ridiculing Israel.
David, a boy of simple faith, asked why no one was taking charge over this giant. He was ridiculed. He was taunted. His brothers accused him of being a busybody. When King Saul heard the words of this shepherd boy, he called him to his side. David, full of faith, said “let no man fear this giant, for I will go out and meet with him.”

Of course, all of these hardened soldiers including Saul, looked at the shepherd boy and said “you can’t do this”. David, having trusted the Lord to slay the lion and the bear as he protected his flock, knew the same God would deliver this giant into his hands.

The king tried to dress him just like everybody else in the Army. The armor was too big, the sword to heavy, and David had no experience with them. David said “let me use the tools that God has trained me with”. Saul was at his wits and. This Philistine was terrorizing the whole nation of Israel. If this little guy had an idea, let’s try it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

So, David went out, as he had done so many days before in the keeping of his father’s sheep. As he crossed the brook he knelt down, and picked up five smooth stones. He put them in his shepherd’s bag and made sure his sling was ready to use.

Five stones.
Why five stones? David knew Goliath had four brothers, or sons. Five giants total. David was prepared to fight all the giants.

As the story goes, David took one stone and put it in his sling, and God directed that stone straight to the most vulnerable part of the giant’s head. And the giant Goliath fell! Little David was a hero! The whole army was energized, morale was restored, and the pride of Israel had been defended. Hooray!

But what about David? He didn’t become King anytime soon. What was this giant that David slew?

In the teachings that Jim and I heard many years ago, we were told the meaning of the names of Goliath and 4 other giants that followed David throughout his life. At this moment I can’t find any meaning of the names of the giants in the Bible. When I heard the teaching, each giants’ name represented some spiritual challenge in the life of David. When he was young, and full of faith, he picked up five stones, five stones, that could have taken out all five giants while he was young. For whatever reason, David only slew Goliath that day. Later in his life, one of the last giants almost slew him. It would be good to slay the giants in our youth. If we don’t, they will keep coming back.

The point of these teachings, the point of the movie, the point of the book, is, what giants am I facing? What giants are in my land?

FEAR
My whole life has been overshadowed with fear. My childhood had hidden, scary, nightmares going on. because of real monsters, I was terrified of the dark. In my adulthood, I have had to face those fears. It would have been nice if it was only one giant of fear. It seems, that if it’s one giant, he has many, many tentacles.

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

If God didn’t give me a spirit of fear, who did? Was it my abuser? Could my abuser “give me a spirit of fear”? Many who suffer abuse blame the abuser for is their spiritual makeup. That spiritual position keeps them under the thumb of the abuser, and they cannot embrace the freedom of forgiveness. What the abuser did was wrong, illegal, ungodly, horrific, traumatic, but not able to permanently affect, and especially not destroy our spirits.
The opposite of God is not an abuser.
In fact the opposite of God is not Satan.
Satan is our enemy, and he often seems to have more power over us than God does.
That’s because Satan pushes while God invites.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal… And we do not war against flesh and blood.(2 Cor 10:4,Eph 6:12)

1 John 4:4 Greater is he that is in me then he that is in the world.(paraphrased)

Back to my point, as a child, my spirit was molded by the horrors to which it was exposed. But when I came of age, and when I became aware, I was free to choose God’s gift of love, power and a sound mind rather than the life draining dungeon of fear. Jesus Christ gave me the keys the dungeon.

If you have not watched the movie “Facing the Giants“, I greatly suggest that you do.
At the inspiration of my Savior Jesus Christ, and with the encouragement of my dear husband, Jim, I am going to be reading the book “Facing your Giants” by Max Lucado.

And I will listen and listen and listen to this glorious song:

Here is an option WITH the lyrics – Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns.
Let’s listen to the voice of TRUTH!

 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #23 – Stuck in the Middle

In Pilgrim’s Progress, there is a point where Pilgrim is faced with two lions ahead on the path. He later learned that they were chained, and if he walked ‘smack dab in the middle’ they could not touch him.
A similar thing occurs when he is going through he valley of the shadow of death…if he stays right in the middle of the path, he will not fall to the left or right and end his journey.

I was thinking of a commercial with Two chips Ahoy cookies – “Squeezed in the middle”
then I looked up the old song “Stuck in the middle with You” – by Stealers Wheel. Wierd music video…but then again, it’s a weird song!

But the verse that was stirring up these middle thoughts was this:

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Isn’t that BEAUTIFUL?

The LORD – First…one has to know Who is their LORD…and this promise is made to those that call Yehovah LORD.
Thy God – Second…you can have many lords over you…but this Lord is GOD – meaning ruler, judge, divine one.
IN THE MIDST OF THEE – Abiding within…

Rev 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

We have to invite Jesus in…within….within the midst of our lives…smack dab in the middle!

As we abide IN Him – He abides in us:

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15 has much about abiding…and consequences for not abiding.

My thought was about being in the midst…God being in the midst of ME…and the prerequisite that I choose to be in the midst of HIM…such as in Ps 91:1 –

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high, and abideth under the shadow of the Almighty….

It’s a choice…and with this choice, the Lord God – the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that there is….

shall rejoice over thee with joy
He will rest in His love
He will joy over thee with singing

It makes my heart sing to think that this is what my Father in Heaven wants of me…that THIS is what would bring Him joy…and singing. He wants to be in the MIDST OF ME AND MY LIFE!!!

Is Mighty….The Lord thy God in the midst of thee IS MIGHTY…

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

This verse is a mighty spiritual warfare verse…and the key is IN US. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty!

I pray that each person reading this will make sure that they have asked Yehovah God, Yeshua Christ, and the Holy Spirit to dwell smack dab in the middle of their hearts…and that from that day forward, we would choose to dwell smack dab in the middle of His secret place…in His throne room, where His joy abounds, and we are given strength through that joy. Then, we will have the ability to face the trials of the day with JOY.

Stay to the middle of this straight and narrow path…so that when we come to our final destination, the dirt and grime from the world on our left and right will be minimal, and more importantly, we will not fall prey to the lions that try to pull us off our path.

1 Pet 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #22 – Sleep Tight

Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Rest is ordained by God.

Ps 4: 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Ps 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

When God created the world/universe, He created time.
He also created rest.
We are to give ONE day a week to resting in His presence.
I’m not talking about that kind of rest.

God created our bodies with this circadian rhythm that keeps us in balance. This is the rest I am talking about. Sleep is a blessing from God.

Harvard Women’s Health Watch agrees:

Importance of Sleep : Six reasons not to scrimp on sleep
January 2006

A recent survey found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleep difficulties visit 75% of us at least a few nights per week. A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power, reports the Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

While more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and health, it’s safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

  • Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
  • Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
  • Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
  • Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
  • Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
  • Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

There is a reason that sleep deprivation is a huge part of brain washing and torture! Wikipedia has an article on Sleep Deprivation with more than you’ll ever want to know. My point for including it here is that there is a section that discusses sleep deprivation as a from of Interrogation.

In my personal life, with a depressive disorder, if I do not sleep well for a period of time, I have had psychotic events that have caused various difficulties.
I have also had times, because of dreams or night terrors that I have been afraid to go to sleep. I have cried out for those promises.

In order to be able to walk, one must have the strength to walk, whether mind or body. Sleep is God’s way of restoring our bodies. How can we restore what we may have lost?
In this Helpguide about Sleeping, it talks about paying off the sleep debt:

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the hours you actually get. Every time you sacrifice on sleep, you add to the debt. Eventually, the debt will have to be repaid. It won’t go away on its own. If you lose an hour of sleep, you must make up that extra hour somewhere down the line in order to bring your “account” back into balance.

I have never seen a plan for paying off the sleep debt, but this makes sense to me. Find time that you can go to bed at the normal time, and then, wake up with no alarm clock. They recommend a two week period, but not everyone has that flexibility. So do it on the weekends.

In the end – a good night’s sleep makes the next day much better.
And in the consideration of walking, every thing is much steadier.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures, and leadeth me beside still waters.

My Shepherd leads me to rest BEFORE I walk into the valley of the shadow of death! Not after.

In the creation story, a day is described Evening and morning were the first….day.
Rest comes first – then the strength to walk through the day.
Rest is ordained by God.

Ps 4: 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Ps 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Sleep is a blessing from God.

I am walking a race – and I do not want to become weary in well doing, and faint…therefore, I need to take care of this body, and rest as God has instituted.
Good sleep every night, and resting in His presence every week(another post later).

So – good night! Sleep tight! and love the Lord with all your might!
Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Battle Plan for Comparison Blues – part 2

Battle Plan
An Antidote for Post Conference Blues or any Comparison Blues!

Every time I go to a conference, I come back with Post conference blues. I am so quick to compare myself and my children and my efforts with everyone else, and to take the talks terribly personally, that I am overwhelmed with my conviction, and am tempted to give up.

This year I recognized it a bit before going…with the issue of dress, and looks, and expected appearance. After we arrived at home, the blues hit again, and this time, I cried out.

Here is the antidote that God gave me: Part 2

I needed a battle plan….I was definitely in warfare!
I went to the obvious warfare passage:

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

I was fighting with my husband’s flesh, my children’s flesh, and my own flesh (the latter being the most difficult!). I was falling prey to those fiery darts big time…and they were coming so fast and so furious, and I was so beaten down, my shield was almost too heavy to lift up.

Psal 3:2 (KJS) Many [there be] which say of my soul, [There is] no help for him in God. Selah.
3 But thou, O LORD, [art] a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Somewhere I was missing something…but that goes back to part one…I was missing my promises! As my dear husband meditated on 2 Pet 1, he taught us on these verses – more promises to add to those God gave me (mentioned in part one)!

2Pet 1:2 (KJS) Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Promises:

11) Grace
12) Peace
13) both of those Multiplied through the Knowledge of God and Jesus!
14) I’ve been given All things that pertain unto life and godliness (I can do it through Him!)
15) other exceeding great and precious promises that will make me to be a partaker of the divine nature
15 b) and to escape the corruption of the world through the lust thereof

So, God has provided a way, and I just have to wait, and rejoice. I was already crying!

Phil 4:4 (KJS) Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.
(James 1:2 always comes to mind when choosing to rejoice!)
Phil 4:6 (KJS) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Ok, so I am taking thought, caring for my children’s futures, how to schedule our days, our seemingly endless failure to complete wisdom books(homeschooling) on time, and the fact that our marriage is not the ideal marriage, our life is not always lining up with what we say we believe…all this added to the health issues….whew. I needed to just get quiet! Rejoice?!? Count it all joy?!? I was trying hard not to grumble and complain!

So, how do I take on the enemy? Well, I’ll have to tell you that in Part three!

PART THREE

PART FOUR
BACK TO PART ONE

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #21 Let go of those broken chains

What do I mean by ‘let go of those broken chains’?

Ps 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

I told my friend Mark that I was working on binding my will to God based on his comments in his Bible Study for Tuesday morning, on Genesis 12:1-3.

God moved Abraham. Literally. He told Abraham to move from the land and people he knew. In our moving away from that with which we are comfortable, God is able to bless us. It is our movement toward his will for our lives that becomes a blessing for us. Our own wills becoming bound to the will of God is what brings us happiness.

This 100 Spiritual Walking Steps has been all about moving towards God – and being IN the presence of God, IN His Will – is the fullness of Joy. (Neh 8:10)

I said I was trying to bind my will to HIS…but that I also need some work in James 1 – Counting all Joy when encountering trials.

He told me to watch out for the waves!
What waves? I had to go back to James!

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Wow…that smacked me in my face…
I’ve been struggling with this new injury to the old issue of my left ankle.

I told Mark “I feel like I’m seasick!”

I’ve been struggling with the old injury with my hips, the old injury with my lower back, middle back, and neck. I’ve been struggling with the newer injuries of my forearms(stress from walking and mobility devices) and now my elbows and wrists. I’m struggling with more and more medicine and why don’t I have the faith to do without? I’m struggling with daily disciplines that keep me in contact with my Savior. I’m struggling…and yes, I feel like waves keep overtaking me, and knocking me under…and I’m struggling to stay afloat.

Funny thing is, I love to lay on the water and just ride the waves. In fact, my husband was afraid the last time I did that I would be pulled out to sea by the tide. With each wave, I floated farther and farther away from the beach! I was so relaxed, I didn’t care! I told him that we’ll buy a long leash and tie it to my ankle so he can pull me back in!

Chains…we all started with chains that pull us back, pull us down, and keep us from soaring, or riding the waves.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

That passage describes being set free to me.
Mature and complete, not lacking anything!
When Jesus died on the cross – He paid the sin price for me!
When Jesus rose from the dead – He defeated death and sin for me!
When Jesus ascended into Heaven – He became THE advocate for me!
I am set free!
And that is the truth…and the TRUTH shall set ME FREE!

And I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to dance!

It’s a choice…hold on to the chains that USED to describe me…or agree with the one that broke the chains and freed me.

I’m dancin’!!! Sing with me?
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance….
I just want to praise You!
I just want to praise You!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #20 – watch for signs of dehydration

WE NEED WATER!!!
I laid out the seriousness of the need for water in my post “Water, Water, Water!”

I have trouble recognizing that I am losing water.
Oh, the sweat the pours off my body is an irritation, so I just wear a bandana to keep it out of my eyes!

Sweating is a good thing…it cleanses the body…but it also takes the water, AND electrolytes OUT of the body. And the body needs electrolytes and water to keep things in balance!
What are the signs? The University of Arkansas lists these signs:

MILD:

  • flushed face
  • very thirsty
  • weakness
  • headache
  • cramping in arms and legs
  • dry, warm skin(no sweating)
  • crying with few or no tears
  • dizziness
  • small amounts of dark yellow urine

We have been given the water of the Word to keep us hydrated….but here are symptoms of being dehydrated from the water of the word:

  • flushed face – easily embarrassed by your recent behavior. Ezra 9:6
  • very thirsty – seeking something – Isaiah 55:1
  • weakness – from no time in God’s presence – Psalm 6:2
  • headache – no peace from activities – Psalm 7:16
  • cramping in arms and legs – No strength to DO for God Eze 7:17
  • dry, warm skin(no sweating) – life has ebbed away  Ez 37:2
  • crying with few or no tears – no remorse for sins – Eph 4:19
  • dizziness – playing in multiple playgrounds – James 1:8
  • small amounts of dark yellow urine – intensify sinful acts – Eph 5:3-5

If not taken care of…dehydration leads to death.

MODERATE TO SEVERE:

  • FAINTING
  • SEVERE MUSCLE CRAMPS
  • BLOATED STOMACH
  • DEEP AND RAPID BREATHING
  • POOR SKIN ELASTICITY
  • SUNKEN EYES
  • CONVULSIONS

Moderate to severe dehydration includes death.  It is best to deal with dehydration when you see the early signs.

If Spiritual Dehydration is not taken care of…it can lead to spiritual death.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #19 Water, Water, Water!

We need water!

SanFran 1998

San Francisco 1998 - a lovely moment watching water

On How Stuff Works, I asked, How much water is there on the earth?

There’s a whole lot of water on Earth! Something like 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of the stuff (roughly 1,260,000,000,000,000,000,000 liters) can be found on our planet.

I wanted to know how much water makes up our bodies. At Wikipedia, I found out that:

In medicine, body water is 90 to 94 percent of the water content of the human body. A significant fraction of the human body is water.

The University of Arkansas provided this summary about the importance of water:

You can live as long as six weeks without food, but you couldn’t survive more than a week without water. Water or fluids that contain water fill virtually every cell and the spaces between them in the body. Water accounts for approximately 60 to 70 percent of the total body weight in a normal adult, making it the most abundant constituent of the human body. In terms of volume, the total body water in a man of average weight (70 kg or 154 lbs) is roughly 40 L (10.6 gallons).

Of course, as with any science, they differ with the previous amount that makes up our bodies – from 90 – 94 %(which did seem a bit high) to 60 – 70%. I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but between 60 and 94% of our body is made up of water!

Author note: The University of Arkansas article, Water-Drink Up is excellent info on the importance of water – during all of this heat, please read this and be careful!

aT A yAHOO Answer spot, I got this wonderful breakdown of our body’s make up!

Here is a summary of the common molecules found in humans:

Molecule……….Mass %…Molecule %
Water…………….65% ………98.73 %
Other Inorganic…1.5% …..0.74 %
Lipid………………12% ……….0.475 %
Other Organic….0.4% …….0.044 %
Protein…………..20% ……….0.011 %
RNA………………1.0% …….3 x 10-5 %
DNA………………0.1% …….3 x 10-11 %

By weight, we are 65% water, 20% protein, 12% fats, and a few incidentals on top of that. By number of molecules, we are pretty much entirely water.

Of course there’s individual variation, but the bigger factor is exactly what you are counting and how – by molecule count, there’s less than 2% difference between a person and a glass of water!

Symptoms of Dehydration –

Dehydration symptoms generally become noticeable after 2% of one’s normal water volume has been lost. Initially, one experiences thirst and discomfort, possibly along with loss of appetite and dry skin. This can be followed by constipation. Athletes may suffer a loss of performance of up to 30%[6] and experience flushing, low endurance, rapid heart rates, elevated body temperatures, and rapid onset of fatigue.

I did find the seriousness of dehydration.

Untreated severe dehydration may result in seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.

WATER = LIFE

It is nice that there are many, many places that will tell you how much water you need to drink, and most of them are selling water filters! The point? Clean water is BEST!

On the Clean Water Blog, there is a summary of the historical effects on water.

For Homeschoolers!!!Exploring the Environment has a quick read on the importance of clean water, and may have study unit of the hydrosphere.

Many of the world organizations, and the missionary organizations go in to a place, and the first thing is to provide drinking water. Even one of our favorite charities, Compassion, has a program to provide clean water, and many articles about how clean water has ministered to the communities in which Compassion serves.

WATER = LIFE

There is so much to write about, when writing about water.  Importance, cleanliness, wonderful aspects, and the ability to take it for granted.

I have been VERY guilty of taking water for granted.

A few years ago, I became electrolyte imbalanced because of performing a practice sprint Triathlon. I didn’t do it for time, I did it for completion so I had time to take care of things.   I was maintaining track of my blood glucose.  I was drinking  1- 20 oz. G2 between each event in an attempt to replace electrolytes and water.  Apparently, something got messed up, because after completing this mini triathlonI just wasn’t ‘right’.  Because we didn’t know the dangers of a diabetic over exerting in exercise, and the ease at which electrolytes can be washed out of a system…I crashed.  The beautiful water that was sustaining me had poured out of my pores, and pulled potassium, calcium, phosphorus and other important elements out of my system.  I became suicidally depressed and almost lost my life. I spent several days in ICU with IV electrolytes and bags of water being pumped into my body.

WATER = LIFE

 

Compassion International – Water of Life from Compassion International on Vimeo.

 
This will be a multi part post….This is the importance of water. And, if YOU have access to clean water, Thank God, and Praise Him! And consider helping someone else who does not.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!