Saturday, May 23, 2015

Love is not a 4 letter word - Part 1

Imagine being in your favorite store.  The sales person proudly displays all the newest trends and coolest gadgets, they all look so so awesome and you want them all.  BUT WAIT there’s More!  There’s something even better… This gadget is the top of the line and is better than everything else in the store – PLUS when you buy it, all the other gifts come for free…  Now that’s a sales pitch that is hard to refuse isn’t it?!  That’s what it’s like being in the kingdom lifestyle with God…  There are gifts that he wants to give to us – and it’s great to pursue those gifts.  But there is one gift that is better than all the rest – it’s a higher gift, a more excellent gift… Love.  “But earnestly desire the higher gifts” 1 Corinthians 12:31
The Way of Love
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.  1 Corinthians 13 English Standard Version (ESV)I added the underline here to make a point, because the bible also says in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God (love) and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.   Are there things that you are hoping for, pressing for, pushing after?  Instead of striving to gain those things, what if it was on God’s heart to just simply give them to you?  It does say – seek him and it will be given. 
Without love, without God, we are nothing… But with God we are successful, with God we are gifted.   Do you have God in your life?  Sure we can become a success on our own – riches, houses, cars, material goods – but in the kingdom it says – without God we are nothing.  God doesn’t want to take that all away from you, He wants to amplify it in your life.  Can you imagine breaking through the barriers that have been holding you back because you chose to love God and put him first in your life?
Love is our biggest weapon against the enemy.  It is through love everything in life gets added to us.  It is through love that we can teach and heal, it is through love that miracles are birthed.

It’s time for your breakthrough…  Father God I declare over my loved one reading this that a divine revelation will come, revealing you to their hearts in a new way.  I thank you Jesus for washing us and making us clean, and for preparing us for a life of victory.  Show us how to pursue love in a healthy way.  Remove the scales from our hearts that keep us from loving you and from receiving your love.  God you are good all the time.  Your love is patient, your love is kind, your love doesn’t rejoice over our wrongs, you bear all things, you endure all things and you love us without end.  I thank you God that you are always proud of us.  I thank you that being rooted and grounded in you makes life worth living.  Give me a heart more like yours God – a heart to not be offended and to love even during persecutions.  I ask this all in Jesus name, 

Monday, May 11, 2015

Worshipping God with our bodies


Food… it’s the sustenance we need to fuel our bodies.  Like in a car, different engines require different octane levels.  Sports cars take the high octane while more standard vehicles take the regular, big work trucks take diesel…  It’s all in how they run that requires the different fuels; the same rule applies  Knowing the mechanics of how a gas system works, would you ever purposefully put dirt or sand in your gas tank?  What about radiator fluid?  Sure the substances go in, but they’re sure to ruin your vehicle.  Doesn’t the same apply for our bodies?  Do you expect to put garbage in your system and have it run the way it’s supposed to?  Of course not!  One benefit I suppose that a vehicle has over us is that you can only fill the tank with so many gallons before it overflows – it’s wasteful to your wallet but not harmful to the car as you watch those dollars spill to the ground.  But in our bodies, we require only so much – and exceeding that limit unfortunately doesn’t allow anything to spill to the ground, but we do put our money where our mouth is in that regard.  Excessive eating is just as wasteful as spilling gasoline.  It’s bad for our bodies, its bad for our health, but we have a choice.  We can choose to fuel up with the proper ingredients, or we can choose to fuel up with what will run us down and make us unhealthy.  Before you go chasing that fad diet or crashing your system, have you ever thought to put God first when making decisions about how you fuel yourself?  Sure you fuel your spirit and soul with God’s word and communion with him, but have you ever looked at how you take care of your body – the temple of the holy spirit?  We as believers are called to seek him first, and to worship him in spirit and in truth.  Psalms 103:1 says, “Bless the Lord, O My soul, and ALL that is within me, bless his holy name”.   When confronted with an illness, our white blood cells rise in number to fight off the infection, when in health, our body is harmonious and we feel well.  What if you could bless the Lord even through the cells in your body?  The bible says that even the rocks will cry out for him – so if a sedentary thing like a rock can praise the Lord, I’m quite sure a cell can praise the Lord.  A basic search on the Internet defines a cell as a basic building block of all living things.  A building block!  When bricks are in the right climate, they last a long time – when our cells are being taken care of – WE last a long time.  The bible tells us in Genesis 6:3 that our lifespans should be 120 years.  Knowing the current average – we’re falling short of that.
So what’s my point?  My point is this… “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31.  We are to honor God through the food that we eat.  To glorify God means to have a good opinion towards him or something that he created.  He created our inmost beings (Psalm 139:13).  So to honor him and give him glory, the food we choose to fuel our bodies with should be fitting for a King – the King of Kings!
Organic foods have been on the rise.   Maybe you have heard of GMO’s or Monsanto?  A GMO is “A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food.” (inlander.com) 
Monsanto is the company that has developed and promoted GMOs.  Monsanto’s theory is We are focused on empowering farmers—large and small—to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. We do this with our leading seed brands in crops like corn, cotton, oilseeds and fruits and vegetables. We also produce leading in-the-seed trait technologies for farmers, which are aimed at protecting their yield, supporting their on-farm efficiency and reducing their on-farm costs.”  Monsanto.com  It all sounds so innocent.  But the reality is – GMOs are genetically altered to produce pesticides within themselves that stave off pests from ruining the crop.  The main idea behind this was so that farmers could use less harmful chemicals on the crops and soils, producing a safer product for us to consume.  So, putting two and two together, now we’re not eating pesticides that have been sprayed on the foods, we’re eating the chemicals that have been injected into these plants.  So, if we are constantly filling our bodies with chemicals, what does that do to our liver and kidneys that constantly have to process out these toxins?  And what happens to the toxins that get ingested or absorbed?  We already know that our skin is one means of absorbing things from our environment.  It gets hot, our skin perspires; we spill bleach on our skin, it burns.  Just reading the warning label on a pesticide bottle should be enough to make you wary. It clearly says not to drink it – so why are we purposefully eating them?  (granted that "organic" pesticides are "safe for consumption")  Sure the bible doesn’t say anything about organic food – that’s because back then – everything was organic!  There wasn’t anything to harm the plants.  When you KNOW that something is bad for you, it is unwise to continue that behavior.  So what is organic food anyway?  According to Organic.com, organic food is “Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.”
Organic = no extra stuff  - simply the way God created it.  If I’m not sick, why do I need to eat meat with antibiotics in it?
“Where are these hidden antibiotics found? Mostly in meat. Animals such as chickens and cows that are farmed for their meat are supplied with a cocktail of antibiotic medications as a way to keep them as healthy and large as possible. This is a practice that is more common in the US than other countries, and indeed it has been steadily reduced in many areas around the world.”
“Evidence has helped to determine that regular, low doses such as those found in meat or dairy can actually create the ideal environment for the breeding of extremely resistant bacteria. With new generations of bacteria birthing in as little time as twenty minutes, prolonged exposure to low doses of antibiotics that cannot fully kill them off can be very detrimental and encourage the growth of so called ‘mutant’ strains.”  Adrenalfatiguesolution.com
You can buy meat that is Organic, Look for labels that say “free range” or “grass fed”, the packaging will be clearly labeled if the animal has been raised free of antibiotics.  If an animal gets sick and needs antibiotics, that is the only time it will be fed antibiotics.  Many little farm stands are popping up as local farmers bring their wares to the general public and bypass the grocery stores.  These little stores tend to have more opportunity to know the farmer, and to have visited the farmlands where the animals were raised.  Not only will you be putting money directly into the pocket of a local farmer but also you will have a more direct relationship to where your food is coming from.  And isn’t a safe food supply better for us in the long run? 
So, I’ve shown you what antibiotics can do to your system.  How about we look at what pesticides do.
“Some people are unaffected or are mildly affected, while others become severely ill from similar levels of exposure. Some possible reactions are:”
*  Brain Disorders
   Fatigue
   Skin Irritations
   Nausea
   Vomiting
   Breathing Problems
   Blood Disorders
   Liver & Kidney Damage
   Reproductive Damage
   Cancer
   Death
www.globalhealingcenter.com

The one obvious that I know you might be thinking about in buying organic foods is the price.  Yes, overall the price of organic and non-GMO food is higher.  With limited budgets, making this change might be scary.  There are many ways to be able to afford organic food.  Type in your web browser “afford organic food” and several websites pop up explaining different ways that this can be done.  I know I was nervous at first.  I started in the meat section and purchased a chicken.   I was used to paying around $5 for a roasting chicken, the organic is around $13.  But what I didn’t expect was that the flavor of the chicken is so much better, and without all the chemicals to plump the chicken, I actually felt full on less.  So it may cost you more up front, but like with anything – you get what you pay for.  I was pleasantly surprised – even with steak how much richer the flavor is.
I also did a simple experiment with eggs.  I had a package of regular and a package of organic.  Even the eggs are affected by the hens diet.  All of the uncooked eggs from the regular package were larger in yolk than the organic.  Taste wise, I can’t tell the difference but I feel better knowing that there aren’t any additives to what I’m eating.
As for dairy milk, studies are starting to show that there are no noticeable differences between organic and non-organic milk – so there’s a $4 savings back in your pocket if you (like I have) bought the organic milk gallon.

Of course, research for yourself – knowledge is key when it comes to taking care of your body.  And don’t forget to exercise.  I’ve been following the nutrition and healing trend for a few years now and research keeps growing – proving that we can heal our own bodies through nutrition.  There’s a cookbook out on healing MS through nutrition, and I’ve heard first hand that it has even healed a case of Parkinson’s disease, There’s a documentary on YouTube about type 1 and type 2 Diabetes clients doing a study for one month eating solely whole foods and leaving behind not only weight but all of their medications, I’ve done a study on how nutrition can help those with PTSD… You can live healthy and free!  Choose life!

Thank you Jesus for my friend reading this.  I thank you for the wisdom and discernment that you give us God, that enables us to live our best life for you.  I praise you that we can honor you and worship you in many ways.  I pray today that a life change will be made possible through your holy spirit working in me.  Lead me to all truth in everything that I do.  In Jesus name Amen!


Friday, May 1, 2015

The Perfect Family... it's not just a myth

The Perfect Family

The perfect family… We all dream about it.  We formulate our ideas on tv or by other families we see for brief snapshots of time.  The ones that seem to have it all together with the perfect smiles and the laughter, and the joy that radiates from this powerhouse of a unit.  Who doesn’t want that?
I thought my dreams were shattered… divorce took away that image of the perfect family.  Perfect families require that the mom and the dad are neither step-parent but the natural organic family.  But just before my second marriage came to pass, God started whispering to me in the way that he does… he started to say that our new family unit, me, my girls and my fiancĂ© – this was to be the perfect family.  This is what a perfect family looks like.  It threw me a little.  How are we what a perfect family looks like?  But then he showed me in the bible in a way that I hadn’t even bothered to pay attention to.  When Jesus was born, Joseph wasn’t his natural dad – so right off the bat they were a blended family.  But what made them the perfect family is that they are a family of believers – and so being in the right standing with God, and all having received Christ as our savior, we too have become the perfect family.
As many of you already know who have tried, blending a family is not the easiest task on the planet… But God.  My husband and I have been praying for months that our marriage and the merging of our family would be a smooth transition.  Something that we’ve noticed is that the days we don’t take time to spend time in the word with God, the storms can be big enough to shake our emotions and throw us over the edge of the boat.  But the mornings that we get up and dedicate ourselves to that quiet time of romance with the Lord, the day seems to breeze by like the smoothest of waters.  We get to experience life like we have always dreamed the perfect family to be.  Life filled with love, laughter, symbiotic teamwork, and so much joy in our home that I only ever thought possible on a 1950’s tv show.

Jesus gives us the authority over the atmospheres in our homes.  When we don’t take the time to clear the airwaves, we are allowing the air and the spirit over our homes to be as smoggy as an L.A. morning.  But spending time with God in the word and praying over your territory; provides a covering over your family that the devil can’t mess with.

As a Christian, God is for you.  God is for family.  He loves family and wants us all to be a direct reflection of his love.  If I can have this in my life – you most certainly can!  And it all starts by getting into his presence.  It’s not about a religious task, it’s about spending time with the love of your life.  The one who set you free, the one who calls you beloved.  He’s waiting for you to step in to the reality that he has for you.  God’s plans for you far outweigh the messed up plans of this world.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you Jesus that you provide this broken world with perfect families, that when we choose to dedicate our lives to you, you provide us with the tools to make our dreams come true.  Thank you God that you are a God of perfect endings.  Thank you for being the model of who we are to be in this land.  Thank you for filling our homes with love and joy and laughter, and for growing us together in Christ.  Thank you that our minds are set on the spirit and not the flesh.  Thank you Jesus that you are for us and our family and not against us.    In Jesus name Amen

Matthew 28:18English Standard Version (ESV)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Romans 8:6English Standard Version (ESV)
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:31English Standard Version (ESV)
God's Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us?