Confess And Pray For Healing

Submit One To Another

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

                                                                                                               (Eph 5:21-28 KJV)

St. Paul admonished husbands and wives to submit to one another. What does this mean?

It means even as the Lord Jesus gave himself up for the sake of humanity we are to give our own pitiful and self-serving desires up for the sake of the person we have committed to live and love forever; for the sake of our marriages.

If we could but love as Christ loves the world would be in excellent shape. We are sinners; but, that does not mean that we should not try with all of our beings to love and support each other.  As people, born again into the Body of Christ, the Spirit of Christ dwells within us and reminds us when we are about to do something that will cause physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual damage to our spouses. It also empowers us, as hard as it may seem, to say no. I love him or her too much. I have committed myself to that person in the eyes of God and will put their needs before my own desires for the sake of out marriage; for the sake of the whole family of God. 

The love that God has imparted to us through Jesus Christ empowers us to do what is right for others, for ourselves; for our marriages. When we do what is right; when we submit to one another, as the Spirit guides us, our lives will know a much greater amount of both love and peace. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

With Wings Like Eagles

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

                                             Isaiah 40:30-31 KJV

We all get weary from time to time. Physical weariness can sometimes be quite satisfying when it comes from a long, hard day of work. 

The dark days of winter often bring another kind of weariness. Emotional, mental, or spiritual weariness often settles on us during these days of less light. This kind of weariness is never satisfying. It is a struggle for many to overcome this type of weariness that is often accompanied by deep depression. 

This kind of weariness is not overcome alone. We must trust that the  Lord will renew our strength. He will shine light on the darkness of our hearts and minds. He will send His Spirit upon us so that we might once again soar like an eagle through the trials of the day. 

In Christ, we shall run and not be weary.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Does Not Abuse

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 

                       (1 John 4:18 NRSV)

There are more ways to abuse someone than physical abuse. Emotional, mental, and spiritual abuse can also destroy the person being abused. It is also devastating to the people who truly do love them.  

There are many ways in which abuse other than physical abuse occurs. 

1. Do they tell you often that you are stupid or crazy? 

2. Do they refuse to talk about your hurt when you are feeling down and do you feel down a lot because they keep reminding you that they think you are stupid or crazy? 

3. Do they find excuses for you to not to visit friends or family without them? Are they isolating you from those who truly do love you and who would be your support system?

4. Do they find excuses to go out with their friends and leave you behind making you feel like you are not good enough to be seen with them or to be around their friends?

5. Do you have to have every penny that you would spend approved by them while they are free to spend... spend... spend?

6. Do you spend an awful lot of time crying alone?

Abusers tend to be narcissists and control freaks. They want to control your life as well as everything else around them to please themselves. Whether it is from low self-esteem or egos that are too large; they will do and say everything they can in order to control your life in an attempt to make themselves look good in their own eyes. Abusers do need our prayers as much as the abused do. The manipulation and control they attempt to exert upon others often falls back on themselves causing them not only more inner turmoil; but, sometimes legal consequences, as well.

7. Are you afraid that if you don't do and say everything that the one you loves expects that you will lose them?

If so, maybe it is time to let them go. This is not love. Love casts out all fear. Love does not insist on having its own way. It will not make excuses for not doing what is right when it wants to do what it wants to do.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:4-7)

8.  Have they managed to convince you that faith in Christ is a myth and that you should have faith in them alone so that you no longer trust in God's love for you? 

Live life in the light of Christ's love. His perfect love casts out all fear! His love does what is right and good for the ones whom he loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J

We Shall Not Be Weary

Even youths will faint and be weary,

    and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their        strength,

   they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

   they shall walk and not faint.

                              (Isaiah 40:30-31 NRSV)

We all get weary from time to time. Physical weariness can sometimes actually be quite satisfying when it comes from a long, hard day of work. However, I have not found emotional, mental, or spiritual weariness to ever be satisfying. It is a struggle for many to overcome this type of weariness that often brings depression. 

Depression and emotional weariness is not overcome alone. There is no just getting over it. We wait on the Lord and trust Him to renew our strength. He will send helpers; friends and sometimes professionals, to walk beside us as we go through the valley of darkness. He will send His Spirit upon us so that we might once again soar like the eagle through the trials that assail us. 

In Christ, we shall rise again. We shall run and not be weary. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Which Is Easier?

"For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?"  (Matt 9:5)

I often see, posted on Facebook, comments about how someone did not have to use Algebra at all that day, insinuating that it is a wasted study on our young people. It apparently was and is for those people who have to ask me to do some mental math for them. After all, there's no need to learn something if someone else will do it for you. Actually, math problems run through my head sporadically throughout the day, especially when I am sitting around waiting for something. It can be something as simple as counting the tiles on a ceiling or floor and figuring the area of a waiting room. I don't do too many complicated equations; just what I can do in my head. I like numbers! I enjoy the challenge of solving problems in my head instead of on paper or on a calculator. I taught myself mental math when I was very young and to tell you the truth I sometimes wonder why others have not shown an interest in learning it when it can be so much easier than the traditional ways we've been taught. It is way easier than the methods they are using to teach Math in elementary schools today. But, there will always be those who always prefer to do things the hard way.

The scribes were a bit upset when Jesus forgave a paralytic man his sins. They judged that he was blaspheming. His response was "which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven; or 'Stand up and walk?'" Indeed, which is easier? Four simple words and they are not as difficult to say as one would expect and when said they heal a multitude of wounds. "Your sins are forgiven!" Practice saying them. It is easier to forgive than to be angry or to hold a grudge the rest of your life. Forgive those whom you are angry with; whether, you feel justified in your anger or not. Forgive others. Forgive yourself. Jesus died so that this might happen. He worked out the problem of sin. He did all of the work. Don't be trying to work things out according to your sense of justice. That is the hard way and the wrong way. Step out in faith and receive your forgiveness. Step out in faith and forgive others their trespasses against you. Step out in faith and receive wholeness! It is easier than staying angry your whole life. With Christ, it is easier than one might expect.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Wisdom To Make Right Choices

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8

We often make poor choices. We do it hastily, without considering the bigger picture. We often make these poor decisions based on what we want now without considering what is really good for us and others around us. When we make wrong decisions that are based mostly on our feelings and what we think will make us happy, we get to experience the results of those decisions, whether the short and long term consequences are good or bad. Some of those decisions affect our physical condition. Some of them affect our emotional, mental, or our spiritual health negatively. Some affect our whole beings.

The Lord knows what is good for us. He has, indeed, given us guidelines and a path to follow.

May God grant us the wisdom to see the path that He has set before us and empower us to make the right choices.

God's Peace - Pr. J