Jul
05
2009
On this Independence Day weekend, today’s church service was a little different. No teaching or sermon, but lots of patriotic songs about our country and the Christian faith. If there was a theme to the service and songs, I’d say it was freedom. In that light, I’m going to share some random thoughts I have about freedom. Here we go:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Galatians 5:1
Once I was a captive to my sin. I am now free in Christ Jesus.
God is the Deliverer from our sin and the bondage it brings us.
The cross is to Christians as the Statute of Liberty is to Americans.
Our freedom from sin was accomplished by Jesus on the cross over 200 years ago. The choice is ours whether to receive this freedom associated with His death and resurrection. We are free to choose life or death. (Deuteronomy 30:15-19)
We have freedom in our country to worship and pray as we desire. Read more of this article »
Apr
09
2009
Do you experience direct interaction with God or is there some intermediary between you and Him? In times before Jesus’ death, it was Jewish law and custom that only the High Priests could enter the Most Holy Place in the temple, where the ark of the covenant and God’s presence was, to pray to God on behalf of the people asking forgiveness for their sins. Common people were not able to do this according to Jewish law.
The Gospels tell of how, when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the parts of the temple was torn. (Luke 23:44-46) Since that time, believers in Jesus have been able to talk with God personally and to ask for forgiveness of their sins directly. No longer, has the law of the first covenant prevented people from direct access to God. (Hebrews 9:1-14 and Hebrews 10:19-22)
The Holy Temple and The Most Holy Place
So practically, what does this mean? By Jesus’ death, the barrier that had existed between God and us was split in two. You and I are now able to approach Him directly. We are no longer bound by the law that was in place. We have the freedom to approach God in intimate conversation or prayer and the opportunity to ask God directly to forgive us from our sins.
God loves you and me so much that He sent Jesus, His only son, to die for us so that we can have a personal relationship with Him. If Jesus had not died, according to the law, we would not have personal access to God.
Things to Consider:
In the practice of your Christian faith, do you feel you must have an intermediary between you and God? According to scripture that’s not necessary because of what Jesus has done. You can communicate with Him directly. You can have total freedom from that law because of what Jesus has done.
Are you experiencing the trials of life without a close relationship with God? Are you going it alone, without His strength and power? It doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus paid a dear price so that you can live life knowing that God gives you strength, power, peace and joy.
To read more about the peace that Jesus gives follow this link.
To read more about the Most Holy Place and the curtain follow this link.
Apr
07
2009
I hope to make the most of the ability to send out daily “Tweets of Affirmations” using Twitter beginning this week.
My idea is that many of you might want to receive these affirmation so that you can speak or say them to yourself. My first three are included in this post below:
- “I have been set free because I know the teachings of Jesus and obey them.” John 8:32
- “Although I have many trials and sorrows, I have peace in Jesus because He has overcome the world.” John 16:33
- “God loves me so much that His son died for me so that I can live eternally.” John 3:16
One thing we can all do to help us live in freedom is to speak positive affirmations or confessions, based on the truths of the Bible. The idea is to find scriptures that you can personally identify with and to speak them in such a way that personalizes them. As you do this, and believe these truths, your spirit mixes with God’s spirit and it helps to transform your mind. This transformation of your soul and mind will have a positive affect on your thoughts and behaviors. As you keep doing this, you’ll be able to experience more spiritual and emotional freedom. This freedom and the corresponding healthier thoughts and habits will likely impact on your health in a positive way.
Follow me on Twitter to receive these daily affirmations and be free in Christ!
Jan
15
2009
When I study about a spiritual truth it’s exciting. When I am able to implement a spiritual truth in my life, it’s more exciting.
I am really understanding that the way to true freedom in the Christian faith… the way to experience true LIFE in the Christian faith… the life Jesus died for us to have(see John 10:10) is to yield to God’s Holy Spirit that is inside me.
And it’s one thing to know that this is a spiritual principle. It’s another thing to apply it. We must make a decision, deep in our will, to allow God’s Spirit to infiltrate our mind, will and emotion… to infiltrate our soul. And this decision must be made daily. We must ask God to help us with this, through His Spirit.
Before we accepted Jesus in our hearts, we lived a life dominated by our souls which were focused on our self. This life was not the kind of life we can now live with God’s Spirit and the life of Jesus in us. The old life was lived out of selfish desires and by our own abilities. The problem is that after we accept Jesus, we are challenged because our souls have the old nature. We have to learn how to allow God’s nature… His Spirit, to be dominate in us. This requires intentionality. It must be a deliberate. It must be ongoing. Read more of this article »
Nov
11
2008
It’s November 11th, Veterans Day.
As a veteran of our armed services, thanks to all other fellow veterans who have served to make our country free.
As a Believer in Christ, thanks to Jesus who gives me, and all who believe in Him, personal freedom.
Nov
11
2008
To say that faith or spirituality or that practicing a religion will have an impact on your health is oversimplifying things. In fact, it’s missing the point altogether. The real point is getting to know God and His qualities and experiencing His love. Let me explain.
Reading Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper, is reminding me why I have been doing what I’ve done for the last few years. For me, my vocational life has been sharing about God’s nature with others, in writing and speaking, using the connection between faith and health as a vehicle. Chapter six of Piper’s book is titled The Goal of Life- Gladly Making Others Glad in God.
Reflecting on many of my blog entries and articles I realize that I have not emphasized the value of the relationship with God as much as is warranted. True, I have written an article recently titled, It’s About the Relationship and what I wrote about begins to get at the essence of the Christian faith and it’s impact on health… but I recognize I need to write and speak more frequently from this perspective.
In the Christian faith we get to know the one true God through believing in Jesus and accepting Him into our heart. You see, when we accept Jesus into our heart, God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. We have God living inside us. His Spirit enables us to understand Him better and better as we read the Bible more and more. The more we recognize that we are in His presence, the more hope and power and strength we have for everyday living. As we live more and more according to the principles found in His Word, the Bible, and as we understand his nature more and more, we slowly become more like Jesus. This results in the fruits of the spirit addressed in Galatians 5: 22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
It is the intimate relationship with God accompanied with the resulting fruits of the Spirit that impact on us in such a way that will likely promote emotional and physical health. It all flows from knowing God and experiencing His mighty love. It’s being “glad in God” that promotes good health. It’s being personally “glad in God” that motivates me to share this message with you. Ultimately, this is what honors God and makes him happy … that people attribute their gladness to Him and His love.
All this said, I challenge you, as John Piper does in his book, to not waste your life. If you’re experiencing the gladness that comes from knowing God and being in relationship with Him, share it with others! On the other hand, if you are not experiencing His gladness, begin to get to know Him through His one and only Son, Jesus. A good starting point is by reading the book of John. Or, you could also read this invitation to accept Jesus in your heart.
Stumble It!
Jul
03
2008
We are truly fortunate to live in a country where we have so many freedoms. A big “thank you” to
our forefathers who had the vision to write up our founding documents in such a way to pave the way for these freedoms. And, I am honored to have been a part of the Armed Services for 20 years in which millions of men and women are still serving throughout the world to protect our nation’s liberties. To them another “thank you!”
An even greater and more significant personal liberty is available to those who may struggle with any sort of destructive and unhealthy behavior and thinking pattern, feelings of unworthiness or a lack of being accepted or loved.
Many of us try to cope with the stressors of life and to meet our basic needs of self worth, acceptance and identity by our own resources and apart from God in ways that are unhealthy and can be self-destructive. These self-sufficient attitudes, thinking patterns and behaviors often become habits that have a negative impact on our emotional, spiritual and physical health.
We are so fortunate that there is a God that loves each and every one of us so much that He sent His son Jesus to live on the earth to teach others about God and of His love and then to die for us. Jesus came to set us free from our self-sufficient and sinful nature that hold many of us captive and in bondage. Getting to know Jesus in a personal way and believing in and embracing the truths of the Bible can set us free from our unhealthy attitudes, manner of thinking and habits that we may have developed over the years to meet our needs apart from God. See John 8:32
Then, if we stay close to Jesus and the Spirit of God is alive in us, we can be rewarded with love, joy, peace, kindness, self control and other such ‘fruits.’ Our life will be more abundant and meaningful. Finally, because our life will have been turned around, we’ll want to share with other people what Jesus has done and encourage them to turn to Him so that they might also experience true personal freedom and liberty. This will all bring tremendous glory to God.
Thank you Jesus for giving me the type of freedom that can come only from you!
Have a Happy Independence Day!
See more info on health scriptures
May
30
2008
Do you struggle with past hurts? Is your body in a constant state of inner tension and stress? Are you battling an addiction of some sort? Do you eat emotionally? Is there some other thinking pattern or behavioral pattern that keeps you from feeling totally at peace and free? If this is the case, your emotional and physical health is likely to be suffering.
The New International version of 1 Timothy 2:6 says that Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all men.” The Greek word for ransom is antilytron which means a purchase price for liberation from oppression. All of us have probably felt oppressed at some time or other in our lives. Life is hard and many of us have experienced circumstances that have resulted in us feeling burdened, abused or that we’ve been taken advantage of. If we keep this attitude over a period of time, it can’t help but affect our emotional, spiritual and physical health. How can we move past this oppressed state?
God has provided a way. He can free you from anything that keeps you from experiencing a flourishing and whole life. God loves you so much that He sent his son Jesus to die for all your past and future sins so that you can have an abundant and eternal life. This week’s scripture says, “For he (God) wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Jesus Christ. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.”
God’s done His part. Our part is to believe this deep in our heart. Then we have to claim this truth and get it into our spirit. The evil one, Satan, would like us to hold on to these past hurts and thoughts and keep this oppressed state of mind. This will keep us from feeling free. That’s not the way it has to be and it’s not what God wants.
Get to know God in a personal way, and His truth will set you free. John 8:32 says “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Once you are totally free from oppression, aspects of your emotional health will likely be positively affected. This could bring about improvements in your physical health.
The choice is yours. Will you accept the total freedom and the abundant life that Jesus provides?
