- May 23, 2015
Our Image of God is Vitally Important. More than we realize often. it is foundational, not only to our Christian Faith but also to our Prayer-Life, seeing the Blessing of God, Answered Prayers, Experiencing Him in our daily lives.
It is also of paramount importance to how we feel about Him....and ourselves....and our conduct towards others.
YES, IF WE HAVE A POOR IMAGE OF GOD, IT AFFECTS OUR PERSONAL WALK WITH THE LORD - HOW WE RELATE TO HIM AND ALSO, THE WAY/WAYS HE CAN RELATE WITH US.
Please believe me when I say these things are true. As a Christian, I have walked with a Good Image and also a Poor Image. Others have had the same experience. Many of us need healing in this area, because times are difficult and if we are honest, we don't know all the answers - the "whys and the hows".
For me, I had such a close walk with and Image of Jesus that was central in my life.
A walk of Peace, Love and Joy with a Wonderful Savior, "beautiful beyond description"
as the song goes. There were a few healings and miracles in answer to spontaneous faith. I loved the personal experience of reading His Words and they were very real to me. Gradually, attendance of too many services somehow changed the vitality of that.
And then, when I needed simple-faith the most, to lift me out of a medical induced condition that came my way - very distressing, and He actually tried to spare me of by giving me a deep sense of Peace so I would not attend an appointment - I found myself floundering for some months and this had a damaging affect on releasing my faith.
After relentless pressure, my image of God was also damaged.
Looking back, one relates with the other. Your faith can only be as strong as your image of Jesus. If your image of Him is affected - or becomes affected - so is the expression of your faith. It is difficult to release it.
And on the contrary to what some would say, too much "seeing the preacher/preachers move in the miraculous" can affect your own spontaneity of faith - it starts to be the preacher/preachers instead of you. At least more often. Yes, it can actually have a damaging effect because our personal faith for healings and miracles is lacking in exercise. It is the preacher/preachers and their God instead of us and our God.
So we need to protect our Image of God in more ways than one, shall we say? It is not how the "preacher/preachers move in faith".....it's how we release our faith. The misunderstanding of this accounts for why so many fail to receive their healing. Even lots of preaching on healing can make us immune to it - so to speak. Repetition can bring revelation - as some say - but this is the personal voice inside of you (what you see in scripture) not the words of someone-else all the time.
Speaking for myself, I desired to return to Simplicity in my walk with Jesus and He honored this. I needed to come aside from the other to regain the Vitality in my Walk with Him. When Jesus spoke of "Abiding in the Vine" He was referring to Himself as the Vine (I AM the Vine) not the church - building, preacher, services - not even the Body of Christ, but the very Person of JESUS. Yes "Christ in us, the Hope of Glory" not all the outward things - good as some of them may be. "if you Abide in Me, you will know the Truth and (HE) will set you Free!"
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TREATED POORLY BY A FELLOW CHRISTIAN?
EVEN A PREACHER (some have) KNOW THIS, THEY HAVE A POOR IMAGE OF GOD and SOMETIMES THEMSELVES.
IF OUR IMAGE IS WHOLE, OUR BEHAVIOR WILL BE APPROPRIATE.
THE BETTER OUR IMAGE (of God and ourselves) THE BETTER WE FEEL AND ACT TOWARDS OTHERS.
CONCERNING OUR IMAGE OF GOD
Sometimes when we pray and we don't sense The Lord's presence, it is because of negativity - He is not located there (in negativity) He is Light. So when you are praying, turn your face towards the sun instead of the shadows.(poetic language). We do this with thoughts of cheerfulness, meditating on His Goodness and Loving Kindness.
It is true, in a sense that Jesus will sit where you sit....but also, that He loves it when you are standing up on the inside because "we are seated with Him in Heavenly Places" (spiritually speaking). We are "made Alive in Him" and "He
has commanded His Blessing towards us".....He speaks well of you everyday.
Yes, He is a Benevolent God, and sometimes negative things in life can affect our
Image of His Nature. So constantly, we need to renew our thoughts about His
True Nature - thinking of good things He has done for us, and Scriptures that speak of Him this way.
Sometimes when we are not sensing Him in our day or our lives, it can be for the same reason - negative thoughts are in our mind, and He does not dwell there, He dwells in Light. So let your thoughts be drawn to the Light and you will find Him there - His Presence will be with you as you focus on things pertaining to His Goodness;
His Joy in Creation; His Benevolence; His Loving-Kindness.
Try not to limit this to times of prayer but through your day and evening as well.
This is cultivating His Presence. And when this becomes your lifestyle, His blessings start to flow.
Yes, don't let negative thoughts fill your mind - that is to give them permission. Over time, it can affect the way you think about Him and yourself in relationship to Him. So whatever is lovely, true, of a good report and praiseworthy - think of these things and the God of Peace will be with you.
A TRUE IMAGE OF GOD WHEN YOU PRAY - AND BELIEVING IN YOUR PRAYERS - WILL RESULT IN ANSWERED PRAYERS BECAUSE IT WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH. YOU WON'T STRUGGLE WITH DOUBTS.
A few years ago, I was very upset one day. My thoughts were so disturbing and became gloomy. I looked faintly to The Lord for 20 secs and I heard Him say these words "clothe yourself in Truth and I will minister to you". I quickly focused on a few words I knew to be True (in faith) and He gave me a sense of His presence that allayed anxious thoughts that had affected me and the rest of the day was happy. It made a difference to that week.
He said the words "learn of Me" to my mother one day, years ago.....so our Image of Him: His Goodness, Faithfulness and Loving-Kindness is important to Him as well.....it is the central part of how we relate to Him and Him to us!
HE IS REAL
"Rejoice Always" and the God of Gladness shall be with you. You can put on Joy, Love and Peace by choice. Yes you can switch on your happy-mode, just like faith. Start today and He will bless.
- Feb 17, 2015
I will share with you a Life Principle. The way we look at ourselves is important and has a lot to do with how we experience life.Yes, the way we look inward has to do with our outlook on life.
We all have self-talk, an inner chatter. A dialogue as it were. Make sure yours is kind and give it some guidelines on a daily basis until it becomes your friend - bringing to mind positive thoughts, cheerful thoughts and loving thoughts. Yes, feed yourselves this type of thinking until it becomes natural. Because our inner chatter is somewhat negative for most and unruly for some, with content that is disturbing and sometimes troublesome if not kept in check. Yes, you can monitor this self talk and tell it what to say, so to speak. You can decide the things you would like to hear.
Our God given Power of Choice is a wonderful thing. We can choose what we want in life_ company, past-time and interests, food and cuisine, TV programs and websites etc and we can determine what type of thoughts we like to think, so we can see ourselves and life around us differently. If we have a poor self image, it is difficult to see life how it should be. Sometimes we need a healthy diet to foster healthier thoughts. It's noted how Vitamin B Complex can pick up your energy levels and lift your morale......so can quality proteins and steamed veges, enzymes from fresh healthy salads and vege juice! Walking and Exercise is also important because they help to increase our circulation and oxygen levels - that is good for our brain. So food and activity does have a bearing on the way we think about ourselves and sunshine.
Too much time indoors does not help anyone, especially when you don't let the natural light in and open the windows. That can actually set you up for depressing thoughts where your morale is really down. If we can't exercise and we spend considerable time indoors, it is a good idea to keep active in someway – try not to be sedentary – at least every 60-90 mins walk into another room and do something, no matter how small. Try not to let the TV and Internet be your nurse-maids......we were'nt meant to have our brain bombarded with constant stimuli as with TV especially – it has been proven to be bad for our brain as are action computer games also. They can be a health hazard when used excessively.
So if possible, try to find an interest that engages your brain in a natural way something that appeals to your intellect or creativity. In most people's opinion I come across, there's so much absolute rubbish and negativity thrown at you through the TV these days! That does not foster good thoughts – in fact, most criminal activity and broken families is a by-product of it in some way. When you think about it, lots of not so good suggestions are thrown at you every so many minutes – some more subtle than others but they're there. Not to mention, some programs and soapys are out to stereo type you in some way. On the internet, all manner of enticement and negativity is out to get your attention. At least you can control the content better than a television. My dad was a pioneer TV sales and serviceman in 1958 when it came to our state. It was a good thing then and everyone was so excited.....the programs were better.....and because they were not on all day or evening, they were balanced with other interests. Honestly, not that I'm Anti-TV and I run 6 Websites_ how can we think healthy thoughts and have a positive self-image when there's a 'battle of the image' going on in most people's houses everyday? Your brain being misinformed with so much unhealthy input. What does all this do for our morale?
How can a plant grow in an unhealthy environment? How can we grow and find true happiness or satisfaction with so much clamor for our attention. I mean to say, what we've been accustomed to thinking of as 'the norm' is so unnatural is'nt it, really?
There are protective measures we can take to make for more brain space and family communications.
Watch out for sweets and carbohydrate snacks; cokes and sodas; lots of ice-cream_ they mess with our sugar and energy levels and can affect our morale poorly. Researchers don't refer to 'sugar blues' for nothing. First they give you a temporary boost, then about 30 mins later comes the urge for more.....setting most of us up for highs and lows. Sugar cravings are the hidden cause for a poor self-image in many people. We need to nurture our morale too. We do this by having times aside from the busy rush and distractions of life around us.....the work and social associations of the day and the week. Time to be in touch with ourselves – and our maker – yes, moments of quiet where we can regain composure.
When you have taken practical steps mentioned, you can start changing your self-image by monitoring and feeding your inner dialogue each day. You may like to do these together and make up for lost time. With these things addressed, you can experience a better self-image and an improved outlook on life. Whatever, I wish you well. The above advice when practiced, makes for happy mood levels.
This article is based on Natural Health Research. Many Christians feel led to step up on things in the area of their health. It has much to do with the way we think and lifestyle is often overlooked.
If you liked reading this article, you may also like to read the following article on my Natural Mood Levels website.
- Feb 15, 2015
There is a concerning amount of change that is going on in the churches
- Evangelical included - and it is not for the better. It's quite alarming if your eyes are open as to what is taking place.
Standards are not the same in many services across the country and abroad at an alarming rate towards what scripture declares would take place in the End-Time. And in this hour we need "eyes to see and ears to hear" what JESUS has to say about these things. We are told not to be ignorant, yet so many Christians are swept along with it unaware and it is sad.
About 10 yrs ago, I felt to leave the church system as we know it today after a pastor lost his temper at me for asking him not to rush the "breaking of bread" and I've never looked back. I experienced a fresh love for Jesus, the vitality in my Christian walk returned to me and so did my power to witness (people's response when I shared about Jesus).
I do however share fellowship with close Christian friends and I'm about to venture into the Home Church scene again. Do see the Page on this website concerning this phenonema - it's where many Christians are now who have "left the churches" after a closer walk with God. You will be glad you did.
A Christian friend I'm catching up with after a few years, mentioned a few concerns she has with big churches today_ that preachers are leaving out repentance for Salvation, vital truths that Jesus sets Free and they even leave the breaking of bread - sharing a little bread and wine in memory of what Jesus did for us - to monthly (it seems not so important anymore).
She went on to say that everything's Grace now.....no need for repentance and the fact that Jesus sets Free is seldom mentioned. What type of Gospel is that? These are preachers that once led the way in vital truths and knew what it is to really lead people to Jesus, we had considerable respect for.
Where is the JOY of Sins Forgiven? (of offenses to God). Jesus paid such a High Price to justify us in the eyes of a Holy God. Try as we could in our own strength, we could not pay the price - as it were - we needed a Perfect Savior. He lived a perfect sinless life as a man and gave that right standing to us - when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Are we to trample over such Grace (unpremerited Favor of God in Christ) and say we don't need His forgiveness when we do offend?
It's nice to be forgiven by a spouse, a parent or friend when we've done something wrong....they can be pretty close moments of interaction with a desire to change our ways for the better. This is what repentance is all about - a change of heart and mind.
DO WE NO LONGER NEED SUCH MOMENTS TO FINE TUNE OURSELVES WITH GOD?
In scripture, we are advised to "stand firm in the liberty where Christ has made you Free and submit not to bondage"...... and...... "sin shall not have dominion over you".....and that the "Blood of Jesus cleanses from sin" between now and Heaven......and the fresh perspective that comes from being forgiven. Yes, is the Blood of Christ going to be old fashioned too?
IT IS A SOCIAL GOSPEL THAT LEAVES OUT THE VITAL ASPECTS OF SALVATION AND A WALK WITH GOD!
It pleases the world who are forgetting the need of forgiveness from a spouse, a parent or friend.....who do not value or understand the Blood of Jesus who washes away our sins (offenses).......who do not understand the little supper we have with JESUS (the bread and wine) to commemorate Him and the Priceless Wonderful Grace in which we stand. How can we show them this wonderful way of life if we've lost it's value?
How can we deny them the rich sense of JOY we had when we found Jesus.
JESUS said to do this often.....and.....there is Power when it is more than a religious exercise. In fact, many Christians testify to it's Value to bring Healing when they have this Supper at home on a daily basis - appropriating their healing from the Finished Work of Christ in that time of prayer. It also helps to keep us intimate with HIM.
All this is a Call to Old Fashioned Values!
Say to yourself "as for me, these things will never go out of fashion"
and put a question mark on anyone who preaches any different.
MAY CHRIST BE WITH YOUR SPIRIT
He said "Follow ME....."