DON’T LEAVE THE CROSS

It is important to keep at the forefront of ones mind the cross. Why? It is the foundation of Christianity. Paul said,  “for I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). As the days progress there will be more and more challenges to your faith in Jesus.

Evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13). How? Through smooth speech and cunning craftiness will men and women be moved by teachers to fulfill the requirements of the flesh and not God.

Be on guard to remember when you are despised for doing well, that Jesus, who was perfect was crucified. Steven a man filled with the Spirit of God was stoned to death. Many others within scripture and within our contemporary setting are being killed for telling the truth.

So, if you feel bad or beaten and you know your living holy, understand the wicked are being set up and they will have their day. Because God is just he will make sure you have your day as well. Your eternal life is on the way.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?

When your name is called in the midst of a crowd do you cringe at the mention of your name? Do you ignore your spouse when your name is called? Do you ignore the phone call from the friend who calls your name in the middle of a crisis? Do you despise the name you have been given?

Everyone knows that names have power. They contain within them the ability to move money, erect buildings, start wars, and even sentence to death. They can be used to bring joy or even cause sorrow. They can accompany feelings of pleasure or feelings of pain. What does your name invoke? Ask somebody.

Men may run to have the name Lexus in the driveway or BMW. Women may run to have the name Brahmin or Neil Lane. Children may run to have the name Barbie or Optimus Prime. These names make the owners feel better about their personal worth. Forsaking the worth of their own name they seek labels of someone elses. Why? Who told you your name means nothing?

It is important to like the name you have been given. To grant yourself the right to enjoy the delicate intricate design you have been granted. To embrace your individual characteristics and submit your name to only one name which is above all names.

BREATHE WELL IN SUFFERING

It is natural to run from the sufferings of this life, only to find more suffering. Some work to drown sorrows in alcohol, sex, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc. Some may use weird techniques to eliminate the pain by meditating on absolutely nothing. When will earthly suffering end? The answer: The Grave. You must run through life with this understanding. Just accept that life’s suffering unites color, sex, and socio-economic status. There is a natural unity in all of mankind and that is suffering.

The moment resolution is made about suffering in this life, you can move on with faith believing and trusting in the impossible. Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered. Suffering is as natural as breathing air. Let the fire of suffering make you shine as gold.

There are two types of suffering. The first is because of disobedience to Christ and the second is obedience to Christ. You can add unnecessary suffering to your life. For all the pleasure that sin gives there is a tail that brings suffering. Ask the addict who lost everything they had in their life because of it. This suffering should be avoided and can be avoided by obeying the voice of God and understanding his will for your life. The second suffering can never be avoided. This suffering is found when you choose to obey God’s word over strong desires to sin against it.

There is a pain that develops in telling your flesh the answer is no. Ask the dieter who tries diligently to put down the potato chips, ice cream, pizza etc.  The body will fight you. The devil will fight you. Spiritual darkness in heavenly places is against your success. Why? Your success shines the light for others to see and rejoice in the fact that making it is possible.

Breathing well in suffering is found in understanding that your suffering is not strange. For the follower of Jesus Christ understands that it is common to all believers. Since it is common, sit back and trust the Lord for the roller-coaster ride is almost over. Grab the hand next to you and say we will make it. Don’t allow the screams of others to cause you to lose hope. Jesus will never leave or forsake you and in the end he will be there to bring you home.

CONFESSIONS OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM

Today is the day I get the most excited. There seems to be something in the air or something in the psychological preconditioning of my youth up until this point that makes this day special. I happen to thrive on this day and sometimes I am successful. I am the doorway to suicide.

What many do not understand about me is that I automatically exist because life is all about me. From the moment I entered the earth and suck the breasts of my mother I understood that it was about me. I exist because I willed it.

For some reason not every girl or guy understood this. I faced rejection. I exist because I willed it. This is not the life I chose. It was not until I met Jesus that I realized that this is not the life I chose because I am not here because I willed it. I am here because God did.

I soon realized my low self-esteem was attached to my desire to be accepted because my identity was in my will. Now my identity is in Christ and no man on earth can remove me from his hand. For you men, a woman can, ask Solomon or Jimmy swaggart, men must flee. Ok! Back to the confession…

We hear this all the time that what you believe you shall achieve and the premise is that you have some sort of power, as an entity, who has willed itself to be. When others, through time and chance, have the appearance of doing so, you run toward the same vain only to find they lied to you. They do not have everything. So rich/poor men have multiple men/women, drugs, alcohol, and still it is not enough and through persistent abuse they overdose, die of AIDS, or commit quick suicide.

If your identity is not fully in Christ, a Judas moment in your life will end yours. Place everything in him and draw your esteem there and you will overcome every storm that life can bring. You will also see life properly and live it properly as well.

People Worldwide Display Same Mood Heat Signatures

Can we say the next time you grab a cold hand in room temperature this person may be depressed and secretly whisper a prayer for them?

Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-people-worldwide-mind-body.html