Helping Others

How do we help others who are struggling with a sin that we have struggled with? How many times have I asked myself this question? A young mother asked me this question just the other day. She is raising her children on her own. She has been an addict, and her heart wants to help others who are struggling with drugs. It is not as simple and clear cut as it may seem. There is only one answer: Get clean yourself, in every area. Stop doing drugs, period, stop drinking, stop falling for sexual temptations. These are the big ones.

I have been clean now for almost 8 years. I am just now strong, but here is the catch. I am not strong in myself. God is the one who has made me strong. They say that it is a struggle every day for the rest of your life, once you have been addicted to something. I do not necessarily think that this is true. My strength comes from God. I have built a relationship with my Father, so there is no struggle, as long as I stay close to Him. He gives me strength to control my flesh. I lean on Him. I get up every morning and give Him my "first" in my day. I gain strength from Him. This is how you help other people. Draw close to God. Breath Him. Sleep with Him. Awake with Him. Listen to His word. Listen to Him!!

Every one wants to see someone willing to give them an example, words mean nothing. Your life is the pathway for others freedom. Live your life for God, and He will place everything else in its proper position at the proper time. Gain strength from God, so that cleaning up your life does not seem impossible. All people who have struggled with a sin, want to help others they see struggling, with the same sin. It hurts to see someone hurting and when you have felt the pain that they are going through, you want to save them. You are not their savior. I have had to learn this the hard way. You will fail them. We are sinners. This is a title reserved for Jesus Christ, you are to be an example. Live your life for your Lord. You can not live your life for others. You must live your life for God. You must build a relationship with your Father, first.

God has placed people in every one's life to help them. Build your relationship with strong people. Stop hanging out with people who are struggling with the same things you are struggling with. Even if it means you drop family members, and close friends; if they are not helping you, get new friends. God has placed a whole community of people who are ready to help you, if you are really wanting help. You must first die to yourself. Death never feels good, but the resurrection of new life is totally awesome.

"Young mother,
I know what you are struggling with. I am so proud of you!! You have put yourself through school. You desire to give your children a new life. Your heart is there. You now need to turn your life over to your God. Find out who He is, then you can see who you need to be. You cannot stop having sex, by hanging out with other women who only talk about men. You cannot stop doing drugs, by hanging out with people who do drugs. You cannot stop drinking, by hanging out with people who drink. God is knocking at your door, let Him in. This can be a time of loneliness. I know, I went through this time. I had to find out what I really wanted, so every one was taken away from me. I had not one friend. God became my friend during this time. I had to lean on Him. I had to develop a relationship with Him. Now, I have a whole town that I can call my friends. But it took a time of loneliness, so that I could learn who God was and who He wanted me to become. Lean on Him so that all you can do is breath, talk, and sing His praises. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength. The rest will be given unto you."

High School Year Books

1 Cor. 6:18, "Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body."
Last night the high school year books came out. While the others were enjoying reading them and remembering their younger days, my memories were filled with anguish. My first sexual encounter happened while I was playing at a girlfriend's house. I was in 5th grade and her older brother was in high school. Lets just say he joined in the play. All of my life since that moments has been one sexual experience after another. Instead of protecting my body, I turned it over to who ever was around. I hate this. Life is not supposed to be full of sex, because all that will come from this, is bad memories. I had a good home with good parents who loved me, but my memories are full of regret because I chose to not respect my body.

Young ones please listen to me! No one is trying to keep you from having fun and enjoying being young. What we are trying to do is to help you through this time with as few bad memories as possible. It happens slowly. You do not just jump in bed one night and wake up the next morning in the "double digits." No it happens one relationship after another. Then you are bound to the memories you have placed into your head. No matter how good my life is now, no matter how old I get; the hurt that I have placed upon my life can never be erased.

So many people look at their year books with fond memories. If you defile your bodies now, you will not have this opportunity. Ever! The experiences that you are having now, are memories that will last a life time. One day it will not be "cool." One day it will be a regret that will never be erased, no matter how close to God you become. It is against your own body and your body is the temple of the most Holy Lord.

I do not sit in regret all of the time, but as I turned the pages and remembered my school days, they were not good memories. Our young people do not need to hear that it is a sin. Sin has lost its effect to many who hear of it. It is a sin, a sting, a memory, a consequence that has ever lasting results. Teach your children consequences while they are young, before their consequences are sever. Teach them to respect their bodies. If your young girls are dressed inappropriately, DADS, do not let them leave the house! It is not about style and fitting in. It is about protecting their hearts, their bodies, their memories...For Ever!

Do You Love Me?

John 14:15-31, Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you the Counselor (Comforter, Encourager, Advocate, Helper), who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth... Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them... All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn't love me will not do what I say."

It is a promise, If you love me, you will obey me. You will have strength. I'll keep you from sin. I'll keep you from falling into temptation. He never says that you will not be tempted, but that He will help you because you love Him. Do you love Him? It is very easy to test. Do you live every day to the best of your ability for Him, or do you live for yourself and hope He goes along with it, counting on His grace?

I have lived both of these. I thought that I loved Him, but living was hard. I know my heart because when I am living for Him, sin is not an option. Because I love Him, I do not want to disappoint Him. I want to obey Him, because I love Him. This means that I am thinking about what He wants me to do, before I think about what I want to do. Temptation does not seem nearly as hard to overcome when I think about Christ first. It is when I am putting my own evil desire before Him, that I succumb to temptation. Do you love Him? What kind of life are you living? Do you walk with Him, trying to please Him with your life? Or, do you, knowingly, walk against how He wants you to live.

Of coarse, we will all sin, but there is a difference in living in sin, and being in a fallen world and sinning. I try very hard not to live in sin. I still sin, because I am a sinner, but I used to live in sin, knowing that every thing that I was doing was against Him. Telling a lie, or are you a lier. Having a sexual thought, or are you an adulter. Talking about someone, or are you a gossip. Having sex with your boyfriend/girlfriend or are you a fornicator. Having a selfish thought or are you just selfish... The list goes on and on. What kind of life do you find yourself living, most of the time. This is how you will know if you love Him.

Casting Stones

I read John 8 this morning. I love Jesus, He is so wonderful and forgiving. The woman was caught in the very act of adultery and brought to Him. Every one else wanted to stone her for they saw her as dirty and they saw her sin as unforgivable. Instead of condemning her, scolding her or even giving her a dirty look; Jesus just turned to her accusers and said to them "All right stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!" He did not go along with them and justify that her sin was worse or that they were any better. The only one in the crowed that had any right to throw the first stone was Jesus. He only looked at her with love and understanding. Not one stone was thrown.

Jesus loves us, but he does expect us to "Go and sin no more." After our sin has been brought to our attention, we are to change how we are living. We are to continuously seek Jesus and what He wants from us in our life. We are to follow Him. "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life...for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins... You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free...I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin." So now that I know the truth, I will go and sin no more.

I have tried over and over to destroy my life with my sin, but through Christ I have been set free. This does not mean that I will live a sinless life. But I will not walk in sin any longer. I live to see the light and every thing that I do is in the light. Sin can only live in the darkness and where Jesus is, there is only light.

How awful it would have been to die in my sin and never to be able to feel the freedom that Jesus offers to all who turn to Him. I am so thankful that my Lord does not throw the first stone. I will do my best because He loved me so much and offered me life, even though I deserved death.

Consequences for Everything

A sin, is doing something that you know you should not be doing. That is doing, what ever you know, is not the best for you. My sins are when I do not take my herbs, for I know they help me live a normal life; eating fatty foods, for the MS diet is very low in fat; eating a lot of sugar, white sugar destroys your nervous system. These are all sins, because I know that I should not eat certain foods, or that I should take my herbs, but because of my sinful nature I do what I know I should not do. Then when something bad happens to me, like my MS flaring up, I cry and ask God "why?". It is obvious. If I do not do my part, I get sick. He never said that there would be no consequences for doing wrong.

In John 5:1-15, Jesus heals a paralyzed man. He tell the man, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." Many only talk about the spiritual meaning of this passage. If you do not stop sinning and change your life, you will face eternal consequences. This is true, but something else is true in the physical world, that we conveniently over look. If you do not take care of your body and eat the foods that you are supposed to eat, and stay away from the foods that will damage your body; you will eventually get sick. Why does God all of a sudden have to heal us? When it is our fault to begin with.

There is so much information out there to help us with this. It is even in convenient movies so that we do not have to research very much. Super Size Me, is a very good show that I think everyone should watch. (Caution with its content) It shows what will happen to a very healthy person if they eat fast food. Holly Wood is coming out with all kinds of movies for children to this effect. Over the Hedge, Ratatouille, and Wallie is the latest. We as a people are worshiping our food, rather than taking care of the one body that God gave us.

I do not have to look very far to see, the reason for my latest "spell" with my MS, is my fault. My diet has been poor. God wants us to live as we tell others to live. I am constantly talking to people about their diet, yet I was not living the way that I knew I should. There are consequences for everything that we do. Our diet is no different. If we do not take care of our bodies and put health into them, we will get unhealthy bodies. This is life. Think about the consequences before you partake in what is placed before you.

This is probably the reason that I was having such a hard time asking for prayers. How do you ask for someone else to help you, when you have dug your own pit. I guess I am getting better, because I asked for help within just a few weeks, instead of a few years. I take full responsibility for my actions and I am once again asking God for His forgiveness.

"I am sorry Father, for I have sinned once again. You instructed me long ago on a pathway that would lead to health. I am sorry for not listening to you, again. Please heal me Father, once again from a pit that I have dug. You are the most patient and forgiving Lord. Please be patient with me. My eyes are open and I have seen my sin."

Sugar Sin

John 2:17, "Passion for God's house burns within me," God's house use to be the temple. Now it is you and your body. His passion is for you, you are the temple of the most Holy God. How do we treat his temple? Do we honor His house? Do we respect our bodies so to bring glory to our Father? Do you see yourself as a holy temple? Jesus drove out the money changers and other people that were bringing dishonor to His Father's house. How often do we need to be reminded that our bodies are the temple and that we must treat our bodies with as holy respect and reverence.

I have spent my whole life disrespecting my body in some way, whether it be sex, drugs, drinking, the clothes that I wore, the food that I ate. I had thought, that for some time, I had a grasp on the whole thing and I was respecting His temple the best that I could. It was obviously not good enough. I have been eating more and more sugar. I don't have a whole lot of sugar around the house, so when I would go out and it was there, I would eat it. Sugar is very bad for me. I have an autoimmune disease, sugar is a natural inflammatory. It inflames my already vulnerable nervous system. So this is how I, most recently, disrespected the house of God. I was not taking care of my fragile immune system. I was not eating the most healthy foods, I was eating, for me, a lot of sugar.

People think that I am over the top, and cruel because I do not let my children eat very much sugar. I know what this does to your body. It kills you, one little sweet at a time. It is the biggest sin, that we all have. What are we putting into the temple of our Lord? Are we respecting Him and taking care of our bodies or are we feeding our every desire and eating what ever we want to, at that moment. It is one of the hardest things to change. Our eating is out of control. My eating was out of control.

I have had to change so much of my life. My whole life has been a struggle with something. I had to find out how to respect myself sexually. I had to stop smoking cigarettes. I had to stop doing drugs and relying on alcohol to help me make it through the day. I had to get my anger and attitude under control. I had to change my eating habits. Just when I thought I was doing, really pretty good, God allowed me to be reminded that I was disrespecting His house, I was destroying it one bite at a time. I had put too much of an emphases on the fact that I was not eating a lot of sugar "in my house" so I really was not eating too much, right! I leave my house every day, and there is a bowl of candy on some one's desk... My husband and I have a bad habit of eating ice cream at night, after we put the kids to bed. All of a sudden, I look at my life, once again, and see that I am failing and not doing what God has instructed me to do. I am sinning, because I am eating sugar. Doesn't that sound crazy. Sugar is a sin! It is killing my body, I know it and yet i do it anyway. That is a sin! I am disrespecting the House of God! I have to change one more thing, in my life. I have "fallen off of the wagon," I have to stop eating sugar.

I will be the "mean" mom, because I love my children. I will teach them, while they are young, to respect their bodies. I will share with them how hard it is to stop something. How much better it would have been for me, if I could have learned self control as a child. I will be the "mean" mom because I love my boys so much. I will discipline myself because I love my Lord and want Him to work through me. This means that I must take care of my body, first. Once again, I am in a fight with my flesh. My Lord will win!! He is my strength!

I need prayer

Many times I look at my life in disbelief. I live in a beautiful place. The mountains are so wonderful, the weather is perfect, and my home is nice. I have MS and for quite a few years I have also enjoyed my health and have not been affected by this disease. That has changed here recently. I was pushing things and without taking my herbs, I set myself up for an attack. I have not been able to write as much for my left hand is, well gone. I cannot feel anything in my ring and little finger, down my left arm and across my back. It literally feels like I got a shot from the dentist right in my hand.

It is when you are at your weakest that you can see God work. I have been feeling like I have done such a good job, I... I get up early every day and spend time in God's word, but I have not really felt like I needed Him. Well, I know I need Him, but I haven't really felt like I needed to ask for Him to act in my life. It was not that I felt I was doing everything, but I was so sure that it was all taken care of. I had quit totally relying on Him to get me through the day. I need Him to get me through every day especially now. I have ten people living in my home, six are six yrs and under. I need energy to help me cope with every day. I need my fingers and my hand so that I can function as a "normal" person. I need prayers to be said on my behalf.

I have been reading in Luke, wouldn't you know it, at just the right time I read about the importance of constant prayer. Jesus, in His own words, tells us that we are to keep asking we are to be persistent in our requests to God. This is something that I have not been diligent in. I have been so busy working that forget that I need Him to heal me. I desperately need Him to see me and have mercy on me His faithful servant and to heal my body. I am begging You my Lord, have mercy on me, heal my broken and weak body so that I can do your work.

Sunday, I felt like I was supposed to tell the church that I needed their prayers. I did not. I just sat there wishing that I had the courage to stand and ask them to pray for me. I failed the test... I am so sorry. I must put aside my pride, my... I don't know what it is. Why can't I tell others I need them to pray for me? Why is it so hard to stand up and let others know that you do not have it all together and that you are struggling?

I AM STRUGGLING. I NEED YOUR PRAYERS. I NEED GOD TO REACH OUT AND HEAL MY BODY. I WANT TO FEEL GOOD. I NEED ENERGY. I NEED STRENGTH. GOD PLEASE HEAL MY BODY AND SPIRIT.

My Lord, please have mercy on me, your servant and heal my body. Strengthen my spirit. Thank you for blessing me so much, but there is still so much to do. Give my husband the strength to help his hurting wife. Keep him strong while I am weak. Thank you Father, you are in control. Thank you, for hearing my plea. I am asking. I am knocking. Please come quickly and help me.