Sunday, October 18, 2015

What's A Christian To Do?

Hey everyone,

Before I get started with today’s post, I will say that I wanted to touch on this topic because for several reasons. For one, it’s not discussed in general or by the Body of Christ as much as it should be. Two, we’re entering that time of the year (and human history, for that matter), that more people are susceptible to dealing with this. The issue that I want to touch on is depression and whether or not a Christian can be afflicted with it. I grew up in church and heard various responses of “Yes, a Christian can be oppressed, which will manifest as depression” or “No, a Christian can’t be a Christ follower and have depression”. I will preface I say that I’m a Christian, I’m a licensed mental health professional, and I’m someone who has had bouts of depression myself. So with that being said, I do believe a Christian can suffer from depression. All one has to do is look at the Bible greats: Job (the entire book), David (1 Samuel 30:4-6), Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-5), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:7-10, Paul (2 Corinthians 1:8-10), and of course Jesus Christ (Luke 22:41-44 and Matthew 26:38). This goes on to say that depression, which is a heaviness of spirit, is not something that is completely foreign in the Body of Christ. For those who have dealt with this, be encouraged that you aren’t alone and that there are people who have overcome this burden by “the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Revelations 12:11).

Before I get too far into today’s post, I will post a list of what depression is characterized as:

What Are Symptoms of Depression?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following:
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex (only in the premises of marriage)
• Overeating or appetite loss
• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts

I will say that I do believe that there can be a few causes/reasons for a person to have depression in their lives. One can be biological (lack of sleep, poor diet, GMO foods, tainted water, various medications, CERN, etc.) another is spiritual, (generational curses, you providing legal (knowingly or unknowingly) rights/avenue for Satan and his kingdom to have a foothold in your life, or an outright spiritual attack. Satan will use this tactic to wear you down and get you to a point of discouragement where you either get mad at God and walk away from Him altogether or you don’t fulfil your calling in the appointed time. Everyone’s story and situation is different, so what might be the cause for one, might not be the cause for another. However, it is the responsibility of each person to find out what was and probably continues to be their trigger points. If the Enemy knows our weaknesses, then it’s imperative that we study ourselves to learn our weaknesses to strengthen ourselves with as mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-17:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:


I’ve come to learn what some of my triggers are. Some I can avoid by not even placing myself in those situations and others I can’t avoid because it’s just outright unrealistic as I function in everyday life. Those are the times I have to decide that I don’t want to waste too much time and energy being in this state and I have to do what I can to stay spiritually fortified. For me that means praying, reading the Bible, especially scriptures on proclaiming God’s promises to His children. I will say that my degree of depression has never gotten me to the point of being medicated, although there were times I felt that was the only way I could get out of the mental and emotional fog I was in. I do believe that for some people that medication is something they might need to get them to the point where they are able to have a glimpse of clarity to even begin engaging in this mental and spiritual battle, because that’s what this is. I will also add that prayer and fasting is the way to deal with this. Isaiah 58:6 states, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” This is not something that is practiced in the Body of Christ nowadays as frequently as it should be. However, just because something is no longer done has it should, doesn’t make it correct. I will admit going without and crucifying the flesh can be daunting and frustrating. When you are able to take away your focus from earthly things and focus more on things above, the results are much more than anyone can anticipate. Just like anything else that requires discipline, the hardest part of doing this is getting started.

I will say this before I end, I do not believe that a person can lose their salvation just by being depressed, but I will caution everyone not to stay in that state for a prolong period. The reason being, the longer you stay in any situation, the harder it is to get out. Depression is no different. The sooner you confront the attacks, the better. The Holy Spirit has given us the tools to deal with it, it’s up to each one of us to pick up the tools and use it---prayer, reading and proclaiming the Word, fasting, and being vigilant about our thought life “Casting down imaginations (thoughts), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5.


This is something that the Body of Christ must learn to put into practice now, because we are in a time in human history, that according to Luke 21:26, “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” Whatever our issues we are dealing and struggling with now are nothing compared to what is to come, whether it’s in 1 month, 1 year, 10 years, or 50 years from now. It’s coming sooner than most choose to accept. Better to have your soul (mind, will, and emotion) and spirit prepared now while there is time.

I was just looking at my files last night and came across this link that I can saved for myself. I tried to find this on the website but couldn’t, so I took a screenshot. Thought this would be a great tool/resource for those reading to have.







Until next time…






Monday, October 12, 2015

Something to Think About...

Hey everyone,

I plan to post soon, but until then, here's two videos you should view, Especially for those who consider themselves Christ followers and observe/celebrate Halloween.






"And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean." - Ezekiel 44:23


Until next time...

Monday, September 14, 2015

Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year)!

Shanah Tovah! (Have a good year in Hebrew) for those who celebrate the Jewish calendar new year. I admit the first night of my Rosh Hashanah was nothing like I expected it to be, but I definitely made some changes in my life and felt that sense of newness. So I choose to believe with everything going on around me this will be a good year as long as I stay in the “shadow of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1: 16:11).

I’m a follower of Bible prophecy and it’s been said that last night the Shemitah ended, which means that God’s judgment will be upon those who have not made Him the Lord of their lives. This morning I was reading Romans 1:17-20 vs. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. It reminded me of the state this society is in now and how we are seeing human history repeat itself unfortunately. The Bible tells us that we must seek wisdom and knowledge. The whole book of Proverbs is filled with it. The first chapter of Proverbs talks about how a wise man will want to be taught the things of God and how one should avoid evil at all cost. Unfortunately, so many people, including Christians are entangled in evil and don’t even know it. This is something that concerns me, because of the lack of discernment and delusion that has clouded people’s physical and spiritual eyes. I always have to come back to Romans 12:2, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. I’m not saying that I’m perfect in this, but I will say that I have in the more recent years been more quickly to accept what things are truly of God and what are of this world and flesh. As 1 Peter 5:6-11, talks about submitting yourself which means your desires, life, choices, preferences, comforts before the Lord and doing what He says, because He says so and realizing in doing that he will take care of you. It also talks about being clear minded and on guard (not paranoid, but willing to test the spirits of everything that comes your way to know whether the source is holy or evil). It also says that those who resist evil and temptation will be strengthened and be with Jesus Christ forever. I’ll be honest and say when I look at the Church or what is supposed to be the Church, this is not what I see. I see more people who have become too comfortable with making Earth their home that they aren’t even thinking about anything eternal whatsoever----thinking about life in the next 5,10, 15 years and retirement. I guess what alarms me the most is when I show enthusiasm that maybe life as we know it won’t exist much longer, i.e. the Church will be raptured (pre/mid/post) and all this trivial stuff with the here and now will truly be something of the past. It’s then I see people who identify themselves as Christians scoffing at that idea saying that they don’t think it will happen in their lifetime. To those people I tend to believe they don’t want it to happen in their lifetime. I should know, I used to be one of those people. However, I got to a point in life where I realized that I will never find the peace, complete fullness of joy or sense of perfection on this side of life and began wanting more. The more one studies the Bible and learns of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as well as the place (Heaven) that the Son, Jesus Christ has gone to prepare for us (John 14:3), then that is what excites me at this point in life. Someone once made a comment to me about how they don’t believe in end times bible prophecy because it causes the masses to have fear and I can agree with that, to an extent. What I don’t agree with that just because it causes fear, doesn’t make it not true. It is one’s hope that the fear would cause people to make sure they are right with their Creator by making Him Lord of their life. This is a topic for another post. But I will say that a lot of Christians have made Jesus their Savior (meaning he died for their sins and they accept that), but they didn’t make Him Lord of their lives (meaning that they gave Him complete control and reign of their lives)---Philippians 2:11; Romans 10:9: Romans 14:9.

I need to cut this short and prepare for tomorrow. It is my prayer that as we start a new year, no matter where you are in your walk, you will begin or continue to walk with godly wisdom, knowledge, discernment and insight for what the Holy Spirit will have you and your family to do. Some things may or may not pertain to the end time prophecies that have went forth about this upcoming year, but one way or another you should hearing from the Holy Spirit and taking heed to what He has called and required of you at this time.

Until next time…


Monday, September 7, 2015

Let's Give this Another Try

So it’s been 4 years since I last penned something here. I wish I could provide a good reason, but I honestly can’t, except I let life distractions get in the way. That and I do feel that I needed to be silent for a while, while I learned and re-taught some things that have shifted my spiritual walk these past 4 years. I have to say that if you would’ve told me when I was a child or in my 20s for that matter than I would be where I am today, I would’ve scoffed and said that the person was on a verge of blasphemy. I will say that outside of my immediate family, this walk has been a lonely, frustrating, and scary one at times. Some days it still feels that way, but the Holy Spirit has sent people and ministries in my life to let me know that I’m not alone, so that has always been reassuring. I will admit I have been having the writing bug for about a year now. I have been procrastinating or to be honest with myself and everyone else out there, rebellious about doing this. My reason was flat out fear. I don’t like being put in the spotlight, and I feel anything you use social media and/or blogs that is exactly what one is doing. The reason I’m doing this, is because two things. When I was a child I remember being impressed in my spirit that I would be an author, because I had heard the words “write” being a kid in the 80s/90s write meant a book, not a blog. Maybe there will be a time when I publish a book, but I come to realize in this day and age, one reaches more through this platform than by way of books. My other reason is because I see how lost, confused, and distracted some people are, and sadly born again Christians are falling into this category. I’m the last one to say that I have all the answers, far from it. I will say, that my journey in the more recent years have led me come to the biblical knowledge, truth and understanding of things that I didn’t know before. Religion and tradition can only take a person so far and nowadays it is not taking many people far at all. It is my hope and prayer this time around that I will present information to you for you to ponder and seek the Holy Spirit about. The reason I feel this is important is because we are and at lightning bolt rate, arriving at a time where what used to be able to sustain us spiritually, will not cut it in the times we are about to embark.
When you read words from this page, I hope you are convicted, I have believed conviction will move and change a person’s heart much quicker than condemnation. So just a head up, condemnation is not my aim. Nor is debate. I realize that not everyone will agree with any or everything I say on this page and I’m okay with that. However, I will not engage in debate. For one, debates don’t change a person’s heart, two debates feed the ego (fancy word for pride), and three, sacrifice of time is being made to write, so having a “friendly” argument is not something I will allow myself to be drawn into. I will welcome any genuine questions and or comments. I don’t have all the answers, but willing to search them (I’m a social worker by trade, so looking for answers and resources is second nature to me---smile). It is my prayer that as I type the words on this page and you read then, we will both grow closer to the Holy Spirit and knowing what He would have each of us do in these times as it winds up.

Until next time...

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice, indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” ---Exodus 19:4-6