None of us can claim to be perfect; we all make our share of mistakes in life. We’re all familiar with the guilt and self-condemnation that come when we mess up, but how we handle our mistakes determines if we can recover and move forward. The world points the finger of blame and makes us feel guilty for what we did. At times like this, what we really need is mercy and forgiveness, which is what we find in Jesus Christ. (Continued below.....)
(....Continued.....)Christ, who is full of grace and truth, is the exact opposite of what we see around us. When He came to earth, He showed what the “Word made flesh” looks like, and offered mercy and forgiveness to those who needed it most. During Jesus’ ministry, people were accustomed to living according to the law given by Moses; what Jesus offered was radically different. We need Him just as much now as the people did then.
When we sin, religion tells us we must work hard to earn forgiveness. By contrast, grace is unearned, unmerited favor from God. Receiving something like this is hard for most people to comprehend because it’s so simple. We receive grace by God’s kindness, not by our good works; otherwise, His grace wouldn’t be what it really is—free and undeserved.
When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, we receive God’s forgiveness not only for our past mistakes, but also for the ones we haven’t even made yet. Knowing God has already forgiven us makes it easier for us to forgive ourselves. Having faith in this truth saves us from getting bogged down in self-effort when we miss the mark; what we receive is a gift from God and isn’t from our own doing.
God sent us Jesus not to condemn us, but to save us; we’ll never be condemned when we believe in Him. When everyone else is struggling but too weak to do the right thing, we’re strengthened through the grace that God gives us through Christ Jesus. Our sins are no match for God’s favor.
Prayer:
Lord, when others are trapped in self-effort and suffering from self-condemnation for their mistakes, we find freedom through Your mercy and forgiveness. This is like a breath of fresh air in a suffocating world. Thank You for your undeserved favor. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
John 1:14, 17
Romans 11:6, NLT
Ephesians 2:8, 9, AMPC
John 3:17, 18
2 Timothy 2:1
Romans 5:20
For more on how God’s favor brings us mercy and forgiveness, click on the link to find the three-message series, From Condemnation to Grace, in our eStore
I'd like
to focus on the anointing, and talk about doing things in ministry with
or without God's presence. It's very easy to do things without His
presence and be content and satisfied that it was a "success"-even
though the Lord might not have been with it.
I noticed something in reading Judges recently about Samson's life. I
don't know if this contradicts what others teach or believe, but for
now, it doesn't seem to me that the anointing necessarily has a feeling
to it. (Continued below......)
(....Continued.......) When Delilah saw that he [Samson] had told her all his heart, she
sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up again,
for he has told me all his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines
came up to her and brought the money in their hands.
She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him
shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him,
and his strength left him.And she said, "The Philistines are upon you,
Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at
other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD
had left him. (Judges 16:18-20)
If you are reading through the chapters in Judges on Samson's life,
it will strike you that he didn't know the Lord had left him. I'm not
going to use this text to build or dismantle when the presence of the
Lord is or isn't upon us in greater measure than normal, but I'd still
like to make some points. I'll concede, this is in the Old Testament and
that we each have the Holy Spirit as believers now under the new
covenant. But some applications can still be drawn for practical
purposes.
What is so significant about this passage?
One thing at the very least: if Samson couldn't tell it [the presence
of the Lord, or 'the anointing' or whatever term you'd like] was
missing, then he probably couldn't tell when it was present either.
Other verses in the book of Judges describe instances where the
Spirit of the Lord came on Samson in some kind of force to get something
accomplished that he couldn't have done in his own strength, such as
described in 14:6, 14:19, 15:14. Obviously we know that the power in his
strength did not lie in the fact no razor had touched his head, but in
the obedience of doing what he was instructed to do by the Lord, which
was to not cut his hair or shave his head, and drink no strong drink,
etc...because he was consecrated to the Lord.
The reason this caught my attention, is because we all know about
Samson's lust. We all know that despite sleeping with a prostitute, and
despite the multiple marriages--or marriage attempts anyway--God still
used him in a mighty way. My point in drawing your attention to Judges
16 is not to say that you can keep sinning (or lying to your wife!) and
still be anointed. Every time his wife asked him the secret to his
strength, he lied to her and the power of God was still on him to break
free from the ropes each time. This passage probably messes with popular
charismatic theology. Does it bother any of you that God still used
Samson in power despite his obvious sinning? I submit to you for
consideration that the anointing of God is more mechanical than it is
relational. Give it a thought before rebuking me.
In fact, I didn't even want to write some ideas on this and take the
predictable route when looking at Samson's life, so how about this: does
it bother you that people can do things for the Lord, and it seems as
though they still live in sin? I hope you're not reading this to say
that I'm advocating that we can live in sin and still operate in the
anointing. You don't need to live a holy life to be used by God--because
you and I are expendable to the Lord's purposes--He can, does and will
work despite us--not because He needs us. BUT you need to live holy to
be a Christian--no ifs, ands or butts about that.
The Lord will deal with us on that level if we think we can get away
with small or large sins without fully leaving them at the cross of
Jesus. But my point is this: don't wait until you think you are perfect
before finally stepping out and doing things for the Lord or you'll
never do it--we are all a work in progress, some more than others. Until
the we are taken home, we are still made out of flesh. Samson was a man
consumed with lust and possibly had a bad temper if you will, and still
did great exploits for the Lord. I've heard Curry Blake say that the
reason God uses us, even though some of us may be in sin, is because we
are expendable, and God cares more about the people He's ministering
healing to than he does us. Paul understood this too, and feared being
disqualified in the end after running the race (1 Cor 9:27). This also
seems to contradict the whole "the Lord will sacrifice the work to save
the worker" sacred cow. Jesus even dealt with this in the sermon on the
mount which I will lightly touch in a moment.
Anyway, shifting gears a little bit:
I've noticed recently, that I've been coasting; that I've been
relying on the arm of my flesh sometimes and confidence in what I know
the Word says, instead of my confidence IN the Word Himself. In some
ways I've been resting on my laurels, which is a dangerous place to find
oneself, and in reaction to this I've been spending lots of time alone
in my room upstairs (which probably has made Stephen and Francine wonder
what I'm up to!) just getting into the Word of God and spending time
alone with Him. I have officially decided I don't like being busy doing
ministry at the expense of alone time with God. Anything a real
minister does for the Lord flows out of intimacy with Him. I desire to
have something to flow out of me from Him.
Last week I had a turn to lead the Bible study again. And I was asked
to do it on a topic that is very dear to my heart and I could easily
handle it in a Bible study setting without preparing notes for it. But I
wanted to spend my whole afternoon seeking God's face and praying in
tongues and just be locked in my room alone with no distraction. I
didn't want to rest on the arm of my flesh. And I honestly couldn't sit
down right away and turn on my laptop in preparation for the handout I
provided. Alone time with God was more important. I had gotten too busy
doing "missionary things" and making sure I had newsletter-worthy
stories to write about--but my personal time alone with God had been
slack for days--maybe a week. So I prioritized spending time alone with
God, just reading the Bible where I'm at in my Old Testament readings.
Anyone who was present at that Bible study knows a lot of the people
liked it and God was totally present--but it was Him being there despite
me. I got alone with him and THEN prepared for it for Him-not for the
other people who would be present expecting a great teaching from me. In
fact, I probably whipped together the handout and my notes in a mere 20
minutes before it was time to lead the study! But I would rather that
it was that way than making my own plans for the evening, devoid of
God's will and plans and not seeking Him and seeing what He wants done,
and sat around all afternoon preparing a Bible study but without
intimate time with him. Anyone out there who wants to pretend preparing a
Bible study is worship or devotion time--don't kid yourself. There's a
sermon in that--how much ministry is going on in the Church that men
just decided to do, and God was never asked what He thought?
I don't want to be like Samson, and be able to do great exploits for
the Lord, when my lifestyle and heart are not right with Him.
I'm reminded of the life of Moses also, and how he split the rock
open the second time and the water gushed out, but the Lord was still
not pleased with him for it. It is interesting, that the Lord did NOT
command Moses that second time, unlike in Exodus 17:5-6 but water still
came forth from the rock. Much can be said about the authority of the
believer, and the ability to misuse that authority--but the Lord swore
to Moses that he would not enter the Promised Land. I know it will sound
blasphemous to some, but this incident with Moses and even to some
degree Samson demonstrate that the anointing, or just plain power, is
more mechanical than it is relational. Moses struck the rock, and still
water came out. Did God do it even though Moses was in rebellion? Or did
God give Moses (a man) power and he abused it and still produced
results?
I know that will mess with a lot of peoples theology.
It is significant that these individuals that Jesus tells he didn't
know, were actually doing the miraculous deeds in His name--prophesying,
casting out demons and healing the sick all in His name!--and still
cast out of His presence in the end! Sobering stuff if you want to
believe you can remain in your sin and operate in the anointing. You can
technically--for now. But what will the Lord say to you on that day?
"Well done my faithful servant" or "flee from me I don't know you"? I'm
preaching to myself, not just anyone that reads this. Let's not be like
Samson who didn't know when the Lord left him, or Moses who wound up not
even entering the promised land, or furthermore let us not be like any
to whom Jesus will say "yes, you did do these things for me, but I don't
know you."
I hope readers will give this stuff some serious thought and make necessary heart changes in your life before the Lord.
Steve has been a missionary to Europe for over 2 years,
and currently lives in Canada while preparing to move to Peru in early
2009.
Why do some beginners move on and reach highly skilled levels of competitive play while others never seem to move out of rudimentary levels of skills, even as they seem to possess equal or even more athleticism and desire? The answer is in the foundation that beginners are introduced to and the patterns of development the student is offered. David W. Smith’s COACHING CHAMPIONS shares his tremendously successful teaching methodology that he has proven successful in a wide range of teaching and coaching applications. From the junior player development pro to the high school coach, from the recreation instructor to tennis pros in academies and clubs, COACHING CHAMPIONS offers a wide range of skill-progressions, drills, expectations, and real-life development programs. The very programs that Smith used to train over 100 state, national and world-ranked players of all ages. Follow these methods and discover a new world of success and successful students. Lean more...........
David W. Smith is the Director of Tennis for the St. George Tennis Academy in St. George Utah. David has taught over 3000 players including over 100 state, national and world ranked players during his 30-plus years of teaching tennis.
Dave is Senior Editor of tennisone.com. He has also been a featured writer in USPTA’s magazine ADDvantage in addition to having penned over 50 articles in various publications.
Dave has written 2 landmark books on tennis instruction, Tennis Mastery and Coaching Mastery. He has also co-authored several action-adventure novels.
As a high school coach Dave’s personal team win-loss statistic of over 1,000 wins against less than 25 losses is one of the most successful U.S. coaching records.
Dave has been recognized as a Master Professional by Dunlop Racquet Sports as well as one of only 40 Premier Tennis Professionals by Prince Sports, Inc. and Wilson Racquet Sports.
Dave is owner of Top Notch Tennis (TNT) Academy in St. George, Utah, and has recently ventured into the world of fiction publishing with synergy-books.com. He is married with 2 children and is a musician and an expert close-up and slight-of-hand magician. Learn more.........
As a
nurse, your risk of catching a viral illness from an infected patient
during cold and flu season is high.
Additionally, your line of work
requires that you be out in the community where you could possibly be
exposed to COVID-19 (which shares many similar symptoms with the cold
and flu viruses). Thankfully, there are several simple lifestyle changes
that you can implement to enhance your immune system’s response. Keep
reading to find out how you can protect and improve your health this
cold and flu season. (Continued below.....)
(...Continued.....)10 Ways Nurses Can Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season
Eat a Balanced Diet
Did you know that nearly 70% of your body’s immune system resides in
your gastrointestinal system? This means your gut plays a critical role
in keeping you healthy during cold and flu season. You can improve your
gastrointestinal system’s overall health by consuming a balanced diet,
one that is low in fat and sugar and high in protein and fiber.
Furthermore, there are several foods that you can eat to give your
immune system an added boost. Red peppers, for instance, contain three
times as much vitamin C as a Florida orange and shellfish (i.e. oysters,
crabs, lobsters and mussels) are packed with zinc.
Reduce Stress
When your body is under stress, your adrenal glands produce and
release cortisol into your bloodstream. While cortisol plays an
important role in activating your body’s fight or flight response
(critical for high stress situations), it also suppresses the
effectiveness of B-cells and T-cells (critical for destroying viruses
and pathogens). Furthermore, high levels of stress can wreak havoc on
your digestive system, causing ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and
other unwanted changes. That is why it is extremely important that you
find ways to lower your stress levels during cold and flu season. While
there is no one-size-fits-all approach for stress reduction, breathing
exercises, practicing mindfulness and positive self-talk are all great
ways to help reduce tension in the moment.
Exercise Regularly
In addition to lowering your stress levels, regular acute exercise
(exercise that is moderate to vigorous and lasts less than an hour) has
been proven to improve your immune system’s response. Typically, your
body’s immune cells collect in the organs that are responsible for
killing viruses and pathogens (i.e. your lymphatic system). However,
when you exercise, your blood and lymph flow is increased, resulting in a
higher number of immune cells circulating in your body at a higher
rate. The best part is that you will not need an expensive gym
membership or fancy exercise equipment to achieve this immune boosting
benefit. Walking, running and cycling are all types of acute exercise
that will produce the desired result.
Get Enough Sleep
When you’re working 12-hour shifts and attending to the needs of your
family and home, it can be difficult to pencil in an eight-hour
appointment with the Sandman. While getting an adequate amount of rest
is important all year long, it is especially important during cold and
flu season. When you’re sleeping, your body releases cytokines that
stimulate the immune system to fight foreign pathogens. Production of
these protective cytokines is decreased when you cut your sleep short.
Additionally, restful sleep bolsters the production of T-cells,
responsible for destroying cells infected by viruses and pathogens. Help
your body help you. Go to sleep.
Take Your Vitamins
While we generally think of vitamin C as the “go-to vitamin” of cold
and flu season, there are several other vitamins that, when taken
properly, improve your body’s immune function. For instance, vitamin D
does so much more than support bone health. It has also been shown to
enhance the function of immune cells, such as T-cells and macrophages.
Additionally, vitamin B6 is responsible for producing white blood cells
and T-cells and supporting the immune system’s biochemical reactions.
And vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off
infection. These three vitamins are just the tip of the iceberg.
Before taking any vitamin supplements, we recommend consulting with your doctor on the appropriate dosages and frequency.
Get Outside
As the weather grows cooler, people tend to congregate indoors where
it is nice and warm. However, staying out of the elements can be
detrimental to your health during cold and flu season for two reasons.
First, as people spend more of their time inside, the likelihood of
getting a virus from someone else is increased, especially in buildings
with poor ventilation systems. Second, scientists believe that when we
are outside, we breath in phytoncides (airborne chemicals produced by
plants) that increase our white blood cell count. Therefore, spending
time in the great outdoors prevents possible exposures and improves our
immune health. Also, it’s much easier to exercise outside and our bodies
naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
Wash Your Hands
No article on staying healthy during cold and flu season would be
complete without a reminder to wash your hands. While hand washing is a
best practice that many nurses readily follow, simply lathering up with
soap and water is not enough. Outlined below is the proper handwashing
technique for healthcare professionals:
• Use lukewarm running water to wet your hands.
• Apply soap and rub your hands together to work up a lather.
• In addition to rubbing your palms together, be sure to wash the
back of your hands, your wrists, between your fingers and under your
nails.
• Proper handwashing should take no less than 20 seconds (or the
amount of time it takes to sing the ABC’s or Happy Birthday twice).
• Rinse your hands starting at your wrist. Let the water run off your fingertips. Be sure to rinse away all the lather.
• Dry your hands well with a clean paper towel. Use the paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door.
Wash Your Scrubs
Throughout your day as a nurse, you encounter a variety of patients
that are managing a variety of health conditions. While you undoubtedly
understand and embrace the importance of good hand hygiene as part of
these interactions, have you ever considered the importance of good
scrub hygiene? Common bacterium and viruses can live on surfaces for
hours, days, weeks or even months. That is why it is important to
properly disinfect your scrubs during cold and flu season.
To properly disinfect your scrubs, first wash them inside out with
cold water and detergent on a normal setting. Once you are sure that
your scrubs are free from any stains, they need to be washed again with
hot water and a color safe bleach. After they have been washed, scrubs
should be put in the dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes to
ensure that any remaining contaminants are killed.
Get a Flu Vaccine
The flu shot is your first line of defense when it comes to warding
off the constantly evolving flu virus. While not an absolute guarantee
that you will not contract a strain of the flu, individuals that are
vaccinated experience significantly shorter periods of illness when
compared with those who do not receive the vaccine. After the vaccine
has been administered, it can take up to two weeks for your body to
build immunity. Most health experts recommend getting the flu shot by
the last week of October to ensure that your body has acquired immunity
before the peak of flu season (typically December through February).
Stay Home
If you find yourself sick this cold and flu season, staying home is
your best option for regaining optimal health quickly. While you are
home convalescing, make sure that you are getting plenty of rest and
drinking lots of fluids. While making the decision to stay home is never
an easy one, it is important to remember that you will do more harm
than good by going into work sick. Additionally, you’ll be able to
return to work more quickly and you’ll be more productive at work if you
take the time to heal first.
The content of this blog post is intended as general information
only. For more detailed personal advice, contact a qualified medical
practitioner that is familiar with your medical history.
Are you a healthcare professional that's interested in
exploring your career options? Premier Medical Staffing Services, LLC
would love to connect with you! Visit premiermedstaffing.com to find out
how you can take your career to new places.
It seems that everybody wants to
lose weight unless they are as lean as a chalkboard.
Hopefully, my
weight loss story will inspire you to achieve your own weight loss goal.
For readers who do not know, I am a physician—a
pediatrician, precisely. I’ll just point out the obvious: even
physicians can get themselves into medical troubles. So, on a visit to
my own doctor 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with hypertension because my
blood pressure was elevated at 140/90. My doctor wanted to prescribe
drugs for my condition, but I quietly disagreed. I had a plan of my own.
At that point, I weighed 183 pounds. For a man who stands at 5’ 8”,
that gave me a BMI of 27 and put me in the overweight category. I went
to work because truly, challenges are the mother of actions. I did some
research and found with every 1 pound of weight loss, the upper number
in a blood pressure reading could go down by 1 point. A ten-pound weight
loss could lower an upper number by 10 points. “Let us do it,” I said
to myself.
So, within 6 months, I lost thirty pounds. And as a result, my blood
pressure was as normal as a teenage boy. My looks changed, too. My
cheeks went from puffy to sculpted. My friends and family were both
excited and worried. I assured them I was okay, and that I did it for my
health.
I want my readers to know that I made easy lifestyle changes that did
not demand much of my time. For example, instead of frying my eggs, I
boiled them. Instead of eating out, I made my own food. Plus, I swapped
beer and soda for water and more water. I used the holidays as another
occasion to eat healthily and passed on junk food. I traded salt for
herbs to season my food. And these little everyday changes made a big
overall impact on my weight and my blood pressure.
We all have our different stories, our different life journeys, but I
believe lessons can be learned from my experience. I was so happy about
my accomplishment that I wrote a book about it, and I encourage you to
pick it up. People spend thousands of dollars enrolling in gyms they
will never attend and exercise equipment they will never use. But $10 ($3.99 on Amazon) spent on my book could be one of the wisest investments you’ve ever
made. Why this book you may ask? Because it is easy to read, full of
good advice, and written by someone who actually lost thirty pounds.
Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor if you suffer from high blood
pressure. High blood pressure has many reasons, and losing weight may
not cure your own hypertension.
For many people, finding a new
place to move is an exciting thing. It brings happiness to think about a
new house, new interior, new furniture, new room, and all, right? But
practically, it is not as easy as it seems to be.
Finding the right home
for you and your family is a responsibility. You need to consider many
things in mind. For instance, security of your new home and family,
safety of your neighborhood and surroundings etc., are the major
concerns. A safe neighborhood ensures protection of your generations as
you plant your roots there. Your kids would grow up there and your
family would be a part of that community. Therefore, be careful while
you select a neighborhood. (Continued below.....)
In this learn-by-doing course, I'm going to help you prepare your mind and muscle for the unexpected.
Use these teachings to reduce injury and re-build your body.
I've also included lifetime access to my "Vault" of exercise video demonstrations, Interrogation Interviews, and much more. Go to http://bit.ly/TacticalWorkout and enter your email address to start for free!
(Continued.....)Here are some tools that can help you choose a safe and secure neighborhood:
Check Crime Data of Your City
City data is a website that helps you to gain complete information
about your area, neighborhood and adjacent places. You can analyze crime
situation of your neighborhood using the internet. Review your city or
any other city’s crime data carefully before making a leap.
Check Overall Picture of the City
There are many sources to find out the overall picture of your city.
This includes every important aspect for instance, education,
livability, and cost of living etc. Assess the overall rating of your
neighborhood pragmatically using different websites like Area Vibes.
Besides, talk about it with locals around you as well.
Use Your Smartphone
Life has become easier with smartphone technology. Now you don’t have
to turn on the laptop for your research. Your smartphone apps can offer
you data that you are looking for. There are many apps that offer local
statistics about crime and your city situation. For instance, ‘Crime
and Place’ app is famous for providing GPS tracking, safety
notifications and heat map etc. Check it out for sure!
Go for Home Security Systems
Once you are done with your research and have planned to move to your
new home. Find out a wireless home security system and order the most
suitable package plan for yourself. Arm your alarm system before you
move in, so that you can minimize your risks. Authorities suggest that
you are three times safer at home if you have an active alarm system
working.
Lit Up Your New Home
After shifting to your new neighborhood, take a walk around the place
and make note of the things that should be improved. One of these
things can be your outdoor lighting conditions. Make sure your new home
is well lit with smart bulbs, so that criminals around your area could
be deterred. In a study conducted by students of forensic psychology,
criminals and bad guys repel from brighter places. Brightness increases
their fear of being caught. So, take advantage of this fear and improve
your outdoor lights so that criminals could stay away.
Think about Outdoor Cameras
Even if you live in a highly secure place, risks of violent crimes
could never be eradicated completely. Police therefore recommends new
homeowners, particularly to use home surveillance systems to rid from
such crimes.
I love acknowledging about home security alarm systems, home entry products, surveillance cameras
and security products for the sake of better good to as many people as I
can. Blogs and articles that I have written serve the #1 goal: Help to
protect by literally spreading the word.
Need new tips and tricks to train your athlete's hitting abilities? Then you've come to the right place! In this course, Coach Jerry Weinstein reveals different philosophies and drills to improve your players' batting capabilities. He goes over things like:
Stats and Data
Drills
Visual Keys
On top of that, he even has an Extra section dedicated to setting up hitting machines and stuff he does in practice! Book this course.....
Jerry Weinstein begins his seventh season with the Rockies, first as the Rockies Offensive Coordinator prior to his current role. Weinstein was the Rockies Major League Catching Coach in 2013 and the manager of the Rockies Class A affiliate, Modesto. Weinstein has led the Nuts to a winning record in each of his five seasons. Prior to joining the Rockies, Weinstein, who has over 40 years of coaching experience, was the pitching coach for the Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) baseball team from 2001-05. Prior to his coaching stint with the Mustangs, Weinstein was the Los Angeles Dodgers Director of Player Development in 2000 and 2001 and also served as the Dodgers' catching coordinator in 1999. He was a head coach at Sacramento City College for 23 seasons, posting a record of 831-208-12 while guiding the Panthers to 16 conference championships, two co-conference titles, a state title in 1988, and a national crown in 1998. He is a member of the California Community College Baseball Hall of Fame and the Sacramento City College Sports Hall of Fame. He was named the National Community College Baseball Coach of the Year in 1988. In addition to his success in Sacramento, Weinstein has also served as a coach for the United States Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996. He was also an assistant coach for the 1987 U.S. Pan American Games team and led the 2005 U.S. club to a gold medal at the Maccabiah Games. His previous college coaching stints included one season (1984) as an assistant coach at Miami (Fla.) and two seasons (1966, 1968) as the freshman coach at UCLA. He also managed several minor league teams for Milwaukee, Montreal, and Chicago (NL). Book this course......
Growing up, most of us have heard the phrase, “Count your blessings.” We may not have paid much attention to it, but this is actually great advice for a successful life.
Most people take for granted all the good things that happen in their lives; however, nothing just shows up by accident. God has a master plan for each of us, and it’s overwhelmingly good. (Continued below......)
(....Continued.......)Pausing for a moment to make a list of all the good things we have goes a long way in shaping a good attitude. It’s hard to be sour when we think about the things God has done for us, even when we didn’t deserve them. Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow of turning. God always gives us good things, never anything bad; the more we meditate on this, the more grateful we become.
Even when trouble hits, God’s will is for us to give thanks in everything. A positive attitude gives us great power. We’ve been given the freedom to make our own choices; choosing to give thanks to God puts us in authority over any bad situation that arises.
God directs His undeserved, unearned favor toward us because He loves us dearly, no matter what we do. When life feels like a struggle and we feel discouraged, accepting this gift lifts our spirits and gives us a reason to be thankful. We’re spiritual beings living in physical bodies; letting the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with our spirits puts everything in a whole new light.
In this spiritually noisy and distracting world, it’s easy to forget what’s really important. Our souls are where we make our decisions; telling our souls to bless the Lord and not to forget any of His benefits keeps us in remembrance of what He has already done, and what He continues to do for us. This keeps us thankful.
Prayer:
Lord, You continually give us countless blessings because You love us. Meditating on what You teach us concerning thankfulness reminds us of the power we have by choosing grateful attitudes. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Spiritual
warfare prayers are more important now than they ever were before.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase "spiritual warfare"? If
you have images of the latest supernatural Hollywood blockbuster on the
brain, you might want to reconsider. Unfortunately, it seems that the
subject of spiritual warfare has two main camps, those who do not
believe in it at all and those who see demonic activity in every aspect
of life. Both of these camps are reluctant to talk about the subject
albeit for vastly different reasons.
Biblical Concept
The truth is if you are going to believe in God, the Bible is your
guidance system. It is this authority you should turn to for more
information on the subject. The Bible clearly states that Satan and
demonic activity are a reality. It is not presented in some spooky,
hocus pocus sense but matter of factly. The truth is, if you are going
to take any part of the Bible as fact, then you must accept the entire
writing, which includes the presence of demons, Satan, possession and
spiritual warfare.
Do Not Fear
In the Bible the phrase "do not fear" is repeated several times, even
when it comes to the activities of dark spirits. Jesus has overcome the
power of darkness and indeed the entire world; so as a Christian, there
is little to worry about. The problem is, many Christians do not
understand their place, especially as it relates to spiritual warfare.
Jesus came to the world to save it, and upon his death He took the
keys of death, hell and the grave. He ascended to Heaven where he is
seated at the right hand of God; as believers, we are united with Him,
far above demonic activity.
Prayer
Spiritual warfare will not be fought with weapons made of human
hands. Instead, it will be waged in prayer by believers and with the
believers on their knees. Christians do not fight against flesh and
blood but against principalities, powers of darkness and spiritual
wickedness in high places, Ephesians 6:12. When the disciples asked
Jesus how they were to pray, the answer He gave was The Lord's Prayer,
which is key when it comes to spiritual warfare.
One thing you should know about prayer in general and not just as it
pertains to spiritual warfare; it needs to be fervent and continuous in
nature. Take the example of Christ in the garden just before he was to
be taken and crucified. Jesus prayed until his sweat was as droplets of
blood! This would be the very definition of fervent and intense prayer.
Conclusion
Spiritual warfare is not a new age concept. It was dealt with in the
biblical text at some length. Jesus dealt with the man who was demon
possessed from the area of Gadarenes. Even his disciples talked about
those demons they could not cast out and He replied to them that some
would not be moved accept through prayer and fasting! Dealing with Satan
and his horde is not fairy tale fodder; it is a fact of the world you
live in.
There is Practical Spiritual Warfare which all of us deal with each
and every day; it shows up in the simple, everyday happenings of life.
The important thing to remember is not to overplay or underplay its
significance in your life of as a Christian and to fervently pray. Satan
and his demons must flee at the name of Jesus Christ.
There are so many skills that can be learned from “Keep Away”. Understanding how defenders try to attack ball handlers and how they position themselves to cut off passing options.
Putting oneself into as many different lacrosse situations as possible is the ultimate key to success. Better understanding how different defenders operate in different scenarios is yet another crucial piece in the puzzle to empowering player development. (Continued below.....)
(Continued....)Beyond learning more about how defenders behave in “Keep Away” situations, there is a lot that can be learned from the offensive side of the ball as well. Players can see different off-ball offensive tendencies, learn the techniques to deceive defenders of where passes are aimed, and much more. Book this course....
JM3 Sports, Founder 3d Lacrosse, DC Atlanta Blaze '17, Analyst ESPNU, HC Mt. Vista, AC TRHS Girls, HC Denver U, Boston Blazers '93, Wolfpack, Brown Lacrosse HOF
- 5th on the All-time leading scorers list for Brown Lacrosse (and member of HOF)
- Former Head Coach for Denver University Lacrosse (1998-2009)
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