Leave Behind the Past

"But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

Spiritual bumps and bruises. Inner aches and pains that just don't seem to go away. Most all of us know what it's like to suffer from them but too few of us know just what to do about them.

We limp along, hoping somehow those hidden wounds will magically stop hurting, thinking that maybe (with a little extra sleep or an extra helping of dessert) that nagging sense of depression will finally disappear.

But does it ever happen that way? No!

Feeling Overwhelmed

Anger. Depression. Loneliness. Guilt. These are emotions that powerfully affect our lives.We find them hopelessly undesirable, and at times, they can completely overwhelm us.

But the good news is even when we feel we’re losing our emotional battles, God is actually winning the war! Though it might not feel like it, God has a positive message for us in our negative emotions—and can use those emotions for spiritual growth and maturity.

Unfortunately, as fallen human beings, living in a fallen world, we aren’t given the privilege to pick and choose which emotions we will experience in our lives. We appreciate and value all the joy, love, laughter, peace, and excitement we can wrap our arms around. But then, we also have to deal with the dark side of the emotional spectrum.

But those emotions—the darker and more difficult ones—are important. In fact, they reveal a great deal about who we are and where we are in life.

Facing Your Giants

You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. (1 Sam 17:45-46 NIV)

David sees what others don't and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David's, fall on the brutal, hate-breathing hulk. All compasses, sans David's, are set on the polestar of the Philistine. All journals, but David's, describe day after day in the land of the Neanderthal. The people know his taunts, demands, size, and strut. They have majored in Goliath.

David sees the armies of God. And because he does, David hurries and runs toward the army to meet the Philistine (17:48).

You might say that David knew how to get a head of his giant.

When was the last time you did the same? How long since you ran toward your challenge? We tend to retreat, duck behind a desk of work or crawl into a nightclub of distraction or a bed of forbidden love. For a moment, a day, or a year, we feel safe, insulated, anesthetized, but then the work runs out, the liquor wears off, or the lover leaves, and we hear Goliath again. Booming. Bombastic.

Miraculously Healed While Reading the Bible

AMAZING STORY

By David DiCicco

The 700 Club

CBN.com –“All of a sudden, things looked very odd to me. I looked at my fingers like this, and I could see some fingers and others I couldn’t. ‘Am I having a stroke or what is this? What’s going on?’”

Sue Wynn was twenty-eight years old with a promising career when the first symptoms appeared. After several trips to the emergency room she got disturbing news. “The ER doc said, ‘I must tell you, you have a fifty percent chance of having MS.’ I just dismissed it. I said, ‘I don’t have time for that. This can’t possibly be that. I feel fine.’”

She moved on with her life and career. But one night at home with her husband, her symptoms erupted. “I was sitting watching the evening news with Jeff. And Jeff has a tendency to like to jiggle his foot, and so I said, ‘Jeff, stop jiggling.’ He said, ‘I’m not but you are.’ And I was going like this (head shaking), and then it started going like this (intensity of shaking increased), and then it started to go like that (It grew progressively worse.), and I was scared to death because I didn’t know and I couldn’t stop. It just kept going like that.”

Healing Cry

Written by Julie Cosgrove

 Are you facing a period of suffering in your life? Take this interactive online study: Finding Hope When It Hurts

“O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)

Recently I was hospitalized for a staph infection that had invaded a simple scrape on my forehead. One side of my temple ballooned into a red, angry mass and the skin around my eye swelled shut. The swelling even spread to my cheek and jaw. The nurses responded by giving me IV antibiotics. However, when the doctor entered the scene he informed me that true healing would not occur unless the wound was lanced and drained.

The moment the wound was lanced I felt excruciating pain. Surprisingly, only a couple days later I was back to normal and the wound healed nicely. Even though I had recovered quite remarkably, the doctor warned me take oral antibiotics for a week to make sure any remnants of the infection were dealt with.

Rx for Recovery

Written by Annette Capps   

Today we hear much about recovery. There are divorce recovery workshops, alcohol and chemical dependency support groups, co-dependency recovery classes. It seems that there is a great emphasis on restoring the soul (mind, will, & emotions) and rightfully so. There are many, many wounded people even in the church. Maybe I should say, especially in the church.

In faith circles, people are sometimes hesitant to admit they don’t “have it all together.” To admit that you are in mental, emotional, or physical distress would be considered a “faith-failure”. Instead of seeking support from the body of Christ, many have kept their pain to themselves, suffering as they keep up a good front.

Unfortunately, relationship and marital failures have exploded also. Rather than admit their difficulties, many have found it necessary to leave the church because of the judgmental attitudes of their peers and leaders.

Leave Behind the Past

"But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
Spiritual bumps and bruises. Inner aches and pains that just don't seem to go away. Most all of us know what it's like to suffer from them but too few of us know just what to do about them.

We limp along, hoping somehow those hidden wounds will magically stop hurting, thinking that maybe (with a little extra sleep or an extra helping of dessert) that nagging sense of depression will finally disappear.

But does it ever happen that way? No!

I know. I've been there.

Hope Returns When We Remember God's Unfailing Love

by Rick Warren

“Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 GNT)

Pain is a natural part of life. You can’t escape it. Broken relationships, missed opportunities, and rough seasons of life will always be with us. When they do come, you can either become bitter or hopeful.

The choice is yours.

Jeremiah faced the same choice. When his world came apart after Jerusalem was sacked in 586 B.C., the prophet wrote the book of Lamentations to share his honest frustrations with God. But he didn’t settle in his bitterness and stay there.

In Lamentations 3:21-24, after sharing his bitter feelings, he wrote, “Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope” (GNT).

Healing Cry

Written by Julie Cosgrove

 Are you facing a period of suffering in your life? Take this interactive online study: Finding Hope When It Hurts

“O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)

Recently I was hospitalized for a staph infection that had invaded a simple scrape on my forehead. One side of my temple ballooned into a red, angry mass and the skin around my eye swelled shut. The swelling even spread to my cheek and jaw. The nurses responded by giving me IV antibiotics. However, when the doctor entered the scene he informed me that true healing would not occur unless the wound was lanced and drained.

The moment the wound was lanced I felt excruciating pain. Surprisingly, only a couple days later I was back to normal and the wound healed nicely. Even though I had recovered quite remarkably, the doctor warned me take oral antibiotics for a week to make sure any remnants of the infection were dealt with.

Is God Still In The Business of Healing?

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Matthew 4:23 & Hebrews 13:8 NIV

In many accounts of the gospels, we see that Jesus physically healed people. As a result of the physical healing, the oppressed, depressed and hopeless were supernaturally cured in more ways than just in their bodies.

The book of Matthew is full of stories of Jesus healing the sick. But does He still do that today? As the scripture says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." There are many skeptics in the world who would say Jesus can’t heal today, but there are millions more who can testify that He does.

Finding True Love in a Hook-up World

Written by Sean McDowell

If you could have any wish come true, what would you wish for? When I pose this question to my students they often say things such as, “to be rich,” “to be famous,” or “to find the perfect mate.” But of all the responses I have heard, the words of Ashley, an 18-year-old high school senior, stand out most vividly in my mind. After I spoke on sexual purity at a Tuesday-night youth group, she came up to me with tears in her eyes and said, “If I could have one wish in life, it would be to go back four years ago and hear this same message. I might not have ruined my life.” Ashley simply said thanks, and then walked away.

I have often wondered what decisions Ashley made that caused such deep scars in her life. Was she struggling with guilt or depression from a seemingly “harmless” hook-up? Did she get a sexually transmitted disease? Did she have an abortion? My heart went out to Ashley because I could see the pain on her face as she so deeply regretted her past choices. Somewhere she bought a false idea about sex, acted on it, and now she is paying a heavy price. Ashley learned a painful, yet powerful lesson: ideas have consequences. What you believe about sex will affect your choices, and your choices will shape the direction of your life. Misunderstanding the purpose and nature of sex can have disastrous consequences. So, what is the purpose of sex? And how can we find true love in a hook-up world?

I Choose to Give ThanksThank

by Helen Lescheid

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” Psalm 50:23

I felt unappreciated, unloved, and unworthy to call myself a Christian.

Jesus exuded a joyful confidence no matter what happened in his life. He lived each day in joyful obedience to the Father. The kind of life, he promised to his followers: “I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10). But where was the joy in my life? Defeat and depression clung to me. It probably would never change. After all, I was by nature a melancholic. The experts said so.

Crushed In Spirit

Written by Barbara Alpert

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

When sadness and depression settles into one’s mind, heart, and soul it is not easy to shuck the feelings off, break out of the rut and move on as some may suggest or think. At times, inner despair remains regardless of the goodwill offered from those that care. If this sounds like you, realize you are not alone. Many others have or are currently battling with valleys of darkness too.

Are you aware that numerous men and women of the Bible struggled with sadness? Yes, God believing people experienced depressed feelings, emotional grief, and times of despair. Moses asked God to take his life (Numbers 11:10-15), Job cursed the day of his birth (Job 3:1-26), Jonah was angry with God and wanted to die (Jonah 4:3-9). Hanna grieved because her womb remained closed for many years (1 Samuel 1:1-16), Tamara, after her brother raped her, lived a desolate life (2 Samuel 13:1-21), Naomi was filled with bitterness and pain after experiencing multiple hardships (Ruth 1:1-20), Hagar sobbed in the desert as her son was about to die (Genesis 21).

Feasting at God's Table

Written by Carolyn Savelle


It's that time of the year again! People are preparing for festive holiday dinners and get-togethers. The Thanksgiving holiday seems to kick off the chain of seasonal events! The children are busy making out their Christmas lists, the malls are gradually becoming more crowded, decisions are being made about where to spend the holidays, and the bank account is swiftly decreasing.

During all this hussle and bussle, it is very easy to get stressed out, depressed, bombarded, and most of all—sidetracked!

When I say sidetracked, I'm referring to your personal time with God. Most of us are guilty of getting so caught up in our Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday planning that our quality time with God takes a back seat for a while. "There's just not enough time in a day!"

One More & I'll Go Insane!

The Snake Pit (1948)

That title should read "one more mention of high-drive husbands and I'll go insane!" A wife recently commented to me about her frustration that, while it's great that churches and ministries now discuss sexuality, it is painful at times for wives who don't experience the norm.

The most common scenario described here, and on other blogs, is that of the eager beaver hubby and the sexual sloth wife. To be fair, that is the typical make-up of many marriages: A husband with a higher sex drive than his wife. However, it hardly represents the whole of marriages.

Is Sex Addiction a Real Disease?

Celebrities have made headlines in recent years citing "sex addiction" as a reason for their infidelity.

But is what's known to psychologists as "hypersexual disorder" a real pathology or just a lame excuse for bad behavior?

The issue is a real one, since there's been talk of including hypersexual disorder in the upcoming revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), considered the "bible" for psychologists.

WILL CHRISTIANS WHO COMMIT SUICIDE GO TO HEAVEN?

Serge Roux-Levrat

As the number of suicide increases dramatically in the developed countries, both in the traditional sense, as well as in assisted suicide, many Christians are wondering what happens to believers who take their lives. As always, theologians are divided on this key question. However, if we look at it from the only angle we can – that of love and hope – we will find out that the answer is much more obvious than we think.

Top 10 Health Threats for Men

These are the worst of the worst -- the 10 most dangerous diseases for men. Every man needs to know what he's up against. The good news? Many are preventable.

Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest in Men

You've heard the terms a million times. But do you really know the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? Here's what every guy needs to know.
Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest in Men

5 Things Men Fear Most About Aging

It starts with sex and goes downhill from there.

By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor

Worried about getting old? Who isn't -- except perhaps those who are already unmistakably there. Survey after survey shows the elderly are more content with life, less depressed, and less fearful of death than the young.

"I'm a lot more sanguine and comfortable about aging at 76 than I was at 56," says George Vaillant, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who codirects its Study of Adult Development.

In the meantime, though? Guys in midlife harbor plenty of fears when they peer ahead. (Women have their own, slightly different set of aging fears).

Among men's top fears about getting older:

Is There Such a Thing as Child-Friendly Horror Movies?

AMY SWANSON/MOVIEGUIDE

 

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A scene from 'Frankenweenie,' in theaters Oct. 5 (Disney)

They’re coming. Over the next few months, parents are going to see an onslaught of horror based movies that are aimed directly at their children. Paranorman,Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania may look like harmless humor horror for the harvest season, but they represent more than just the Halloween creep. These movies desensitize our children to even more satanic evil and violence that they will see on the big screen later in life.

Over the past few years, Ted Baehr and the Christian Film & Television Commission have been making inroads. The transformation of Hollywood toward a more God-respecting attitude has been seen in movies like The Blind Side, The Avengers, Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides and Soul Surfer. For a brief moment we were able to see the positive trickle-down effect, but with any victory we must always expect the enemy to launch a counterattack.