The Prescription Everyone Needs

Lynn Cowell

"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye." Proverbs 7:1-2(NIV)

Constantly churning and aching, the pain in my daughter's stomach just wouldn't go away. From the time she was small she complained, but her doctor didn't seem to have a permanent solution.

After years of discomfort and searching for answers, we finally found a doctor who was able to pinpoint the problem: my daughter's body was sensitive to the foods she was eating. Even though her friends could eat anything, she couldn't correctly process common, everyday items. Sadly, what she was taking in and storing in her system was working against her, instead of working for her.

Don't Give Up!

MARGARET ENGLISH DE ALMINANA

If you’re accustomed to praying in the power of Holy Spirit, you’ve probably experienced seasons of spiritual warfare. Sometimes it may seem as if all hell is breaking loose—literally.

People may seem to get mad at you for no reason. Others may begin gossip campaigns. Your car breaks down and the kids act up. Your husband says you are spending too much time in prayer. Your friends tell you to back off—that you’re just no fun anymore. In these seasons, problems can feel as though they are pouring into your life from every angle, and you can end up feeling misunderstood, confused, rejected and alone.

But you’re not alone! Seasoned intercessors all experience such problems. In fact, they say they expect them—and rejoice because they believe they are making progress in prayer.

God has Not Forgotten You

Sharon Jaynes 

“He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace and be freed from your suffering,’” (Mark 5:34 NIV). 

Oh how I love the story of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood recorded in Mark 5:21-34. I can so relate to this woman. What woman among us hasn’t felt the wretchedness of rejection, the shame of suffering, and the humility of hopelessness? What woman hasn’t wondered, would God care about the likes of me?  And here we have a story of just how much God values and esteems His female image bearers. He singles out one lone woman from a multitude of curious followers, heals her of her affliction with but a touch, and then shines the heavenly spotlight center stage for her to testify about the miraculous transformation.

The woman we meet in Mark, chapter five, has been called, “the woman with the issue of blood.” She was defined by what was wrong with her; I’ve felt that sting as well. For twelve long years, this woman had been bleeding…When we meet her, she is physically, financially, socially and spiritually drained – bankrupt in every way.

The Man Who Was a Dresser of Sycamore Trees

Amos [Ā'mos]—burden-bearer or one with a burden.

1. This prophet of “judgment,”; which is the key word of the book he wrote, was a citizen of Tekoa, west of the Dead Sea (Amos 1:1; 7:8-16; 8:2).

Although he was one of the oldest of the prophets, we know little about Amos save what he himself tells us. He does not appear to have belonged to any rank or influence. The opposite is the case, seeing he styles himself a herdsman (Amos 7:14). 

He was no “professional prophet, speaking for a living.” Amos did not belong to the order of the prophets, nor had he been educated in the school of the prophets. The prophetic office was thrust upon him (Amos 7:14, 15). When the call came he exchanged the life of a shepherd and cultivator of sycamore trees for that of a prophet.

At Issue - Rejection

2 Chronicles 11:13–17

Rejection hurts—when your boss hands you a pink slip, or your husband walks out on you, or a close friend deserts you. 

Rejection makes you doubt your abilities, your worth, your purpose in life. But not all rejection is bad. 

The Levites were rejected by Jeroboam, who wanted to choose his own priests to offer sacrifices to false gods. Painful as the rejection was, it motivated the Levites to move to Jerusalem to serve God there—a change they wouldn’t have made otherwise. 

Help in Conflict

Written by Gail Rodgers

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

No one likes to be thought of as needy. We prefer other adjectives for ourselves, words that reflect strength or wisdom. Think about your own needs for a moment. It’s easier to think of someone else and how to help them but can you identify where you are have been needy lately?

There is a tool we can use to help us see our own need. It is the tool of paying attention to any conflict in our lives. Conflict often reflects unmet needs. Think about it for a moment.

Take a moment to recall the last encounter you had with conflict. Most of us don’t have to dig very far into our memories. Sometimes the unmet need is basic and easy to remedy such as the need for sleep. Yet often it is much deeper. The need to feel valued and heard or the need to be accepted or respected can cause conflict from a wounded heart.

Sexual Soul Ties

Written by Terri Savelle Foy

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. (Ps. 107: 13-14)

In our desperate need for love and affection, approval and closeness, many of us find ourselves falling into the arms of the wrong person. The more intimate you are with someone, the stronger that bond becomes. Sexual immorality is having sex with anyone to whom you are not married. God is not trying to withhold good from us by instructing us to withfrain from sex outside of marriage. He has developed certain guidelines for our benefit.

Having sexual intercourse isn’t just a physical encounter, it invades our soul. That’s why God’s instructions for when we are facing sexual temptation are very clear: flee (1 Cor. 6:18). There’s a reason God commanded us to run for our lives from this temptation. The road to recovery from sexual sin seems to be the most painful and requires the longest amount of healing time. 

Sex drive fades as family grows

By Miriam Stoppard

Dear Miriam,

My fourth child is due in five months. I enjoy being a mum but as the eldest is only six it can be hard work.

My sex life with my husband isn’t at all like it was at the start of our marriage.

I loved having sex with him and all our babies were planned, except this one.

How To Win Him Back From The Other Woman

This is for my friend, I am charm, whose husband has left her and their child and is off having his affair with the other woman.

The statistics for an affair actually working out are very low, I think it is less than 2% of affairs actually turn into marriages, it is most likely not going to work out between him and the other woman, and it probably won’t even last past a year. This is good news for a wife who wants her husband to return to their family. However, you have many disadvantages on your side right now to work through.

Be Your Husband's "Sure Thing"

Do you remember being in high school and wondering if that guy across the room liked you? Or whether your teenage crush would ask you to dance at the school-sponsored ball? Or whether the date you had that young-love crush on would plant his lips on yours when you stood on the porch to say goodbye?

Photo from Microsoft
Word Clip Art

Remember the tingle of anticipation, the anxiety, the fear of rejection, the elation when your questions were answered with a resilient YES! YES, he does want to be with you!

Now imagine, years later, your husband working up the courage to ask if tonight is the night, if the day has gone well enough, if the chaos of family or work has faded enough, if your hormones have aligned like those Mafortuitous stars, such that you maybe, possibly, might could have sex.

Shattered Dreams (part 1)

Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands," (Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV).

Friend to Friend
My husband and I were reveling in our time with our good friends from our college days, Larry and Cynthia Price. It had been almost a year since our last visit and I was hungry to hear of the latest family news about their children, Daniel, Julianna, and Laura Beth. While the four adults feasted on grilled teriyaki chicken, steamy baked potatoes, tossed salad with home grown sliced tomatoes, the kids ran out the door to attend the Friday night high school football game. For over an hour conversation and sweet tea flowed like a mountain stream. We were just finishing the last bites of chocolate silk pie when our laughter was interrupted by the ringing phone.

"Hello," Cynthia answered.

How Father God Feels About You

by Jack Hayford

The story of the prodigal son, recorded in Luke 15, is often called the parable of the Father's heart. Jesus tells it, along with two other stories, not only in response to the seemingly "heart-less" religionists of His day, but also for you and me to know what is the Father's heart toward us.

Jesus tells of a man with two sons, one of whom asked for his inheritance in advance. The father gave it to him, and the son went out and squandered it, ending up in a pig sty. Finally, Scripture says, the young man "came to himself." He recognized the insensibility of the pathway he'd walked and how foolish he'd been to leave home. He returned, humbled, thinking he would ask to be just a servant at his father's place.

R.S.V.P.

 "Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: ...And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:16, 23

LUKE 14:16-24

The man who made the supper symbolizes God who has invited "whosoever will" to come to Him. The parable teaches that it is not God who fails to offer salvation to everyone, but rather it is the invited guests who reject God's offer.

These people had feeble excuses just like the excuses of those today who don't accept God's offer of salvation. Therefore, the Lord's Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be furnished with "undesirables" from the world's point of view, not because God rejects the upper class, but because they reject Him.

How God Values You

"You are of more value than many sparrows." - Luke 12:7 Read Ministry Letter Dear Loved One, The people of Jesus' day lived under the brutality of Roman rule,  diminishing their sense of human worth. So Jesus gave the example of little birds that were cheaply bought and sold to help them understand their own value to God. If not one of these relatively insignificant creatures is forgotten by God, He said, then think of the value God places on people. "The very hairs of your head are numbered," He says. There's no way to count the hairs on a person's head without being intimately close and putting your hand upon them. Jesus is telling us, "Father God is that close to you. He knows every detail, and His hand is upon your life."

Never Give Up

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds." — Psalm 77:11—12

The word “hopeless” is one of the saddest words in the world. All other words, no matter how terrible a situation they describe, are not nearly as tragic. Bad situations can always change, but hopeless situations are forever. Sometimes, hope is the thin thread that can pull a person through the toughest of times. When hope dies, a part of the person dies too.

That’s why Psalm 77 urges us to never give up. The word “hopeless” should be erased from the English language. Because no matter how helpless a situation may seem, there is no such thing as a situation that God can’t help.

King David was feeling pretty hopeless when he began this Psalm: “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?” (Psalm 77:8—9). In other words, is there no hope? Am I stuck in this rut forever?

Heart Problems: A Dad Shaped Hole

Written by H. Norman Wright

Not every girl gets to be Daddy’s little girl. Many are missing the father-daughter relationship that is so essential for any child to have. The following excerpt is from H. Norman Wright’s A Dad-Shaped Hole in My Heart. Dads, see for yourself and learn how to help heal that ‘dad-shaped hole’ in your daughter’s heart. Daughters or even sons, consider what Wright has to say about that hole in your heart.

I’d like to begin this first chapter with June’s story. In many ways her story mirrors the cry of countless daughters just like you, who struggle with the effects of a dad who wasn’t there for them. Year after year they cry: Daddy, where are you? Who are you?

Trusting God When It Means Rejection

At his father’s funeral, American track and field star Carl Lewis placed his 100-meter gold medal from the 1984 Olympics in his father’s grave. “Don’t worry,” he told his surprised mother. “I’ll get another one.” 

	What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. — Philippians 3:8

A year later, in the 100-meter final at the 1988 games, Lewis was competing against Canadian world record holder Ben Johnson. Halfway through the race, Johnson was still five feet in front. Lewis was convinced he could catch him. But at 80 meters, he was still five feet behind. “It’s over,” Lewis thought. As Johnson crossed the finish, he stared back at Lewis and thrust his right arm in the air, index finger extended.

Lewis was exasperated. He had noticed Johnson’s bulging muscles and yellow-tinged eyes, both indications of steroid use. “I didn’t have the medal, but I could still give to my father by acting with class and dignity,” Lewis said later. He shook Johnson’s hand and left the track.

Depression: Illness or Spiritual failure?

Written by Cynthia Cavanaugh

Angry, frustrated and confused, I boarded a plane for Southern California. My dear friend and mother-in-law lay in a hospital bed with the shadow of death hovering. As I sat on the plane numb and expressionless. I cried, “Lord, where are you? Can’t you see my wounded heart?” I wanted to scream instead of cry, “LORD, I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!” I felt as though his face was shrouded from me.

This was one of the few times in my journey with God where I truly felt that I had been abandoned by Him. So many traumatic events had happened. Just two weeks earlier we had buried my grandfather–the spiritual rock of our family. I had had the privilege of caring for him and walking with him through his last days and now, just weeks after his death, I was possibly facing another. I felt as though the foundation of my childhood was being bulldozed.

Sex Is a Reflection of Oneness

Difficulties in a couple’s sex life often reflect deeper issues in their relationship.

by Dave Boehi

“I wish we would enjoy each other in bed more often, but my spouse rarely wants to make love. We have almost no sex life.”

When you just read that quote, did you assume that it was made by a man, or a woman? Conventional wisdom holds that husbands generally desire to have sex in their marriage more often than wives. But it appears that a growing number of marriages are experiencing the opposite problem, with wives frustrated that their husbands are uninterested in sexual relations.

A Mother’s Love

Written by Doris Beebe

Being rejected by the very one who gave birth to you is a hard thing to live with.

I can remember at the age of three or four, seeing my mother’s hard, cold face as she turned her cheek to me when I wanted to give her a good night kiss. Why doesn’t she love me? I wondered. I didn’t have an answer, but I knew that she just couldn’t.

I had many feelings growing up with my mother. She was a lot of things I did not ever want to be. She would sleep until noon and leave me to fend for myself. She frequently cheated on my father, who was suffering from schizophrenia.

Eventually, I got to live with my grandparents. Off and on, my mother would move in with my grandparents, my brother, sister and I. She and my father divorced, and when I was thirteen my father committed suicide.

Who did Jesus think he was? And why should I care?
Still have questions?Ask a mentor

My grandmother worked all the time and my mother had no control over me. In fact, we did not speak if we were in the same house. She would come and go with my brother and sister and I would be home alone with Grandma, who allowed me total freedom. With peer pressure and little guidance, I began to make some wrong choices in my search for the love that I had never received.

I got married at sixteen just to get out of the house and to have the family I never had. The relationship was abusive, and I was restless, so I ran away with another man and I became pregnant.

All the things I hated in my mother began to take place in my life. I tried so hard to avoid her mistakes, but I remained in a lifestyle of promiscuity and neglect of the little girl I gave birth to. My life was spinning out of control, and when the spinning stopped I landed back home without my child. She was two when I left.

One night, in a bar, I met a man named Joe. Three short weeks after I met him we were married.

It was then that I began to look for a way to turn my life around. I could feel something tugging at me, pulling me to leave the lifestyle I had been trapped in. I believe that “something” was God.

I began to seek Him out. I needed to know who God was, why He’d made me and what purpose there could be for my life. Fortunately, He promised us that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Jesus said, “Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.” In 1993, I met God.

I learned that I could have a personal relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. He would love me and never leave me. He would forgive me for the things I had done and make me a new person. I could have the family and the love I had never known through Him. I invited Him into my life and I have been walking beside Him ever since.

My hatred for my mother caused me a lot of years of pain, but I finally realized that I was not hurting her. I was hurting myself and I was in bondage to her because I held her in my heart full of hate. God released me from this when I forgave her. A couple of years ago I came face to face with my mother at my grandmother’s funeral. I told her about the changes in my life and I told her that I forgave her. I was able to tell her that I loved her.

I am still separated from my oldest daughter, but she knows that I love her and that I made some wrong choices. I am now raising three of my own children and my sister’s child. When I look into the eyes of my sister’s baby–who is now the same age as my oldest child was when I left her–I can see myself at that age. I know that Jesus forgives, as I am allowed to be the mother I never knew.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

If you have a question first, click here.

gotquestions  http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/amotherslove/

8 Responses to “A Mother’s Love”

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• Doris says:

  April 11, 2012 at 1:55 pm

  I am the Author of this article and want to say to Belinda that the gift of forgiveness is the best gift you can give to yourself… It is about freedom !!
  I am Proud of you … hopenotwasted@yahoo.com is my contact …

  Blessings,

  Doris
• Brenda Millersays:

  March 6, 2012 at 6:37 am

  HI Belinda,

  I am so sorry for your pain. The rejection you experienced is heart-wrenching, and the sorrow you continue to undergo is palpable.

  Belinda, it is wonderful that you forgave your mother on her deathbed, and I believe that if you continue to claim that forgiveness daily you will find healing. The enemy wants to remind you of the pain, of the rejection, but Jesus wants to remind you of His amazing love and healing that He has for you. It is so important that you believe in the Hope that can be found in Christ, Belinda. I want to give you a couple of links to encourage you. The first one is on hope, and the second is on overcoming bitterness. I pray they are a blessing to you:

  http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2012/03/01/rebuilding-old-ruins-in-christ/

  http://www.gfa.ca/resource/audio/

  Look at the bottom of the page under the mp3 downloads for the second link, Belinda, for KP Yohannan’s message on bitterness. It is tremendous, and has blessed me greatly, as I was also rejected by both of my parents when I was a child right through until my adulthood, when my mother and father and I were able to reconcile.

  I am thankful that you have been able to share so honestly with us your pain, Belinda, and I will be praying for you. May God richly bless you in every area of your life as you turn to Him for your healing.
• BELINDA says:

  March 4, 2012 at 12:12 pm

  Thank you for sharing your story. I’m fighting the same rejection. My mother did everything she could to destroy me. I living in hell right now with no direction.
  Before she passed, she turned everyone against me. I have no self purpose and everyone is in denial about her abuse to me. She had a nervous breakdown after she gave birth to me. I think she blamed me and and tried to destroy my life. She secretly abused me, by pushing me down in extreme hot water burning my back, slapping me when no one was looking, pulling my finger back. I grew up very angery and was confused that no one would help me. When I told on her she told them I was crazy. That label has destroyed my life!

  I have no relationships with my siblings,due to her lying and making them look at me as the worst person in the world. I have prayed and ask god to take this pain from my heart. I wont go away, I told her when she was on her death bed I forgive you and I love you. I told her I just wanted her to love me and hold me. I didn’t know what her touch felt like.
• Juliana Kratman says:

  September 5, 2011 at 12:17 pm

  Doris, you are a wonderful person to be able to accept god as your personal savior and be able to forgive your mother. You are a true amazing person.
• Juliana Kratman says:

  September 5, 2011 at 12:15 pm

  Steve, is it true that your relationship with Doris was abusive? And Doris, that was beautifal.
• Doris says:

  January 24, 2010 at 10:03 pm

  I am Doris and want to say thank you to Steve and Sarah.
• Sarah says:

  January 19, 2010 at 7:26 pm

  great testimony
• Steve Cimerhanzel says:

  June 12, 2009 at 5:52 am

  I’m the 1st husband that married Doris at 16 years old. I’m happy to see she has accepted the lord as her personal savior.