Shamanism

May 14, 2007 by bonlou

Phylox
Creeping Phlox – Spring is here!

 Some people promote shamanism as a viable treatment for panic attacks and agoraphobia.  Because of this I feel I must post this warning. I had panic attacks and agoraphobia for twenty years.  I’ve been free from fear and panic for over 14 years now.  During my illness I discovered the Lord and turned my life over to him.  I studied the Bible and as I put the Word in practice in my life I became well again.  I owe everything to the Lord and his wonderful grace.

 Shamanism is an occult practice.  Let me quote from one who knows.

“Shaman…is a word from the…Tungus people of Siberia, and has been adopted widely by anthropologists to refer to persons…previously known by such terns as ‘witch,’ ‘witch doctor,’ medicine man,’ sorcerer,’ wizard….’  A shaman…enters an altered state of consiousness–at will…to aquire knowledge, power, and to help other persons.  The shaman has at least one, and usually more, ‘spirits’ in his personal service.  To perform his work, the shaman depends on special, personal power, which is usually supplied by his guardian and helping spirits.”  –Michael Harner, anthropologist and shaman.

 Now lets see what the Bible has this to say about such practices:

(Deuteronomy 18:10 KJV) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

(Deuteronomy 18:11 KJV) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

(Deuteronomy 18:12 KJV) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

God hates these kind of practices and we need to be careful that we do not get involved in them.  Why?  Because God wants us to come to him with our problems and he will show us the answers.  He wants us to depend totally on him and not on ourselves or other people.  He loves us and wants to care for us.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Posted in Agoraphobia, American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Scripture | 6 Comments »

God or Mother Nature?

March 30, 2007 by bonlou

Tree Clouds

Does the phrase, “Mother Nature,” bug you as much as it does me? Who is in control anyway?  God or Mother Nature? 

I can’t believe I heard it again today on the news, “Mother Nature unleased her wrath again today!”  They were talking about the awful tornados that tore their way across the country. Every time there is some unusual weather event someone called, “Mother Nature,” gets the blame or credit.   Who is this Mother Nature anyway? 

The dictionary says:  Mother Nature, noun

“The personification of nature as a powerful and nurturing woman.”

Nature is everything that is not man-made according to the dictionary.  Therefore, nature is God made. 

Wikipedia says: 

“Mother Nature is a personification of nature.”

Every time we get tornados, hurricaines, blizzards, floods, and other weather woes the news and weather media blame it all on Mother Nature.  Not only that, but when we have wonderful weather and a beautiful day they say something like, “Mother Nature smiled on us today with this warm weather.”   She gets the credit and the glory.   So, what is the real story? 

God says in Exodus 20:3, NASB “You shall have no other gods before Me.”  This is one of the ten commandments, and is serious business.
 
God is to be praised and worshipped.  Not other gods.  We in our nation are getting very careless in this area.  When we hear the phrase, “Mother Nature”,  used over and over it becomes common.  We use it without thinking of the true meaning behind it.  Most of us wouldn’t intentionally praise another god.

Did you know that God is in control of the weather not Mother Nature?  

The Bible has a lot to say about God and how He controls the weather.

(Psalms 78:26 NASB) He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.

(Psalms 107:25 NASB) For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea.

(Psalms 135:7 NASB) He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

(Psalms 148:8 NASB) Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

(Proverbs 30:4 NASB) Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!

(Mark 4:39 NASB) And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

God created the Heavens and the Earth and He controls the weather. So, you may ask, “Why does God allow this terrible weather to cause us all kinds of problems?”  The answer is that God is Sovereign.  He can do whatever He wants.  He is in control and nothing gets by Him. 

Have you ever stopped to think that God allows bad things to happen to our nation to get our attention?  We have lost our moral footing.  In our society today anything goes.  The news certainly validates this.  There used to be sin and shame, but it has been replaced with nothing is right or wrong. 

But, God says:

(Colossians 3:5 NASB) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

(Colossians 3:6 NASB) For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,

“The sovereignty of God is that golden sceptre in his hand by which he will make all bow, either by his word or by his works, by his mercies or by his judgements.”     Thomas Brooks

The world says, “You can’t fool Mother Nature.”  I say, “You can’t fool God.”  He is still there, He is in control, and He holds us in the palm of His hand.  We need to cry out for mercy!

Posted in American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, T.V. Programs, Worship | 168 Comments »

God Is Sovereign!

March 8, 2007 by bonlou

 

onecardinal

 Here is one of God’s beautiful creations, a cardinal, who visits my feeder daily.

God is Sovereign. We hear that statement often, but have you ever stepped back to take a look at what that means? Sovereign means King, Lord, Master over everything, in control, independent; or to boil it all down it means Supreme Authority.

God then is the Supreme Authority. He is the One and Only God who created the heavens and the earth. He created all that was created and owns it all. He is free to choose to do as he pleases with His creation.

(Psalms 103:19 NASB) The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

(Psalms 115:3 NASB) But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

(Psalms 135:6 NASB) Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

(1 Timothy 6:15 NASB) which He will bring about at the proper time–He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

According the Bible, God is in control of everything, but how does that relate to us in our everyday lives?

We live in a society where we are taught from an early age that we must have good self-esteem. We must think highly of ourselves, and do our own thing. We learn that we can do anything we put our minds too and become anything we want to be. We need to spend a great deal of time in looking within to “find ourselves.” They tell us to grab onto life as you only go around once and to go for the gusto. Live, drink, and be merry; that’s the motto of the day. Also, we hear, “if it feels good, then do it.” Or, “it doesn’t matter what you do as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.” There are no absolutes. It’s all about me!  We need to be entertained. We depend on ourselves. These attitudes lead to self-reliance, and pride.

As Christians we need to remember that we are in this world but not of this world. This is Satan’s world. We need to be extra careful that we are not caught up in Satan’s traps to get us to be self-indulgent and selfish.  We need to control the desires for worldly pleasures.

We fool ourselves if we think we are in control, because God rules over everything, even our best laid plans.

When we realize that God is sovereign over everything we need to submit to God and surrender our lives totally to Him. When an enemy surrenders to his captors he totally gives up. He gives himself and all he has over to the captor to do with as he pleases. That is how we are to surrender to God. This is an amazing lesson to learn.

Here is the best part.  When we realize that God is in charge of everything we no longer have to worry and fret.  I once was the world’s worse worrier.  I often say if there were an olympic event for worry, I would have won the gold metal.  That was before I learned that God is sovereign.  My worries effected my health to such a degree that I developed panic disorder and agoraphobia.  I became homebound and a slave to worry and fear!  Life doesn’t have to be that way and it shouldn’t be that way.  I leaned to trust and depend on God because he is in charge anyway.   It is a wonderful freeing thing to learn God is sovereign.  Worry can’t change anything!

 Now, whenever I have challenges in my life, I remind myself to surrender.  Just give up, and allow God to work things out in his way.  It is so wonderful to have peace in the midst of a storm. 

God wants the very best for us and will give us blessings that we’ve never dreamed about, but before he can give them we must bow the knee in submission to him. 

I read a good Christian classic recently called Absolute Surrender, by Andrew Murray. If you’ve never read this book I’d highly recommend it. This book was first published in 1895, and it’s wisdom has stood the test of time.

Andrew Murray said, “If we totally surrender ourselves to God, we never need know anything but God’s good.”

That doesn’t mean everything will be rosy all the time, but it means that when we are sold out to God it doesn’t matter to us anymore what comes our way because we have God’s good intentions on our side. Even what we think are bad things work out for good with God. God is dependable and we can trust him.

(Proverbs 3:5 NASB) Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

As the Word says, we need to put our trust in the Lord. He is the Almighty One who knows the beginning from the end. He knows all about us and what our lives hold for us. We cannot figure things out on our own. We are not smart enough for that. But, he wants us to surrender to Him, put our trust in Him, and realize He is in control! Not us!

Questions for Discussion:

1. Are you having a rough time in your life right now? If so, do you need to surrender to God? 

2. Do you realize that God is sovereign? What does this realization do for your life?

3. I’m writing from the USA. I realize this blog goes throughout the whole world. I’d like to hear if your society where you live today is like mine, in the sense that people are so concerned with “self,” and “pleasures,” instead of God’s will?

Click on the word “comment ” below if you would like to take part in this discussion. What you share will be of great help to others.

Blessings, Bonnie Lord

Posted in American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship | 3 Comments »

God Owns Everything!

March 2, 2007 by bonlou

TrmpetSwan 

 Psalm 24:1-2 (NASB)

 The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.
For He has founded it upon the seas. And established it up the rivers.

Have you ever stopped to think that God owns everything?  He created everything and it is His to do with as He pleases.  He laid the foundation of the earth.  He created mankind and owns us.  We are His possession.  He can do with us whatever He pleases.  God is sovereign.  He is universally supreme.

If He owns everything then He is in charge of everything.  When we allow God to be in charge of our lives He blesses us.  When we try to run our lives ourselves then we are actually going against God and are in rebellion.  We will not be blessed.

 When we become successful in the work place and make a good living it is only due to God allowing us to do so.  The money we make is actually His.  Do we spend it in a way that is pleasing to Him?  Whatever we have comes from His hand to ours.  Our homes, food, clothing, friends, family come from God.  We can’t think of anything that He isn’t ultimately responsible for giving us.

 I know everyone doesn’t think this way.  A lot of people think they are responsible for their own success.  They think they have worked hard and earned what they have.  It may be true that they worked hard, but God is the one who allowed it to happen. 

Psalms 50:10-11

For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

When we look at the beauty in this earth; the birds, flowers, sunsets, sun rises, oceans, lakes, stars on a dark night, we can see the results of God’s handiwork.  He made all that, and it is His.  He shares it with us to enjoy and we can be grateful and in awe at what He has done.  Man certainly could not have made these beautiful things.  God is possessive of His creation.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship | 3 Comments »

Walk in the Spirit

February 28, 2007 by bonlou

 

We have discussed the secret of being a contented Christian in the previous post. We found that Paul says we are to be content in whatever situation we are in. Also, that we can be that way if we rely on God to strengthen us in all things. To accomplish this we must walk in the Spirit.

If you are a Christian and you are not content with your life perhaps you haven’t learned how to walk in the Spirit. It is so important for us to learn to live above our circumstances. We are in this world and it effects us all day long. We are pressured on every side, but it doesn’t have to get us down. We have problems at work, in relationships, with our families and spouses. There must be an answer for Christians to live a peaceable life in this world.

Do all the awful things you see on the news make you nervous? Do family problems drive you to distraction? Do health problems scare you? Then, read on and learn how to walk in the Spirit.

When we became a Christian we received the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His.

The question becomes, “How do we walk in the Spirit in our daily lives?”

Again, we turn to the Bible for the answer.

Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

It should be easy then to walk in the Spirit if he dwells in us. However, there is a conflict going on inside us. We still have our flesh to deal with. The flesh and the Spirit collide with each other at times.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

God has given us the option to walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit. We have something to say about this. We must first decide that we want to walk in the Spirit and then take action. It doesn’t come to us automatically, but is something we can learn. We won’t be truly content until we master this.

We start out with prayer admitting we cannot do this in our own strength and that we need His help. We are like a little child learning to walk. We launch out, become shaky, stumble and fall. Then, we have to pick ourselves up and start all over again. This is how one learns to walk in the physical sense and also in the spiritual sense.

Here are some ideas to help you learn to walk in the Spirit:

  • Pray and confess any known sin and ask forgiveness. God won’t hear our prayers if we are not right with him. (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  • Accept God’s forgiveness and ask to be refilled with the Holy Spirit.
  • Spend some time each day with God in Bible study, prayer, and meditation on the Word.

Now start out your day as you walk in the Spirit. When we slip and sin we break our fellowship with God and fall back to walking in the flesh.

As soon as we realize we have sinned we need a spiritual shower. We need to confess and ask to be refilled with the Spirit.

As you practice your walk in the Spirit habit, you will find you spend more time in the Spirit. Also, at the same time you’ll find you become more satisfied with your life. You will be able to live above your circumstances and won’t be pulled in all different directions. You will actually feel contentment! This is not natural but is supernatural. You will live on a higher plane above your problems, and will depend on God moment by moment to handle everything.

Once you catch a glimpse of this new way to walk, you’ll be on your way to becoming the person God created you to be. You will begin to see the fruit of the Spirit in your life; such as love, joy and peace. You’ll be connected to God’s power which enables you to function in His power and strength and not your own. As you yield to Him and allow Him to live through you, you can be effective and victorious in your daily walk with our Precious Savior. Daily problems won’t seem as frightening because you can live above them in the power of the Spirit.

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture | 3 Comments »

The Contented Christian

February 23, 2007 by bonlou

Two Cardinals 

If you are a Christian, allow me to ask you, are you content? By that I mean do you have a peace inside that transcends your circumstances? On a daily basis are you mostly happy and satisfied? If you can say, “yes,” to these questions you probably are a contented Christian.  However, if you say, “no,” then you need to read on to discover the secret to contentment.

Now, let’s look at the Word of God and see what Paul says about being content.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. (Philippians 4:11)

Paul is actually shows us here the secret of being content. First, he says that he had learned to be content or satisfied no matter what his circumstances were. He learned to live above his circumstances. His circumstances did not dictate his happiness. Can you honestly say that is true in your life?

How many times have you thought “if only this or that would change I’d really be happy.“ I know people who seem to think their circumstances are the measuring stick of true happiness. One person I know believed if she could just have a new car she would be happy. Well, her husband gave in and even though they could not afford it, they got the car. She was thrilled, for a little while, but it didn’t last. Then, she thought she needed to repaint the house inside, and that would make her happy. That didn’t do it either. She had a pattern of thinking “things” would make her content. Others think happiness lies in a new job, or more money, or a vacation.

There are many people who think that way, but Paul said he could be happy no matter what the circumstances. It wouldn’t take a new mule or anything else to make him content. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be like Paul?

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (Philippians 4:12)

He also said it didn’t matter if he was rich or poor, or what was going on in his life. We know that he suffered while he spent years in jail. He was beaten up several times and even left for dead. He was also in a ship wreak. Yet, he could say he was content? What’s the secret Paul?

Are you ready? The next verse tells us the secret of contentment.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

That’s it! Paul said it is because of the strength he has in Christ that he could do all things and still be content.

If a person is not a Christian they do not have this capacity to actually be content and strong in every situation. Our wonderful Savior has given us the Holy Spirit who lives in us to enable us live on a different level. Isn’t this exciting? Here is what the Bible says:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. (Ephesians 6:10)

Do you see it? Be strong, in the Lord. We need to have the Lord first of all and then he gives us all of his mighty strength.

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)

And, he gives us his grace which he keeps pouring out to us over and over as we need it. His grace gives us strength.

…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, (Ephesians 3:16)

Here he is says that this strength and power we have in Christ is IN US. We have it! If we are Christians then we have the Holy Spirit IN US. He is already there! He is waiting for us to call on him in our times of need. When we do this we have peace and contentment. There is no need for us to live in disharmony, and have anxious and fearful lives. We can live above whatever is going on when we walk in the Spirit.

Walking in the Spirit will be the subject of my next post. We will look at how we can either hinder or help the Holy Spirit give us contentment.

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture | 3 Comments »

An Unhappy Christian

February 15, 2007 by bonlou

Paint1

Many Christian people are not really happy deep down inside.  Oh, they can put on a good front, and smile and make small talk, but when they are alone and all is quiet there is no peace inside.  This kind of person finds it easy to become involved in bickering, quarrels and arguments, especially at home.  Is this the way it is suppose to be?

Have you ever noticed when the electricity goes off we say the POWER is off?  When that happens we have all kinds of unexpected problems.  We can’t take a shower, do a load of wash,  or run the dishwasher.  We have no water period.  Also, most likely, the heating system in our house won’t work without electricity.  In the winter this can be a serious problem.   All those things that we take for granted every day are suddenly out of bounds for us just because something unexpected happened at the power station and the power went off.  We feel helpless!

The POWER can go off in our Christian lives also.  When that happens we cannot function right. Too many people today have a  powerless and miserable life.  Yes, we continue to try to do the right things.  Perhaps we get up on Sunday morning and have an argument with our spouse while getting ready for church, and yell at the kids.  Then we all pile in the car and go off to church.  When we arrive we put on a happy face, and look just fine on the outside.  We can participate in the choir and greet each other with a handshake or hug.  But, at the same time we might be miserable on the inside.  We leave church and again find ourselves in the same old situation quarreling and arguing with others.  What has happened? You have lost your power source!

The Holy Spirit is our power source.    Do you know that we short-circut the Holy Spirit’s power in our life when we sin?  This happens even when we do so called little sins.  We sin and it breaks our connection with God.  We no longer have fellowship with him.  We immediately then revert back to living in our flesh like we did  before we were Christians.  It would be good if a bell would go off in our heads and alert us to the fact that we have sinned and lost our power source, but it doesn’t work that way.  Instead we find ourselves thinking and doing things that are not pleasing to God.  We try to accomplish things in our own strength  which will not work.  This behavior will go on until we realize we are not right with God. 

God is holy and He cannot look upon our sin.  He tells us in His Word:

“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.  (Isaiah 1:15) NASB

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,  (Isaiah 1:16) NASB

God doesn’t want us to be powerless Christians.  He does not want us to quarrel and argue.  God loves families and He wants us to have peaceful, loving homes to bring up our children. He wants us to be blessed with all spiritual blessings.  He wants the very best for us.  After all He bought us with His own blood when He died on the cross for us. He is invested in us.

When we get into arguments with others the issue is not what we are arguing about.  It is about us.  We are sinning, and we can’t be happy inside in this state.  We are being selfish and prideful. We insist we have to get in that last word.  We need to examine ourselves against the scriptures and see if we measure up.  Where are we going wrong?

God tells us when we become a Christian a change takes place.  We become a new creature  in Christ. 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  (2 Corinthians 5:17) NASB

He has told us to put these old things aside.

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.  (Colossians 3:8)

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,  (Colossians 3:9)

If you have a short temper and fly off the handle easily something is wrong.  We are not to fight and use abusive speech.  We are not to get even.  Some people I know say “I don’t get mad I just get even!”  That is the way of the world.   We are not to slander one another. And we are not to lie.  We are to practice telling the truth.  All of the above things are sin in God’s sight and when we do them we disconnect from our power source, the Holy Spirit. 

Some people say they can’t help themselves in these things because they are just made that way.   “Oh, I just have a short fuse.  My dad was the same way.  I come by it naturally.”  Well, that may be so, but just because your dad was a sinner doesn’t mean you have to continue in the same path.  These are simply excuses.  God requires change!  And, he has given us the tools to make those changes.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,  (Romans 6:12) NASB

We are to be in control and not let sin have it’s way.  Before we were Christians this was very difficult because we didn’t have the power in ourselves to do this.  But, now we have the Holy Spirit to help us, and we can have victory over sin. 

If you are an unhappy Christian on the inside, take time to examine yourself and see if you have unconfessed sin in your life.  Confess, repent, and get connected with your power source so you can please God and find true happiness.
 

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship | 39 Comments »

God’s Wonderful Grace

January 23, 2007 by bonlou

Butterfly 

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud,but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) NASB Let’s take a brief look at this scripture

But This word shows us a contrast between the previous verses that show us how sinful we really are, and God’s wonderful grace.

He God is the one who gives us grace.

Gives God actually gave us grace before time and eternity. And, He keeps on giving it and will throughout the ages to come.

Greater This word is a comparitive word showing us that God’s grace is greater than all our sins. Isn’t that wonderful?

Grace Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Or, it is His goodness extended to those who deserve wrath. That is us, my friends. None of us deserve God’s goodness and kindness. It is His grace that forgives us and His grace that enables us to live in obedience to Him. We cannot do that on our own.

There is a wonderful old hymn that shows us the wonder of God’s grace.

He Giveth More Grace
by Anna J. Flint

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Oh, what a wonderful, merciful, giving God we have.  If you are having a bad day full of anxiety and stress remember that God wants to help you.  If you are a believer and go to Him in prayer, confessing any known sin, our God if faithful to extend to you the fullness of his abundent grace. 

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