Ruts

There we were, the four of us, seated around a small contemporary table, in a bustling room filled with professionals, housewives, college kids, and our sales rep, Yazmin.

She really was quite the sales person.  In our two hours at the store, she pulled out all the stops to sell us the most, the latest, and the greatest equipment.  One such device was an iPad, which I had been “needing” because of its cool music apps & recording capabilities.

After much debate with myself, I heard these words come out of my mouth, “If I go ahead and get it, I won’t have any excuse to not spend time in the music room working on my music.”  Ah, the truth.  Sometimes it just flies right out before we realize, doesn’t it?

And isn’t that just the way it is?  Often we are more afraid of success than of failure.  We may be in a rut, but at least we KNOW the rut, and it’s more comfortable than the unknown.  The rut doesn’t require any hard work, any education, or any risk.  But the rut also holds no glory, no promise.

In whatever rut you find yourself, be encouraged.  Get up and get out!

Peace,


Davina

Band Aids

When I had completed a course of study in secular psychology, a friend asked me, “What did you learn?”  Summed up, this was my answer.

1.  Find the root.  Our troubles, most of the time, really are rooted in an event or series of events.  These events become the foundation for a belief system that carries through the individual’s life.  Most of the time a good psychologist can find the root.

2.  Apply a band aid.  Now, after you find the root problem, secular psychology is well-equipped with a variety of band aids.  There’s behavior modification, medications (which, actually, a psychiatrist must prescribe), self-help, and so on.  But these are all coping mechanisms.

Before I go on, let me say that I don’t presume to have all the answers.  But I do know The One who does!  This is where the world of secular psychology misses the mark.

There is an attempt to diagnose and fix problems, without consulting the Maker.

Think about that statement for just a moment.  Pretty ridiculous, huh?

There is a better way.  What I have experienced myself, and the way I have even been able to help others find release, is this:

1.  Find the root.  With the Holy Spirit as our Guide, we can identify the root, or lie, that has become a way of thinking or looking at the world.  It has been built upon by the enemy to create a strong hold in the mind.

2.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak truth.  No band aids.

3.  Live free!

In the future I will share some of my own freedom experiences on this blog.

Peace,


Davina  

Pieces of Glass

“Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday.  There's too much of it.  It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?” (John Coffey, The Green Mile, Directed by Frank Darabont, 1999).  In this movie, John Coffey had a special gift that allowed him to heal others, but it also gave him extraordinarily long life.  This quote comes at the end of the movie, when John has lived too long and seen too much.  His knowledge has caused him, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says, much grief, “Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain” (Ecc. 1:18 NASB).

I think that maybe this is why God told Adam to not eat from the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good & evil.  He wasn’t trying to keep anything from his children; rather, He was trying to protect them from pain.  It was because of His love that He said, “Don’t eat it.”  When our children begin to grow up and learn about the world, they learn that it is a painful place.  It hurts them, and it hurts us to see them in pain.

The Apostle Paul clearly understood this when he wrote, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19).  But this Apostle also knew that there was – no, IS – a hope for the believer!  Keep reading this chapter:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so IN CHRIST shall ALL be made ALIVE.  But every man in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.  Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death!  (1 Cor. 15:20-26 KJV)

Friend, there is pain in this world.  But the hope in Christ is greater than any pain.  Remember:  You are righteous through faith in Christ (Phl. 3:9); you are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8); you are His workmanship (Eph. 2:10); you can handle whatever comes your way (Phl. 4:13); you overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by your words (Rev. 12:11); you are an ambassador of the King of Kings (Eph. 6:20); you are a King-Priest (Rev. 1:6); you have His peace (Jn. 14:27), His joy (Rom. 15:13), His name (Jn. 17:6), and His love (Jn. 17:26)!

Keep shining!

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:13 NASB).

Peace,

Davina

Depression

What is depression?  According to Merriam-Webster'sonline dictionary, it is “a pressing down,” a “state of feeling sad or dejected,” or simply “low.”  We’ve all been there at some point in our lives.  Believers and unbelievers, men and women, the old and often the very young, experience depression at some point in our lives.

I listened to a teaching this week by Dr.Ray Vinson entitled Six Steps to Defeating Depression, an audio CD produced by The Institute for Biblical Leadership.  What a timely and excellent teaching!

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived, but he also experienced depression.  We find his story in 1 Kings 19, right after his great victory on Mt. Carmel, where he challenges the 450 prophets of Baal in a splendid display of God’s power, and not only wins the challenge, but “smokes” the competition (pardon the pun)!  So after this awesome time of showing Baal & his prophets for the fakes they are, he receives a threat from Jezebel.  She’s going to kill him.  So he sits down and says, “That’s it.  Why even try anymore?  I’m all alone.  I’m done.”  I think we could say that Elijah was depressed.

So how did Elijah get “un-depressed?”  Here are a few things that I noticed in this chapter … I’m not saying this is the all-out iron-clad formula for beating the big “D” … No, these are just some things that I noticed.

1)   Verse 5.  He woke up.  He decided to live.  When we’re depressed the first step to getting out is to make a decision to get out.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  Not so simple when you’re in the pit, but I believe this is the first step.

2)   Verse 6.  He ate.  We must feed ourselves (spirit, soul, and body) with things that are beneficial.  This can include eating right, taking supplements, reading books, listening to excellent teachings, reading the Bible – things that provide nourishment.

Mark with Rosie

3)   Verse 6.  He rested.  We, too, need adequate sleep, as well as restful activities.  For some, painting provides rest; for others, it may be playing a musical instrument or horseback riding, taking a nature walk or fishing, or playing volleyball.

4)   Verse 8.  He went when God said to go.  This is where the first three become vitally important.  Elijah had a very long journey, and he needed all the determination, rest, and nourishment that he had been taking in.  We need to be ready to carry out whatever task that God gives us to do.

5)   Verses 9-18.  He communed with God.  This involves both listening and answering when God asks a question.  Prayer is not a one-way street; it is a two-way conversation with our heavenly Father.

6)   Verses 19-21.  He turned his attention to Elisha.  Now, maybe I’m reading too much into this, but it seems to me that the final step in defeating depression is to focus on someone else.  It’s funny, isn’t it, that Elijah thought he was the only one left who was serving God, but the last thing recorded in this chapter is his calling Elisha to follow him.  Maybe the lesson is this:  When you think you’re the only one left, go find someone and make a disciple!

Beloved child of the Most High, I pray this helps you.  Be blessed!

Peace,

Davina