The question has been posed, integrity examined …. “Do you REALLY believe all this positivity stuff? Do you REALLY believe it can change a life?”

In John, Jesus said “This is the work of God, that you believe…” Now I know the Scripture goes on to say that we believe “on him whom He hath sent” meaning we are to believe in HIM. But think about it….

He also said, “Whatever you say when you pray, believe you have received, and it shall be given unto you.”

God told us in Deuteronomy that the power of life and death are in our tongue. So to answer the question, Yes, I believe….

I believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior but He is also my brother, friend and teacher. I believe God is the Almighty creator of the universe as well as my loving father who wants to bless me with the wildest dreams in my heart.

I believe God is much bigger than the boxes we put Him in, especially those outlined in the Bible. I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God but it has been written by man, filtered through human consciousness and subject to the circumstances and culture of the time. I believe there are depths and levels of faith and spirituality we may never understand but I also believe it pleases God when we try, ask questions, seek after answers, and knock on doors of knowledge.

I believe, next to love, gratitude is the greatest asset we can ever aspire to have. I believe fear is our biggest obstacle and judgment and guilt are useless wastes of energy. I believe we can rise above our circumstances and “call those things that be not as though they are” (actually the word here is were…. past tense as in been there, done that…so why is it those things we desire are not showing up in our life?)

I believe you can not have a positive life with a negative attitude. I believe, with the help of God, you can create a better life for yourself than anyone in your family has ever experienced. I believe selfishness is the root of all evil and that money is simply a means through which God blesses you so that you may be a blessing to others and thereby build His kingdom.

I believe love is the most powerful emotion and we are at our highest level of spirituality and closest to God when we give it freely, without expectation of reward.
I believe some people love their misery. They are comfortable in it and although they say differently, they really don’t want to change, but want others to change for them. This is the highest level of selfishness.

I believe you can’t change the past but you can change the future by your thoughts, words, emotions and actions of today.

I believe the past is over, the future isn’t here yet and today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the ‘present’ and we would do well to live fully in the moment. I believe our past may be a contributing factor in our lives today but with love, gratitude, and forgiveness, we can rise above the pain of that time and life a blessed and happy life.

I believe heaven is nearer than we think and our loved ones who’ve crossed over as near as our next thought and if we listen close enough, they will continue to speak to us and  if we let go of our preconceived notions of heaven being “out there somewhere”, we will experience it here on earth.

I believe life is 100% perception…how you perceive things is how they’ll be for you.

I believe with God all things are possible and nothing is impossible to them that believe…. Believe in God, believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, believe in your goodness, believe in your beauty, believe in the power of love, peace, joy, happiness, bliss.  Believe God is on your side and wants to bless you and quit speaking the opposite!

I believe we “eat the fruit” of our words. Speak negative (poverty, lack, sickness, disease) and you’ll attract those things into your circumstances. Speak positive and you’ll create a better life for yourself and those around you. I believe we give too much of our power to others by allowing them to control our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

I believe forgiveness unlocks the door to happiness and opens channels of blessing because when we forgive we become more like Jesus.

I believe when you heal your own life, you do your part in healing others.

I believe there is no time in eternity, so the reason creating a new life takes ‘time’ is because we let doubt and fear block our good and I believe we talk ourselves out of miracles every day.

Now I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I never have a bad day despite all I believe. But I will tell you this much, as I continue to walk by faith (not by sight) and speak words of life and love, gratitude and peace, those bad days or incidents are less traumatic and easier to get through than they were before I understood the power of my own thoughts and words.
​
Something to think about….
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in PJs" ​™

Dealing with multiple family issues in varying depths of negative physical & emotional drama, I keep hearing the message…. “When you starve your spirit, the body compensates.”

Or in most instances, over compensates.

Illness, weight issues, depression, addictions; many times these are all physical and emotional symptoms of a starving spirit.

The Bible teaches us that “a merry heart does good like medicine” (Prov. 17:22).

Proverbs 15:13 tells us, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

Bible believing Christian or not, there are medical studies that substantiate this idea. But forget medical proof for a moment and think about the people in your life who are ill.

What does their countenance (face, attitude, actions) reveal to you?

Are they upbeat and positive or “down in the mouth”?

Are they the picture of health (acceptable weight, tolerable or manageable level of physical ailments, sensible/rational attitudes, realistic/practical actions) or just the opposite?

Now I’m not going to try and convince you that every person who has been a victim of physical or mental abuse or who has contracted an illness of some sort is merely suffering because they neglect nurturing their spiritual life. I know many devout spiritual beings who suffer diseases.

Nor am I making light of either.

I merely want to point out that feeding and nurturing your spirit is one way to get your physical and emotional well-being on the mend. When the spirit is healthy, many times the body follows.

So how do we get from starving to nurturing our spirit?

Often a simple shift in perception from “woes me” to gratitude can start you on your way to spiritual health. Forgiveness also plays a huge part in this.

“I’ve forgiven but I can’t forget” is a cop out.

I know that sounds harsh but Scripture tells us to speak the truth in love and sometimes love has to be gentle but firm and sometimes the truth hurts; hence the term ‘tough love’.

The Bible tells us that God remembers not our sins, yet we tend to wallow in those perpetrated against us and/or cling to guilt and self-condemnation for those we committed against others.

If God, who is holy and just forgets our sins, who are we, to hold onto those memories and rehash our pain and anger, or disappointment and self pity?

Here’s the rub: As long as you feel and act the victim, you can not live a victorious life!

To put it another way: You can’t have a positive, healthy life (spiritual or otherwise) if you have a negative outlook.

Oh and if you think you are “only being realistic,” think again.

You are hurting no one but YOURSELF when you drag the past into the present and project it into your future.

“But it hurts so much…the pain is so deep….”

Then STOP focusing on it! Focus on today and the good present in your life right now.

Now that I’ve given you something to ponder, here are some ideas and resources….

• Prayer, fasting, and meditation are all proven methods to regain and optimize health and are as important to your overall well-being as diet and exercise.

• Read your Bible! Highlight Scriptures on health and wellness, depression and forgiveness, etc. Or better yet, pick up a copy of God’s Promises, The Tongue a Creative Force by Charles Capps or You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado.

• Start and maintain an attitude of gratitude.  The Magic by Rhonda Byrne breaks this concept down to expressing gratitude for the simplest things! She also offers a “gratitude journal.” Success coach and author, Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul books) also has a gratitude journal as do numerous authors!

• Read some of the books listed in my post What You Don’t Control, Controls YOU!

• Read and do the exercises in Marianne Williamson’s A Course in Weight Loss. This wonderful resource gets to the heart of the matter with practical yet very personal ways to connect with and nurture your spirit.
• Implement energy work such as EFT/Tapping
• Work with a Life Coach or Therapist

​These are just a few examples but I promise, as you get started feeding your spirit, you’ll see and feel a difference in your overall condition and discover more ways to enforce the new, happier, healthier you.

Something to think about...
*Image by Gizelle from Pixabay*

*Originally published as Pamela's Ponderings ©Oct. 2013

*Note: This event happened in 2013 but the information is as relevant today as it was back then.*

Have you ever asked for and/or received a sign from God? You’re be-bopping along and the solution to a problem or answer to a question suddenly appears in a book, on a billboard, thorough an unusual conversation, or on a marque somewhere and goose bumps rise on your flesh?

I love it when that happens!

Acts 22: mentions the miracles, wonders and signs of Jesus.

Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

Jesus said that the things HE did, we should do also (and more).

I’ve often wondered if I really have or demonstrate spiritual power. I don’t always see signs and wonders following me so how do I know if I am making a difference in people’s lives? How do I know God is using me and whether or not I’m effective when He does?

Mark 16:20 says, “And they (the apostles) went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.”

In Acts 3:6 Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

Now THAT is an example of spiritual power I’d like to see evident in my life!

Granted, there are times when I feel His power working through me, hear His word being spoken through me and see revelation light someone’s eyes or face while we’re talking.

Sometimes I see evidence of Him working during a meeting or conversation, but most of the time it’s after the fact. But is that all…. Is it enough?

What about those ‘signs and wonders’ people speak of? I’ve never laid hands on the sick or raised the dead and certainly haven’t cast demons out of anyone.

Am I expecting too much or believing for too little?

While cutting potatoes for lunch a friend and I were talking and the song “She Loves Me Like Jesus Does” by Eric Church was on the radio. She commented how much she enjoyed it even though she wasn’t a “churchy” person. My answer to her was that we don’t have to be “churchy” in order to have a relationship with God & Christ. I then turned around and sliced a potato in half and… Well you can see the picture attached to this post.

Talk about goose bumps!

I’m not sure if this sign was for me or her, but the one thing I do know for certain is that everyone who hears this story & sees this picture is blessed in some way.

I believe we all have spiritual power and these things do follow us, but we’re so busy looking for the great BIG signs, miracles, and wonders that we ignore or miss out on the simple, yet profound things of God (like His omnipresence in all things and every place.)

We simply need to open our eyes (natural and spiritual) to see, and our hearts to receive.

One more thing…could it be that our lack of gratitude for the seemingly little signs, miracles and wonders in our lives block the big ones?

Something to think about!
PamT

I own a television but since I have neither cable, streaming services, nor an antenna, I watch a lot of movies. YouTube offers many older films free or free with ads and I've rewatched some real gems.

Heaven is for Real is one of them.

This 2014 motion picture is based on a true story (my favorite kind!) of Colton Burpo who visited heaven during an emergency surgery to remove and clean up his appendix which had burst. 

What inspires me the most about this story is the absolute certanity and innocence of this child in recounting his memories of this visit and how that convinced his father, who is a pastor, and changed the lives and impacted the faith of many in their community.

An inspiring movie all around so if you haven't seen Heaven is for Real, look it up. If you have, watch it again and let your own faith be renewed.

Until next time....take care and remember what the bible says about a little child leading us.

PamT

In Matthew 7:14, Jesus said, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

I wonder what He meant by this statement?

Ask most preachers or Christians and they’ll probably tell you that if you don’t follow the letter of the law, you’re missing the mark and sinning and just might end up in the place of “wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

I’m not sure that is what He meant though.

Jesus came to fulfill the law and in doing so, left us with only two commandments….

Well three….

#1: Love the Lord God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:29 -30)

#2: Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)

#3: “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34 & 15:12)

He also exhorted us in Luke 6:37, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”

If our only instruction from the Lord was to LOVE, to forgive and to judge not – why is it that most attempts outside of traditional Christian thought and doctrine are judged and condemned as heretical?

You may wonder where I’m going with this…just bear with me.

I have some very dear friends who are stout believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. So stout they will not entertain any concept beyond that taught by their pastor and his/her (or even their own) interpretation of scripture. They won't listen to anyone else, read books by anyone else and heaven forbid anything that is not 100% word-for-word in the bible! This they discount or shun and then judge people who dare to question or search.

Is this an example of the narrow way or a narrow mind?

I have other friends who love God and Jesus with all of their heart, soul, mind, body, and strength, but have never set foot in a church and have not read the bible. Are they wrong in their interpretation of God and who He is? Are they less a “Christian” because they are more open to the SPIRIT of God than the doctrines of men?

Scripture was given to us for among other things, instruction (see 2 Timothy 3:16). Ask thirty preachers to read the same scripture and I promise, you’ll get at least twenty different answers.

How then, are we to know the right one? Why is it that we are so sure ours is not only the right way but the only way to God? To Jesus?

Now I believe whole-heartedly in the Lord Jesus Christ. HE is my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, the lover of my soul and I respect His sacrifice as ransom for my life, and never, in all of my reading and searching do I deny HIM as such. But I believe God is so much more than any book (including the bible) can explain, clarify, illuminate, describe, or express.

As I mentioned in About This Blog, I have been on a spiritual journey since I recommitted my life to Christ in 1989. I read voraciously and I commune with Him daily through prayer and meditation, not only speaking to Him but listening for His voice and instruction. Do I always get it right?

Not at all!

But He and He alone knows my heart and how very much I love and adore Him.

In John 17:11 & 22, Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. 

How can we accomplish this?

One way might be by opening our hearts and minds to a fresh anointing and interpretation of Scripture, by seeking above all things LOVE, peace, and joy, by sharing those things with our brothers and sisters and by allowing people to seek HIM in their own way.
​
JMHO
Something to think about…
 PamT