Tag: illness

“Prescription for a Tired Spirit” by Norman Vincent Peale

by Donny on Nov.17, 2009, under Uncategorized, devotionals, devotions, prayers

Does what you read in the newspaper depress you? Are you dragged down by the economy and worry?

Some years ago I discovered a way to keep alert and enthusiastic. By memorizing certain statements from the Bible and holding them in my mind, I could in fact restimulate and refresh my spirit.

Listed below are seven negative forces at work and seven healing passages from the Bible to counteract them.

WHEN YOU ARE TIRED:

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. (Isaiah 40:29)

There is a difference between normal tiredness and that condition of deep fatigue where all your physical resources seem spent. First, believe that God is the source of all energy-in the sun, in plants and in people. Then try this renewal technique. Lie down and relax as best you can. As you repeat the above words from Isaiah, conceive of the Lord as sending through your body His strength and power until your spirit is renewed.

WHEN YOU FEEL UNLOVED:

Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16, 17)

Just as men wore armor In the old days to protect themselves from physical attack, you need spiritual armor today to guard yourself from the fiery darts of the hate and evil thoughts all about. The mind can be a battleground. See yourself as defending it with all your spiritual resources of faith and prayer.

WHEN YOU ARE GRIEVING:

I am the resurrection, and the life: be that believeth in Me, though be were dead, yet shall be live. (John 11:25)

The death of a loved one can bring on a crippling sense of defeat and depression. It often causes the mourner to feel that life will never again be filled with happy, buoyant attitudes. But in a sense you are not true to the departed one if you do not face life again with spirit. The above words have a glorious message-Jesus Christ is alive and those who believe in Him live forever.

WHEN YOU ARE HURT BY GOSSIP:

He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5-6)

If someone gossips about you, do not return evil for evil but pray for him. Do not harden your heart, but forgive him. As a means of building up your own inner defenses to slander, practice turning off your mind to the negative. Instead of thinking of what has been said about you, meditate on the positive way in which you can use conversation to God’s glory.

WHEN YOU ARE ILL:

The prayer of faith shall save the sick. . . . (James 5:15)

With all illness goes a certain amount of despondency which, in turn, can lead to lack of faith. The prayer of faith says, “I believe.” Such a prayer will attune your mind to God and permit His healing forces to operate in you. Many sick people also find it helpful to focus their mind on Jesus when they pray, seeing Him going about Galilee healing every disease, believing that His restoring power is at work today.

WHEN YOU ARE UPSET:

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. (Revelation 21:7)

Low-spirited people often get that way not from one big trouble but from many small irritations-the pinpricks of life. Lacking a strong grip on God they give in to these daily harassments. The secret of the above passage is to concentrate on the idea that you are a child of God. As God’s child you will receive His strength to handle your weakness. With God’s power, instead of being overcome, you can overcome.

WHEN YOU HAVE NO PEACE:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

There is a great hunger for peace today. One answer is to seek peace from God and not from man. When God’s peace enters our hearts, fear and distrust and violence depart.

(by Norman Vincent Peale from OurPrayer.org)

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“A Good Sign” – Guideposts Magazine

by Donny on Apr.30, 2009, under devotionals, devotions

What Prayer Can Do

By Rabbi Yonassan Gershom, Sandstone, Minnesota
April, 2009 – Guideposts Magazine

I had a lot on my mind that sweltering summer day I set out on the 100-mile drive to Minneapolis, where my wife, Caryl, was undergoing treatments after a mastectomy. How would she respond? I worried. Would she beat breast cancer?

Halfway there the air conditioner in my car conked out. Is this a bad sign?

There was a garden center down the road. Might as well get out of the heat for a few minutes, I thought. Maybe I could pick up a plant for Caryl’s room.

I walked into the store and immediately spotted a foot-high lemon tree. It was in full bloom and already had one tiny lemon, about half an inch long, hanging from its branches.

The saying “Make lemonade from lemons” popped into my mind. I sat on a bench next to the tree, letting the cool air wash over me. Please, God, I prayed, make good come from Caryl’s illness.

I returned to my car carrying the little lemon tree.

Caryl loved it. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “Thank you.”

Over the next several months, Caryl battled through chemotherapy—seven difficult treatments—and we watched that lone lemon grow, first to the size of a ping-pong ball then even bigger. The day the lemon reached full size we got wonderful news. Caryl was cancer-free!

By April, the time of Passover, the lemon was ripe. “Want to harvest it for our Seder meal tonight?” I asked my wife.

She nodded. “I would like that very much.”

So I plucked the bright yellow fruit from the tree and gave it to Caryl. She squeezed out the juice, mixing it with water and a little sugar. At our Seder celebration that night, we drank the lemonade together in a toast to our future good health.

Like the more traditional Passover foods on the table—horseradish to symbolize the bitterness of slavery, parsley to represent new life—the lemonade reminded us that no matter how hard our struggles may seem, God always gives us hope that better things are to come.

They have: Thirteen years later Caryl remains strong and healthy. And that’s the very best sign.

(from – http://www.guideposts.com/story/prayer-lemonade)

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“Cure for sleepless nights”

by Donny on Apr.05, 2009, under devotionals, devotions

ph1346776344070424633 “I lie awake at night thinking of You, of how much You have helped me, and how I rejoice through the night beneath the protecting shadow of your wings.”

(Psalm 63:6 -7 – The Living Bible)

A cure for sleepless nights is to turn our thoughts to God. There are many reasons we can’t sleep – illness, stress, worry – but sleepless nights can be turned into quiet times of reflection and worship. Use them to review how God has guided and helped you.

“Lord, listen to my complaint. Then everyone shall stand in awe and confess the greatness of the miracles of God; at last they will realize what amazing things He does. And the godly shall rejoice in the Lord, and trust and praise Him.”

(Psalm 64:1, 9-10 - The Living Bible)

We may believe that God wants to hear only certain requests from us. While it is true that we should offer praise, confession, and respectful petitions, it is true also that God is willing to listen to anything we want to tell Him. David expressed himself honestly, asking God to listen to all his complaints. God will always listen attentively and will fully understand us.

Have a great day!