Sacred Whispers Devotional 1

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Spiritual

Mental Wellness- Accessing God’s Peace

By Sabrina Botts

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 14:6

Many of the emotional and relational issues that plague us as adults are the results of seeds planted in our childhoods. I don’t mean to suggest that there is a dysfunctional family in everyone’s bloodline, but all of us were shaped by the things from our past and our parents' past and their parent’s past, etc. When you see the inner turmoil that continues, besetting sins or overall dysfunctions in your own life, maybe it is time to take a deeper look. 

One of the blessings of the COVID-19 Pandemic has been the focus on mental health or what I prefer to call “mental wellness”. I think we can all agree that previously in America, mental and emotional issues carried a stigma, making the topics of anxiety, depression, or even addictions taboo. The sad reality is that for many minority communities, it is downright forbidden to speak of emotional or mental issues for fear of being labeled weak, flawed, and crazy, attaching a sense of shame to those who are experiencing these struggles. 

This stigma has always confused me because mental illness and many common emotional distresses, actually result from a malfunction of a biological organ in our body – our brain. Yet, when other organs fail us, like the pancreas in diabetes, or our cardiovascular system with heart disease, there is no shame at all. In our cultural stigmatization of mental illness, we have enlarged the already deep chasm between the people who are ill and the help and support they need to get better.

Amazingly, through health discoveries dating back to Hippocrates (5th Century BCE), we have learned that our emotions, thoughts, addictions, desires, and fears all have their seat in our brains. In fact, neuroscientists and psychologists have realized that common mental health issues like anxiety and depression can actually result from a breakdown in the brain’s chemistry. This breakdown can result from both internal things like thyroid disease and external things like prolonged stress. Yet other mental health conditions, unhealthy behavioral patterns, and a countless number of addictions can result from our brain learning to respond a certain way to things that we have experienced.  

Some in the psychological community like Dr. Fulvio D'Acquisto, Ph.D., of the London School of Medicine[1], and Dr. Bret Stetka, Editorial Director of Medscape (WebMD)[2], actually see a link between the brain and the common immune system. Many believe that mental illness is much like other immune-driven illnesses. When the body is under the stress of foreign pathogens, the immune system activates to eliminate the threat. Sometimes the immune system over activates and we are stricken with allergic reactions, glandular disorders, and other non-stigmatizing diseases. The brain does the same thing when it is trying to protect its host from stress, trauma, or even some internal imbalances. Sometimes it over activates and the resultant symptom is what we often call a mental illness.

Additionally, mental, and emotional distress is common to mankind. In America, 1 in 4 adults - suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, with anxiety disorders being the most common. [3] We even see examples on display all throughout the Bible. David expresses sorrow, grief, anger, despair, and even depression all throughout the Psalms. 1 Sam 16 mentions a harmful spirit that plagued King Saul and caused bouts of depression, paranoia, and fits of rage. The Apostle Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 1:8 that even he despaired of life due to the hardships he was facing. We see the demoniac in the gospels (Mark 5:1-20) who acted in bizarre ways, living in a graveyard, cutting himself, and was strong enough to break chains. 

These truths make Jesus’ promise to give us peace in John 16:6, even more appealing. It’s as if he knew all the ways peace would be essential to our lives. So, if you are plagued with emotional and mental pain or behavioral dysfunction in your life, the time to seek a solution is now. I believe that since God made us body, soul, and spirit he desires for us to possess wholeness in every area of our being.  

It’s important to note, that for the Christian, there can be no healing and wholeness found outside of God. He has promised his peace, but like possessing the Promised Land, we need to take steps to access it. It must include steady doses of Biblical truth through scripture memorization, taking thoughts captive, prayer, and putting on the whole armor of God. And, in more cases than not, it should also include seeing a skilled, compassionate, Christian therapist. Therapy helps us identify sources of distress, provides a safe place to process deep-rooted issues, and can also assist in formulating solutions, including behavior change.

So, if you are struggling with mental, relational, and or emotional distress, I invite you to take the step to talk to someone. Today thankfully, mental health counselors are widely available by phone, text, or video and most insurance companies provide coverage. If you are uninsured you can also seek your local county health department or community health center for these services. Making this one critical decision can make a difference in your situation, helping you to be free to enjoy the abundant life of peace that God promised.  

PRAYER

God, sometimes life overwhelms me, or I find myself being caught in cycles of dysfunction or behaviors that I cannot change. I want, instead, to access and live in your peace. Help me be open to doing all the things that lead to your peace, including having the courage to talk to a therapist. Remind me that my brain is a part of the body that You gave me. Help me to care for it, just as I would any other part of my being. May You be my Mind-Regulating God. In Jesus Name, Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

If you are experiencing depression, bereavement, trauma from your past, or just confused thoughts, would you pray about speaking to a trained, licensed Christian counselor? They may just be the “angel in disguise” that God is seeking to use for your healing.

(Brief Editorial and Academic References in this devotional are provided by Marlin D. Harris)

Practical

TWO-SIDED FREEDOM

By Matthew Pryor

(Content Taken From The Body Tithe Devotional, Spiritual Encouragement for Your Journey)

Ever heard about the behavioral study where data was gathered on a playground? Surrounded by a fence, the playground was a flurry of activity for students in their free time. Swinging. Sliding. Laughing. Life was good. Then, researchers removed the fence. When the kids went out for recess the next day, they stayed mostly huddled in the middle of the playground. Now unsure about exploring, they were apprehensive and uneasy. The researchers put the fence back and the next day, all the running, playing and carrying on returned. It was back to business as usual for the children. 

In essence, the children had become accustomed to the fence, and playing with it in the background had become somewhat of a ‘habit’. When the fence was gone, it left a void because the fence had a meaning that was not known until it was no longer there. The fence, for them, meant a sense of security. 

That security translated into greater confidence, and the fun followed. 

At first glance, it would be hard to see how the fence boundaries gave the children freedom, but they did, and not just freedom “from” negative things, such as the temptation to wander off or the threat of dangerous people entering the playground. The boundaries also gave them freedom “for” things, such as exploring the playground, climbing on the equipment, and playing tag. Now, I’m not sure if the children would explain it that way, but most of our habits are more than just behavior patterns, most of them carry meaning and symbolism in our lives that fuel the particular behavior pattern that we are engaged in. What this means for us is that being free ‘from’ a habit may actually mean being free ‘for’ something better.  

That’s the ‘flipside’ of freedom, and more specifically, freedom in Christ. Jesus doesn’t only release us from the negative: bondage to sin, guilt, performance-based acceptance, the law of sin, etc. He liberates us for the enjoyment of the positive: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, for starters. Remember, “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Let us not miss what this verse teaches. It gives us the reason why Christ set us free. It says, “it is for freedom that Christ set us free…”. He literally set us free, so that we could experience…freedom.

This means that, as Christians, we can celebrate being released from the yoke of slavery. We can also take great delight in the blessings God has orchestrated for our pleasure. Many experts say that you should not merely try to eliminate a bad habit. If you do, you leave an empty spot for that habit to return. You’ll be more likely to change your behavior if you replace the old habit with a new one. Our mental outlook regarding our fitness should be no different. We are far too focused on what we are giving up: junk food, time, TV or Internet or books, and magazines, money, energy, resources, etc. Instead of focusing only on the sacrifice (i.e., junk food, time, TV, etc.), we should focus on the reward. 

We should replace the thoughts of what we’re freeing ourselves from with thoughts of what we’re freeing ourselves for. We are freeing ourselves for things such as playing with our kids or grandkids without losing our breath. Savoring the countless all-natural foods God created for our taste buds to enjoy. Having sustained energy throughout the day. Minimizing potential injuries. Being less self-conscious in the clothes we wear, and in the way our body looks. We are breaking bad habits so that we can lessen the likelihood of being struck with certain diseases. We will be able to serve our neighbors, church, and community at a higher capacity. This freedom will allow us to be outdoors more, possibly run a 5K, or mini or full marathon. This kind of freedom—the freedom “for”—is part of His perfect plan for our lives, wherever we are. 

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Imagine that! That same Spirit of freedom resides in us; in our hearts. Wherever we are, we have freedom! Not a reckless freedom, or a frivolous freedom, but a responsible, fulfilling freedom. This is the kind of freedom that Christ set us free for. This is the very freedom that lives in us — a complete freedom, with two sides! The “from” and the “for”; and both are designed for our benefit. Both are designed for His glory. 

PRAYER

Father, thank You for not just freeing me from sin. Thank You also for freeing me to enjoy You, that You might be glorified. Will You forgive me when I fail to remember all that You’ve freed me to enjoy? Please help me to live a life characterized by the freedom You have given me. Amen. 

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Psalm 34:4 (LBT) says, “I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears.” What great comfort it is to know that He answers in favor of freedom. 

Psalm 34 might be a good starting place for you to spend 3 to 5 minutes of Gratitude Prayer today. It certainly is a great reminder of what the Lord is doing for us. As you pray, remember that freedom in Christ is the freedom to enjoy the life He has designed for us—a life lived with that design is the freest of all, and consequently where we will bring Him the most glory.

Pryor, Matthew. The Body Tithe Devotional: Spiritual Encouragement For Your Fitness Journey (pp. 157-159). Sophros.

  [1] See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442367/. Academic article entitled: Affective Immunology: Where Emotions and the Immune Response Converge. Published by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health. March 2019 Affective immunology: where emotions and the immune response 

 Affective Immunology: where emotions and the immune response converge

[2] See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/important-link-between-the-brain-and-immune-system-found/. Article entitled Important Link Between the Brain and Immune System Found. July 2015

[3] https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics

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Spiritual

GET UP, TAKE UP YOUR BED, AND WALK

By Sabrina Botts

After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another step down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

John 5:1-9

The narrative about the man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-9 has always been curious to me.  As we read through the miraculous healings recorded in the Gospels, most of them came as a petition to Jesus by the sick person, and in some cases, by someone else.  But this one was different. When Jesus “happened” to pass by the pool of  Bethesda while he was in Jerusalem, those who know the divine nature of Jesus would have to know that his passing by the pool that day was not by accident.  Jesus always lived on purpose, with intentionality, to only do the will of His Father (John 6:38).  This specific pool, Bethesda, was the place that the sick, hopeless, and helpless gathered. For they believed that randomly an angel would descend and stir up the water and the first person to step in would be miraculously healed of their ailment or disease.    

Jesus honed in on someone who was not only sick but likely by now, completely discouraged about his life.  He had been coming to this place for nearly four decades but still, he was not cured. The writer doesn’t tell us his specific type of infirmity, but from the reading of the text, we can only infer that it likely involved some sort of paralysis or weakness that restricted his movement. What’s so sad is that the actual physical problem that he was trying to cure was, ironically, the roadblock to accessing the cure he so desperately needed.  He believed that all it took for him to be healed was to be the first to get in to the water, but in 38 years he had found no one who was willing to help him get in first. It seemed that he was so close, but yet so far. 

Jesus, knowing how long he had been there without being cured, asks the man, “Do you want to be healed?” Now, my first thought is, of course he wants to be healed, why else would he have been there for all this time?  But remember though, Jesus always lived on purpose and never wasted one single word, action, or deed during his time on the earth.  He could have just walked up and touched the man and healed him, like the man who was born blind in John 9.  He could have spoken a word of healing like he did for the centurion’s servant in Matt 8, and the servant was cured the very hour that he spoke it.  But for this man, Jesus went about healing him in a different way.  Instead of healing him right away, Jesus engages him on a deeper level through that one simple question.  Notice that he didn’t ask what I would call more relevant questions like, “Can I help you get in the water?”, “Why has no one helped you in all this time?”, or “Why have you been here so long?”.  All these questions would be logical given the history that the scriptures have presented concerning this man.  Jesus didn’t ask the obvious questions, because what was obvious was not this man’s real problem.  Perhaps, Jesus’ question was aimed at highlighting the man’s true problem, which was far deeper than him getting in the water, or having someone to help him.

Some commentators note that many times the infirmed in Jerusalem had become beggars, and their disabilities, in a sense, became a source of financial benefit for them.  After all, this pool was near one of the main entrance gates in Jerusalem close by the temple.  Any Jew coming to the temple would have passed by them, and undoubted they would often have had compassion on their plight and provided financial gifts.  Besides, how could you pass a beggar on the way to worship God and not help them? Perhaps this man had become so accustomed to his helpless plight, and the daily practice of making his living from begging, that this was all he truly expected out of life.  After all, 38 years is a long time to be in a single state of misery and sickness. Surely by now, he had normalized his condition and the response of others to him. 

Jesus takes this opportunity to handle this healing uniquely different from how He had healed others in the past.  He doesn’t touch the man, command his legs to strengthen, or even speak to his condition. He tells the man to simply, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk”.  In order to obtain his healing, this man was not going to be given anything, he would actually be required to do something. This pattern of healing is a powerful analogy that is relevant in our lives today.

In fact, years ago I was in a similar condition. For nearly a decade my life, my marital relationship, and resulting emotional state were a hopeless chaotic mess. I kept waiting for God to come in and simply deliver me from the depression, anxiety, and relational dysfunction that I found myself bound to. Year after year, I waited, cried, prayed, and continued to suffer.  I finally got tired of the vicious cycle and asked God what was going on.  He showed me that while I was waiting for Him to deliver me, he had already delivered the answers to my life’s issues, now I needed to get up and do something to access the provision that he had for me.  My deliverance was not going to come miraculously, but rather my deliverance involved me getting up and doing something.

J.R. Miller notes, “quite often we fail to receive the blessing he has ready for us because we are not moving forward with him. While it is true we miss many blessings by not waiting for God, we also lose numerous blessings for over-waiting.  There are times when it takes strength simply to sit still, but there are also times when we are to move forward with a confident step.”[1]

What about you?  Is there an area of your life that is languishing with no apparent solution for victory?  Is it in your health, your career, your relationships, your finances, your mental and emotional health?  The good news is that there is hope for a seemingly hopeless situation. Whether it is counseling, exercise, and good nutrition, learning a new skill, or taking a class, we will learn that oftentimes God’s provision for our deliverance is not in the miraculous, but rather in the practical.  Sometimes the greatest miracles happen in the most mundane of actions.  For you, like this man by the pool of Bethesda, your miracle may not be in the water; your miracle might just be in the simple act of getting up and walking.  The very thing you have believed you couldn’t do may just be the very thing that God will require you to do just before He delivers you.  

PRAYER:

Lord, open my eyes to see if there are areas of my life where you have provided deliverance and provision but I am sitting waiting on a miracle.  God give me the wisdom to hear you and courage to obey you to get up, take up my bed, and walk into the provision that you have so richly provided.

Practical

STARTING NEW/BREAKING OLD

By Frank Luke

'In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.'

Hebrews 8:13

Starting a new habit, for some people, is actually one of the easiest things to do. Breaking old habits, now that’s the tough part. Starting requires a consistent practice of ‘behavior repetition’.  But breaking old habits require a whole lot more. Ironically enough, through my experience, I’ve found the easiest way to break an old habit is to replace it with a new one.

Most bad or addictive habits begin in considerably simple ways. They start with the simple desire to try something new or something different.  Soon this curiosity develops an appetite for the new thing that they tried, and before you know it, that thing that was once a novelty has now become an addiction. There are some indulgences that are so dangerous, that it is not even safe to try them; you should simply keep your distance from it completely.  But for many other things that may be new and adventurous, there may be no harm in opening yourself up to them to give them a try. The problem arises when your appetite is not properly managed, and the thing that was once a novelty now becomes an overwhelming craving.

The enemy knows if he can entice you to indulge in something that you know may not be the best for you, it only takes a few missed steps, and a couple of  “I got this”, and before you know it you're stuck in a bad habit.  It is so much easier to get into a bad habit than it is to get out of one.  But thanks be to our God! He is a chain breaker and the giver of new beginnings.

Hebrews 8:13 show us the key to breaking something old by way of receiving something new. Many of the Pharisees, scribes, and priests resisted the message of Christ because they had grown comfortable with their familiarity with the old Law of Moses.  Little did they know, not only was the old law fulfilled in Christ, but they were on a one-way path to eternal damnation by rejecting the new covenant of grace.

Each day we are given an opportunity to wake up and breathe, is God's way of saying, “you have a new opportunity”. Develop a thirst for something new and let those obsolete, antiquated habits go. And then you will see how easy it is to break an old habit, by replacing it with the newness of Christ.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I am ready to break the old habits in my life that do not honor You or grow my relationships with You.  I am in need of You to change my heart from the old to the new.  Remind me that each day I awake is a new beginning.  Teach me not to carry the baggage of ‘yesterday’s habits into my bright season of ‘today’.  I break the old ways of my past, for a new and fresh way of experiencing You even more today.  In Your Name, Amen.

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY

- Be honest with yourself about how the old habits are impacting your quality of life emotionally, physically, financially, and relationally.

- Identify what new habits you can replace for the old, and run after them (start with Christ and the word of God).

- Stay with the new habit until it becomes second nature.

[1] J.R. Miller, Streams In the Desert Reading Plan, The Bible App, 2022.

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Spiritual

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

By Cathy Morenzie,

Content Taken from “Healthy by Design: Weight Loss, God's Way”

“They continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came.”

2 Kings 17:33

“Growth demands a temporary surrender of security. It may mean giving up familiar, but limiting belief patterns; safe, but unrewarding work; values no longer believed in, and relationships that have lost their meaning.”

John C. Maxwell

We all have things that we believe about ourselves. We may have been told them, or we may have internalized a belief as a result of something that’s happened to us in our childhood. In relation to our health, some of these beliefs might sound something like this: God isn’t concerned about the physical, it’s what’s inside that counts. Physical exercise profits little. Realistically, chances are I’ll never be thin. I’ll put all the weight back on again if I lose it anyway.

These beliefs, or positions about life, can sometimes get in the way of us reaching our goals. As we unconsciously carry these beliefs with us into adulthood, they often sabotage our plans and goals. These faulty beliefs impact our emotions, actions, and health. Our breakthrough will require a change in these thought patterns.  Habits are not just actions that we engage in, they can also be our patterns of thinking and our overall, most predominant mindset.  Many people think and believe the way they do, not because they have embraced the logic of a particular train of thought, but often only because that way of thinking has become for them a habit.

We see the danger of an unchanged mindset in the book of 2 Kings 17.  This is the tragic story of how the Israelites began their slippery slope into idolatry. Their desire was to serve God, but their actions and old mindsets followed the nations around them and it eventually led them to idolatry and corruption. The king of Assyria saw firsthand how harshly God dealt with idolatry, so when he repopulated Israel with newly repatriated Jews, he sent for Hebrew priests to teach the Israelites how to worship their God, Jehovah. The problem was that the new Jewish settlers continued to worship idol gods according to the religious customs that they learned from the nations from which they came.

Their geographic location had changed, but their mindset had not. The result was their ruin. Israel was conquered because it refused to focus on the one true God. They couldn’t turn away from their old beliefs even though it led them away from God.

What beliefs are you refusing to let go of?  If you understand the cost of holding on to it, you would realize that it’s not worth it.  Each of us must do the hard work of looking at how our beliefs make us engage in unhealthy behaviors such as excuse-making, blaming others, procrastinating, and emotional eating.  We often engage in unhealthy relationships or choose lifestyles that are self-destructive and personally debilitating. We do these things because they are reflections of the pain caused by these deep-rooted beliefs that have become habit-forming mindsets that many of us have never let go of. Noticing which of these unhealthy behaviors you engage in is a big first step toward freedom.

PRAYER

Loving Father, Your promises are for eternity. Every generational curse and everything spoken against my health are broken in the name of Jesus. I declare that I am in sound health in my body, mind, and spirit. I am strong and courageous and successful in everything I do. I meditate on Your Word day and night. He who the Son sets free is free indeed.  I declare my freedom in You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

For today’s spiritual exercise, identify a limiting belief that sabotages the goals you have set for your life; whether it is weight loss efforts, spending more time with family, returning back to school to finish a degree, or just seeking to become a more happier, healthier person.

Give all of your limiting beliefs to God and ask Him to help you change the way you see yourself, the world, and even Him. He is able. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to a thought life that only believes God’s truth. Decide today that you don’t want to live apart from His truth and light.

Morenzie, Cathy. Healthy by Design: Weight Loss, God's Way: The Proven 21-Day Weight Loss Devotional Bible Study - Lose Weight for Life, Deepen Your Faith, End Overwhelm & Doubt. (pp. 68-71). Guiding Light Publishing...

Practical

BREAKING FREE

By Sabrina Botts

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do.“

Romans 7:15

The apostle Paul very realistically captures the battle that all Christians face in the area of our desires. Whether it’s something spiritual like allowing the Holy Spirit to help us not act out in anger or something mental like exercising self-control and not eating ice cream to soothe us when we are stressed. The truth is, we all seem to continue to do the things that we intuitively know we shouldn’t do.  As I have thought about this in my own life, what is totally illogical, and quite frankly, frustrating is: it’s not that I don’t know better, but rather, despite this knowledge, I tend to do it anyway.

Well, I know that I am not alone here.  Actually, every human has this struggle mainly because we are habitual beings. A habit is, simply, a repeated action that soon becomes automatic. In fact, when it comes to habitual actions, reactions, or feelings, our brain, and the way God has wired it, is actually the real culprit.  See, our brains are designed to solve problems through a sequence of very detailed operations.  It uses an incredible amount of energy to take in the information needed and then process possible options and strategies to solve the problem. But once the solution is found, the next time the problem occurs, the hard work is bypassed, and the brain goes right to the solution.  That in a nutshell is the process of forming a habit.  It’s what has often been called ‘doing things on autopilot’, without even consciously thinking about them. 

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, states it this way, “Your habits are just a series of automatic solutions that solve the problems and stresses you face regularly.”[1] From the first time that you came home from work stressed and felt better when you picked up a piece of cake, a remote control, a cigarette or a glass of alcohol, the pattern began to set in.  In fact, every time you repeated the action and felt the reward of calm, happiness or pleasure, that habit got reinforced.  Now you do it without even thinking. In fact, your brain even knows to anticipate the reward as soon as the stress or trigger is felt. 

If you are like me, you might be having thoughts of hopelessness right now.  I mean, how can we fight against biology?!  But wait, there is some good news!  The good news is that just like our brains can form negative habits, our brains can also form positive, healthy habits.  See, no longer do we have to be slaves to our cravings, or hopelessly controlled by bad habits, following their dictates. We have a choice to change our minds and correct our bad habits.  And as Christians, we also have power through the Holy Spirit to do so!  It is never God’s will for us to live our lives in bondage to anything.  Not to sin, not to self, and definitely not to bad habits that ultimately harm us and rob us of the health that God has so richly provided for us.  The scriptures state in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that “all things are lawful unto me…but I will not be brought under the power of any”.  This is more than just information about our position in Christ, this must become a declaration about our desire for freedom.

You may now be asking the question just how do we get free from bad habits?  The answer is really simple: just consistently form good ones. Before you close this devotional and decide to stop reading, I didn’t say it was easy, but it is possible, and it starts with a change in the way we think. Actually, God promises that we can be transformed by renewing our minds.  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Here are some simple ‘Action Steps’ to get us started towards a renewed mind:

1. A simple way to start changing your mind about negative habits or unhealthy choices is first to recognize what is actually on your mind. In daily prayer and meditation, ask God to help you to discern your mindset.  You want to learn things like: why do you eat what you eat, as much as you eat, when you eat?  Why don’t you prioritize exercise? Do you really believe that God owns your physical body, and do you believe that Christian Stewardship should include your health?  What about self-control? Does it really matter to God how and what we eat? What about motives for eating?  Has food become an idol, meeting emotional needs rather than going to God for what is really needed?   Now all of the above questions are related to eating and diet, but are there other areas in your life that are out of control? Are there other disciplines that you need to develop? Begin active introspection and self-confrontation in those areas also.

2. Now, you must purposefully choose to act on what God reveals to you, and know that he will assist you to change. His word declares that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, has power, “…to bring everything under his control…” (Philippians 2:13). You must constantly claim that His power is readily available to you.

PRAYER

Dear God, You alone have the power to change the things in my life that I do not desire.  I draw upon the strength that You have placed in the Name and Power of Jesus Christ.  I ask for the strong will of the Holy Spirit, to come alongside and enable me to overcome the habits and mindsets that have kept me from living the life You designed for me to live. I claim this, and thank you for it, in Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

[1] James Clear, Atomic Habits, (New York: Avery Publishing), 45.

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Spiritual

HEAVEN’S HEALING

By Marlin D. Harris

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

One of the saddest and most difficult moments that I have ever had in ministry happened many years ago when I was just a young pastor in my early 20’s.  I had gone to one of the local hospitals to visit one of our members who was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).  I walked down the long corridor to the wing of the hospital that housed the ICU.  I have never gotten comfortable seeing the cold, sterile, lonely environment that most hospital ICUs are characterized by.  The nurses were busy going from room to room checking patients’ vital signs and other machine readings and you could hear the distant beeps of heart monitors and the vacuum pumping sounds of breathing machines.  I looked at the sides of each of the glass-enclosed units trying to find the cubicle number of the patient that I had gone to see.  As I passed by cubicle after cubicle I saw people laying in their beds who looked so helpless and weakened.  Some were with their families and some were alone by themselves.  Finally, I came to the room of the church member I had gone to pray for.  She was lying in the hospital bed with breathing tubes in her mouth and depending on a ventilator to keep her alive.  She was alone. There was no one in her room with her.  No family members, no friends, no flowers, no cards, no joy.  The only sound I could hear was the slow beeping of her heart machine monitoring her signs of life.  I held back my emotions and called out her name and laid my hands on her forehead.  She was unconscious, so she couldn’t hear me, but I made every attempt to speak to her calmly in the event that somehow this conversation was getting through; even if only to her heart.  I told her how much God loved her, and that He was a healer and restorer of broken bodies.  Then I laid hands on the sides of her head and prayed for her to be healed as earnestly and sincerely as I knew how.  Then I took a sheet of notepaper and left her family a note letting them know that her pastor had come by to pray for her healing today.

As I said goodbye to this dear lady, I turned and walked out of her room.  I could still hear the beeping of her heart machine in the background amid the quiet and near motionless ICU wing.  It only took me 10 steps and that’s when I heard it.  That’s when I heard that long, continuous beep of a heart monitor that had just flatlined.  The sound caused my heart to skip a beat and I felt this feeling of dread come over me.  I saw nurses running past me heading to the room that I had just left.  I turned around and looked, and there they were, trying to revive this precious lady who I knew had just passed away.  This was my first close experience with death as a pastor. 

I sat down in the waiting room, called their family members, and waited for them to arrive.  While waiting, I literally found it extremely hard to pray.  I was confused; I was hurt, and I felt lost.  Why didn’t God hear my prayer for her healing?  I spent all of that time talking with her and reassuring her that God was with her and that He was a healer.  I prayed out of a pure heart and kept the faith that God would hear me.  No one should have to transition from this life alone like that.  While I sat there and prayed, I sensed in my heart that God answered me back – even though my prayer was filled with bewilderment and even a little anger.  When I said to Him, “Why didn’t you heal her, Lord”, He quietly said back to me, “I did”.  I felt Him saying to my heart, “I was with her before you got there, and I am still with her now.”  I learned a valuable lesson that day.  God’s healing doesn’t always come in the way that we imagine, or even desire.  Sometimes, He saves the body; and then sometimes He allows the body to die and saves the soul. Because death is – in and of itself – a Healing.

If you are grieving at this moment in your life, or have ever grieved the loss of a loved one, I pray that you will find comfort in today’s devotional.  We often think of death as an ending, without fully realizing that death is actually a beginning.  Yes, it is an ending to this life, but it is a beginning to another life.  A life that is forever lived in the presence of God; forever experiencing His love and His glory in ways that you and I on this earth could not even begin to experience.  That family member, or dear friend whom you loved so dearly, and prayed for so earnestly, is now standing in the presence of an indescribable God.  They have been raptured in the wonders of heaven and are surrounded by the rush of a thousand angels’ wings.  Their eyes are beholding a glory that their hearts can hardly contain.  This is the beauty that they have longed for and worked for all those many years.  This is the wonder that they have prayed for those countless number of nights upon their beds.  This is what the scriptures mean by the word ‘reward’.  There are no doctor visits, medicine regimens, or dialysis machines.  There are no more breathing ventilators or chemo appointments.  The burden of illness no longer weighs heavy on their hearts, and the discomforts of pain no longer afflicts. They are no longer reminded of sins or taunted by guilt.  Their minds no longer worry about the burdens they have borne and their hearts no longer bleed over the injuries it has endured, because now they are finally free. What an amazing healing!  They are beholding the One whose hands and feet are still pierced, and whose brow still bears the marks of His thorns.  They are bowing at the throne that is occupied by a Majesty that words would fail to describe.  The joy they taste will never be emptied, and the love they are surrounded by will never end. This, dearly beloved, is Heaven.

We who believe in Christ, experience a foretaste of heaven here on the earth, though our life here is so deeply limited.  We are limited by a flesh that is contrary to the Spirit.  We are limited by a body that gets ill and often diseased.  We are limited by a heart that can so easily be broken and by a soul that is often downcast.  We are living, but not at all like we were created to live.  But there we look for the day when our “God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither…any more pain: because the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).  So yes, there is a healing that your loved one experienced on the day they drew their last breath.  It is one that we all have yet to experience.  It is a perfect healing.  This healing is too great for the body, it goes much, much deeper than that.  This healing is for the soul.

I have a Grandmother who has experienced that healing, a Mother-in-Love who has experienced it, and an Uncle who has just recently experienced it also.  Since that fateful day in the ICU all those many years ago, I have presided over hundreds of funerals of men, women, and even young children who have all experienced that healing. The healing of the earth is at best temporary, but the healing of heaven is eternal.  I have come to learn that for the living there is something so very sad about death, but for the dying believer, there is something so very sweet.  How sweet it must be to finally get your healing.  Your real, true healing.

The best death that man has ever known did not come in the heat of a battle, or in the halls of a hospital, or in a bedroom surrounded by friends and family.  The best death that we have ever known came on a hill called Calvary; on an old rugged cross.  What made this death so beautiful, was not our Lord’s actual death itself, but it was the beauty of His life.  It was the way He cared for the hurting and the mercy He showed to sinners.  His death was beautiful because His life was beautiful.  When our loved ones die, let’s not just focus on the tragedy of the death, let’s spend our time focusing on the beauty of their life, and all of the wonders of their life hereafter.  And then let each of us lock away this truth in the treasure chests of our own hearts –  that the day is still yet to come, when we too will experience ‘Heaven’s healing’.

--------------------

I can only imagine what it will be like,

When I walk by Your side.
I can only imagine what my eyes would see,

When Your face is before me.
I Can Only Imagine,
I Can Only Imagine.

Surrounded by Your glory what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus, or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?
I Can Only Imagine,

I Can Only Imagine.

Bart Millard of MercyMe

Physical

CLAIMING TRUTH: BREAKING HABITS

By Sabrina Botts

^“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^”

Romans 12:2

Research shows that habits are both mental and physical. In fact, they are formed by the biology of our brains as well as the psychology of our mindsets. We can’t change our brains, but we can definitely change our mindset, which in turn is essential to help us change our behavior.  What is important to remember is that habits don’t form overnight, but instead we form them slowly over time. Therefore, changing bad habits can only be successful when we work towards new habits consistently over time, beginning with simple small steps.

James Cleary notes, “Each time you repeat an action, you are activating a particular neural circuit associated with that habit. This means that simply ‘putting in your reps’ is one of the most critical steps you can take to encoding a new habit.”[1]

Here is a guide to follow: 

1. Tell the truth about the situation- Name the habit you want to break and why.

2. Claim the truth that God offers for the situation.

3. Confess it to God and ask for his help to change it.

4. Get accountability. Share with someone the issue that you want to change.

5. Make a simple small change towards the behavior you desire to see.

Here is an example:

MY TRUTH:

In my past, I have misused food, especially sweets to meet my emotional needs. I have used food to soothe me when I am stressed, cheer me up when I’m sad, and occupy me when I am bored. The problem is that God gave us food as a good gift to enjoy and to nourish us.  When I use food this way, I am misusing the good gift that he has provided.  Furthermore, I am using food in the place of him in my life.  I know that sounds extreme, but only God is the one who can really comfort and give me peace, not food.  When I use food this way, it’s an idol.  Also, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  When I eat the wrong things or too much of anything, it can affect my health.  It compromises my ability to live out a full life meant to glorify God and serve him and others.

GOD’S TRUTH FOR ME TO CLAIM:

- Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body - 1 Cor 6:19-20

- So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God - 1 Corinthians 10:31

- Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live - Romans 8:12-13

- …I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10b

- “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare”. - Isaiah 55:1-2

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

1. Confess to God the negative habit and ask for his help to change.

2. Confess to a friend the issue that I have had with misusing food and ask her to hold me accountable and to pray for me.

3. Take a baby step on the road to change- The cue to eating junk food is stress at work. When I feel that cue I will admit that I want the chips but ask God to help me with my stress instead. I will then do deep breathing for 5 mins.

This simple change interrupts the neural pathway of the previous habit, making it a little easier to do something different.  With consistency over time, a new habit will be formed where the old one used to be.

Resources:

Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction- Asheritah Ciuciu

Atomic Habits- James Clear

The Healthy Free Life Podcast [https://healthyfreelife.com/podcast] - Katrina Sequenzia

[1] James Clear, Atomic Habits, (New York: Avery Publishing), 144.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist

As you read today's devotional, play "SPEAK THE NAME" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

OUR EYES ARE ON YOU

By Sabrina Botts

“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:13

I think you would agree that the last two years have been nothing short of tumultuous.  We have the COVID 19 pandemic, an economic depression, rising crime, emotional frustrations, continued political division, even the weather has been chaotic. After some time, the constant turmoil and negative reports can start to take a toll on our faith, causing us to wonder just what is going on? Where is God?  Is he indeed still in control? Can we trust him to take care of us?  In short, sometimes, our hearts and minds can get so overwhelmed that we simply don’t know who to look at.  We don’t know who to fix our eyes on for answers to the insurmountable challenges that we face.

For me, it’s like we went to bed and woke up, and our lives will never be the same. What’s worse is that no solution that the world has tried is working to fix our problems.  Not the vaccines, not the economic stimulus, not the recommendations from the government or health agencies.  So much feels so out of control.  We are surrounded by these things, and every day it’s like waiting for the next proverbial ‘shoe to drop’. 

In the passage that we are looking at today, King Jehoshaphat and the southern tribe of Israel found themselves in a situation where they were surrounded by a problem that they were powerless to fix. Overnight, without any warning, a coalition of enemies quickly advanced towards them, and they were not prepared to defend themselves. But, instead of them looking to themselves or their allies to assist, they turned to God, acknowledging that his solution was the only one that could truly save them.

See, they understood that the covenant promises of God went beyond just what he did for them, but rather, these promises really demonstrated who He was as their God. He had established them as his people and provided a land for their heritage, solidifying his commitment and love for them.  So, no matter what they faced, they were convinced that their God would be who He had always been. He was committed to them and everything that he had promised them. I believe this is the strength and confidence that drove their response in the face of such odds.  Instead of being paralyzed by fear, they chose to worship.

If you read further in chapter 20, you will see that they worshipped all the way to the battlefield, and when they arrived, their enemies had been destroyed.  They never had to lift a sword or a spear.  Praise was their weapon against this formidable foe, and God fought for them.

We can learn from this pattern as we face the multifaceted foes that stand against us today.  Our 'praise' fights the foes of discouragement, hopelessness, fear, and despair.  I am not promising that when we praise God, we will miraculously heal our land of COVID, cause inflation to decrease, or make the streets safer, but He is absolutely able to.  And even better, He is able to keep us in peace while He works all things for His good pleasure.  He is able to keep us, encourage us, and provide for us in ways that we can’t even imagine because His grace and power absolutely know no limitations.  The scriptures are trustworthy when it says that “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think”. (Ephesians 3:20)

Let’s take the example set for us in this scripture and choose to set our faces to seek the Lord and praise our way through. Indeed He is our God, and He will fight for us.

PRAYER

Dear God, we need You.  This battle in my life, and in our world today, is just too much for me to face alone.  I don’t have the resources of strength, faith, or hope to fight it. I need you to provide     [fill in the blank here]      for me and my household.  Just like You fought for the children of Israel I am choosing to trust You to do the same for me. Today, I choose to focus on Your character and Your eternal promises found in Your Word.  Instead of being afraid, I will set my face to seek You and worship with expectation.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Choose at least 3 of the toughest battles that you are facing right now.  It may a physical ailment, a financial dilemma, or even an unsolvable family crisis.  Whatever your biggest challenges are right now, write them down in a notepad or journal.  Then one by one, each day actively pray and give each one to God.  Declare that God is fighting the battle for you, and refuse to allow worry about that particular challenge to enter your heart.

Practical

STARTING NEW HABITS AND BREAKING OLD ONES

By Traci Brockman

“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4: 22 – 24:

Habits are routine behaviors that we tend to repeat daily and often occur subconsciously or without even thinking about it. If you have ever found yourself acting on “auto-pilot”, then you are engaging in habitual behaviors.  Habits are actually the brain’s way of standardizing behavior to reduce the need for it to give new instructions to the body to repeat a particular action.  This is meant to reduce stress and place that particular action in a stored bank of reflexes and trigger the reflex whenever it is needed.  The brain doesn’t consider the good or bad impact that any particular habit will have on us; it simply does the work of simplifying the action to make its job more manageable.

Habits are important because of the positive or negative effects they have on our lives, depending on the behavior. Sometimes habits enable us to increase our health, strengthen our families and grow our faith.  However, other habits destroy our health, harm our families, and weaken our faith.  The challenge is to identify some of the biggest problems in our lives and establish healthy habits that help to resolve them. 

Establishing new healthy habits can be a little overwhelming because it’s not easy and requires quite a bit of determination and discipline.  New healthy habits are so difficult to begin because you can’t start a new habit without breaking an associated old habit in the process.  You are actually doing two things at once.  You can’t make it a habit to get up earlier in the mornings without first breaking the habit of sleeping in late.  You can’t make it a habit of eating healthier foods without first breaking the habit of enjoying the taste of the unhealthy ones – and the list goes on. 

What compounds the problem is that every bad, unhealthy habit stimulates the pleasure centers in our brains to reinforce that habit, which makes it even harder to break it.  The good news is that just as the brain can learn the bad habit, it can also learn the good habit.  To be sure, eating more vegetables may not trigger the same pleasure centers in the brain that eating candy does, but eventually, the brain will learn to expect the veggies and actually cause the body to crave them.

As in all life changes, you will need a lot of help.  Here are a few tips that can help ease the transition.

1. Decide what to change. Make a list of a few current behaviors you would like to change. Evaluate the list and choose just one behavior to focus on. Starting with one thing to change will make the process feel less daunting.

2. Start small. Whether your goal is to establish a new habit or break an old one start small. You don’t have to completely change overnight. For instance, if the new habit you would like to create is to walk 30 minutes a day, just start with 5 minutes a day and gradually increase that amount over time. The key is to begin being consistent with the behavior of walking.

3. Keep going even when you slip up. While you are striving for consistency with your new habits and behaviors, the reality is that you are bound to be inconsistent sometimes. But don’t focus on one missed day, instead focus on the next opportunity to continue putting your new habits into practice.

4. Be Patient. It takes time for new habits to stick, and to break old ones. But if you stay consistent with new behaviors, you will achieve progress over time and each day it will get a little easier until it is automatic.

While habitual behavior is often automatic, it does take focus, decision-making, and commitment to turn away from the behaviors of old and replace them every day with new ones. The benefits of establishing new behaviors and breaking old ones are the ways in which we can improve our health, be positive examples to others, increase self-discipline, and fundamentally alter our life’s direction.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for giving us the mental ability to make changes in our lives. I pray that you will sharpen that ability in me, and enable me to say no to the bad habits that I have learned over time, and to begin the process of embracing the new habits that will make my life more pleasing to You.  You are the great One who gives me the strength to change.  I rely on You to change, not just my behaviors, but also my heart.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist