Healthy Whole

Good....true....healthy!

Two years ago I had done a teaching on healing for the body. I knew it was of the Lord and wanted to get it out for others to hear! I was reminded of it today!  Many times sickness just comes because we fail to recognize that our bodies need vital food that is real and not man-made! Like some diet drinks contain contaminates that can reduce vision. So anything that is a comprise to God's word and His ways for us, comprises the person: not only in their body, but in their mind both mentally and emotionally!

Mark 11:12-14………….12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it. NKJV

The 1^st or early figs became ripe by the end of June

The 2^nd crop or summer figs appeared in June and matured in August

The 3^rd crop or winter figs appeared in August and were ready in late October but would and could carry through the spring season when the early figs would again appear.

Jesus cursed the fig tree…Mark 11…., not because it was fruitless, (for the season of figs was not yet, and if it had been leafless He would not have sought fruit on it!  But the fig tree was boasting a falseness to its bold claims. With leaves appearing, fruit should be found under the leaves……again as to righteousness producing fruit worthy of giving out to others, or unrighteousness…are the dishonest, untrustworthy, separated from God

In this we find what is evil, versus good, the false against truth, so that what is showing, either by a mask or leaves is hypocrisy!

In Jesus’ speaking, the fig represented Israel, & it’s bold claims that it followed God was without merit.  From the early beginnings with men who followed God closely & held on to the promises of God, these in Jesus’ time had slipped into that un-fruitfulness that was deceptiveness.. They LIED! They believed they had no flaws!

Jesus saw the prolific display of leaves on the Fig Tree, and anyone who has cared for fruit trees knows the flower appears first & then fruit and leaves last. We know that Jesus addressed those Pharisees who operated by THIS  pretentious show and hypocrisy.

You and I can do something to improve our health. Everyday we must speak truth against any pretentious attitude that we are fine, our blood pressure is normal and we may only have a few pounds to lose when reality speaks like this fig tree did. Weight additions can mount up and blood pressure can change from normal to real "high" mark!

I know that between my husband and myself we made many changes and still seek to change some things. We have also found my blood pressure is back to normal like it was suppose to be. And yes, pounds are lost when avoiding that sweet high road of sugar and carbs!

 WE must be truthful about our body and make the needed changes:   The hypocrite does not discern his hypocrisy, for he cannot perceive flaws within himself.  He or she will NOT actually deal with the corruption in his heart. Since he seeks no mercy, he has no mercy to give; since he is always under God's judgment, judging is what comes through him. God resists the proud but His grace is drawn to the humble.

It is like speaking that you can eat all you want without limits. But in truth, eating ice cream daily will put on pounds of weight! Eating large volumes of food at bedtime will also amount to calories being stored instead of being burned.

A hypocrite can be a man or woman who excuses their own sin while condemning the sins of another. A hypocrite, can only impersonate righteousness but he fails to live by righteousness. They say at times they are confused when in reality they are trying to throw you into confusion.  WAS reminded of this young woman who died decades ago. She said she had no issues with food, but she only drank protein drinks! UNKNOWN to her friends, she also would binge on certain foods to throw it all up later. YIKES! So yes, these things wrecked havoc on a young person's body and she died not much past 16 years of age.

Mark 11:20-26.........20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." NKJV

People considering that they are the "saved" will venture into un-chartered territory of exotic foods and find stomach complaints and many other bad factors like diarrhea! In their thinking they have Jesus and His blood but....we must use His wisdom to know where we were born, what was raised as crops in that locale and eat those foods. I was raised where they grew great pecan trees and I still love them and eat them today. People who grew up where they planted almond trees also enjoy them without any harm. Still if you put a macadamia nut with chocolate all over it in front of a person who has neither seen one or eaten one, you might have a problem.
According to the scripture above we are to forgive others: like forgiving maybe your absent parents who worked through the evening meal and you tanked up on coke and popcorn! But we also must forgive ourselves when such things as overweight occurs or some sickness. For we truly have control at our fingertips if we do not touch the handle on the door of the refrigerator. We can turn down chocolate, even that rich chocolate one...... if we remember  a specific scene from the movie Charlie and Chocolate Factory.  You know that just the thought of that "kid" swimming around in that river of chocolate is enough to stop my walk and focus to any type in our house...indeed!

Fig tree: Withered away without the life of God.  It only had leaves but no fruit.  Not good for anything, AND was cursed. That Faith in God is where our trust must rely on…….AND anything that lifts itself up as a mountain…..is to be cast into the sea….

You and I are to be intentional to rid those things out of our thinking...........anything from a " wrong " core belief system as from our parents or in some doctrine we have heard other than the truth of God our Savior!

Ask anyone who has stepped into a weight-loss program and they will tell you it takes more than money to purchase the needed healthy items to get on the road of healthy whole.  One has to cooperate to eat less and not more food. God's word equips us to take the needed steps to change our thinking and to make our body line up with that TRUTH God has given us in the Holy Bible.
Choices are to be for the right things that produce more life not death.

On the road to Healthy Whole, we remember that this is the day the Lord has made for us.....WE ARE TO BE GLAD IN IT........Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Through salvation, God turned things around for us! We have the Holy Spirit to direct our way through what may appear as a maze of things that might confuse. But when we truly ask Him for help with our body in mind, He will direct our path into that which is of life.
I like what Charles Spurgeon wrote on Prayer and Spiritual Warfare. He said and I quote here: I write this with all reverence: God Himself cannot deliver who is not in trouble. Therefore, it is to some advantage to be in distress, because God can then deliver you. Even Jesus Christ, the Healer of me, cannot heal a person who is not sick. Therefore, sickness is not an adversity for us, but rather an advantageous opportunity for Christ to heal us. The point is, my reader, your adversity may prove your advantage by offering occasion for the display of divine grace.

May Divine Grace appear for you in your road to health. If you find you are in a darken place, depression seems to be everywhere you look, then you are focusing on the wrong thing. We must have a focus on what He has given us to run the race set before us! Depression can occur and many people experience it at some point in their lifetime, but we have HELP from the Holy One!

In making the decisions for life saving food preparations: May you know the Lord Jesus desires you to have the full measure of His joy within you. (John 17:13) Remember God brings comfort to the downcast. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that we are not to fear. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Start with small decisions and stick to them. Exercise is important and learn to take that walk out the door everyday. Get out and be glad in the day the Lord has made for you. In that gladness, you will find the thankfulness to speak to Him, about that day, and tomorrow and your future.

If you have had drastic situations done to your body in recent months, know God is all knowing. He is not surprised. Nothing catches Him off-guard.  Speak through in that distress, for Isaiah 63:9 tells us that when we are distressed God too is distressed for us. In that God will carry us . May He carry you into your tomorrow. May depression be removed from you. Take that walk outside, take that step into an adventure where He leads you into His paths of righteousness for His name sake. May you reside beside still waters and lie down in grass that is knee high.
May you know His comfort as you make the changes that bring more life into your being. May you know His love that will guard in that peace which is totally of Him.

Oh Father, answer us when we call to you, O our righteousness. O God...give us relief from our distress; be merciful to us and hear our prayer. (Psalm 4:1) In distress, we call to You, Lord; we cry to our God for help. From Your temple You hear our voice, our cry comes before You, into Your ears. (Psalm 18:6) Please hear Lord and answer us for our thoughts trouble us and we are distraught. (Psalm 52:2)
We give thanks for Your faithfulness to correct us. We will not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For our issues we have at one time or another wanted people to just leave us alone for we felt like our days had no meaning. BUT you O Lord would not leave us here on this earth a single day that was not meant to have meaning. Our lives have meaning. Please help us not to despise our lives or isolate others from it. YOU too Christ were the despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows & familiar with suffering. You were like the one who from whom men hide their faces. You were despised & we did not esteem You. ( Isaiah 53:5) YOU know exactly how we feel, we will put our trust in You.
We give a shout, we have the victory, God has heard and we see it come to pass in Jesus' name. Amen.

New teaching at: Voice of Prayer  

WARFARE of the Kingdom Demands Full Attention

https://youtu.be/6NLI52E_N7A

Also visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching 

 http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV

New teaching at: Life Giving Wells

The LURE of the Wilderness
https://youtu.be/O9pkpupE-4U

Also visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching

 http://bit.ly/2wgu1kw

Trees, Figs and Whirlwinds

DO we understand the importance of speaking truthful words and avoiding those that bring curses on our family members like husband, wife, child, or grand-children, even our pets?

Like talking with the dog: "ready to eat", " oh you poor ole' thing.......you can barely make it to the dish".  Yes, that it a curse. It is cursing your valued friend.

Was speaking about this to my son-in-law recently. For words that come through any video games, movies created for teens, youths or even small ones can bring those words that can harm them as they hear them.

Matthew 21:18-22faith, 
18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." And immediately the fig tree withered away.
( all He said was, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again.")
Even one word from Jesus, stopped this tree from even producing leaves, it withered away.
So how many people speak as of the world, and speak something that will wither life in the child to produce a dancing protege'? So they never fulfill that purpose.

Then Jesus points to something very specific here:

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."     NKJV


Our believing in "something" has effect on what life we live out, how and what way we treat our loved ones, pray for them, and exhort them in the things God purposed for them. In Romans 15:13....the Amplified Bible says this: May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [ through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound (bubbling over) with hope.
Our speech, those words of life are from the Lord and represent life. Then we on purpose speak them with the hope in our heart........that is seen as joy and peace.......in believing Him. And through our faith, our believing, we are empowered even more into life by the Holy Spirit.

 As we look into the passage below, Peter makes a comment, and probably stood and gazed at the withered tree.

Mark 11:20-26
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."    NKJV


Now imagine, Peter pointing to the tree.........and saying with much excitement sprinkled with questioning anxiousness, Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."
And then while Peter (Shelley) would be waiting for some well instructed, one-on-one conversation about the withering.........Peter (Shelley) would be moved again by the remark spoken by Jesus..........."HAVE FAITH IN GOD." "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea." and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.'
Then Jesus goes on to talk about praying. That by believing you receive what you ask for...........and to FORGIVE him.

The importance of our words was given in this above. The fig tree covered with leaves looked appealing, and in all its beauty, it revealed no fruit but only leaves. This passing by the vineyard showed only a tree completely leaved out but with no real fruit gives one the air of "being pretentious", and of being deceptive.
"Something" may look good but if it produces no life to another, then it is not good for anything. In this case it was a "fig tree". Something may look awesome on the outside, but when you look further it may be just empty inside. "Someone" may be able to spit out the Word of God and give some kind of a "message" without any point leaves one wondering, "What just happened here"?
Faith in God is our leading of the whole of our spirit and soul in His hands. That we are not to be ruled by the eye gate, but to use the eye gate to focus on the word of God and to get it in our hearts where change will take place.
Prayer may represent something like an informal plea for "help". Have you seen some prayer just spoke off the cuff? Now God can answer prayers of that kind for He is always looking at the heart.  And something from the heart will turn God toward them.

Luke 13:6-9

6 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' 8 But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "   NKJV



Now this implication was toward Israel and their refusing to produce spiritual fruit. Jesus' amount of time in ministry to them was three years. But this nation at the time of Jesus was empty. It was void of a love to God and for God.  Their love was seen in their buildings, their extended length of tassels and the Temple as well. But they were in dire need of a relationship with God.
Jesus had told them to repent. (Luke 13:5)
Jesus is the only door. And it is by our repenting and by FAITH that doors are open!  For one truly embraced by Jesus encounters the "life giving" force He spoke of that came from the Father.

EACH of us has the opportunity to teach others of what the Lord has taught us. Each of us the ability by the Holy Spirit to direct other's into God's love. For to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is there the peace that can be multiplied to us in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)

Luke 6:43-45

43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. NKJV

If we look at our own lives and see where our time is spent, we find what areas might need some help to move back away from that which might be cursing our children or grand-children. And what I mean by that looks like this. If our children are learning to "war with guns"...in video games or learning some form of violence that they might decide to "share" at school. Or they may decide to take to dancing, and dance really well but do it in a way that is casting away of all restraint! If the only examples they see are rated R, then the child or children will think it is okay to do that. Mom said, or Dad said, "it is okay for me to see!"  What if an area looks....very ...much...like..reaching for something to ease the pain of loss in relationships by a move to another city or state, or it may look like a lost marriage or even a job? Where our heart resides determines our actual victory or defeat for those young ones in our families. Our children are our children all of their lives. But we have the greatest force to speak while they are young and within our boundaries placed by His Word.
If we remain, if we abide in Jesus, and bear fruit to that account, it will be for life for us and others. It will produce fruit in the talent they have, but have the boundaries that will bring them to honor and not to dishonor. They may have a voice to sing, but will be one to bring them to honor not to dishonor.

Is there anything we are rewarding our children or grand-children with that might bring a hard punch back to us in the future?
Are we allowing others to dictate a story line to our children or grand-children that will direct them far from God and into destruction?

What commercials do we allow our "kids" to see on TV that may not be good for their formative years?

"Can a blind man guide a blind man?" Wouldn't they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice does not lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher. Message Bible (Luke 6:39-40)

Proverbs 19:27
27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge. NKJV


When we choose to stop listening to instruction, we move away from the words of knowledge. Choosing to blanket ourselves and those of  our children in darkness is no benefit and will bring no life. It only adds the fuel to more confusion. Are we living wisely, adhering to God and His instruction for our daily lives or do we just allow the world at large to dictate what we will see, what will entertain our children, what we eat, drive, and take home to wear?

We surely need God's wise counsel. Filling our hearts with knowledge and wisdom of the Holy One will direct us into peace, love and a boundary line of protection for those we love. Like Jesus we can curse those things that may not be a benefit to us. As we make no provision for the flesh, we will walk properly as we see the day approaching of the Lord's return.

Withering is caused by severe dryness. And the text of Matthew 21, we find the withered means scorched. (xeros).....(no water)
"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
For if one remains in a dry place, the only answer they may get is from a dried up stream, dust blowing in the face and look like reaping a whirlwind.

Proverbs 1:23-27
23 If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.
24 But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you--
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you. NIV

Yikes!

If we pay no attention to what goes into our child's ( or children's) eyes, that deposit is in their little hearts. If they watch violence of video type games, they carry it with them. If they watch it or play it even 15 minutes a day, can you imagine the impact it will make on their lives? Will we gamble their lives? Will we pretend it is not serious? Are you ready for what they may look and act like in 20 years if you have not planted within them the support of God's Word to direct them to "life" and all that God purposed for them?


Just because you do not watch CNN or another news program, does not mean the violence will go away or not come to your neighborhood? You and I must put up the Word of God as our boundary and make the "loud" speaking that those things will not come near us. They may be on the rise in some places, but we declare they exist no more in our communities and our state. We believe the Word of the Lord to be the final answer of any violence against another.
As the time of Jesus' return comes closer to us, we might do well to remember to look at those times He was on the water with His disciples and remember those attacks at those junctures was demonic attacks. We would also do well to remember that we are to speak to storms like Jesus did. People must make a demand on any violent storms to split, yes, part like the Red Sea and move in two different directions.
His knowledge is vital for us today. May we rise up and take our place to be those who will put up the hedge............and expect God to hear our prayers for our loved ones and those who live in our communities and neighborhoods! May our prayers be with the force of the Holy Spirit in them. May our prayers for our loved ones and for those who love God have justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!  (Amos 5:23-24) Amen.

Notice:
The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published: 
Prompted By Faith-Contenting Our Faith must Speak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD90sBKMLlM

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV