Devotional of the Week June 28-July 4

Matthew 22: 34-40

"But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Love is what makes the world go 'round - our love for God and our fellow man. Without love, this world would be a cold, miserable place. Life would be unbearable. Love is what makes life worth living. Nothing makes you feel as good as love. Love is a great motivator, and drives us to do what is right for ourselves and others. When we love, our concern is about pleasing others, and doing what is right by them, and doing that which makes them happy. It is about bringing joy to others and showing concern. It is about being committed to their good, and never wishing them harm. Of such is the love of Christ.

R.I.P Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more" (Psalm 103:13-16; NIV).

On June 25, 2009 the light of two of our most shining stars were put out. Their lights will never shine anymore, and the world will be just a little darker place because they are gone. As we mourn the loss of these dear souls, let us not forget to celebrate the good of their lives. Let us celebrate all they had accomplished, and what they had done to make this world a better place.

We who are alive today must also remember that life is not about how you die, but about how you live. We need to make each day count, and live each day as if it were our last. Life is fragile, and a gift from God. Life is also short; but a life well-lived is a life lived well indeed. Let us therefore live our lives in the presence of God, for only He is the great Life-giver. Upon Him we rest, knowing He will restore life, and life eternal, upon those who put their trust in Him.

The Call For A New World Order

In the past years, and even up to the present time, many well-meaning politicians having been calling for a New World Order - a New World Order of peace between nations. In this New World Order, nations around the world would co-exist in peace, war would be scarce, religious and racial intolerance would be eliminated, democracy would thrive worldwide, and poor economies would be lifted out of poverty through economic trade. In a nutshell, the New World Order would consist of a global economy of peace and prosperity between nations.

As good as all that sounds, the recent events in Iran, the current global economic crisis, and the ongoing wars around the globe makes the much puported New World Order seem like an elusive dream. One of the reasons why the New World Order is so hard to achieve is that man is trying to achieve world peace and prosperity in a vacuum, totally disconnected from the Truth of the knowledge of God. Try as we might to achieve peace on our own, we always end up frustrated, because somehow our well-made plans always seem to get thwarted. What is the reason for that? Why is that so? The answer lies in a three-letter word - SIN. Sin is that separation, that causes us to live our lives apart from God. Sin is that antagonism we have towards the ways of God. We want to achieve peace, yes, but according to our ways and our plans, and according to how we see fit. Here is the truth: Doing things, even things with good intentions, apart from God, by depending upon our human will and intellect, will always result in chaos. Deeds that are done according to human will and intellect are what the Bible calls "works of the flesh" (Ephesians 5:19). These are deeds that are not done with the guidance of the Spirit of God, but are done apart from His guidance. What therefore are the results of doing the "works of the flesh?" According to the Apostle Paul:

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: ...hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders..." (Ephesians 5: 19-21).

Does the above manifestations sound familiar? Have we not seen hatred, wrath, strife, seditions, envyings, and murders being played out time and time again in our world. These things must be, and will be, as long as we live according to the flesh, and sin lives within us and in our world.
What then will bring peace? What will bring about world peace? The answer is this - A life that is lived according to the Spirit.

People whose lives are in tune with the Spirit of God will exhibit these qualities:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [self-control], against such there is no law" (Ephesians 5: 22-23).

Here is the thing: As long as men are opposed to the goodness and truth of God, and live a life apart from His Spirit, there will be no peace. Let's face it - not everyone will accept God in their lives. Not everyone is thrilled with the idea of living a life subject to God. What I am advocating here is not a theocracy, where the government is run based on religious law, but for people to surrender their individual lives to the power of the God, so that they can live on a spiritual plane.

A day is however coming, when God Himself will set up a new world order. He will set up a new world order of peace and righteousness, in which men will study war no more - a new world order where peace and righteousness rules.

"But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Micah 4: 1-3).

The New World Order of God is coming. It will be then, and only then will we have any world peace. Let us therefore get ready for that time, by living a life in the Spirit. Let us open our hearts to be influenced by His Spirit, so that we can live on a spiritual plane, and reap the benefits of peace and righteousness, starting right now. You have a choice - receive His Spirit now and enter into His new world of peace and righteousness with ease, or reject His offer and be one of those who will be "rebuked" in His new world order (vs. 3). It's up to you to choose how your future life will be.

Devotional of the Week June 21-27

Exodus 15: 1-2

"Then sang Moses, and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Nothing is too difficult or hard for God because we serve a great and mighty God. He is bigger than all our problems combined. He is greater and stronger than even the most powerful persons here on earth, past, present, and future. No weapon that is created to destroy His children will succeed. We can rest confidently in Him, knowing that He has us in His care. He is our strength, and we trust in Him.

Today is Father's Day. I would like to wish all dads a peaceful and happy day. Our earthly fathers are the ones God has placed on earth to be the ones to protect and serve the family. God is our strength, yet He works through fathers to bring about His will.

I just want to say, "Thank you" to my dad for taking care of me, and protecting me as I was growing up. Having a father meant not worrying about the dangers that are ever present in the world. As a child, I always felt safe, knowing I had a father.

The Oldest Profession in the World is Good for You and Your Pocketbook

Yes, the oldest profession in the world is good for you and your pocketbook, but I am not talking about prostitution. I am talking about gardening. The first profession of man, according to the book of Genesis was gardening, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15).

Gardening not only saves you money, but it is also a good source of exercise. It is also a great way for us to show our stewardship of the earth which God has made and given to us. God's command to Adam and Eve was "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28a).

Today I had a great time working in my flower garden pulling out weeds. I not only saved myself big bucks by not hiring a gardener to do this, but I also made my yard look more attractive, and got some exercise in at the same time! This was a three-for-the-price-of-one deal. If you a little piece of land in your backyard, then you can try your hand at either planting flowers or even vegetables. I have a two fruit trees also in my backyard (mangoes), and this year I got a bumper crop of mangoes which I am currently enjoying. I have not purchased fruit for weeks now since my mango crop has come in. I have been eating mango for breakfast, mango for lunch, and mango for dessert after dinner. Sounds like imbalanced eating but I eat other things too in addition to mango. I have also been giving away a lot of mangoes. Since the mango season started I have given away about 3 dozen mangoes. I have so much mango that I am now freezing mango slices, so I can eat mango during off season. Frozen mango is good for making homemade mango smoothies, and homemade mango icecream - delicious!

Do you want to recession-proof your food budget and still reap the benefits of exercise, and replenish the earth with food? Try gardening. Below is a link to a CNN article about more and more people turning to backyard gardening to supplement their food budgets in this tough economy.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/04/01/recession.garden/index.html?iref=newssearch

I Feel Good

I am feeling a little poetic today. I felt inspired as I woke up this morning to a new day, feeling refreshed and well. Last week I celebrated my birthday, and yes, I may be in my 40's, but I feel really, really, good. No significant health problems to complain of, and NO WRINKLES. I have good teeth, a glowing complexion, strong bones and muscles, and healthy hair with almost no gray hair.

I feel good, because I serve a loving Creator who cares about His creation
I feel good, because I know He loves us more than we can ever love Him
I feel good, because He gave us life and life so much more abundantly
I feel good, because no problem is too small or too great for Him
I feel good, because no matter what life may throw at us, He holds us in His care
We can rest in His bosom knowing that we are safe.

I feel good, because He holds the world and the universe in His hands
I feel good, for all the provisions He has made for us here on Earth
I feel good, because He has given to us the bounty of the Earth all good things to enjoy
I feel good, because His generosity never fails.

- Daughter of Wisdom 2009

Devotional of the Week June 14-20

Psalm 10: 1-14

"Why standest thou afar aff, O LORD? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the coveteous, whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgements are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: He hideth his face; he will never see it. Arise O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee, thou art the helper of the fatherless."

In our troubles it sometimes does feel as if God is afar off from us. We cry, weep, and pray, but somehow it seems that He does not hear us. At times it seems that the enemy is getting the upperhand, and we feel weak and defeated. When the wicked see that punishment from God is neither immediate or swift, they become emboldened, and deceive themselves into thinking that God neither sees nor cares to punish them.

How wrong they are! God does see every act of persecution against His people. He does care when we are hurt. Make no mistake, God may be slow in anger, but His justice is sure against all those who wrong others. Are you suffering at the hands of someone? Are you being persecuted by others? Hold on in faith and put your trust in God. He will rescue and defend you.

Natural Alternatives to Caffeine and Sleeping Pills

In our drug culture, where people demand a pill for every ailment, it is nice to know there are alternatives to drugs to two of the most common problems - drowsiness and insomnia. If you have trouble waking up in the morning, and feel that you have to gulp down several cups of coffee to wake up, and still drink several more throughout the day, in addition to other caffeinated beverages to stay awake, then this post is for you. If you have trouble sleeping at night and feel the need to take sleeping pills to go to sleep, then this blog is for you. Or maybe you suffer from both of these problems, such as difficulty falling asleep and then difficulty waking up once you are asleep; then this blog post is definitely for you.

I myself have absolutely no problem either falling asleep or waking up, and I do it all naturally without ingesting any pills. What I am going to share with you all however might be a little shocking to the system, but it does work! You see, God did not create us to be drugged into living. He did not create us to be drugged to sleep, and to be drugged to wake up, or stay awake. If we would just obey the natural rythmns of our bodies, then there would be less need for substances to keep us awake or make us fall asleep. Here are some tips that can be tried.

To wake up:

1. End your morning shower with a blast of cold water. Cold water is invigorating to the body and will eliminate effectively all feelings of drowsiness. I myself do this from time to time, but I work into the cold shower. I start with hot, then lukewarm, then cold.
2. Avoid sugary breakfasts, such as Danish, donuts, sugary cereals, etc. They do nothing to satisfy the appetite and make you feel even more hungry. Also avoid heavy breakfasts that are loaded with lots of carbs and fat. They weigh down the digestive system, and make you feel sluggish. How many times have you fallen asleep after eating a heavy meal? It is a common experience for most people. I try to eat a breakfast that is light, yet filling. In the mornings I have hot cocoa made with milk, and a piece of fruit; or yogurt and fruit, with herbal tea; sometimes hot oatmeal made with milk or yogurt, and fruit; or eggs, tea, and citrus fruit; on weekends I sometimes "splurge" and have turkey bacon, eggs, tomato slices, whole grain bread, hot cocoa with milk, and fresh squeezed orange juice.
3. Engage in some physical exercise in the morning. Exercise stimulates body organs to be more active. It increases activity in your muscles, joints, heart, lungs, skin, circulatory system, digestive system, etc.
4. If you live in the countryside or in the suburbs, use birds as a guide as to when to wake up and start your day. Try waking up with the birds. Birds will start singing well before daybreak, and roosters crow intermittently throughout the dark hours of the morning before daybreak.

To sleep:

1. Go to bed early, preferably before midnight. Nature tells us that days are for work, and night is for sleeping. Thanks to the invention of artificial lighting, however, many of us stay up way too late past sunset before we go to sleep. Consequently,do not get enough sleep, and wake up feeling drowsy.
2. Do not go to sleep with a full stomach. This will make your sleep restless.
3. Take a hot shower or warm bath before bedtime.
4. Turn off the TV before bedtime, especially the news. All the negative news reporting can give you nightmares!
5. Listen to relaxing music, especially spiritually, uplifting music.
6. Sleep in a comfortable bed. Don't be afraid to spend money on things to make your bed comfortable, such as bed toppers, blankets, pillows, etc. Heat and massage too if that is what it takes to make you sleep. Having a good night's sleep is worth every penny.

All the above tips are given from personal experience and first hand knowledge, tempered with my professional experience. If you all have any tips to share, please go ahead and share with me.

Devotional of the Week June 7-13

Proverbs 1: 20-33

"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they depised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."

Stern but wise words coming to us from God through the book of Proverbs. God is calling us to listen to His wise counsel, and avoid going down foolish paths that lead to death and destruction. If only we would heed God's instruction, we would save ourselves countless heartaches and hurts. Many times we tempt God by pursuing our foolhardy decisions, and then expect Him to rescue us. As many of us have found out however, God does not always save us from the consequences of our poor choices, but allows us to bear the consequences of our decisions. If God took away the consequences, then there would be no way for us to learn that our decisions were bad ones. As hard as it is to go through trials, sometimes this is the only way some of us will ever learn about the wrong consequences and effects of our decisions on ourselves and others. God is saying, "hearken unto me" and avoid making costly mistakes. "Listen to Me" and rest safely in my care. I should know, because I have experienced the consequences of bad decisions I have made myself. I choose however to look at those experiences as teachable moments. Those experiences have however helped me to grow in wisdom, and helped me to learn how to listen to God.

Prayer For Political Leaders

As Christians, the Bible does instruct us to pray for our political leaders (1 Timothy 2: 1-4; 1 Peter 2: 13-17; Romans 13: 1-7). Many are in agreement with this, but the problem arises when we are asked to pray for a leader whose politcal views we do not agree with, whether Democrat or Republican. This is where many Christians get conflicted.

Before I continue however, let me first say, that my blog is not about promoting any one political party over the other. My blog is not even about criticizing any political leader or the other. The main focus of my blog has always been, and will always be, about applying the prophetic word of God as it relates to real life issues, and also health and wellness promotion, and restoration of the whole man in body, soul, and spirit.

As was said before, Christians sometimes get conflicted when asked to pray for political leaders, especially if they do not agree with the policies of a political leader, whether Democrat or Republican. The Bible however, does not stipulate that our prayers should be only for the politicans that we like. We must remember that when Paul and Peter penned those words in Romans 13 (Paul), 1 Timothy 2 (Paul), and 1 Peter 2 (Peter), that they were living under the control of the Roman empire. For any of us history buffs, we should remember that the Jewish people, during the time of Paul and Peter, were living under the oppressive regime of Rome, and the Jews longed to be free from this regime. It was Rome that persecuted both Jews and Christians, and also destroyed the Jewish temple. Yet, it is with great surprise that we find God instructing His people to pray for that government!

According to the Bible, we pray for our political leaders and government so that they can:

1. Keep law and order in the land, and punish criminals, and pursue justice (Romans 13: 1-7).
2. So that we as Christians can be free to live a godly and peaceful life (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
3. So that they too might have opportunity to know Truth (vs. 3-5).
4. Because it is the will of God! (1 Peter 2:15).

Being a good, moral, law-abiding citizen of a country is one of the greatest testament of the power of the living God, to any government. According to Peter, our moral lifestyles will "put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15). He also instructs us to "honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king" (vs. 17).

For those of us who may be Republican, living under a Democratic government, this may be hard to do, for those of us who are Democrat, living under a Democratic government, this may be easy to do, and vice versa. As for myself, I pray for all leaders whether Republican or Democrat. That is what God instructs me to do, and so I do. If we as people of God do not pray, then how can we expect anything good to happen? God is calling on us, yes us, His people to pray for the peace of our land, whether we be Democrats or Republicans.

"And seek ye the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace (Jeremiah 29: 7).

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Prayer for President Obama

Regardless of our political affliation, let us unite in prayer, for the safety of President Obama as he goes off to Egypt tomorrow to give a speech.

" I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men: For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2: 1-4).

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