THE ABUNDANT LIFE

Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" ~John 10:10

Universally, most people struggle with lack in their lives, especially lack in finances and love.  Poverty and lack are real problems worldwide, with the naked, the starving, and the homeless.  Even in first world countries like the USA, we struggle with homelessness, high cost of living, debt, and unaffordable health care.  Many people are just one pay check away or one illness away from financial bankruptcy.  The same can be said for lack of love.  Singer Dionne Warwick made this song popular back in the 60's - 70's What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love.   It seems that there is a shortage of love in the world overall, with the wars, battles, strife, unrest, and political fights that are constantly being waged globally.   Crime is at an all time high, with killings and murders in 'peaceful' countries.  The seemingly upswing in school killings, with children killing children in our schools, has put us on all on edge, and intense high alert, as to the increasing lovelessness that is being manifested in every sector of society.  

Lack of love and lack of finances in our lives all stem from the same source - a mindset of lack or scarcity.  Yes, when we have a scarcity mentality, that there is not enough, it causes us to become selfish and self centered in our attempts to grab more for ourselves, because we feel we do not have enough.  So the person who feels that they are lonely and lacking love, will be out there seeking for love, and the person who has lack in  finances, will be out there seeking after that which you do not have; but are these true lack, or just PERCEPTIONS of lack?  Are we operating off what is real, or are we operating off what we perceive to be real?  The truth of the matter is that 1) we live in an abundant Universe where all our needs can be met, and 2) there is actually no limit to love.  Love is limitless, and thus is not lacking.

We live in an abundant Universe where all our needs can be met.  "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).  This means that all you need is here already, and there is NO LACK. Your perceived lack is temporary, and your need will be met, as all the resources will be Divinely provided.  Yes, we live on a planet with limited resources.  There is just so much square miles of land, so many trees, so many plants, animals, and people.  Yes, all that is true but that does not take away from the fact that there is more than enough provided for us all, because God is able to provide for us "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).   Did not Jesus say that it was the Father's "good pleasure" to give us the kingdom? (Luke 12:32). Just because we do not possess the thing right now that we are desiring does not mean that we won't get it.  As long as it is a need, you will eventually get it.  The reason why you are not getting your heart's desire is because you believe in lack.  You see yourself as poor, unfortunate, underprivileged, and deprived, and thus you train your mind to think of yourself that way.   If you continue thinking of yourself that way, your life will manifest poverty, misfortune, underprivilege, and depravity.  You are what you think you are, thus when you think lack, that is what your life will manifest.  "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). You therefore need to correct your thinking, and bring it in line with the truth,and the truth is this: We live in an abundant Universe, and God will provide all my needs.  

In this abundant Universe, there is no limit or lack of love.  Yes, although we see an abundance of unloving behaviors all around us, the truth is that there is an even more abundance of love all around us (Ephesians 3:17-19; Song of Solomon 8:7).  It is just that we are so focused on what is evil, that it blinds our eyes to what is good.  When you live your life seeking for what you already have, you will never find it, because you don't recognize what you have.  When you live your life focusing on what you don't have, then all you will get is what you don't have.  Again, this comes back to the teaching of Proverbs 23:7 of whatever you think about, that is what your life will manifest.  So if you focus on all the bad things in life, then your life will also manifest those bad things you are concentrating on and giving your energy to.  "You get what you pay for" is the common expression used to show us that whatever we invest in mentally or financially, is what we reap.   Correct your focus to this truth, that love is all around us, and abundantly so, and you will find love.   

If you are having trouble with lack in your finances or love, as a spiritual counselor, I can help you to change your mindset, so that your life can manifest more abundance. Read my personal testimony here about how I managed to change my life around, by applying some much needed spiritual principles from the Bible.   You can do the same as well, when you sign up for my abundance and prosperity coaching program or my love coaching program, on my website.  For more information, please go to:

www.hillarydawes.com

And God bless you! 

Black Friday

Now that Thanksgiving is ending, it is time to get ready for Black Friday!  Yeah, the long-anticipated Black Friday is just  a few hours away, and people are gearing up to swoop down on the stores early in the morning, to catch some deep discounts.  As for myself, I will not be venturing out in the morning, but I wish everyone success in getting what they want.  You know, nothing gives quite such a rush as bargain shopping.  You get the same level of excitement and adrenalin rush just as you would in any sport.  It can even get rough and aggressive too.  What out for the little old ladies with shopping carts!  They will run you right over if you are not paying attention.  And what about that mad dash and sprint we do when we see the last item on the shelf and someone else tries to beat us to it.  Don't you feel good when you get there first?

Enjoy the shopping and enjoy the bargains.  Remember to be courteous to your fellow shopper although some can be downright rude.  Show Christian charity.  Hey, it's not the end of the world if you don't get that discount.  Thank God for what you do have, and for what He is going to allow you to have.  Bless others with your shopping, and remember to also buy gifts for people who cannot buy a gift for you in return.

Happy shopping!

Pregnancy is Not a Disease

Don't let the title of this blog throw you off!  In this post I will be writing  about the spiritual aspects of money being spent on abortions, as a procedure to terminate pregnancies.

Today I am going to weigh in on the health care debate.  As you know, Congress recently passed a health care reform bill that provides no funding for abortion.  This has sparked controversy nationwide and has pitted the anti-abortionists against the pro-abortionists, as each try to jockey to  have the Stupak amendment either removed, or kept, as the bill goes to the Senate.  In this post, I will try to steer clear away from the politics of it all, and let the powers that be come up with the right solution.  It is my belief that Health Care Reform is something that IS TO COME, and nothing we can really do is going to stop it from coming, HOWEVER, the details of what is contained in any health reform bill is really UP TO US.  This is our opportunity to do the right and moral thing for this country.  This is the time for us to make decisions not based upon selfish goals and ambitions, but upon doing what is right for others, with an attitude of service to others.  The decisions we make in this health care bill will have ramifications of great consequence, not only for this world, but also for the world to come, as God is our judge.

One of the biggest debate surrounding the present health care reform bill is the funding of abortions.   Anti-abortion advocates have successfully lobbied congress to exclude any funding for abortions, while pro-abortionists are now lobbying the Senate to include funding for abortions.  Anti-abortionists do not want government-sponsored abortions included because abortion is a moral sin that takes the life of the unborn.  I totally agree with them.  Why should the government become a co-party to one's sexual indiscretions and help that person cover up or get rid of the fruit of their indiscretions?  What business is it of government to help us hide our sins?  I thought the role of government was to expose sin and punish it -not hide it (Romans 13:1-5).  In addition, in matters of conscience, where the government has NO ROLE, government has no business helping the guilty, the hard-hearted, and the selfish in their mission.  Okay, okay, I have heard about families that cannot afford to feed one more mouth maybe considering abortion as the solution to their financial problem.  To those families I say, you have a real problem because your finances are not allowing you to properly take care of the children you already have, and you feel you cannot handle any more children financially.  What those families need is not an abortion but help.  They need help in learning how to gain mastery over their sexual encounters.  They need help in raising their children.  They need help in getting through the pregnancy.  This is where families, churches and the community at large can help.  Children are a heritage from God, thus if we give aid and help to children, we are actually doing for them as unto Christ (Psalm 127:3, Matthew 18:5; Matthew 25:40).

One of the arguments used by pro-abortionists is that abortion is a medical procedure, and thus should be covered as a health care service.  I say, totally wrong!  Many medical procedures are performed by doctors today, that are not covered as health care.  For example, face lifts, breast augmentations, tummy tucks, and so on.  The reason why those procedures are not covered is because they are not done to treat any type of disease.  Now tell me, what disease is abortion treating?  The last time I looked, pregnancy was not listed as a disease.  Pregnancy is not even a medical condition.  Pregnancy is a natural consequence of the sperm of the male uniting with and fertilizing the egg of  a female.  What develops is a new life which needs to be cared for and protected while in the womb.  During pregnancy, the mother needs to practice healthy lifestyle choices to care for herself and her unborn child.  It is one of the rare opportunities we have to be co-partner with God in the creation process.  It is a life-giving process which brings in new life, which contrasts so vastly with a disease.  Disease tends to the diminishment of life, and it destroys, and kills.  Pregnancy, on the other hand, gives new life and renews.  Pregnancy is therefore not a disease to be treated, but a process by which we honor the body as a living temple, that is capable of bringing forth new life.

Do you know that God considers the unborn to be a person, and not just a 'potential life' as some would like us to think?  If you don't believe me, please read the following scriptures (emphasis supplied).

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being UNPERFECT and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was NONE of them" (Psalm 139:14-16). 

"Before I formed thee in the belly I KNEW thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I SANCTIFIED  thee, and I ORDAINED thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).

"Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself" (Isaiah 44:24). 

So we see that the unborn is really a person that is being developed and formed in the womb.  It is the most natural thing to happen and is a part of life.  It is therefore not a disease that needs to be cured or treated.  It is a process that needs to be facilitated along a healthy path - not stopped or thwarted.  In my previous post Sacred Reproduction, I wrote about the sacredness of reproduction, and how it is a power God has given to us to use for His glory.  Destroying a life that is growing within is not a sacred right of reproduction!

Economically speaking, should government finance abortions?  NO!  That money would be better spent on helping pregnant mothers to have safe and healthy pregnancies.  No good government helps its citizens by destroying its own citizens, which include the unborn citizens.  The unborn child is here already, so let him/her come.  Do not become a stumbling block to that process. Jesus warns us to "take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" because it not God's will "that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:10; 14).  Government has no place funding the destruction of its own people.

God is seeking after godly seed (Malachi 2:15), and who knows which of these unborn children will grow up to be a man or woman of God, and a light to this world?  Hey, if the mothers of some of the greatest people on earth thought about their pregnancies as conditions that needed to be corrected, where would we be today?  We would have lost out on some of the greatest minds in the world.  The circumstances surrounding the conception of a child is of less consequence than that the child is conceived.  A new life means someone new to love, regardless of the surrounding circumstances.  Let us not use the child as the sacrifical lamb, to cover up our mistakes and indiscretions.  Let us treat each child, whether born or unborn, as valuable gifts given to us from God.

Have you had an abortion?  Yes, what you did was wrong, but God will forgive you if you repent.  Yes, it is too late for your unborn child to make it alive in this world, but it is not too late for you to turn your life around.  God in His mercies will change your heart, so that you can give and receive love.

For mothers considering abortion, your money is better spent on caring for yourself and your unborn child through this time of pregnancy.  If your financial circumstances are not that great, then now is the time to seek God's help by FAITH, to provide for you, in whatever way He chooses - whether through friends, family, charitable organizations, churches, social services, or miraculously.  May you  find the faith you need to trust Him completely.

The Two Economies

Today I begin my series on economics and spirituality.  From time to time, as a Spiritual teacher, I delve into various topics as the Lord leads and as He sees fit.  Although my expertise is in health and wellness, the Lord has seen it fit to give me instructions pertaining to spirituality and economics, as every believer needs to know some basic facts about economics as it relates to their spirituality.  What I will be presenting here in this series of posts is the spiritual side to economics, and how the Biblical model of economics can be applied to our lives today, with GREAT results!

According to the leading economists of the day, the economic crisis is over, but yet, many Americans are still struggling to make ends meet.  Many Christians as well as non Christians are struggling in this tough economy, and many are in despair, and are giving up hope for a brighter future.  Some have even linked this economic downturn as a sign of an apocalyptic event, and many are terrified of what is to be.  Mayan 2012 end-of-world hysteria is sweeping the nation, and the prospect of 'socialized medicine' is frightening to many.  What I am going to present is the reality of the economic system from a spiritual stand-point, and show that God's people have NOTHING to worry about, regardless of what the economy does.

Few people realize it, but in the world, there are always two economies operating at the same time - the world's economy and God's economy.  Both economics co-exist at the same time, but they run parallel to each other.  The world's economy is based upon the economic models and systems of the world, and may employ one or more of the following economic systems such as capitalism, socialism, communism, and so on.  The world's economic system is based upon money, and the assigned values placed upon material goods such as gold, silver, oil, precious stones, food, textile, and so on.  The world's economy is heavily dependent upon the availabilty of material resources, and wealth is determined by who can amass the most of this world's resources and control it.  It is a system based upon greed, and how much one can acquire.

As Christians, we partake of this world's economy.  We have jobs, businesses, and buy goods and services, as all a part of living in this world.  We cannot help but be a part of this world's economy, and there is no escaping it.  When there is a drought, we are affected.  If there is a famine or food shortages, we are also affected.  When the economy is good, we benefit.  When the economy is bad, we suffer the effects of that too.  The mistake that many Christians make however, is to think that somehow they will be exempt from being affected when the economy is bad.  They think that somehow God is going to exempt them from any suffering, just because they are Christians.  How wrong they have been!  Many Christians can attest to the fact that this economy has caused them to be in dire financial straits, with job losses, business losses, and investment losses.  Consequently, they despair and think somehow that they have done something wrong, or that God is punishing them, or bringing them or the country under judgment.

My dear friends, in my opinion, I think the current economic crisis the world is facing is not a result of God's doing, but man's doing.  God had very little to do with the economic crash on Wall Street, or the banks.  These crashes were the result of the world's economic system gone awry.  What people have failed to realize is that God has an economic system, which is based in the Bible, that contrasts with the present world economic system.  It is an economic system that kept ancient Israel a prosperous country, without Israel having to attack or invade other countries for resources.  If we took the time to  learn about God's economic system, we would be surprised at how simple, yet effective it was for ancient Israel.  A word of warning though - the ancient Biblical system can only be practiced by those of us of faith, who have faith in the power of God to cause an increase in prosperity.  I will call this Biblical system faith-based economics, because it is an economic system that is dependent on faith in God to provide and prosper.

Faith-based economics is an economic system in which man becomes a co-worker with God, and where man puts in the effort, but God provides the increase in prosperity.  It works like this:  We work in faith, believing that God will prosper our work and efforts, and He rewards us by prospering our efforts.  We believe that He will make us prosperous in all that we do, and that He will provide the resources we need to do our jobs and to live.  It is a faith that believes not in the power of self to prosper, but in the power of God to make us prosper.   In 1 Corinthians 3:6,7 we read, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow" (NIV).   In this faith-based economy, the power to obtain wealth comes from God and not just from our own efforts or ingenuity.  We read in Deuteronomy 8:18, that it is God who "giveth thee power to get wealth."  People who practice faith-based economics will totally rely upon God to open doors of opportunity for wealth creation.  God will prosper them with creative and imaginative thoughts and ideas.   He will bring into their lives the right people at the right time.  God will give them the strength and wisdom they need to excel in every area of life that He has called them to excel in.  Such people rely upon God for strength, and not self, and they approach life being confident in God's strength.  Instead of looking  to or depending upon their own natural-born strength and abilities, faith-based practitioners draw heavily upon the immeasurable grace and power of God to succeed in life.  They constantly say to themselves, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phillipians 4:13).

One of the beauties of practicing faith-based economics is that regardless of what the economy does, whether it is good or bad, God can overrule economic situations in your personal favor.  I can think of two persons in the Bible, whom God overruled the then current bad economic situation of the land, in their favor - the widow of 2 Kings 4:1-7 and the widow of  1 Kings 17:1-16.  In both of these situations, there was a famine in the land of Israel, and God sent economic relief for both of these women.  God overruled the tough economic situation in their favor, so that they obtained relief, in spite of the ongoing hardships all around them.  God helped these two women, who had no means of support, and nothing but their faith in God.  He helped them get through a tough economy, and He will do the same for us today.  He will do the same for you.  All you have to do is trust Him, and put your faith in Him that He will carry you through these tough times.

On a personal note,  I have experienced the blessings of God in my life just from practicing faith-based economics.  I remember several years ago I had to give up a very good-paying job, in order to be faithful to the commands of God.  To my co-workers, what I had done was foolish, but I willingly took a demotion from my job, so that I would not have to compromise my faith.  It has been several years now since that incident, but I can say, thank God I followed my faith!  I am now in a much more financially secure job today, and in my job I can practice my faith without hindrance.  Not only that, but one of my past fellow co-worker, who had clinged unto her old job, had recently expressed to me a desire to leave her job.  I, who once looked so foolish for leaving, am now seen as someone wise.  I tell you, when you follow your faith, and trust God to provide for you, He really will!

Economic Crisis

In light of the ongoing economic crisis, and the struggles of many people to survive, I think I will be doing a series of blogs that will help people find inner peace and solutions that will help them survive and thrive through any type of economic turmoil.  In the next couple of days, I will be writing posts in a non political, but definitely Biblical fashion, so don't go away - keep in touch.  You will be blessed beyond all measure!