Spiritual Abuse on Women

Just read another amazing educational little ditty.

 

http://recoveringfromspiritualabuse.wikispot.org/The_Effects_of_Spiritual_Abuse_on_Women#preview

Abuse & Relationships

Don’t you just love it when you learn something new? I do!

I am a pretty optimistic person. At least I try to be in my mind. *G*

 I like to see the best in people.

This… in the past & present has gotten my heart broken. I generally wear my heart on my sleeve.  DH is just the opposite, so tends not to get hurt much in his life and relationships.  He has a real gift for discernment and is always  warning me of certain things. Do I take his warnings though? Nope! I suppose I should. Maybe This is why I get hurt so much. Life is a never ending adventure to me though… and I don’t like having any regrets. I  just choose to continue along  this journey I call life, and hopefully along the way I will be able to encourage and uplift someone in the process.

I see it as: live and learn, and then live some more, and learn some more.

One thing that I obviosuly have failed to learn is how people tick. I mean, you have 2 groups of people. Those who tick, and then tock..and then those who do nothing but tick! The tickers are the silent ones from my past expierences. They tick so much, and then every now and agian, they tock. The tock is like a sudden bomb though!  Something that no one ever truly sees coming.  This is all part of life though. No one group of people is any better then the next!

That said, there are certain types of people that you need to love from a  distance and this is ok.  Relationships are very good to have. Afterall, the Lord made us as social beings. This said, we have to be very careful that we do not fall prey to people who try to control you. Or, pretend to be someone they are not.

There is really no valid reason why anyone should keep themself in any abusive relationship. Whether it be, emotional abuse or physical abuse.

If you, or someone you know is in an abusive relationship you need to tell them to GET OUT PRONTO! Help them any way you are capable of doing. Do not cover up for them. This will not be helpful. They may get mad at you. Especialy if they are in a controlling captive relationship. Just think of all the kids who get kidnapped and never try to escape. They end up loving, and remain faithful to their captives. This is very sad, but it happens more times then not.  Abuse often times happens right at home. You can have a abusivie parent, or even husband. Children can also abuse each other. Pray to have discernment in these areas. And remember, there is never any worthwhile reason to “cover up” abuse.

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Headship Covenant & Submission

Headship covenant over our daughters & Submission
Is it biblical for a father to have a Headship covenant over his daughters?
What if the daughter has no father? What if the daughter has a father that is a unbeliever? What if it is a culture thing? What if….What if….

What if the phrase Headship covenant, regarding our daughters turns out all to be a sham? Covenant implies mutuality btw.For those who do not know.

 

 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Cor 11:3

Scripture regarding this, in depth– 

1 Corinthians 11 “I would have you know, that the head of every man is (Christ); and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of the Messiah is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head. A man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man…… Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man….. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”

Then we have the text of Ephesians, chapter 5. “Be filled with the Spirit,…  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and He is the savior of the body. Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Thus ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself. No man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord of the Church…. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife should reverence her husband.”

From these texts…. the headship and submission that Paul talks about have to do with the relationship between husbands and wives, NOT fathers and daughters. I am sure that fathers can counter with other verses and sundry about children obeying and honoring their parents yada, yada…..But, if we were to do that, then what about things like abuse? Where is the line about honoring our parents in conjunction with so many other things. Are we not forever, picking and chooseing? I would have to say yes, we are.

 

Where there is control and demands, and guilt laid to the platter, there is no love, grace,mercy or compassion on that very same platter. In return it narrows down on Religious control. *sigh*
When we read that woman is for man, not man for woman, we need to remember the Creation story in full. Adam was created on the sixth day, as were the beasts. He was alone and so God caused him to fall into a deep sleep, When he woke, there was Eve, taken from his rib, that part of the body that protects the heart. Now the Hebrews  point out that the Sabbath, the seventh day, doesn’t begin at sundown. It begins when there is not enough light to distinguish between a black and a white thread. There is that twilight, which is not the 6th or the 7th day.

 When do we sleep? When the sun goes down. It was when he (Adam) woke on Sabbath that Adam found Eve. She was God’s Sabbath gift to him. She makes him fully human, even though he had been created on the same day as the beasts. She  divinizes him, for “In His own image He made them; male and female he made them.” This is why the woman is “for man,” lest man return to the beasts..
Looking back at Ephesians…. Headship is not about control, it is about service. I never understood headship regarding daughters, only what I have been taught in the past, and just went along with it.

Praise the Lord he has been patient with us for twisting scripture to suit our fancy.
 Headship and leadership are not the same thing mind you. Leadership emerges from different places in different situations. When I am hungry, it is my stomach that leads me. It is the head’s job to get what the stomach needs, and to do it in a reasonable and healthy way, but it is nonetheless a matter of the service of the head to the body, not the other way around. In this case, the head submits to the body, for it’s well being, just as Christ submitted to death for the sake of His bride, the Church.

The most important word in the text is “as.” No one in the Greco Roman world doubted that a woman should submit to her husband. Paul modifies that submission by the word “as.” A woman was not to submit as to the emperor, not as to a slave owner, but as to the Messiah (Christ in Greek). A husband was to love his wife. A Greek would have asked, “Why?” A woman had no soul. She was a domestic appliance that could have children and was also useful, as were daughters,  for cementing business deals. Love and amusement, well, there were lots of other people for that sort of thing. Not only does Paul tell the Greeks of Ephesus to love their wives, but to love them “as” Christ loves the Church.
I am learning almost daily what bible based bullying is. It is about control.  It is about Religion, and having Religion run not only YOUR life, but the lives of everyone else around you.

I pray that all my loved ones find the Liberty and Freedom that Christ soooooo wants us to each have…

 

Liberated OR Backslidden?

What does it mean to be liberated? What does it mean to backslide? And are they two of the same? Some people seem to think so. Let us take a look at what these two words actually mean.

Backslidden- To revert to sin or wrongdoing, especially in religious practices.

Liberated- free from traditional social restraints.

Wow, I never knew there was such a huge difference between the two. If you would have asked me this last year at this time, I would have said that these two words meant the same thing. I also would have thrown the word Rebellion to the mix.

When people greet me; who I have not spent time with in a while, they may think I have backslidden. Why? Simply because I no longer follow man made tradition.

I think the word Liberated is right on cue here. Being liberated has nothing to do with backsliding. Being liberated is not partaking in sin by no means, however it is not being as cold as ice either. It means being liberated in Christ! It is a renewing of my mind that has set me free from religious bondage that satan has had me in for so many years. Satan has many believers in religious bondage.

Too be honest I do not know that I even believe in the word backslidden. I mean, being a Christian means picking up the cross and following Christ. If you are a born again believer, then you have the holy spirit within you and for you to backslide, or so the word indicates. You set the cross down and resort back to your sinful ways, whether it be drugs, or getting drunk, or commiting adultry or the alike.

Can a believer who has had their heart changed, and transformed by Christ himself, backslide? For me, I’d say no. Not if there was ever a true transformation of the mind and heart.

Getting back to the word Liberated. It has been on my mind alot lately and I have been using it alot lately too. I think that once God liberates us, we are set free. Not having a free pass to sin, that is not what I am saying. Set free to just be who the lord wants us to be for the time givin. It means not following a bunch of man made rules that christianity teaches us to follow. It means having fun and not feeling guilty of having a good time and laughing till you cry!!! It means lighting up a little. Not making your friends and children live up to your expectations. It means letting others just be themself, and hopefully, if you are the believer, they will see something a little different in you, and that something should be love. The Lord is the one who will do the tranforming. You should have faith in God and just shut up! Stop trying to force your thoughts and beliefs on others. Let go and let God…Stop trying so hard. Pray,listen, and watch the Lord work around you. HE WILL! We are taught that we need to “help” God. I never did understand this.

Getting back to being Liberated….

Since when did having fun become sinful and unjust? When did laughing become a bad thing? Why must we be so serious all the time? The bible is silent on so many things and alot of conservatives have taken this to mean we can not partake in certain things. Why add to the scriptures like this??  The Lord will renew your mind and transform you. It is not something that you can just wake up one morning and do. Until then…just relax! I suppose it sounds too easy, and most of us are worker bees, but that is another way that satan uses us. By keeping us distracted and busy.

I don’t know about the rest of you but I am not only NOT ashamed of the gospel of Christ;  I am also  not ashamed of the fact that I like to laugh and have a good time and that there is more to life then being stiff necked and serious ALL the time! Think about how much time it takes to critisize and judge others?  Trust me when I say..It is exausting!

I want to shout out to the world…I am LIBERATED! Yet, I LOVE THE LORD TOO!

WOW!  LIBERATION! As Martha would say..it is a “Good Thing” :o)

RELIGION ~Religious Testimony~

 
Do you know what it means to be Religious?

~My Religious Testimony~

 
Disclaimer-Please stop here if you are under 18. This post is pretty straight forward and uses some  language at times  to get some points across.

 
Most Christians are Religious. That’s a given.  Most Christians that I know have no personal relationship with Christ either. Wow, strong statement? I hope so, because it is true. Just by spending time with someone and talking about Christ, you can really see whether someone is religious of not.

Do you fall into this category? Are you Religious?

If you have ever went to church and sung a bunch of praise and worship songs, or heard an amazing message and came out feeling as if you could climb Mt. Everest and back, because you are on such an emotional high..Then Yes, you have  fallen prey to having had nothing more then a spiritual Orgasm. Think on that for a moment. Anyone can have an Orgasm. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with LOVE!  This is the analogy, so stay with me, and don’t blush too much. We are all adults.

Anyone could go to church and shout out some amazing Praise and Worship songs, here an amazing emotional message, and come out of church nearly shaking, because they FEEL as though they just spent time with the Lord. Or served the Lord with all they had!

Most Christians think that if they are serving the Lord, they are doing Gods will and work.  Are they? Are we “helping God out” when we are serving him? When we are teaching Sunday school, or cleaning up the church pews, or watching the little ones in the nursery; Who are we serving? Who is getting the benefits? Who exactly are you helping out? God??

 Does God NEED our help in this area? Does he call us to help him at times, because he can not do it  himself?

Or, are we helping the CHURCH? Is  the Church God? Can God only be found at the Church Institution? What exactly does the NT say about the church? Are today’s churches even churches that the NT speaks of? Why do we say that  the church is Gods House?  Are today’s churches the temples the NT spoke of?  Does God live in all the churches that we drive by each day? OR, and follow me here for a moment…Are we taught this? Are we taught from knee high that the Church is the building….What about leadership? What does the bible say about leadership? Was Paul  out taking donations in the NT, to “help him” preach Gods word? Is there anyone at all in the bible that asked for handouts so that they could “fulfill” their calling to share Gods word? What does 2 Thessalonians 3:10 say in this regards.

Back to church leadership. Is it biblical? Was there any examples of Pastorship in the bible? I see none at all. Why do we take so many things out of context? Oh Yeah, it is to keep the “system up, and running”  The system needs our help, it always does!

Just as much as we are pulled into the system each time we see a TV commercial and run out and try the product, or send our children to school so that the school could mold and shape our children so that they can operate robotic-ally in the system…the CHURCH is part of that same system folks whether you realize it or not. Wow! Doesn’t Satan have us all deceived!!

Lets see..we have commercials to shape, form, and suck us housewives into the system..Meanwhile we have our kids at school being molded and shaped and robbed of their identity and self worth, so that they can fit nicely into the worlds standards and the SYSTEM.. We have sports to make the men “feel good” and keep them entertained so that they can fit nicely into the system. Then we have the biggest sham of all….The church! The church is the system to keep all the christians in line. The bible does say not to forsake the assembly. But who is the assembly? Have you ever studies this before? If not, I encourgage you to do so.  Hint: WE, the PEOPLE are the assemby. And I never forsake the assemby of the saints. I am encourgaed and edified each time I get together with my sisters and brothers in Christ. It is so magnificent because it is not robotic and structured. We do not all have to shut up, and hear one God-Man belt it out from the front upper stage. Oh No, we get to ALL interact, and interact for as longggg as we want too. At times it is till nightfall too! Praise the Lord!

The church is just as much part of the system as anything else. It is where Satan has all the Christians go so they can be taught how “good and worthy Christians” are to be.

Sure, churches will teach you how to memorize 100+ verses..Oh WOW! That will make me more Christ-like…Ummm, doesn’t Satan know every single bible verse himself????  What the heck are we doing to ourselves forcing memorization on ourselves, and our children. Does this not also lead to Pride?  What the heck are we doing to our children?  How does it feel to be nothing more then a robot? Churches will teach us what the bible says; because lets face it, we are indeed morons who need to be taught verse by verse what the bible says because even though we are born again, and have the holy spirit WITHIN US..We still need to have someone else spoon feed us what it all means….I suppose since most of us have been brought up in the public school SYSTEM, we have already been raped of our critical thinking skills. SO this is all a no brainer for most of us.

This is where the church will come in and fill the gap for us too!
The church will teach us so  much..How to act, how to give sacrificially, how to minister, how to become a missionary, how to treat one another.  How to serve God, even though John 15:15 is very clear that after Jesus Resurrection, he no longer needs us to serve him, let alone wants us too. All he wants, is a relationship with us, and to love one another. Church will Pretty much teach us everything we need to know to be a good Christian, so we can all be a carbon copy of everyone else in the pews. That way, once we are all robotic in our thinking and ways..Then we will REALLY be able to be blessed, and used by the Lord. Until then, we need to continue to go to church, stand up, sing some songs, sit down, pray..Stand up again, hear the word of God being read, sit back down once more, Stand up once more. (How many times do you think you sit and stand in ONE service? It may surprise you!!!) OK, then we will listen ever so carefully to the preacher give HIS interpretation of what God is actually saying, because we are just not qualified to understand anything on our own, and besides, we have not all went to bible college. We really are dummed down in this area  and really need all the help we can get. This is where the preacher is most needed! He is like God after all, and that is why the congregation treats him sooooooo good. He even has his OWN day!  

Pastor Appreciation day!!!

What does the first commandment say again? What does  1 Timothy 2:5 say again? Hmmmm…

Hip, hip Hooray it is: 

Pastor Appreciation day!!!

We need to go out and get the pastor a really expensive gift, and increase our tithe by 20%  so he will know how much we Love and  honor him… BUT, ONLY if we are walking with God though and have been really faithful to the church. If you have not been faithful to YOUR  church, then God is going to be withholding his love from you.  Do not expect any blessings from God either. You MUST  be faithful in your church attendence, and only then, will the Lord use  and bless you!! IF your worthy enough..If not..The Hell with you! Or so we are brain washed to believe. :o(

So, let me ask you once more….Are you in the system that is known as,

 THE CHURCH? Have you been used by God lately? Is being a follower of Christ about being used and blessed by God?
Does Religion have anything at all to do with have a relationship with Jesus?  NOT, knowing ABOUT GOD,  But having a one on one relationship with the father, because I can bet my life that Satan knows more about God then you, or I do! Knowing about God has nothing at all to do with having a  personal relationship with him. You will NEVER hear this preached at church. Trust me when I say,  I have been in more churches then you ever have. I have been in more churches then schools, and I went to a different school for every grade of my school career!

So… what does God want from us then??? Nothing! Apsolutely nothing!  He wants us to just relax and get to know him.  He is our father, our daddy. He is everything that matters. He is the only one in the whole world who will love you unconditionally and FOREVER!!  Many Christians will spend the rest of their lives jumping through hoops and back, not ever really knowing who Jesus is, or how much he loves them.

This is what keeps unbelievers from wanting anything to do with Christ. They simply have no clue how much they are loved by him.
My husband gave a great example to a teen last night who was a non believer. He simply asked her how she feels when a boy shows interest in her. She said she liked it alot. What if the boy told the girl how much he loved her? This makes the girl want to get to know the boy even more so, does it not?

This is how Christ works. Once WE realize how much he loves us…all we want to do is get to know him more and more!
It really is that simple, yet churches have turned it into fire and brimstone preaching that uses nothing more then scare tactics to scare people to the the thrown. Let me ask you, do you think Jesus is forceful? Is there any occasion in the bible where Jesus forced himself on a person? No, he is a Gentleman, an amazing one at that. SO much so, that he waits patiently for us to ask him to come into our lives. He will not ever force himself on us. He won’t. For those who do not believe..All I can offer is that you have nothing to lose. You do not have to say some silly mundane robotic prayer for Christ to come into your life and make himself known to you. All you need to do is ask God silently to show himself to you if he is real. That is it! If he does not reveal himself to you, then I guess he is not real. This is how much faith I have in the Lord that I love!

This is all about relationships and has nothing to do with anything else. I have gotten so sick reading blog after blog, and feeling as if I just had a church service. Guilt has never worked in the past, and never will. You can beg people to give to your ministeries. You can show people pictures of deathly starving babies in another country, you can tell the congragation that if they want to be blessed from God, they will do XYZ…..Guilt has no place here.

People have been using guilt for years and years. Everyone has their own agenda. Everyone but God. He will never force his ways on you, and will never use guilt to get you to believe in him. Why do we do this then?

Why do we use guilt, and judge our brothers and sisters on performance?

Why do churches judge us on how well we perform?

If you are a Christian, do you honestly believe that the way you “perform” determines how much Christ loves you? Do you think that the Lord is sitting on the thrown waiting for you to mess up, say, or do the wrong thing ,so that he can condem you to hell, or hit you over the head with a baseball bat?

If you feel this way…..You are serving a false God. You are NOT serving the Messiah, and it has all been in pure vain if you are viewing Christ as someone who is getting ready to hit you over the head each time you mess up! You are stuck in the system and Religious Bondage, and  otherwise conforming to this world. What does conforming to this world mean exactly?

 Simple ly stated, being sucked into this worlds system..Why are we taught in church that it is something external? Oh, stay away from the movies, stay away from the malls..these are places that the heathens linger about….*G*

Ask for discernment folks.  It is an amzing gift to have. Ask the Lord to reveal himself to you. That is it!

That all said, we are all in different walks in our journey we call life. Some people are ready for certain things that the Lord will reveal to them. A couple years ago  if I would have read this blog entry, I might have scratched my head. I would not have been at the right period in my life to understand any of this. That would have been fine too!
With this all said, I have been very religious myself for  years. I felt that the Lord only loved me on how good I performed for him. Or how much I gave the church to keep it running etc.   How I talked and  looked, or what company I kept. Being Religious really has nothing to do with Christianity. Think about that for a moment.

Most people “assume” that if I call myself a Christian, well then, I must be a very Religious person. When someone thinks you are religious, they are very careful on how they talk to you. They don’t say any bad words, and if they slip, they immedietely apoligize to you, as if YOU were God.  The only gifts they give you are “religious ones” Pictures of Jesus, pictures of the Last Supper,  little trinkets of praying hands, bible verses on plaques, etc.

 Being Religious use to mean.. just being a church goer. Oh, how times have changed. Christians are the main reason why unbelievers do not take the bible as being the word of God. Christians are also the reason why there is so much division in all the congragations and why we have so many congragations, and lack of unity in the world itself.  Another strong statement, I know…Religion is really a very bad thing.

I know many people who are Religious. I am sure all of us do. I have Family that has fell into the Religious trap, and friends too.  What’s more, Religious people do not even realize that they ARE being  Religious! This makes me chuckle nowadays because I have been called Religious in the past and laught it off . because I did not see myself as being religious at all. LOL

I guess we all have a preception on what being religious actually means or is.

 So, let me ask you..If someone asked you what it means to be religious, what would you say?
Religious people could fit into any of the following groups below. Keep in mind that these are only SOME examples of what being religious falls under..Maybe you see one, or two things that describe you. Maybe everything below describes you…IDK.
People that are religious sometimes are avid chruch goers, feeling so guilty if they miss even one service, dreading that call from the “special church committee member” that gives those, who miss a Sunday, a “speical call”  just to make sure they are good and well of course! 

It is sincere, really it is…..*Grin*
Religious people dress a certain way to show off their religion. They go to all extreams to look NOT of this culture. Of course if the bible would have been written in the Western culture, Oh my, how we would be dressing otherwise, for religious reasons….You get the point.
Religious people will read the bible and change ON THEIR OWN… something about themselves. If the bible says do not drink, they will not drink, if the bible says to do XYZ, then they will do XYZ. They will make changes in their life for the sole purpose, to earn Gods  love & favor. To make God love them more then the next sister or brother….
Religious people will SERVE the Lord! They will go to all extreams to reach out, they will not relax and let the Lord bring people to them to minister and encourge. (BTW-most people do not know that the Lord WILL bring people to them.) If only they would stop, do nothing …. let go, and let God….AMEN!

Religious people will not only feel CALLED to save the orphans, homeless etc….they will make sure that the rest of us  feel guilty by not joining them on their calling too!! Hmmmm, Guilt trip much?
Please do not mistaken what I am saying here. It is fine and very nice to go help people that need help. I help people all the time, but just do not go announcing it to everyone that I know… If you are one that helps folks and then goes out and makes sure that everyone you know , knows how much you are helping “change” the world….What are the motives of helping them? Are you helping them for RELIGIOUS reasons? Are you helping them because you want to or feel you need too, because that is what the bible says to do? Are you helping them because you feel that God will love you just a tiny bit more then your neighbor who is kicking back, doing nothing, and not helping.  This is where Religion takes lead. Also, are you quietly going and helping someone who is in need, or are you preaching to everyone you meet, asking for them too, to HELP YOU..on your supposely calling by the Lord.   See the difference here? I know many people who are out there asking everyone they know to help them with their mission.  This is nothing more then Religion I am affraid. Think about this for a moment if this describes you…

There are so many people who do stuff, for the love of their Religion. Just look at the Muslims. Some of them kill, all in the name of Alah! It is all about their religion and has nothing to do with the maker. We, as christians are not much different in this area.

If God has really called YOU to help so and so…then where is your Faith in God? That he will supply the means for you to do the task? Why are you reaching out by your own means and asking others to help you on your mission? I guess it is really not Gods calling for you, if you are doing this. If you are asking for everyone else to help you, or making people fill guilty for NOT helping you. SHAME ON YOU!

God does not need YOUR help!

If he is truly calling you, to do, or help someone, he has always and forever supplied the means for the task at hand. You should not have to say, tell, or do anything at all. This too, has Satan all over it.  Vanity, Pride, Guilt.

You can go out and literetly save the world.  This will not make the Lord love you  any more then he already does. Think about all the icons, such as Princess Diana and Ghandi. They did sooo much, on their own to help people, to make a difference.

Other then Mother Tereasea, I really do not know of any other person who moved the mountains of good sterwardship then they did. Were they believers?  Nope! They helped thousands upon thousands too. Was it wrong for them to help? No, I am not saying that. However , they were not going out and asking others to help them feed the orphans though and help the needy, so  they are one up on most believers.

 Religious people often times have very high standards for themselves, and anyone else they feel worthy enough to grace their presence with.

 
Religious people do not hang out with or befriend anyone who is different then they are. Some times they do, having the motive to convert the other party to see things the way that they do, or believe the way that they do. These are both very wrong. Yet, I am guilty of having done this in the past myself. If you are friends with anyone in your life and have a motive on the back burner for them, this is very  Religious and wrong!
Religious people have an agenda, and the unbelievers are aware of this, hence, why they want nothing at all to do with Chrstians. The agenda often times is…to convert the unbeliever. To let them know that unless they accept Christ into their hearts at that very moment..then they are doomed to Hell and are going to burn in the firey gates of hade!  

Hmmm, how has this worked out for you lately? Being so Religious and all.
Does the Lord need us to scare anyone to believe in him??? How dare we do such a thing!!

Actions have always spoken louder then words, and the moment that I submitted to Christ and just relaxed, Let go, and let God work within little old me…..That is when the Lord revealed himself to me in such a  powerful way, that before, when I was sooooo busy with ministeries, serving and church..I was blindsided…Business is indeed, todays worldliness too.  Satan wants to keep us busy in the system! The key to being part of the system is to keep us busy, really busy, so we will not have any time what so ever for relationships and genuine  loving , caring friendship. Sure, we will get thrown a bone every now and again.. “Good Job Susie”! You have served God so well with your faithfulness and performance..”God is surely going to bless you greatly”!!!! Just look at all the youth groups that treat your child to a nice shiny badge or ribbon on how many verses they memorize, or GOOD they perform within the insitution.  Their self worth is taught at such a young age, by how well they perform. They are taught that performance equals LOVE! Love =Acceptance. Very sad!

This is how the system and the church uses us. It makes us feel sp worthy and loved.  It shines and puts the spot light on self. It makes you feel like such a Good  worthy christian. It makes you want to serve even more then you already do in fact!!!….All for Gods Glory, even though it has nothing to do at all with God at all. WIll God turn it around for his Glory? Sure he will, he alwasy has and alwasy will. But, it must sadden him that we are all so ablivious to all this.

 
Religious people are like puppets. You can look at them,talk to them for about 10 minutes, and know all about them and what makes them tick. This is why so many people take advantage of them. They make it so easy to fool them and pull the wool over their eyes.
So, are you Religious? Do you know God? Or are you nothing more then a religious puppet that everyone pulls the strings too? Are you robotic in your ways? Is there not much to you? Are you very predictable? Are you nieve and easily fooled?

OR:

Maybe you are the one who is pulling the strings. The bible describes these people as, Wolves in sheeps clothing. I have know several of these “so called believers” in my days too. They are as sly as a fox. They slither in, take what they can get, have hidden motives & agendas up there sleeve as a way to trick you into thinking that they care about you. They will love bomb you to death. They will make you feel special and worthy. They will suck you in, and then spit you back out.. once they get what they want from you.

I like to call them, “The Pretenders” They are so good at what they do. Satan REALLY uses them. They will act just like you when you are around and then when the next group of people are around, they act like them..liking the same things that whoever are with them likes. They are actors and actresses at best.

 
I do not want to forget to mention the super ultra conservatives. They are the self rightous modern day Pharisees that think  they are the only ones that will actually be in heaven. That unless you look and act the way that they do..then you really are not a believer at all. They feel it is THEIR job to let you know everything that is wrong with you. They are their brothers keeper. They are nortorious at holding their brothers and sisters accountable for their actions. They are controlling, manipulating and have a dictorship quality about them. They are very self rightous and you can smell them a mile away. Heaven forbid that you call them on it though. You will then be seen as  Rebellion, and you will either be casually eliminated from their circle, or shunned publically. Having you go through a tad bit of humiliation is OK, because they are just doing it for YOUR own good!
All these things..all for the Glory of God! Got to LOVE RELIGION!!!
So, why would anyone ever want to Love the Lord with all their heart and soul?

With friends like these, who needs enemys right?

Well, not me, no more. I have been on both sides of the spectrum and have recently chosen the Lords field. The field that only has to do with Loving each other and letting the Lord do the rest. I have faith in him, and he DOES NOT need my help!!

This is called Relational Chrstainity.  I did not even know there was a word to describe it, but you know how that goes. *G* The way it use to be.

There is no room for fakeness in mine, or my families life.  If anyone has any hidden agendas or motives, I have Faith in God that they will be revealed and dissoved at once. I am not into game playing christianity, nor religious mumbo jumbo. I am also not into role playing Christainity. I am not going to be the victim any longer. I have a relationship with the father, and that is all I need.  For the first time in my life I feel secure in that. It makes me cry knowing how much Christ loves me!!!

I pray that all you do too. I also pray that the Lord will reveal himself in you in such a way that only you will know it to be him. I pray that the Lord will wake you up to what it means to be in “the system”. To show you how many people are pulling your puppet strings…
Who are you? What is your self worth? Who are you identified with? Are you nothing but your heavenly fathers son or daughter? Or are you lost in limbo? Are you feeling unhappy and  lonely? Do you want more for your life and feel as if you need to cling to what ever comes your way, as a way to escape from it all? If so, what is your escape route? Is it church, to make you feel high  and mighty for God? Is it a physical relationship , or an emotional one that has grasped you by your throat and you can not seem to let go of it.

If there is anything that has control of your life, other then Christ..then it is Religion.  Maybe you are an Atheist, that is a Religion too. Maybe you are in Spiritual bondage. Religion once more. Maybe you are working so hard to be the person that the Lord has NOT transformed you to be..and you feel yourself sinking  by the day. Maybe you are trying to live up to someone elses expectations for you, and are stuck in game playing Religion and performance based religion.

Some people will live their whole lives this way because they do not want to prove anyone right, so they  remain in bondage, due to pride. They would rather be misrable the rest of their lives, then admit someone else was right.

This happens all the time, and is nothing new.  The Lord wants us to have freedom and Liberty, and despite what we have been fed in church and by the “Religious folks” we are not in Rebellion for wanting to have Freedom in Christ!! AMEN!

We can do nothing on our own. I think most of us get that. This does not mean that we need to carbon copy ourselves to meet the expectations of another person. God made us all unique, and  different and will use our gifts and talents in ways that we will never be able to fully comprehend.
It is not our job to make anyone feel, or act a certain way. Where there is motives, there Satan lays in the mix!

All we need to do is be oursleves and ask God to transform us. This is so simple.  Why do we make it so difficult. It is nothing we need to handle on our own.
So  I will just leave you with that….Be yourself!! Just Be yourself! God made you after all. You are Good enough the way you are for now! You do not need to earn Gods Love and favor! Let HIM be the one to transform you when HE sees fit. STOP trying!!

 Be yourself, NOT the person you have been molded to be..not a certain brand-line of what you have been taught what a  good little christian should be…..Just YOURSELF!! Why? Because God Loves you regardless, and will change things in you…WITHOUT your help..and believe me when I say..you will not even see it coming….
God does NOT need your help!!!;o)~~

2009 in Review ~ Our Raw food Testimony

2009 in Review ~ Our raw food testimony

2009 was an Amazing year for my family. This is going to be a pretty long post, so I will make it solely about our dietary changes that we have made this past year. I also have a Religious testimony to share, but will save that testimony for the next post.

 

OK~~~ March of 2009 we decided to change our eating style, when we found out one of our daughters had a gluten intolerance. I started searching online about what exactly that meant. I had already known that artificial flavors and colors attribute to autism and many other disorders, such as hyper tension. As I read page after page, hours on end, I came across something called the raw diet way of eating for optimum health. About 3 days after reading up on what eating a majority of raw foods  meant to the human body. I met a lady online and found out that she only lived in the next town over. She was a (M.O.M) Mother of Many. She invited us over for dinner. We had not mentioned anything to do with food yet. We arrived and she had made a big pot of chili and corn bread. As we all sat down to eat, I noticed she was just eating a salad and I casually mentioned to her if she liked Chili. She said yes, but has been trying to stick with her RAW food diet!!! LOL

My husband and I looked at each other and chuckled. She began to tell us all about what eating 80% raw foods has done to her family. She told me that for the past 8 months she and her family have been raw. She said that her husband was on medications for several things and suffered from (IBS) irritable bowl syndrom, Gurd, and blood preasure issues. She had a few issues herself she said and within a month of eating raw foods, they were cured!! WOW! I was amazed. I then told her about how I was just reading and studying about raw foods that past week. She was surprizingly shocked and then reached for the freezer and brought out a assortmant of raw desserts. Raw flourless brownies, Raw flourless chocolate chip cookies, and even some raw chocolate, which is an amazing super food, when eaten raw!
It was so cool.

I decided to slowly transition my family to a more natural organic whole foods diet. I took the basics first and did away with processed packaged foods that were loaded with preservatives, MSG etc. This meant for  us: no more Kraft Mac & Cheese, no more Coco puffs or fruity pepples. No more hamburger helper, frozen waffles, pancakes, TV dinners,french fries,chicken nuggets, Texas toast or frozen pizzas. No more fast food places, or fried food even! I stopped buying canned soups, convience mixes, chili,taco,pot roast and meatball seasoning packets too.No more bisquick, No more Crystal Light because (Aspartame causes Migrains and cancer) No more soda or concentrated juices. We were never into Kool aid because I had a thing about how some people use Kool Aid to dye fabrics, and if Kool Aid is powerful enough to dye fabrics…what on Gods Green earth is it doing to the inside of my kids bodies??? To me, that is border line child abuse. *G*

Ok, so I would need to spend a bit more time in the kitchen, but wasn’t my kids worth it??  I went online and found out how to make my own bisquick. Next I needed to find out what to do about  Vegtable shortening, so I bought a coconut oil from Walmart and as it was not organic, I replaced vegtable shortening with it. Super healthy. Cconut Oil has so many medicinal properties. I highly encourage you to check into it. Vegtable shortening is a highly prosessed Hydronated oil and wrecks haven on your colen, amoung other things.
Next came the peanut butter. This is a daily stable in our house, and so it was needed. I found at Costcos, they sell a double pack of organic healthy peanut butter that is creamy and soooooo good! It was only a buck more then the Jiff that I was use to buying too! I was not sure my son would go for it. He is the picky one, but sure enough, he welcomed the change. Then the Jelly, I was always buying the All Fruit Polanders. I decided to juice some grapes one day, and throw in some pectin and raw sugar, and make enough grape jelly to last the whole year! DONE! :o)

Bread, I was buying good old Wonder bread and switched  to one called Natures Own. It is the only one with no high frutose corn syrup in it, or MSG. There was something else it did not have in it, but I am drawing a blank. *G*

Next was Meats-I was use to buying frozen meatballs, bagle bites,chicken,hambugeres,fish sticks, mozzerella sticks, and who knows what else.

We ate really unhealthy, and were constantly praying for good health while eating a whole lot of crap. This gave a whole new meaning for praying over our deep fried foods, while asking the Lord to have it bless, and nourish us. Were we honestly thinking that the fried fatty foods would magically convert to spinich in our gut??

The bible says that we parish, for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6

Most of us grow up eating what we, ourselves were raised on. If it was good enough for mom and dad, Well, it will be good enough for us…But, how is your mom and dad? How are our parents health right now? Are they even still with us?

My dad is on 6 different medications right now and my mother is on 4.

How about our grandparents? How did they pass away, if they are no longer with us. What ever happened to dying of old age?

I think it would have to be our Great Grandparents that were probably eating a more whole foods diet. Why? Because they did not have all the boxed foods that they have nowadays. Hmmmmmm.
Anyways, I also started juicing and doing green smoothies which are sooooooo filling! I replaced the poptarts with homemade ones for transition foods for the kids. Then I stopped making the homemade ones, due to the cream cheese and sugar in them. I then started making Vegan muffins for the kids to snack on. We gave up white sugar, which praise the Lord, it has been 8 months since I bought a 5lb bag of white poison, I mean sugar! lol

It was actually during a trip to Costcos that taught us what white sugar does to our bodies. There was a demonstration of a guy using the ever popular Vita-Mix blender. He was making ice cream in less then a minute. He put some raw sugar, strawberries,milk and cabbage into the blender. He said that each time we put white sugar into our bodies, our bodies react to it as if it were bleach, a poison..and started attacking it as such. Yikes! Later when I went home, I researched it on my own and found that what he had said was true.:o(

Then he explained how the cabbage nutralizes suagr in general, so it will not mess with our blood sugar and  that sugar in the Raw does not act as a poison to our bodies. Yes, in large quanities, it will still cause Diabietes, but your body can identify it as a whole food and not a poison.
As far as snacks go, I still buy chips twice a month, but not the Lays,Cheetos or Doritos which are filled with MSG. This is why you can’t have just one and be done! *grin* MSG is a food enhancer, for those who do not know. It enhances the flavor of the food, so you want to overeat and indulge!!! There are some natural MSG found in meats. This is the heavaly processed MSG that I am talking about. I am talking about the powdered stuff that   is added to 99% of our processed foods that we are shoving down our kids throats.

For snacks, we buy organic tortilla chips in bulk at Costcos. I also buy something called Veggie Straws  which everyone just loves.. except me. I have never been a chip person.

As far as dairy goes, we still are eating eggs, but only once a week. They are from our chickens. We only buy Raw cows milk. This is only during the times that our Goat is not giving us raw goats milk. For myself though, I was never one for milk either. I do buy Organic vanilla Soy milk that I use in my baked goods etc..
Oh, getting back to the bread. During the summer months I was making our own bread. Just the simple basic bread recipe on the little packet of yeast. Everyone devoured it!

With the cold weather though, I was finding that I could not get my bread to rise right, so stopped making it until the warmer months.

I have lost 43 pounds this past year.I had lost more nearly 50, but gained it back. My goal was 50 actually. I gained it back when I fell prey to eating out, and over other peoples homes who were not eating the way I eat at my house. I think I may start just brown bagging it. *grin*

This coming year my goal is again, 50lbs. I just bought some new workout dvds today and weight elastics to go with them. I feel very determined and motivated as I type this.
As far as protein goes, and this is the most contriversal topic among carnivores and vegatarains….Let me just say, if you educate yourself, you will come to find out that meat protein is the worst kind of protein you can eat. Meat is what is causing heart diseaes throughout America, and  Despite what the main stream doctors are feeding us. (no pun intended) There is amazing amounts of real protein in so many other natural foods.

Carbs make us feel sluggish, so I am not advocating carbs by no means. You need to callenge yourself and sample a little of this and that, to see what your body reacts too. Wouldn’t it be amazing to feel as you did in your teens. So vibrant and alive! waking up each morning and literetly jumping out of bed, ready to start each new day. Ending each night with still loads of energy to spare. No body aches or pains EVER!  Sleeping for 6-7 hours a night, and sleeping straight through, waking up and feeling as if you slept 12 hours!!
Vitamins–I do take vitamins, because I always have. I do not get outside for more then a few minutes a day, and the sun is barely shining these days.  I take 6000IU’s of D3 each and every day. A couple years back, you never heard of anyone taking D3. But since the sun is the only source out there..and even some main stream doctors such as Dr. Oz are hopping on the band wagon and advocating how good it is for you..It is getting a buzz! 

I have tested it, I went several days without my D3, and I felt more run down.
If you have ever been sick in the summer time and went outside in the sun before. That feeling, that lifting up, pick up feeling that the sun gives you when you are out in it. That is what the D3 does for us. We get ours from Swanson.com. The bottle says to take one 1000IU a day. If you research it, you will find that for every 25lbs you are. You can take one 1000IU though. If you are feeling sick, a adult can stomach 10 1000IU’s and heal themselves in 3 days flat! It is pretty amazing.

All 7 of us take them each day. I also take Super B. I have been taking it for years and want to continue.

So there you have a basic run down on what my family was eating and where we are right now.
Yes, some days I fail, and make bad choices.  I do not buy any meats anymore, but do buy black bean burgers, a carrot veggie burger, and salmon burgers.We eat one of these burgers once a week. We also treat the kids to frozen pizzas sometimes and did a comparison, and found that the Tombstone frozen pizzas are the most natural. No MSG either!
My fridge is mostly fruits and veggies. I have taken some new pictures of it to share like I did last time. I need to have hubby hook up the camera to the new puter though. I will add them later.

Other things we gave up were, corn syrups, artificial flavored baking extracts,white table salt,Imitation maple pancake syrups,cheeses with food colorings in them, flourinated toothpastes, and comercial toothpastes in general, shampoos and conditioners with Sodiem Laral Sulfate in them, anti-persprints,store bought hand soaps and lotions,air freshners,all candles, except the beeswax and Soy based ones,store bought laundry soap, bath soap detergents, mouth washes(they contain aspertame) and pretty much anything un natural that you would place on your skin that would get into your blood stream.

Now I know that there are some folks who are actually allergic to raw foods! Wow! when I studied up on this, it sounded crazy. But there are some people who break out and puff up like a blow fish when they eat, or touch certain raw foods. This is called, Oral Allergy Syndrome, and YES, it also can be cured!! If you find that you would like to eat more raw foods, but simply feel as if your hands are tied, I would encourage you to Google up on oral allergy syndrome. There is a cure!  Sometimes it is just because you have a leaky gut. Having a damaged intestinal lining allows molecules that don’t belong into your system, where they  mimic allergies. It is something to look into. From what I have read, people who suffer from OAS, also suffer from  birch, grass and ragweed pollen in the Spring and Summer months.  You can read more about Vegan food allergies here.

I am sure I am leaving out some stuff, but there has been so many positive changes, I can not possibly remember them all!

Until next time…..