Your Life Is Your Ministry And Your Storm Is Your Message


Have you been asking God, “What is my ministry so that I can serve you?” or telling Him, “Please remove King Nebuchadnezzar and his anti-God rules and regulations so that I can serve you freely”?

If you have, understand that your life is really your ministry and your storm caused by Nebuchadnezzar is your message and you may have to preach it without a microphone.

Learn from Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3 when King Nebuchadnezzar built the golden image and ordered everyone to worship it or be thrown into a hot furnace. They decided to remain faithful to God and said to the King, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)

Therefore, when facing a fiery storm, you first have to have the firm conviction that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had that God can deliver you for The lord’s arm is not shortened that it cannot save. (Isaiah 59:1)

Then, sort out the issue with God such that you are sure in your mind what He would like you to do in that particular situation and you will not need to convince others for as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said, “O King, we have no need to answer you in this matter” (Daniel 3:16) because they knew they were ultimately only answerable to God in this and other matters.

After sorting things out with God, you now have to decide to remain faithful to Him whether it endangers you life, marriage, finances, ministry, career or business. In addition to this, you also have to leave the prerogative of taking away the storm in God’s hands. This means that you will remain faithful to Him whether or not He takes away the storm even though you know without a shadow of doubt that He can take it away.

Be certain like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who to paraphrase their words, said, “Our God can deliver us, no question about that, but even if He chooses for whatever reason not to deliver us, we are still okay with that and we will still remain faithful to Him for Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15)

To have the conviction of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, you have to really believe that your life is in really God’s hands. It is not in King Nebuchadnezzar’s hands even though he has the power to throw you into a fiery furnace. Therefore, if you have not yet done so, put your life in God’s hands so that you can have their level of confidence in God and then bite the bullet like they did for they were then thrown and Fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:23)

After falling while bound in the middle of the fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar and his counselors continued to watch them and what they saw was the message that the ministry of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego delivered.

They saw four free and not bound men, men who were walking in the midst of the flames and lying on the floor of the furnace. This sight shocked the King for Then Nebuchadnezzar was astonished, and said to his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered “Yes” and he said, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:24-25)

This sight convinced King Nebuchadnezzar that the God of Israel, the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was the true God for he said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel, and delivered His servants who trusted in Him and refused to serve or worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, that any people, nation, and language who speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver like this. (Daniel 3:28-29)

Therefore, we can see that the ministry of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was actually how they lived their lives in the storm.





If you don't have a kindle, click on this link to download software from Amazon so that you can read kindle books on your PC. http://dld.bz/TEjn 

Dealing with Depression Lesson 16 Biblical Therapy & Diet Therapy



Biblical Therapy for Dealing with Depression 
Eat

Eating is the 12th principle of Christian Depression Treatment.

When Jezebel threatened to kill him, Elijah became depressed and prayed, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life”. (1 Kings 19:4) He then lay down and slept (probably hoping that God would take him in his sleep) but God sent an angel to him who came and woke him up and told him to eat. He woke up and found a coal baked cake bread which he ate and then drank some water and went back to sleep again. (1 Kings 19:4-6)

He was woken up a second time by the angel to eat and this shows us that eating carbohydrates and drinking water are important for managing depression. 


Diet Therapy for Dealing with Depression 
Eating Carbohydrates

Eating carbohydrates is an important principle of Holistic Depression Treatment from both Biblical and medical points of view.


This is because complex carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, pastry and cereals increase the levels of serotonin in the body which “soothes the mind” and imparts a feeling of calmness, relaxation and emotional well being.

This may explain why a lot of comfort foods that people reach for when they are feeling sad, lonely, stressed or depressed are carbohydrates. Perfect examples include chocolate cake, cookies, donuts and potato crisps.  

In addition, we can also see that after eating the first time, Elijah went back to sleep. Therefore, eat a whole grain sandwich before your bed time if you are having trouble falling asleep because of depression as it will result in an increase in serotonin levels which will also help you sleep better.





Action Plan
1. Identify and stock up on healthy carbohydrates you will include in your daily diet to keep your serotonin levels up. Perfect examples include whole grain breakfast cereals for breakfast, whole grain pastries for lunch and dark chocolate for dessert.

2. Identify and stock up on healthy carbohydrates you will eat to help you fall asleep such as whole grain sandwiches washed down with a glass of warm milk.

3. Click here for lesson 17








Seed Words of a Powerful Tongue


Did you know that your words are seeds that you plant into your situation?
Did you know that you can plant good seeds into your life by speaking good words?
Did you know that you can plan to reap good things in your life by planting good seed words into your life?

So what are seed words?
Seed words are words that you plant into your present life situation through your speech so that you can reap fruitful future outcomes.

How do seed words work?
Seed words work because of the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21)

What can this power of the tongue do?
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love the tongue will eat its fruit.  (Proverbs 18:21)

What does this Proverb really mean?
This Proverb means that there is power in the tongue and those who love talking with the tongue will eat the fruit that is produced by the power of their tongues. That is, they will have to live with the consequences of their words or what their words give birth to because each word you say is a powerful seed that you plant in your life.

Therefore, if you have nothing good to say, say nothing.

And, if something bad has happened in your life, don’t say anything bad and plant more bad seeds in your life.

The perfect example of this is Biblical principle from the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4.

This woman had given birth to a miracle child. We know it was a miracle child because she was described as she has no son, and her husband is old. (2 Kings 4:14) So her chances of getting a baby were very bleak because her husband was old.

But, the power of God is able to circumvent humanly impossible situations (even without Viagra) and Elisha the man of God prophesied that she would have a son with her old husband within a year (even modern day invitro fertilization specialist cannot give such guarantees).  

And she did conceive and deliver her miracle son within a year and then the unthinkable happened. He precious child complained of a headache while he was with his father in the field (2 Kings 4:19) and then he died in his mother’s arms at home on the same day. We don’t know if it was cerebral spinal meningitis or a ruptured aneurysm that killed him but the boy died.

After his death, his mother laid him in a bed and asked her husband to provide her with a donkey and a young man (a car and a driver) so that she could go and consult Elisha, the prophet who had prophesied that she would get a child. (2 Kings 4:22) 

When her husband asked her why she was going to see the prophet (chances are he was not aware that the boy had died since his mother had laid him in the prophet’s bed in their home), she replied IT IS WELL (2 Kings 4:23) 

The lesson here is that even if something bad has happened, you do not have to open your mouth and confess it if you have not yet accepted in your heart that there is no other way around the situation. 



If you don't have a kindle, click on this link to download software from Amazon so that you can read kindle books on your PC. http://dld.bz/TEjn

Dealing with Depression Lesson 15 Biblical Therapy & Social Therapy

Biblical Therapy for Dealing with Depression 
Go to Church

Going to Church is the 11th principle of Christian Depression Treatment.

We can see that when Jezebel threatened to kill him, Elijah became depressed and prayed asking God to take his life. (1 Kings 19:4) He then lay down and slept but after eating and resting he set out on his journey to the mountain of God. (1 Kings 19:8) When he got there, God told him to stand before the Lord. (1 Kings 19:11) 

We can also see from 2 Kings 19 that when King Hezekiah received a depressing letter telling him that God would not save Jerusalem from the king of Assyria, Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. (2 Kings 19:14) This letter stated that the gods of many other nations such as Gozan, Haran, Reseph, Eden, Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivah had not been able to save them from the Assyrian king. (2 Kings 19:9-14)

Therefore, if you are struggling with depression and regardless of whether you are facing verbal threats like those of Elijah or written threats such as eviction notices or court summons, present yourself to the house of God and present your problems and petitions to Him in prayer.



Social Therapy for Dealing with Depression 
Go to Church

Going to Church is another important principle of Holistic Depression Treatment.

Studies have shown that people who practice religious faith are healthier than nonbelievers. When you go to Church you also reap other advantages such as receiving emotional support from your Church family. The preacher's sermon may also minister to your hurting heart and help you cope better with your depressing situation. You may also be encouraged by listening to testimonies from other Church members who overcame depression and depressing situations.

Therefore, find a Bible teaching Church that you feel comfortable in, attend services regularly and begin to incorporate the teachings into your life. Go to Church regularly and be sincere in your efforts to grow spiritually if you want to reap the benefits of going to Church, as just going through the motions will not help you. 



Action Plan
1. Identify a Bible teaching Church near where you live and begin attending services regularly. If you are unable to get to one, you can attend online services. Examples include http://www.web-church.com/ and http://www.alphachurch.org/

2. Read 1 chapter of the Bible everyday and  then talk to God about your depression and depressing situation. Show Him the medical reports or whatever is depressing you and ask Him to help you.  

3. Click here for Lesson 16





Holistic Christian Depression Treatment Lesson 14 Biblical Therapy & Social Therapy

Biblical Therapy for Dealing with Depression 
Encourage Yourself

Encouraging yourself is another very important Christian depression treatment principle. We can learn from David in 1 Samuel 30 when he had every reason to be depressed but instead, he chose to encourage himself in the Lord.

The following distressing things had happened to David:
a. He was living on the run in Ziklag because King Saul wanted to kill him just because he was jealous of him.
b. David and his men returned to their homes in Ziklag and found the whole place had been razed to the ground (1 Samuel 30:1) and all their wives and children kidnapped by the Amalekites. (1 Samuel 30:2) Then they all wept, until they had no more power to weep. (1 Samuel 30:4)  
c. David’s men then spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. (1 Samuel 30:6)  

Thus you can see that David had every reason to get depressed and even commit suicide when his own friends and comrades begun talking about of stoning him to death because their wives and children had been kidnapped regardless of the facts that he did not tell the Amalekites to kidnap anyone and that his own wives had also been kidnapped for David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail (1 Samuel 30:5)   

Instead, David chose to encourage himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6) instead of dwelling on discouraging self-defeating thoughts such as “God has abandoned me”, “I will never get a good break in life”, “There is no hope in my future”, “I am as good as dead” or even “God does not love me”.  

Therefore, when it seems that all hell has broken loose in your life for:
a. your enemies are trying to kill you (like King Saul)
b. your friends are also trying to kill you (like David’s men)
c. you have lost your family whether by divorce, separation, betrayal (like David’s wives were kidnapped)
d. you have lost your home whether by repossession or eviction (like David’s home was burnt)
e. you have lost your clothes and other earthly possessions whether by theft or earthquakes (like David's which were burnt in his home)
f. you have no one to encourage you (David’s wives had been kidnapped while his pals wanted to kill him )


Even if all these and much more have happened to you, understand that when you are dealing with depression or fighting depression, you have to abstain from holding a pity party and instead hold an encouragement party and encourage yourself in the Lord as it is very effective Christian depression treatment.

Encourage yourself in the Lord by reminding yourself of Scriptures that give you hope and strengthen you on the inside. Meditate on these Scriptures as part of your depression self-help. Perfect examples include:
a. Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed or distressed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. (Isaiah 41:10)
b. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them for the LORD your God is the One who goes with you and He will not leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
c. My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
d. God is my refuge and my strength. He is a very present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear. (Psalm 46:1-2)
e. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear evil, for You are with me and you rod and staff, comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
                                          
Encourage yourself in the Lord especially when life looks bleak


Social Therapy for Dealing with Depression 
Vet Your Friends

As much as it is important to have friends, it is even more important to choose the right kind of friends especially when you are dealing with depression. Therefore, choose Christian friends who lift you up with their words (e.g. quoting hope inspiring Scriptures for you, praying for you) and actions and not those who bring you down as this is crucial Christian depression treatment. 


In addition, limit the time you spend with negative people if you want to feel better. Learn from David because when his friends started talking about killing him, he did not spend time with them. Instead, he wisely chose to spend time with God for it is better to be alone with God than surrounded by negative people.  

Finally, Do not take to heart everything people say (Ecclesiastes 7:21) as public opinion even from private friends can be a source of depressive thoughts. 


Live your life with a sincere aim to please Jesus and “gain” His approval and the peace of God which emanates from focusing in God will insulate you from stinging social censure. 






Action Plan
1. Schedule an Encouragement Party when you will meditate on the above mentioned Scriptures and build yourself up in the Lord.


2. Vet your friends and separate them into those who depress you and those who uplift you so that you can stop spending your precious time with depressing people. 


3. Click here for Lesson 15




Christian Spiritual Warfare: How to Fight Condemnation and Feeling Condemned with Bible Verses

Bible verses are the foundation of Christian spiritual warfare because the Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). We will therefore call the Scriptures that we will use to fight feelings of condemnation SWORD WORDS.

Condemnation or feeling condemned is a technique the devil uses to permanently tie people to their past mistakes in order to prevent them from enjoying their present and moving to their future.  

If you have made a mistake regardless of how big or small, confess your sins to God, receive His forgiveness, forgive yourself, apologize to those you have hurt and compensate them for their loses. Then leave your mistakes in the past and move into your future guilt free.

Refuse to live the rest of your life chained to your past sins. Imitate Paul who said, “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a disrespectful man, I obtained mercy. “ (1 Timothy 1:13) He left behind the mistakes of his old self when he was Saul the serious persecutor of Christians for he even had letters from the High priests authorizing him to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment (Acts 22:5)  and he was now living a new life as Paul the serious preacher of Christianity.

Therefore, do the same. Turn over a new page right now and begin a new chapter in your life by accepting Jesus as your Savior because If anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. Old things pass away as all things become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

To accept Jesus all you have to do is to say with your mouth that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead when He died for our sins and you will be saved (Romans 10:9) and you will become a new creation. Understand that salvation is a vital step for Christian deliverance because it is one of the weapons of our warfare (Ephesians 6:14-17) for our spiritual battles.  

Therefore, get saved and leave your past sins and mistakes behind by erasing them from your mind because God has erased them from your record and forgiven you.

Emulate Paul and reach forward to your future guilt free for he says, One thing I do is, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind (Philippians 3:13-15)

If the feelings of condemnation persist, pray deliverance prayers for yourself by asking Jesus to set  you free and schedule meditation sessions to meditate on Christian spiritual warfare scriptures such as “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. (Romans 8:1)


For more info, read SWORD WORDS.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Favorite Posts

.

Search our Blog

Subscribe to our Newsletter to Get our Blog Posts and Special Offers

* indicates required