Medicate on the Word

Let me preface this by saying that this post is NOT about taking- or not taking- medication. I am dependent on a daily dose myself. This is intended to encourage you and to show you that God's Word is alive and powerful! 

Proverbs 4:20-22

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 

Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 
for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

Yes, you read that right! I said MEDICATE.  You have probably read the scripture in Psalm that says, "I will meditate on the Word day and night."   There are so many scriptures in God's Word that pertain to what each of us goes through from time to time and it is up to us to search them out and apply them to our everyday lives.

I will be listing a few of them here as we go along. You may want to jot these down and keep them handy. Index cards are great to use because you can keep them with you or post them around the house, in the car, etc.

A lot of times, we get discouraged because we don't know how to pray about things. The problem lies in the fact that we can allow ourselves to become intimidated, or even believe, that our prayers will not change anything. The best way to pray effectively is to pray scripture. Yes, we read them but when we speak them out loud, they become more powerful.

Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue..., so, as believers, we need to pray the Word of God. Speak life over every area of your life. God wants us to walk in victory, not defeat. Don't let the enemy keep you in despair. 

Here are some scriptures to remember when you are feeling:

Overwhelmed - 1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Sick/ill -  1 Peter 2:24, ...by His wounds, I have been healed.

Hopeless/depressed - Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Fearful - 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

Anxious - Phil. 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

                                                                                                        ...plus many more.

Whatever you are struggling through, you can find a scripture that you can pray to help you. Use the concordance in your Bible, or you can use search engines online. You can also ask others to share a favorite scripture with you. Then speak or pray them out loud. 

Romans 10:17, So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ. (GNT)

So increase your faith by praying the Word and preaching to yourself!


Be blessed,
Dawn

Between the Ash Heaps

Today was rather surreal. I was honored with the task of transporting the ashes of a very dear friend back to his home. What his wife and I both thought was a just a trip to pick up copies of the death certificate, turned out to be a final transport home. Neither of us had prepared ourselves for that. 

Last week, Mr. William Lucas passed away at the age of 75. He had not been feeling well for quite some time. Since his wife doesn't drive, she called a friend and asked her to take him to the ER. Once there, his condition quickly took a change for the worse. By that evening, he had become unresponsive and was put on life support. What they found was that he had an infection in his heart. The doctor told his wife he had probably had it for a while but just didn't know it. Less than 48 hours later, he was gone.   

He and his wife have become very dear to me. He loved to write poems about everything and was quick to quote them to anyone who would listen. How he remembered all of them, I don't know. A lot of them were limericks that he would think up on a whim.

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust, you will return.”

So, what do we do between the ash heaps? From the moment we all were even thought about, God had a plan in place. His divine plan for each of us is that we would love and serve Him all of our days. 

We should live our lives in such a way that honors God and His design. He has given us a great commission in Matthew 28:19-20;

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Be blessed,
Dawn