What is Spiritual Wellness?

My relationship with God is important to me.  However, it’s not always been that way.  I had to go through some very difficult times and discover I had no where else to turn before I rededicated my life to Christ.

How is your relationship with God?
How is your relationship with God?

However, there are still times when life gets in the way and I become so busy that I realize I am neglecting our time together.

Spiritual wellness is “a matter of values and beliefs that provide a purpose in our lives.”  For me, this means a relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

For me this means:

  • Discovering how to be quiet and listen
  • Studying Scripture
  • Resting in God and not worrying
  • Praying, Meditating and worshipping
  • Living a life that honors God
  • Showing Forgiveness
  • Being willing to share Christ with others
  • Growing my faith and relationship with Christ

What does spiritual wellness mean to you?

Transitional Friday: When God Answers Prayers

answers

 

 

 

 

I’ve discussed discouragement and waiting for God, but eventually He will answer?

However, what happens once you finally have prayers answered?

I’ve had prayers answered that showed me this was not God’s will for my life and took me down a dark path.  I’ve also had prayers answered that only God could orchestrate and proved this was God’s will for my life.

God answeres prayers

  1. Thank God for answered prayers
  2. Ask God if this is His will for my life
  3. Understand the lessons God has been teaching along the path
  4. Praise God for His blessings and provision
  5. Remember that God likes to show off to show what He can do
  6. The lesson in the wait is Faith, but we can’t abandon it once our prayers are answered
  7. Sometimes we have to get out of the boat and take the first step in faith

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 18-22, The Purpose of Life

We are wrapping up our look at Ecclesiastes 3 and a season for all times.

I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals—God tests us to show us that we have the beastly quality of animals and will prey upon others.

 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals—man is frail     ashes and dust

the same fate awaits them both—their existence is temporary

As one dies, so dies the other—all living, breathing animals {whether human or not} will died one day

All have the same breath—we all breath the same air

humans have no advantage over animals—we do not have long to live in righteousness and honor before God

Everything is meaningless—if we’re not living for God then it is all meaningless
 All go to the same place—life is fleeting and we all go to the same place

all come from dust—we came from dust ; Abraham asked in Genesis 18:27, “who am I but ashes and dust”  return to earth

and to dust all return—one day we will all return to dust; think about the burial ceremony, we say “ashes to ashes and dust to dust”
 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?—only God knows if the human spirit goes up and the animal spirit goes down.  Some may say if the saved goes to heaven and the unsaved goes into the earth.

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work—God wants us to enjoy our work and to work hard

because that is their lot—because that is why He made us.  He has a purpose for ALL of our lives.
For who can bring them to see what will happen after them—only God knows the purpose for our lives, how we will touch others and what will happen in the afterlife.  He also knows the rewards this life will bring into the afterlife.

What is your purpose in life?

 

Tweetables:

The Purpose of Life

Creative Thursday: Worshiping God With A Creative Spirit

Often we think that we can only worship God through prayer and Bible study.  This is a great way to worship God and very important, but it’s not the only way to worship God.  There are some creative ways that we can also worship our Lord and Savior.

 

  1. Journaling—journaling is very popular and you hear many people talking about journaling.  Journaling allows you to pour
    art journaling
    Art Journaling

    out your feelings on paper.  I often find that when I pray I can’t find the words, but when I write a letter to God the words just pour forth.  Journaling comes in many forms: writing God a letter, keeping your thoughts in a daily journal, etc.

  2. Art Journaling—I had a friend that introduced me to this recently and I found it greatly freeing.  Again, there are numerous options to what you can do.  This can be coloring a picture, drawing a picture, stamping, cutting out designs to paste on the page, etc.  Within the picture or design you can write your prayers or you can allow your picture to show your prayer or just pray as you journal.
  3. Painting or Sculpture—a few years ago our church had a man come in and paint a picture of Jesus during the service.  The skills of this man is amazing and he worked so fast.  We may not be at this skill level but can still paint or create a sculpture while praying and praising God.
  4. Dance—dance is a great way to praise God and show him your heart.  This can be done in church or the privacy of your home.  Often we hear churches say that we should not dance, but we’re told that King David danced for the Lord with great abandon.  If he can do it why can’t we?  {2 Samuel 6}
  5. Music—in church music is a vital part of worship, but you can also worship through music in your home or car.  Whether you play an instrument or just sing to the Lord.  We are told to “make a joyful noise.”  {Psalm 95:2}  As musician there are times Idancing for God cannot find the words to express my heart to God, but can lift up my voice to the Lord in song.  I always feel better.  Whether you turn on the radio, sing a capella, play a CD, use soundtracks or play your own music, God doesn’t care as long as we praise Him.  Music also lifts the mood.
  6. Drama—this most likely would be done in a group, but you could also act out a scene or monologue in the privacy of your home.  Drama is a great way to express yourself and show God your heart.
  7. Design—this option has numerous possibilities, because you could design an area in your home to pray and worship, design a piece of jewelry to wear, design a craft project, etc.  Just remember that regardless of what you are designing, you are doing it to the glory of God.

What are some creative ways you’ve worshipped God?

 

Tweetables:

Worshiping God With A Creative Spirit

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 11-14, The Fear of the Lord

For the past two weeks we have been discussing God’s time and that there is a season for everything.

He has made everything beautiful in its time—think about how flowers are planted and in their own time become beautiful.  The same can be said for circumstances in our lives.    fear of Lord

He has also set eternity in the human heart—God wired us to long for eternity and to want the blessings only eternity can bring.  God made us for himself and we are emotionally wired to long for him.

yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end—we cannot begin to imagine the greatness of God and all that He has done and All that He will do.  He tells us that “my ways are not your ways.” We will never understand this until we are with Him and He reveals it to us.
 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy—God wants us to be happy.  when life is difficult this can be hard, but even in the most difficult times He wants us to be happy.

and to do good while they live—God wants us to do good while we are on this earth, this includes helping others.
 That each of them may eat and drink—we should eat and drink, but not in excess.  This is often a challenge.

and find satisfaction in all their toil—God wants us to find satisfaction in our hearts and our journey, even when we’re not at a place where we want to be.  Personally, this is something I’ve struggled with and have to continually pray about.gift from God

this is the gift of God—everything, even our hardships, are a gift from God
 I know that everything God does will endure forever—what God gives us and the lessons He teaches us through the good times, as well as through the hardships {more often through the hardships} will last forever.

nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it—God set the plan of life and no matter how hard we try, we cannot change or alter that plan.

God does it so that people will fear him—God wants us to fear Him.  We are told that  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” {Psalm 111:10}.  Once we begin to trust God’s wisdom, then we can begin to fear Him.

Do you fear the Lord?

 

Tweetables:

The Fear of the Lord 

Transitional Friday: For Everything There Is A Season

In Ecclesiastes 3, we are told that for everything there is a season.  There are seasons of life that we love and seasons that we can’t wait to get finished with.  While we wait for the next transition, the waiting is often the most difficult aspect of our situation.  In our humanness we wonder what God is doing, why it’s taking so long and when He’ll be finished and life will be better.  At least, that’s what I wonder.

So what does God say about this.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven {v.1}: everything has a purpose under heaven.  God has ordained a season for each part of our life.  time to be born

A time to be born: at some point we were all born from our mother’s womb.

A time to die: one day we will all die.  You’ve heard the old saying the only two certainties in life are death and taxes.

A time to plant: in all of the waiting, we may be planting and sewing seeds.

A time to pluck up that which is planted {v.2}—eventually we will reap what we have planted.

A time to kill—we could take this literally, but it also can mean to end the things that aren’t good for us.  This could be a relationship, friendship, job situation or even selling a house.  Are there things in your life that are bringing you down or need to be left behind?

A time to heal—sometimes we just need to heal and work through the process of what we’ve dealt with.  This can be anything from a divorce, to losing a job, to damaged friendship or a sickness.

A time to break down—I’ve discovered the hard way that sometimes God needs to break us or situations in our lives to get us to the point we need to be so that he can build us back up.

A time to build up {v.3}—once we’ve been broken, God wants to build us back up. He wants to set us on the path He has in stores for us.

A time to weep—weeping is good for the soul, it releases the pent up emotions we keep buried.  I often cry easily, while I have family members that seldom cry.  I’m not saying one is right or wrong, I just know that I feel cleansed after a good cry.laughter

A time to laugh—laughter is good for the body.  After her heart attack, a friend had her doctor prescribe for her to laugh each day.  We all need to laugh more {at least I know I do}.

A time to mourn—we will all mourn at some point, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a friendship, a job, a relationship, our dream house, our independence or the pain over decisions our children are making there will be a point at which we mourn.

A time to dance {v.4}—God wants us to be joyful and to express our joy.  King David danced before God in the Old Testament.  Would you be willing to dance before God?

A time to cast stones—no one wants to have stones cast at them.  Sometimes we watch the media and are so thankful that we are not the one that has made a major mistake broadcast around the nation or world.  Also, this could go back to the passage that says, “we reap what we sew.” We could be casting out stones for a new job, to build a house, buy a car, etc.

A time to gather stones—often we want to call people out on something they’ve done wrong.  Just as we do not want to have stones cast on us, we need to tread carefully when we are gathering stones.  We need to check our facts, search our hearts and pray before accusing or confronting another individual.  Gathering stones also relates to showing passion or affection for people and events in our lives.

A time to embrace—there are moments when life gets difficult and we just need a hug and the reassurance that everything will be alright.  As stated above, at times we need to just accept that we are going through and that it cannot be changed at the moment.

A time to refrain from embracing {v. 5}—there are other situations when it is best to refrain from embracing someone, no matter how much comfort you long to provide.

What season of life are you in right now?  What seasons have you struggled with?

Next week: Ecclesiastes 3: 6-10

 

 

Tweetables:

For Everything There Is a Season

Probing the Seasons of Life mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3

 

Discovering My Life Purpose

Have you ever wondered what your life purpose is?  Did you know that God made each of us for a purpose?  We were made in God’s own image and with a purpose.

Only recently have I begun to question and seek what my purpose is.  Seeking these answers has made me wonder how my life would be different, if I’d known this years ago.

Did you know that God has a purpose for each and every life?  Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”    life purpose questions

So how do you determine God’s purpose for your life?

Let’s begin by defining life purpose.  Your life purpose is a declaration of your passions, gifts, and talents that intentionally provide life direction and is driven by the Holy Spirit.

When determining your life purpose, ask yourself these five questions:

  1. Does it honor God?
  2. Does it reflect my passions, talents, skills and spiritual gifts?
  3. Does it apply to all seasons of my life, not just my current chapter?
  4. Does it give me a specific direction for life, but remain flexible to allow God to lead?
  5. Can it be easily reduced to one short phrase?

When determining your life purpose, seek God’s wisdom and guidance through His prayer and Bible Study.

What is your life purpose?

purpose of life

In the Wait

Have you ever wondered what’s next?  When am I going to reach this goal?

I have!  For years, I’ve asked God about various aspects of my life.  Some I have waited for patiently and others, well I’ve shown God my attitude.  Needless to say I’ve been impatient and even angry at times. God wants us to be truthful with Him and tell Him how we feel.               waiting on God

We are told in Ecclesiastes “For everything there is a season.”  Still I wonder when that season will come.  Why have I been in the desert so long?  When will God show me the direction and answers I’ve been waiting for?

Waiting is not easy.  I understand why the Israelites grew frustrated after 40 years in the desert.  I often wonder how Joseph endured while he was in prison those seven years.

waiting       Still I know that the answer comes down to one answer, with God’s help I will wait.  That’s the same way that I’ve made it through.  It’s not been easy, but I have to trust that He knows best.  As my pastor says, He sees the upper story when I only see the lower story.

That doesn’t make it any easier, but I’ll trust that He knows what’s best.  So while I wait, I’ll continue to lean on Him.

10 Different Ways to Pray

Prayer often scares people.  They feel that they have to use lofty words and long sentences.  This is not true.  God wants us to talk with him the way we would talk to a friend.  We are all unique and created in God’s own image.  What works for one person may not work for another.  I decided to list ten ways in which we can lift our hearts up in prayer to God.

  1. Short prayers throughout the day—often instead of one big long prayer; God would like short prayers from us throughout the day.  He wants to be with us always, not just at a certain appointed time and then we forget Him the rest of the day.  Ask for God to be with or help people that you see or come to mind throughout the day.    art journaling
  2. Journaling—writing out our feelings to God is a great way to share our heart with Him.  Often I have trouble verbalizing my heart to Him, but once I begin to write it out, my feelings pour forth.   These are for His eyes only.
  3. Art Journaling—I was recently introduced to this technique and loved it.  You could put on some praise music or do this in silence.  Draw your feelings or the people on your heart {God even accepts my stick figures} and use this time to just worship Him and share your heart.  Your pictures can be as simple or intricate as you choose, He knows your heart.
  4. Music—I love to sing.  I find that just crying out to God in song or praising His name; can lift both my heart and my mood.   God wants us to praise Him, as well as tell Him how we feel.  He loves music and King David praised Him through the use of music.
  5. Dance—speaking of King David, he also danced for the Lord.  If you enjoy dancing, this is another way of expressing yourself before God.      Dance
  6. Walking—I love to talk with God while I walk.  Even if others are around, it’s just the two of us together in the spirit.  I’m working my body and worshiping with Him at the same time.
  7. Getting out in nature—nature is full of the reminder of God’s goodness and love for us.  All around is the beauty of the things that He made with His own hands.  Whether you are on the top of the mountain or sitting by the river’s edge, you can spend time worshiping with Him.
  8. Tears—tears cleanse the soul.   We’re even told that “Jesus Wept”.  Sometimes we just need to have a good cry and let it all out.
  9. Own our Bible—at a conference I met a wonderful lady who is such a prayer warrior.  I often saw her own her knees in prayer throughout the day.  However, on a couple of occasions I saw her pray in a way that I had never thought of before.  She had her Bible open to a passage that spoke to her and was laid out across the Bible with her arms stretched out.  I quickly passed by not wanting to interrupt her time of worship.  However that sight has stayed with me.
  10. Joyful exclamations—we can also joyful exclaim God’s name and promises and at the same time to tell the devil to go back to whence he came.  What better way to worship then to lift God up and proclaim His name?

Have you thought of praying in any of these ways?  Would you be willing to try one new area of prayer this week?  Are there other ways in which you pray?  What are they?

worship in nature

Writing a Gratitude Journal

I’ve struggled at times with being grateful for things in my life.  This has been especially true when things were not going my way.  I had a friend suggest that I start a gratitude journal.  Each morning I would list three things for which I am grateful.  I decided that I would not list anything on my list more than once a month.   greatful

I discovered that the more I wrote in my gratitude journal the better my outlook and attitude became.  I’m more grateful for the small things around me.   When my outlook begins to look bleak, I’ll ask myself if I wrote in my gratitude journal that morning.  Often I’ll discover that I did not and will take the time to sit down and write in my journal.

I’ve also discovered that I will write in anticipation of something for that day.  Regardless of the outcome of that event, my attitude is much more positive.

Have you ever thought about keeping a gratitude journal?  What positive insights did you find?

gratitude