When You Are Hanging On By A Thread, Make Sure It's The Hem Of His Garment......

I found a posting of this statement....

When You Are Hanging On By A Thread, Make Sure It's The Hem Of His Garment!

This brought me back to a story in the Bible and I want to share it below:

Luke 8:43-48

And there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.  She came up behind him (Jesus) and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.  And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?"  When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!"  But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me."  And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.  And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."

How many times in our life during times of struggle can we honestly say we reach out for his garment?  It seems we are always reaching for everything else, BUT his garment.  We reach for Doctors, Friends, News, Family, Medicine, Etc.

We were not meant to go through this life in constant struggle.  We were never meant to go through it alone.  We need to take the spirit of pride and throw it down by the waist-side.  We are over-comers by what Jesus has done.

Whatever/Wherever you need fulfillment in your life, reach out for his garment.  Have that faith (as small as a mustard seed) as the Bible says.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This blog post is for myself today.  Many times I feel the effects of life beating me down and I feel discouraged.  Sometimes I may even get more discouraged than others because I already know where my help comes from.  My help comes from the Lord above, he is the Maker of Heaven and Earth.  I have knowledge of this, so when I am not reminding myself of this, I only have myself to blame.

There are others in this world that do not know Jesus, and do not know what the Bible says.  They are truly walking in darkness and let their desires dictate their footsteps.

Whatever you are going through, may this message inspire you.  Reach for his garment!! Hang on his garment during the struggle!!!

Faith & Fitness.......

There are two "F" words that I love to use...... Faith & Fitness!!!

I feel like in our culture today many only focus on one of the "F's!"  Fitness seems to be something everyone aspires to achieve and will always continually work towards moving forward.  But what about the other one?  Why do we tend to focus more on Fitness and not Faith?  Is it because Faith is something we cannot see with our physical eyes? "Now Faith is the assurance of what we hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. " (Hebrews 11:1)

So I would like to ask an important question:  Which is MORE important?   Temporary?  Or Eternal?
It is always nice to back up this topic with the Word of God.... So let's see what he says....

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, we will have a house in heaven, and eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

So we have an understanding that our bodies will grow weary and weaken as we age.  Now I don't want to come off as being negative because we have a priority to stay healthy and take care of our earthly bodies. 

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God?  You are not your own, you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

So it is pretty important to make sure we take care of our bodies and stay healthy for ourselves and our loved ones.  We owe it to Our Creator since we were purchased at a high price!!! 

Now I would like to focus on the other "f"..... Faith!!!

Faith is eternal and to have "Faith" pleases our Heavenly Father. 

But without faith it is impossible to please him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

 To live our lives concentrating on the physical doesn't seem like a smart choice.  We need to train our minds to focus on the Eternal.  We need to take the time to understand the Word of God and actually open it to see what it has to say.  We are only fooling ourselves if we think we can make it in this life on our own understanding.  We were made in HIS image and he has placed certain hidden talents and traits in each of us, and it is only the Holy Spirit that can bring those out.  We cannot let the sin of Pride creep in to deceive us. 

I have had this blog for over 10 years now.  My whole purpose behind starting this blog was to be a Missionary and reach other countries in the world and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I started my Instagram account to focus on my Fitness journey.  It is important to have a healthy balance.  Have time with our Savior, and have time to stay Healthy. 

I want to encourage you to see which is more important to you?  Do you tend to only focus on the physical?  How often do you read Gods Word?  How often do you talk to him?  Do you ever feel conviction from the Holy Spirit?  Are you plugged in a healthy spirit filled church?

These are important things to ask yourself!!!

I  hope this posting brings some insight on my two favorite "F" words!!!

Be A Person Of Integrity.....

INTEGRITY

 Having integrity today in our society is a rare trait.  The definition of Integrity is: Completeness, soundness, wholeness of character, the quality of being honest, the putting on of armor.  We live in a very "eye for an eye" world today.  Many are out for their own interests and live to only please themselves.  It is rare to come across someone who has the trait of Integrity.  Having integrity is to do the right thing when nobody is watching.  Christians who are living for Jesus should exercise this trait since we live for an audience of ONE and we know that God the Father sees everything.  In the Bible we find in the book of Job what is said about Integrity.

And if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
 -Job 8:6

We have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us and we do not want to grieve him.  We have a duty as an ambassador of Jesus Christ to represent Jesus wherever we go and carry ourselves with Integrity.

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. - Proverbs 20:7

Do you want your children to be blessed?  Then walk with integrity.  We need to lead by example and take the extra time and effort to teach/mold/and guide our children.  We cannot rely on schools to do it, church to do it, etc.  It ALL starts in our homes!!  Parents, put down the phones, turn off the tv and spend QUALITY time with your children.  Show them that they are MORE important.  Do the right thing!!

How do we maintain integrity?  We are to have a FULL AWARENESS at all times!!  When we mess up (because we are) we are called to repent quickly.

But I am not like that; I live with integrity. So redeem me and show me mercy. -Psalm 26:11

We are to have that mirror up at all times and constantly be fully aware of our actions and behavior.  It is so easy to pick apart others, but let's practice holding that mirror up to see our own reflection.

We need to do this one step at a time.  This is not a sprint, but a race that we need to endure and finish strong.

Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity.  - Psalm 26:1

We need to have a healthy support system and now have friends that are toxic.  Do you have others that better you as a Man or Woman?  These are important things to ask yourself when it comes to your group of friends.

I can honestly say I have 3 true friends that I rely on.  It is Quality not Quantity.

We need to be bold in our faith walk and declare it!!

He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. -Proverbs 2:7

We are to not step out of the house without our FULL ARMOR ON.  We need to be prepared for what the day has in store.

Here are a few practical easy steps to follow:
- Listen MORE than speaking
- Don't take things personal
- Be the first to say sorry
- Maintaining peace is MORE important than being right
- Spend quality time with your children and talk about Jesus
- Talk to God Daily
- Understand you are NOT perfect, that is what Jesus is for!