Les Enfantes de Dieu- 1974
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
God is a Spirit!- John 4:24
God is the Spirit of Love. He is the Great Spirit, the Creator. He is not some old bearded gentleman way off somewhere, or some kind of ferocious monster that you can not understand, but He is the genuine Basic Power and Guiding Light of the Universe. The all powerful, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent Spirit that pervades all things. He is everything, and everything is God, in a sense. As Paul has written, "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being." Act 17:28 and Colossians 1:16 and 17; "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."
God dwells in life: He dwells more in one little sparrow than He does in all of the buildings and monuments supposedly dedicated to Him! "For the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands!" (Acts 7:48) He said even the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Him! Nevertheless, the High and Holy One dwells in the heart of the meek and lowly. (Isaiah 57:15) He will live in your heart if you will ask Him to come in.
He is everywhere in Love. He is the very Spirit of Love in your heart. He is inside you, so close. His Love is there wherever you are, whenever you ask for it. As King David so beautifully expressed in the Psalms,"If I am up in Heaven, Thou art there. If I descend into the depths of Hell, Thou art there. Wherever I am, Thou art with me. I can never depart from Thy Spirit! (Psalm 139:7-12) Ask Him into your heart today!
God dwells in life: He dwells more in one little sparrow than He does in all of the buildings and monuments supposedly dedicated to Him! "For the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands!" (Acts 7:48) He said even the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Him! Nevertheless, the High and Holy One dwells in the heart of the meek and lowly. (Isaiah 57:15) He will live in your heart if you will ask Him to come in.
He is everywhere in Love. He is the very Spirit of Love in your heart. He is inside you, so close. His Love is there wherever you are, whenever you ask for it. As King David so beautifully expressed in the Psalms,"If I am up in Heaven, Thou art there. If I descend into the depths of Hell, Thou art there. Wherever I am, Thou art with me. I can never depart from Thy Spirit! (Psalm 139:7-12) Ask Him into your heart today!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Divine Healing: Cornerstone of Healing
Divine Healing: Healing Is for Evangelism
By Peter
March 13, 2012
Chapter 3
In the previous article, we presented some of the main points of agreement among the healing evangelists, one of which is that the power of healing is available to all Christians.
Another key point they teach is that one of the primary purposes for the gift of healing is as a tool for evangelism—that praying for the sick is a means of opening the door to preach about Jesus and bring people to salvation.
While they do pray for other Christians who need healing, they each make the point that healing is a very effective means of preaching the Gospel. When you pray in the name of Jesus for someone who is sick and they are healed, it’s a powerful testimony that what you preach about Jesus is true.
Don Dunkerley wrote the following about the effectiveness of healing in evangelism:
Using healing prayer in evangelism is a major emphasis in developing countries and is a reason for the meteoric rise of Pentecostal and charismatic churches in the twentieth century.
Missionaries observe that in many places the churches that grow most rapidly are churches that incorporate the ministry of healing into their normal church activities. This naturally raises questions about churches that downplay healing and also do not grow particularly well. Is there a correlation?[1]
My advice to missionaries is to pray for the sick and distressed on every appropriate occasion. Pray for the healing of believers, and pray that unbelievers will be healed and saved.
Healing prayer is a key to growth in numbers of churches throughout the world. And using healing prayer as a means of evangelism is popular in churches around the world.[2]
Jesus seemed to expect that this kind of evangelism would continue because He announced shortly before His ascension, “These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands: and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”[3]
Wayne Grudem, a theologian, has this to say about healing and its purposes, including evangelism:
As with other spiritual gifts, healing has several purposes. Certainly it functions as a “sign” to authenticate the Gospel message, and show that the kingdom of God has come. Then also healing brings comfort and health to those who are ill, and thereby demonstrates God's attribute of mercy toward those in distress. Third, healing equips people for service, as physical impediments to ministry are removed. Fourth, healing provides opportunity for God to be glorified as people see physical evidence of His goodness, love, power, wisdom, and presence.[4]
Curry Blake states it succinctly:
The teaching for the Divine Healing Technician [those he is teaching healing to] is … for Mark 16:15. It’s for the street.[5]
Praying for those who are in need of healing is a method of evangelization, which can be very effective. It’s something Jesus told those who believe to do and has given them power to do. Some missionaries have begun to incorporate healing prayer into their regular witnessing and are using it as a powerful addition to their mission outreach.
It’s God Who Heals—Give Him the Glory
The next foundational point that each of these healing evangelists preach is that it is God who heals, not the person doing the praying. One must always give credit to God, as all healing should glorify God.
Has there ever been a human heal anybody? No! Who did it? Jesus. It was actually the Spirit of God. Jesus said, “Even the works I do, even I don’t do them but it’s the Spirit of My Father. He does them.” Even Jesus didn’t take credit for the works He did. He gave the credit to the Spirit. So every healing that ever took place, one person did it. The Spirit. Right?… There has never been a healing, ever, there has never been a raising from the dead, there has never been a miracle that took place that the Spirit that is in you didn’t do.
I started realizing, this thing is easy. Why? Because the One that has the full knowledge of everything, the One that knows every situation and has healed every sick person, every bit of it, lives in me. And when I realized that, then I realized it wasn’t about who was laying hands on that boy. It was about the Spirit of God that healed that boy, and what I was feeling was the Spirit of God.[6]
John and Sonja Decker write:
God gets the credit. Moving from surprise encounters to authentic manifestations of God’s healing power was a process that took over ten years. We observed all kinds of healings. Some were questionable and some were obvious. Some were routine and some were spectacular. Regardless of who was ministering or how they prayed, we learned one vital truth. We are very careful to always point to an awesome God who receives all the credit and glory. We receive no acclaim on how we or anyone else achieved the various healings. Prolonged intercessions with fasting may have played a part. However, the ultimate reason for the healing lies in a compassionate God who is willing to heal those who rely on His Word, His mercy, and His grace.
Be aware of people with religious spirits announcing that you are special. Avoid allowing people to “puff you up” by praising you for what is happening. Respond by having everyone lift their hands and voices in praise and thanksgiving, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ for what He is doing.[7]
As Christians We Are Engaged in Warfare Against Satan
As has been commonly taught by Christians throughout history, those who follow God are at war with Satan.[8] Each of those involved in healing whose material I read teaches about the warfare between the kingdom of God and Satan and his demons. They see the fight for the healing of souls and bodies as spiritual warfare.
Don Dunkerley puts it this way:
Everyone doing healing evangelism is engaged in spiritual warfare. It is by the power of the kingdom of Satan, after all, that people are afflicted with sin, disease and demons. And as the Kingdom of God advances, the kingdom of darkness is pushed back and people are set free. So in order to understand healing prayer, we need to understand spiritual warfare and the role of prayer in that warfare.
When engaging in healing prayer [privately, before beginning to pray for people], rebuke spirits of infirmity specifically as Jesus did (Mark 9:25). Break their power and command them to loose their victims. You might pray something like this: In the name of Jesus I take authority over all spirits present that are not of Him. I particularly rebuke you spirits of infirmity and command you to loose your victims. By the power of the blood of Christ I command you to depart and go where Jesus sends you. I invite the healing power of the Holy Spirit to burn out all impurity.[9]
Curry Blake states:
This whole thing goes back to warfare, it’s all it is: Warfare between two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness … If you could take that and just grow from that, that’s everything you need to know; that’s it in a nutshell. … They are the sick. They are the oppressed. They are a prisoner of war by Satan. … The prisoner of war is never the problem. It’s his guards that you have to deal with. [10]
Praying for the Sick Sometimes Puts You in a Position that Requires Casting Out Spirits
Before going into what the healing evangelists teach regarding casting out spirits, I want to make it clear that Maria and I, and these healing evangelists as well, don’t feel that every illness—whether physical or mental—is due to oppression or possession by demons or evil spirits.
According to the experiences recounted by these healing evangelists, at times they are faced with people who are hindered by an evil spirit, and when the healer begins to pray for the person, the spirit manifests itself and hinders the healing. At such times, the evangelists claim deliverance for the person. This seems to be fairly rare, but it is something that happens sometimes when praying for the sick. Since I am covering those things which these healing evangelists hold in common, and since they all spoke about finding themselves in situations where the person who needed healing also needed prayer against a hindering spirit, I felt it was important to include mention of this. While not a pleasant subject, it’s part of what they face from time to time.
They all wrote or spoke with compassion for those needing this type of prayer, and their main concern is setting people free from the bondage of Satan. They weren’t linking every sickness to the need for deliverance from a spirit. They spoke about prayers of deliverance in a matter-of-fact way, stating that there are sometimes occasions when such a prayer was needed. In such cases, people needed prayer for their physical healing, along with prayer against a troublesome spirit.
When they pray against spirits, the evangelists claim God’s Word and know that because God has given Christians power over evil spirits, the spirit must obey when they command it to leave. They speak about times when more than one spirit is hindering the person and they have cast them out one by one.
Jesus gave His disciples authority to cast out demons, and He said that He’s given that authority to believers.
These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues.[11]
He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.[12]
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!”[13]
They went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.[14]
There is also mention of some of Jesus’ followers being healed of evil spirits and sickness.
The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.[15]
It should also be noted that the Gospel speaks of healing in reference to both infirmities and evil spirits. Jesus healed the sick and He healed those who had evil spirits. What was important to Him was setting people free from whatever ailed them. I found it interesting that Jesus had people with Him who had been healed of evil spirits and sickness. He didn’t stigmatize them no matter what their problem had been. They were healed and accepted.
In the book Doing What Jesus Did, John Decker shares an experience where he had to pray for someone who was hindered by a spirit. He concludes with:
I left with a different attitude about demonized people. It was as if I was allowed to experience what Jesus did so many times as illustrated in the Gospels. To Him, the demon-possessed were viewed in the same category as the brokenhearted, sick or those in pain. They all needed to be free and well. In Luke 4, Jesus Christ's mission is stated clearly. He wants His followers to continue the same mission:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”[16]
Our mission is fulfilling the Great Commission by doing the same things Jesus did. We are to preach, heal, set the oppressed free, and give Jesus Christ all the credit.
We are to set at liberty those who are oppressed of the devil by removing the demons that are oppressing them.[17]
Dunkerley says something similar:
Evangelistic teams today, like those Jesus sent out long ago, are not only to preach the Gospel but to heal the sick and cast out demons.
Because we have the biblical mandate to do these things, we also have the power. … In what we call the Great Commission, Jesus told the disciples to teach all nations “to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Since Jesus commanded these very same men to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:8), doesn't it stand to reason that those acts are among the “everything” that He commanded them to teach the nations? If so, then we should be doing those very things.[18]
When we witness, when we engage in the mission in any form, we are engaging in spiritual warfare. Our goal is to win souls, to bring people to salvation, and in doing so we are fighting against Satan’s hold on humanity. This holds true when we pray for the sick—when we use the authority given to us through God’s Word to heal people physically through divine healing, and when we help heal people spiritually through guiding them to salvation.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.[19]
When Jesus sent His disciples out, He gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. As Christians carrying the message of salvation to the world, we too have power and authority to both heal the sick and cast out demons.
As disciples we are called to fulfill the Great Commission. Doing so involves spiritual warfare. Whether we are contending for someone’s salvation or their healing, we are fighting for the kingdom of God.
(Next in this series: Healing Is in the Atonement)
[1] HE 20.
[2] HE 21.
[3] HE 25.
[4] Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000. Page 1064.
[5] CB Audio 7.
[6] CB Video 8.
[7] DWJD 3.
[8] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
(Ephesians 6:12–18 ESV).
[9] HE 95.
[10] DHT Video 9.
[11] Mark 16:17 ESV.
[12] Luke 9:1–2 ESV.
In their Gospels, Matthew and Mark state the same:
He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction (Matthew 10:1 ESV).
He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14–15 ESV).
[13] Luke 10:17 ESV.
[14] Mark 6:12–13 ESV.
[15] Luke 8:1–3 ESV.
[16] Luke 4:18–19 NKJV.
[17] DWJD 6.
[18] HE 43.
[19] Ephesians 6:12 ESV.
Copyright © 2012 The Family International.
By Peter
March 13, 2012
Chapter 3
In the previous article, we presented some of the main points of agreement among the healing evangelists, one of which is that the power of healing is available to all Christians.
Another key point they teach is that one of the primary purposes for the gift of healing is as a tool for evangelism—that praying for the sick is a means of opening the door to preach about Jesus and bring people to salvation.
While they do pray for other Christians who need healing, they each make the point that healing is a very effective means of preaching the Gospel. When you pray in the name of Jesus for someone who is sick and they are healed, it’s a powerful testimony that what you preach about Jesus is true.
Don Dunkerley wrote the following about the effectiveness of healing in evangelism:
Using healing prayer in evangelism is a major emphasis in developing countries and is a reason for the meteoric rise of Pentecostal and charismatic churches in the twentieth century.
Missionaries observe that in many places the churches that grow most rapidly are churches that incorporate the ministry of healing into their normal church activities. This naturally raises questions about churches that downplay healing and also do not grow particularly well. Is there a correlation?[1]
My advice to missionaries is to pray for the sick and distressed on every appropriate occasion. Pray for the healing of believers, and pray that unbelievers will be healed and saved.
Healing prayer is a key to growth in numbers of churches throughout the world. And using healing prayer as a means of evangelism is popular in churches around the world.[2]
Jesus seemed to expect that this kind of evangelism would continue because He announced shortly before His ascension, “These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands: and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”[3]
Wayne Grudem, a theologian, has this to say about healing and its purposes, including evangelism:
As with other spiritual gifts, healing has several purposes. Certainly it functions as a “sign” to authenticate the Gospel message, and show that the kingdom of God has come. Then also healing brings comfort and health to those who are ill, and thereby demonstrates God's attribute of mercy toward those in distress. Third, healing equips people for service, as physical impediments to ministry are removed. Fourth, healing provides opportunity for God to be glorified as people see physical evidence of His goodness, love, power, wisdom, and presence.[4]
Curry Blake states it succinctly:
The teaching for the Divine Healing Technician [those he is teaching healing to] is … for Mark 16:15. It’s for the street.[5]
Praying for those who are in need of healing is a method of evangelization, which can be very effective. It’s something Jesus told those who believe to do and has given them power to do. Some missionaries have begun to incorporate healing prayer into their regular witnessing and are using it as a powerful addition to their mission outreach.
It’s God Who Heals—Give Him the Glory
The next foundational point that each of these healing evangelists preach is that it is God who heals, not the person doing the praying. One must always give credit to God, as all healing should glorify God.
Has there ever been a human heal anybody? No! Who did it? Jesus. It was actually the Spirit of God. Jesus said, “Even the works I do, even I don’t do them but it’s the Spirit of My Father. He does them.” Even Jesus didn’t take credit for the works He did. He gave the credit to the Spirit. So every healing that ever took place, one person did it. The Spirit. Right?… There has never been a healing, ever, there has never been a raising from the dead, there has never been a miracle that took place that the Spirit that is in you didn’t do.
I started realizing, this thing is easy. Why? Because the One that has the full knowledge of everything, the One that knows every situation and has healed every sick person, every bit of it, lives in me. And when I realized that, then I realized it wasn’t about who was laying hands on that boy. It was about the Spirit of God that healed that boy, and what I was feeling was the Spirit of God.[6]
John and Sonja Decker write:
God gets the credit. Moving from surprise encounters to authentic manifestations of God’s healing power was a process that took over ten years. We observed all kinds of healings. Some were questionable and some were obvious. Some were routine and some were spectacular. Regardless of who was ministering or how they prayed, we learned one vital truth. We are very careful to always point to an awesome God who receives all the credit and glory. We receive no acclaim on how we or anyone else achieved the various healings. Prolonged intercessions with fasting may have played a part. However, the ultimate reason for the healing lies in a compassionate God who is willing to heal those who rely on His Word, His mercy, and His grace.
Be aware of people with religious spirits announcing that you are special. Avoid allowing people to “puff you up” by praising you for what is happening. Respond by having everyone lift their hands and voices in praise and thanksgiving, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ for what He is doing.[7]
As Christians We Are Engaged in Warfare Against Satan
As has been commonly taught by Christians throughout history, those who follow God are at war with Satan.[8] Each of those involved in healing whose material I read teaches about the warfare between the kingdom of God and Satan and his demons. They see the fight for the healing of souls and bodies as spiritual warfare.
Don Dunkerley puts it this way:
Everyone doing healing evangelism is engaged in spiritual warfare. It is by the power of the kingdom of Satan, after all, that people are afflicted with sin, disease and demons. And as the Kingdom of God advances, the kingdom of darkness is pushed back and people are set free. So in order to understand healing prayer, we need to understand spiritual warfare and the role of prayer in that warfare.
When engaging in healing prayer [privately, before beginning to pray for people], rebuke spirits of infirmity specifically as Jesus did (Mark 9:25). Break their power and command them to loose their victims. You might pray something like this: In the name of Jesus I take authority over all spirits present that are not of Him. I particularly rebuke you spirits of infirmity and command you to loose your victims. By the power of the blood of Christ I command you to depart and go where Jesus sends you. I invite the healing power of the Holy Spirit to burn out all impurity.[9]
Curry Blake states:
This whole thing goes back to warfare, it’s all it is: Warfare between two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness … If you could take that and just grow from that, that’s everything you need to know; that’s it in a nutshell. … They are the sick. They are the oppressed. They are a prisoner of war by Satan. … The prisoner of war is never the problem. It’s his guards that you have to deal with. [10]
Praying for the Sick Sometimes Puts You in a Position that Requires Casting Out Spirits
Before going into what the healing evangelists teach regarding casting out spirits, I want to make it clear that Maria and I, and these healing evangelists as well, don’t feel that every illness—whether physical or mental—is due to oppression or possession by demons or evil spirits.
According to the experiences recounted by these healing evangelists, at times they are faced with people who are hindered by an evil spirit, and when the healer begins to pray for the person, the spirit manifests itself and hinders the healing. At such times, the evangelists claim deliverance for the person. This seems to be fairly rare, but it is something that happens sometimes when praying for the sick. Since I am covering those things which these healing evangelists hold in common, and since they all spoke about finding themselves in situations where the person who needed healing also needed prayer against a hindering spirit, I felt it was important to include mention of this. While not a pleasant subject, it’s part of what they face from time to time.
They all wrote or spoke with compassion for those needing this type of prayer, and their main concern is setting people free from the bondage of Satan. They weren’t linking every sickness to the need for deliverance from a spirit. They spoke about prayers of deliverance in a matter-of-fact way, stating that there are sometimes occasions when such a prayer was needed. In such cases, people needed prayer for their physical healing, along with prayer against a troublesome spirit.
When they pray against spirits, the evangelists claim God’s Word and know that because God has given Christians power over evil spirits, the spirit must obey when they command it to leave. They speak about times when more than one spirit is hindering the person and they have cast them out one by one.
Jesus gave His disciples authority to cast out demons, and He said that He’s given that authority to believers.
These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues.[11]
He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.[12]
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!”[13]
They went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.[14]
There is also mention of some of Jesus’ followers being healed of evil spirits and sickness.
The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.[15]
It should also be noted that the Gospel speaks of healing in reference to both infirmities and evil spirits. Jesus healed the sick and He healed those who had evil spirits. What was important to Him was setting people free from whatever ailed them. I found it interesting that Jesus had people with Him who had been healed of evil spirits and sickness. He didn’t stigmatize them no matter what their problem had been. They were healed and accepted.
In the book Doing What Jesus Did, John Decker shares an experience where he had to pray for someone who was hindered by a spirit. He concludes with:
I left with a different attitude about demonized people. It was as if I was allowed to experience what Jesus did so many times as illustrated in the Gospels. To Him, the demon-possessed were viewed in the same category as the brokenhearted, sick or those in pain. They all needed to be free and well. In Luke 4, Jesus Christ's mission is stated clearly. He wants His followers to continue the same mission:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”[16]
Our mission is fulfilling the Great Commission by doing the same things Jesus did. We are to preach, heal, set the oppressed free, and give Jesus Christ all the credit.
We are to set at liberty those who are oppressed of the devil by removing the demons that are oppressing them.[17]
Dunkerley says something similar:
Evangelistic teams today, like those Jesus sent out long ago, are not only to preach the Gospel but to heal the sick and cast out demons.
Because we have the biblical mandate to do these things, we also have the power. … In what we call the Great Commission, Jesus told the disciples to teach all nations “to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Since Jesus commanded these very same men to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:8), doesn't it stand to reason that those acts are among the “everything” that He commanded them to teach the nations? If so, then we should be doing those very things.[18]
When we witness, when we engage in the mission in any form, we are engaging in spiritual warfare. Our goal is to win souls, to bring people to salvation, and in doing so we are fighting against Satan’s hold on humanity. This holds true when we pray for the sick—when we use the authority given to us through God’s Word to heal people physically through divine healing, and when we help heal people spiritually through guiding them to salvation.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.[19]
When Jesus sent His disciples out, He gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. As Christians carrying the message of salvation to the world, we too have power and authority to both heal the sick and cast out demons.
As disciples we are called to fulfill the Great Commission. Doing so involves spiritual warfare. Whether we are contending for someone’s salvation or their healing, we are fighting for the kingdom of God.
(Next in this series: Healing Is in the Atonement)
[1] HE 20.
[2] HE 21.
[3] HE 25.
[4] Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000. Page 1064.
[5] CB Audio 7.
[6] CB Video 8.
[7] DWJD 3.
[8] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
(Ephesians 6:12–18 ESV).
[9] HE 95.
[10] DHT Video 9.
[11] Mark 16:17 ESV.
[12] Luke 9:1–2 ESV.
In their Gospels, Matthew and Mark state the same:
He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction (Matthew 10:1 ESV).
He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14–15 ESV).
[13] Luke 10:17 ESV.
[14] Mark 6:12–13 ESV.
[15] Luke 8:1–3 ESV.
[16] Luke 4:18–19 NKJV.
[17] DWJD 6.
[18] HE 43.
[19] Ephesians 6:12 ESV.
Copyright © 2012 The Family International.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Encouraging Others!
A compilation
The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams.—Sidney Madwed
We should readily and liberally give the gift of showing faith in others. As many of us can testify from personal experience, it's been the Lord's and others' faith in us, and their seeing the good in us, that has helped us to reach success after moments of despair and times when we've questioned our self-worth.
Your spouse, your co-worker, your child, your brother or sister, and those you are ministering to are capable of anything, because God in them is capable of everything! Show that faith in others at every opportunity, and you will help them to achieve the great things that God has in store for them!—Maria Fontaine
+
There are many examples in history of people who did great things, became someone great, discovered something unknown, invented something ingenious, wrote something creative, sang something beautiful, inspired others, or helped to make the world a better place through their efforts—in great part due to the faith that someone had in them.
The strength of faith and the belief that others had in them helped many of these great people to overcome what seemed to be impossible odds, opposition, danger, or difficulty. They might have ended up unheard of by the rest of the world if they hadn't been inspired to achieve, and as a result of that, pushed themselves to become more than they were.
Many of these great men and women were thought to have had little or no potential to begin with. There have been cases of great teachers, scientists, and inventors who were thought to be below average intellectually as children. Some great athletes have been told that they were too sick, handicapped, or weak to qualify for even the first level of competition. There have been cases of great writers and speakers who could hardly articulate themselves when they first started. World-famous dancers, singers, and actors can remember being turned down at their first auditions due to "not having enough talent."
There are many who failed and made countless mistakes, who showed promise and potential, but were disappointed over and over again—until finally, through the strength to persevere that was ignited in part by those who believed in them, they succeeded.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.—William Arthur Ward
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I saw you when you were nothing, when you had nothing, and I saved you. I saw the potential in you and all that I could help you to become. My belief in you, My love for you, My faith and trust in you, and My forgiveness of you, saved you.
Have you ever let Me down? Yes. Have you ever fallen short? Yes. Have you ever failed? Yes. But have you also grown through the failures, learned to stand back up after falling, and come to love Me more through the times that you have disappointed Me and let Me down? Yes! You are a success to Me, and there is much more success ahead.
Strive to lift others up in the way that I have lifted you up; forgive others as I have always forgiven you; challenge others to press on as I have challenged you; encourage others in the way that I have encouraged you; inspire others with the inspiration I have given you; comfort others with the comfort that you have felt from Me; believe in others as I have believed in you; love one another as I have loved you.
Your loved ones need to see that you want them to achieve, and that you believe that they can achieve. They need you to remind them that nothing is ever too hard for them, because I can help them through whatever circumstances they may face. In their times of despair or heartbreak, they need you to show them that they can pick up the broken pieces and start again. They need to know that no matter how hard they may have fallen, or how many times they may have failed, they can stand up again. They need to know that they are winners, they are champions, and that you believe in them.
Remind your loved ones that they are strong, even when they don't feel strong. They can make it, even when they feel too tired. They can win, even when they think they have already lost. They can try again, even when they have failed. They can love, even when their heart is broken. They can smile and even laugh through their tears. They can succeed, even when the odds are against them. They can do whatever they put their hearts and minds to. Let them know that you believe in them, just as I tell you that I believe in you.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.—Dr. Leo Buscaglia
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Seeing the good and possibilities in others can be likened to loving some of those odd and oftentimes highly sought-after fruits, like durian.1 Durian is an acquired taste, and yet there are people fanatically dedicated to durian. Others find that hard to believe.
What makes people crave a fruit like durian? What makes them elevate it to a "king of fruits" status? Why do they light up when they see clumps of those prickly, greenish-brown husks hanging liberally from vendor stalls? How do they get past the pungent, even revolting, odor? What makes them fight their way through the thick, prickly outer husk in order to reach the inside? What makes them obsessed with this fruit that smells like—as some people describe it—dirty socks?
They've fallen in love with what's inside those prickly green husks. They've made it past the prickly outer shell, past the foul smell, and they have tasted the exquisite center.
Loving people and seeing the good and possibilities in others can sometimes be similar to getting to the heart of a durian. People can sometimes be prickly. They can have thick, crusty outer shells. Their presence can sometimes repel rather than attract. People can sometimes be stinky—when they do and say stinky things, or when they sin, as everyone does at times. But to the true people-lover, those barriers and obstacles merely add to the challenge and excitement of reaching that heart of gold—that sweet center of the inner person that you know is there. If it were any easier to get close to people, some of the excitement would be lost, and some of the allure of the adventure would be lost.
Durian is the king of fruits to some. Likewise, people are My crowning creations on earth—each one having a heart and soul that is more valuable and precious than all that this world has to offer. Anyone who has reached inside another's heart, and who has seen what lies beneath the often crusty, prickly shell, has seen the soft and often hurting center. Within that center lies great potential. Within that center lies good. Within that center lies possibility that just needs to be believed in and highlighted.
Once you have touched the center of someone, and then someone else, and then someone else, you start to see that beneath all the layers and tough exterior, everyone has that special place inside that needs to be loved, that needs to be believed in, that needs to be encouraged and appreciated.
People need passionate and dedicated friends and family who love them, who know that there is good and possibility deep inside of them, and who will do anything to reach that beautiful center.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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Charles Schwab, the successful businessman, said, "I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism."
Everyone wants and needs to be affirmed for his accomplishments. A little boy playing darts with his father said, "Let's play darts. I'll throw and you say 'Wonderful!'" That's what the [encouraging] person does for others.
We tend to become what the most important person in our life thinks we will become. Think the best, believe the best, and express the best in others. Your affirmation will not only make you more attractive to them, but you will help play an important part in their personal development.
As Christians, we cannot afford not to affirm others. If I fail to affirm a brother, we both lose.—John C. Maxwell
1 The edible fruit of a tree, Durio zibethinus, in Southeast Asia, which has a hard, prickly rind, a highly flavored, pulpy flesh, and an unpleasant odor.
2 From Be a People Person: Effective Leadership Through Effective Relationships (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).
The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams.—Sidney Madwed
We should readily and liberally give the gift of showing faith in others. As many of us can testify from personal experience, it's been the Lord's and others' faith in us, and their seeing the good in us, that has helped us to reach success after moments of despair and times when we've questioned our self-worth.
Your spouse, your co-worker, your child, your brother or sister, and those you are ministering to are capable of anything, because God in them is capable of everything! Show that faith in others at every opportunity, and you will help them to achieve the great things that God has in store for them!—Maria Fontaine
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There are many examples in history of people who did great things, became someone great, discovered something unknown, invented something ingenious, wrote something creative, sang something beautiful, inspired others, or helped to make the world a better place through their efforts—in great part due to the faith that someone had in them.
The strength of faith and the belief that others had in them helped many of these great people to overcome what seemed to be impossible odds, opposition, danger, or difficulty. They might have ended up unheard of by the rest of the world if they hadn't been inspired to achieve, and as a result of that, pushed themselves to become more than they were.
Many of these great men and women were thought to have had little or no potential to begin with. There have been cases of great teachers, scientists, and inventors who were thought to be below average intellectually as children. Some great athletes have been told that they were too sick, handicapped, or weak to qualify for even the first level of competition. There have been cases of great writers and speakers who could hardly articulate themselves when they first started. World-famous dancers, singers, and actors can remember being turned down at their first auditions due to "not having enough talent."
There are many who failed and made countless mistakes, who showed promise and potential, but were disappointed over and over again—until finally, through the strength to persevere that was ignited in part by those who believed in them, they succeeded.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
+
A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.—William Arthur Ward
+
I saw you when you were nothing, when you had nothing, and I saved you. I saw the potential in you and all that I could help you to become. My belief in you, My love for you, My faith and trust in you, and My forgiveness of you, saved you.
Have you ever let Me down? Yes. Have you ever fallen short? Yes. Have you ever failed? Yes. But have you also grown through the failures, learned to stand back up after falling, and come to love Me more through the times that you have disappointed Me and let Me down? Yes! You are a success to Me, and there is much more success ahead.
Strive to lift others up in the way that I have lifted you up; forgive others as I have always forgiven you; challenge others to press on as I have challenged you; encourage others in the way that I have encouraged you; inspire others with the inspiration I have given you; comfort others with the comfort that you have felt from Me; believe in others as I have believed in you; love one another as I have loved you.
Your loved ones need to see that you want them to achieve, and that you believe that they can achieve. They need you to remind them that nothing is ever too hard for them, because I can help them through whatever circumstances they may face. In their times of despair or heartbreak, they need you to show them that they can pick up the broken pieces and start again. They need to know that no matter how hard they may have fallen, or how many times they may have failed, they can stand up again. They need to know that they are winners, they are champions, and that you believe in them.
Remind your loved ones that they are strong, even when they don't feel strong. They can make it, even when they feel too tired. They can win, even when they think they have already lost. They can try again, even when they have failed. They can love, even when their heart is broken. They can smile and even laugh through their tears. They can succeed, even when the odds are against them. They can do whatever they put their hearts and minds to. Let them know that you believe in them, just as I tell you that I believe in you.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
+
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.—Dr. Leo Buscaglia
+
Seeing the good and possibilities in others can be likened to loving some of those odd and oftentimes highly sought-after fruits, like durian.1 Durian is an acquired taste, and yet there are people fanatically dedicated to durian. Others find that hard to believe.
What makes people crave a fruit like durian? What makes them elevate it to a "king of fruits" status? Why do they light up when they see clumps of those prickly, greenish-brown husks hanging liberally from vendor stalls? How do they get past the pungent, even revolting, odor? What makes them fight their way through the thick, prickly outer husk in order to reach the inside? What makes them obsessed with this fruit that smells like—as some people describe it—dirty socks?
They've fallen in love with what's inside those prickly green husks. They've made it past the prickly outer shell, past the foul smell, and they have tasted the exquisite center.
Loving people and seeing the good and possibilities in others can sometimes be similar to getting to the heart of a durian. People can sometimes be prickly. They can have thick, crusty outer shells. Their presence can sometimes repel rather than attract. People can sometimes be stinky—when they do and say stinky things, or when they sin, as everyone does at times. But to the true people-lover, those barriers and obstacles merely add to the challenge and excitement of reaching that heart of gold—that sweet center of the inner person that you know is there. If it were any easier to get close to people, some of the excitement would be lost, and some of the allure of the adventure would be lost.
Durian is the king of fruits to some. Likewise, people are My crowning creations on earth—each one having a heart and soul that is more valuable and precious than all that this world has to offer. Anyone who has reached inside another's heart, and who has seen what lies beneath the often crusty, prickly shell, has seen the soft and often hurting center. Within that center lies great potential. Within that center lies good. Within that center lies possibility that just needs to be believed in and highlighted.
Once you have touched the center of someone, and then someone else, and then someone else, you start to see that beneath all the layers and tough exterior, everyone has that special place inside that needs to be loved, that needs to be believed in, that needs to be encouraged and appreciated.
People need passionate and dedicated friends and family who love them, who know that there is good and possibility deep inside of them, and who will do anything to reach that beautiful center.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
+
Charles Schwab, the successful businessman, said, "I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism."
Everyone wants and needs to be affirmed for his accomplishments. A little boy playing darts with his father said, "Let's play darts. I'll throw and you say 'Wonderful!'" That's what the [encouraging] person does for others.
We tend to become what the most important person in our life thinks we will become. Think the best, believe the best, and express the best in others. Your affirmation will not only make you more attractive to them, but you will help play an important part in their personal development.
As Christians, we cannot afford not to affirm others. If I fail to affirm a brother, we both lose.—John C. Maxwell
1 The edible fruit of a tree, Durio zibethinus, in Southeast Asia, which has a hard, prickly rind, a highly flavored, pulpy flesh, and an unpleasant odor.
2 From Be a People Person: Effective Leadership Through Effective Relationships (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).
Sunday, March 11, 2012
God Called Me to Move to the Trailer Park
Michelle Van Loon, Christianity Today, 3/08/2012
“God, I can’t do what I love and continue to work full-time.”
The day after Kim Dougherty prayed this in 2009, she found out that she and several other employees of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, were being laid off due to recession-based woes. Trinity’s director of student accounting, Dougherty had worked at the evangelical college for more than a decade.
Career coaches routinely counsel clients to consider a layoff an opportunity to reinvent themselves. But Dougherty wasn’t looking to discover a “second act” to her career.
She had all the inspiration she needed the moment she left her comfortable office each day. Evenings and weekends were packed with ministry to the marginalized and underserved in her community, mentoring children and teens; spearheading a county-wide food drive; and joining a volunteer group that provided short-term shelter to some of her county’s homeless.
And then there was the nearby trailer park. Dougherty had been providing practical assistance to a few low-income residents of Woodland Village Mobile Home Park in Wauconda, Illinois. “Many people in town do not realize the mobile home park is here,” Dougherty said. “Woodland Village is predominately white, with a growing Hispanic population. Many in the park are in transition—some trying to leave an abusive relationship, battling addictions, dealing with serious mental-health issues, or fighting to find a job in the wake of a felony conviction. Every person I met was determined to be independent and successful, but most couldn’t do so.”
Dougherty sensed God was calling her to a simple mission: become a good neighbor to her new friends at Woodland. “Relationships are a critical need in this community, though many would have trouble admitting it,” Dougherty said. “Many live isolated and lonely lives that make interacting with people a real challenge. They have few social skills, if any. What they need most is what they are least likely to pursue and least able to supply for themselves.”
Her choice seemed to many like a downgrade of her already simple lifestyle in the wake of an unexpected layoff, but Dougherty was convinced her next step was part of God’s call. She moved into the trailer park as a missionary.
“I began receiving unemployment after I lost my job, but eventually told the state that I could no longer receive the checks in good conscience because I was no longer looking for full-time work.” Instead, Dougherty pieced together some part-time work and drew support from a few partners who believed in her call. She also became a resident (intern) with the Chicago hub of Forge America, a missional network training program founded in 2010 by theologian Alan Hirsch.
Dougherty recalls the story of a neighbor in the park who lost his job when Illinois cut funding for the disabled. The man, a single father of two who has Parkinson’s, needed helping simply getting in and out of his home. Leveraging her connections to local churches and Love INC Lake County Southwest, Dougherty arranged to build the man a ramp. But she didn’t stop there. “We realized … he needed help getting child support, taking responsibility for his actions, pursuing other means of transportation and jobs, and help being a single father.” Through Dougherty’s efforts, those needs were addressed. The man eventually had to move from Woodland Village, but Dougherty and her Forge team maintain a relationship with him.
“I am becoming known in the neighborhood as a trusted friend, not someone coming from outside to impose my will,” she said. She does what friends do for one another: coordinating home repairs for those who ask for help, taking others to the grocery store with her because they don’t have access to a car.
It was the work at which she’d been for the previous two decades of her life. Dougherty grew up in a troubled family, and came to faith through the ministry of a neighbor. During her high school years, she had a growing sense that she was supposed to be a missionary. “Leaders in my church said that women could do anything”, Dougherty noted. However, the female role models in her world tended to be Bible teachers or ministry wives.
She met her husband a West Coast Bible school, and the couple arrived in the Chicago suburbs so she could attend seminary. Her husband eventually took a staff position at a church. She plunged into ministry alongside him as her response to the calling she’d sensed as a teen.
“Yet I was always drawn to those who lived on the edge. My painful childhood gave me the emotional vocabulary to understand the hurt others experienced, and Christ gave me a message of hope to share.” She enrolled at Trinity with a goal of becoming a teacher. She eventually began working for the school while attending classes.
She was on a tidy Christian ministry career track until 2002, when she learned she was pregnant for the first time in her 11-year marriage. In a span of four months, she experienced a miscarriage, the unraveling of her marriage, and the death of her mother. “I lost my church, my home, my baby, my husband and my mother,” she said.
She began attending a large church in a nearby town. After months of slipping in anonymously on Sunday mornings and pouring her pain out to God, she asked a staff member if any seniors in the community needed their bathrooms cleaned. “That was all I had to give,” she said.
Her request eventually led her to involvement with the church’s nursing home ministry. As she served and worked through her losses with friends at school and church, she began to heal. Acts of practical service reconnected her with the desire she had as a young woman to live a missional life. She discovered that the very experiences that may have disqualified her from institutional ministry leadership in some settings are what gave her credibility and authority among those she now served, including her new neighbors at Woodland.
Little in Dougherty’s life is a fast process these days, whether building a relationship with a neighbor or making the invisible residents of Woodland Village visible to the surrounding community and to local churches. But Dougherty believes that she is exactly where she needs to be.
“God, I can’t do what I love and continue to work full-time.”
The day after Kim Dougherty prayed this in 2009, she found out that she and several other employees of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, were being laid off due to recession-based woes. Trinity’s director of student accounting, Dougherty had worked at the evangelical college for more than a decade.
Career coaches routinely counsel clients to consider a layoff an opportunity to reinvent themselves. But Dougherty wasn’t looking to discover a “second act” to her career.
She had all the inspiration she needed the moment she left her comfortable office each day. Evenings and weekends were packed with ministry to the marginalized and underserved in her community, mentoring children and teens; spearheading a county-wide food drive; and joining a volunteer group that provided short-term shelter to some of her county’s homeless.
And then there was the nearby trailer park. Dougherty had been providing practical assistance to a few low-income residents of Woodland Village Mobile Home Park in Wauconda, Illinois. “Many people in town do not realize the mobile home park is here,” Dougherty said. “Woodland Village is predominately white, with a growing Hispanic population. Many in the park are in transition—some trying to leave an abusive relationship, battling addictions, dealing with serious mental-health issues, or fighting to find a job in the wake of a felony conviction. Every person I met was determined to be independent and successful, but most couldn’t do so.”
Dougherty sensed God was calling her to a simple mission: become a good neighbor to her new friends at Woodland. “Relationships are a critical need in this community, though many would have trouble admitting it,” Dougherty said. “Many live isolated and lonely lives that make interacting with people a real challenge. They have few social skills, if any. What they need most is what they are least likely to pursue and least able to supply for themselves.”
Her choice seemed to many like a downgrade of her already simple lifestyle in the wake of an unexpected layoff, but Dougherty was convinced her next step was part of God’s call. She moved into the trailer park as a missionary.
“I began receiving unemployment after I lost my job, but eventually told the state that I could no longer receive the checks in good conscience because I was no longer looking for full-time work.” Instead, Dougherty pieced together some part-time work and drew support from a few partners who believed in her call. She also became a resident (intern) with the Chicago hub of Forge America, a missional network training program founded in 2010 by theologian Alan Hirsch.
Dougherty recalls the story of a neighbor in the park who lost his job when Illinois cut funding for the disabled. The man, a single father of two who has Parkinson’s, needed helping simply getting in and out of his home. Leveraging her connections to local churches and Love INC Lake County Southwest, Dougherty arranged to build the man a ramp. But she didn’t stop there. “We realized … he needed help getting child support, taking responsibility for his actions, pursuing other means of transportation and jobs, and help being a single father.” Through Dougherty’s efforts, those needs were addressed. The man eventually had to move from Woodland Village, but Dougherty and her Forge team maintain a relationship with him.
“I am becoming known in the neighborhood as a trusted friend, not someone coming from outside to impose my will,” she said. She does what friends do for one another: coordinating home repairs for those who ask for help, taking others to the grocery store with her because they don’t have access to a car.
It was the work at which she’d been for the previous two decades of her life. Dougherty grew up in a troubled family, and came to faith through the ministry of a neighbor. During her high school years, she had a growing sense that she was supposed to be a missionary. “Leaders in my church said that women could do anything”, Dougherty noted. However, the female role models in her world tended to be Bible teachers or ministry wives.
She met her husband a West Coast Bible school, and the couple arrived in the Chicago suburbs so she could attend seminary. Her husband eventually took a staff position at a church. She plunged into ministry alongside him as her response to the calling she’d sensed as a teen.
“Yet I was always drawn to those who lived on the edge. My painful childhood gave me the emotional vocabulary to understand the hurt others experienced, and Christ gave me a message of hope to share.” She enrolled at Trinity with a goal of becoming a teacher. She eventually began working for the school while attending classes.
She was on a tidy Christian ministry career track until 2002, when she learned she was pregnant for the first time in her 11-year marriage. In a span of four months, she experienced a miscarriage, the unraveling of her marriage, and the death of her mother. “I lost my church, my home, my baby, my husband and my mother,” she said.
She began attending a large church in a nearby town. After months of slipping in anonymously on Sunday mornings and pouring her pain out to God, she asked a staff member if any seniors in the community needed their bathrooms cleaned. “That was all I had to give,” she said.
Her request eventually led her to involvement with the church’s nursing home ministry. As she served and worked through her losses with friends at school and church, she began to heal. Acts of practical service reconnected her with the desire she had as a young woman to live a missional life. She discovered that the very experiences that may have disqualified her from institutional ministry leadership in some settings are what gave her credibility and authority among those she now served, including her new neighbors at Woodland.
Little in Dougherty’s life is a fast process these days, whether building a relationship with a neighbor or making the invisible residents of Woodland Village visible to the surrounding community and to local churches. But Dougherty believes that she is exactly where she needs to be.
Burning Calories Prevents Depression!
Burning Calories at the Gym Prevents Work Burnout
By Hans Villarica, Atlantic Wire, March 2012
Research shows that employees who regularly exercise don’t just bolster physical health, but also safeguard psychological well-being.
PROBLEM: Work-related stress can lead to depression and burnout. Can exercise help?
METHODOLOGY: To examine the impact of physical activity on mental health, researchers Sharon Toker and Michal Biron evaluated the personal, occupational, and psychological states of 1,632 Israeli workers who completed questionnaires when they came to clinics for routine check-ups and follow-up appointments over a period of nine years. For their analysis, they divided the subjects into four groups: one that did not engage in exercise, which was defined as any activity that increases the heart rate and brings on a sweat; a second that did 75 to 150 minutes of physical activity a week; a third that did 150 to 240 minutes a week; and a fourth that worked out for more than four hours a week.
RESULTS: The more the participants exercised, the less likely they were to experience a decline in their psychological well-being during the next three years. More precisely, those who accomplished a weekly minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity were about half as likely to burn out or get depressed as those who did not exert themselves.
CONCLUSION: Employees who consistently work out to improve their physical health are also safeguarding their mental health.
By Hans Villarica, Atlantic Wire, March 2012
Research shows that employees who regularly exercise don’t just bolster physical health, but also safeguard psychological well-being.
PROBLEM: Work-related stress can lead to depression and burnout. Can exercise help?
METHODOLOGY: To examine the impact of physical activity on mental health, researchers Sharon Toker and Michal Biron evaluated the personal, occupational, and psychological states of 1,632 Israeli workers who completed questionnaires when they came to clinics for routine check-ups and follow-up appointments over a period of nine years. For their analysis, they divided the subjects into four groups: one that did not engage in exercise, which was defined as any activity that increases the heart rate and brings on a sweat; a second that did 75 to 150 minutes of physical activity a week; a third that did 150 to 240 minutes a week; and a fourth that worked out for more than four hours a week.
RESULTS: The more the participants exercised, the less likely they were to experience a decline in their psychological well-being during the next three years. More precisely, those who accomplished a weekly minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity were about half as likely to burn out or get depressed as those who did not exert themselves.
CONCLUSION: Employees who consistently work out to improve their physical health are also safeguarding their mental health.
5 Things You Should Say Today
By Jeff Haden, Inc., Mar 8, 2012
I left the company years ago for another but I still run into former colleagues. Usually the ensuing conversation involves something along the lines of, “Hey, did you hear about the (latest management decision I think is really stupid) at the plant?”
This question was different.
“You worked there for almost 20 years,” my ex-coworker said. “Is there anything you wish you could go back and do over?”
I thought about it later. I don’t really regret strategic errors or poor tactical decisions or career missteps (I made plenty of those.) I certainly regretted those things then, but now, not really.
Instead I most regret the things I didn’t say: To employees who reported to me, to some of my peers, and to at least one person I worked for. Those are moments I’d like to have back.
It’s too late for me, but it’s not too late for you. Here are five things you should say—today—to people you work with:
“That was great how you…” No one receives enough praise. No one. Pick someone who did something well and tell them.
Feel free to go back in time. Saying, “I was just thinking about how you handled that project last year…” can make just as positive an impact today as it would have then. (Maybe a little more impact, because you still remember what happened a year later.) Surprise praise is a gift that costs the giver nothing but is priceless to the recipient.
“Can you help me…?” One of my biggest regrets is not asking a fellow supervisor for help. I was given the lead on a project he really wanted. To his credit, he swallowed his pride—he was senior to me in tenure and perceived status—and told me he would be happy to help in any way he could.
Even though I could tell he really wanted to participate, I never let him. I decided to show I could handle the project alone. I let my ego be more important than his feelings.
Asking someone for help implicitly recognizes their skills and value. Saying, “Can you help me?” is the same as saying, “You’re great at that.”
And there’s a bonus: You get help.
“I’m sorry I didn’t…” We’ve all screwed up. There are things we need to apologize for: Words. Actions. Omissions. Failing to step up, or step in, or simply be supportive.
Say you’re sorry. And don’t follow up your apology with a disclaimer like, “But I was really upset…” or, “I thought you were…” or any statement that in any way places even the tiniest amount of blame back on the other person.
Say you’re sorry, say why you’re sorry, and take all the blame. No less. No more.
“Can I help you…?” Then flip it around. In some organizations, asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness. Many people naturally hesitate to ask. But everyone needs help.
Don’t just say, “Is there anything I can help you with?” Most people will automatically say, “No, I’m all right.” Be specific. Say, “I’ve got a few minutes… can I help you finish that?”
Offer in a way that feels collaborative, not patronizing or gratuitous. And then actually help.
“I’m sorry I let you down.” I was assigned a project in a different department. It was a project I definitely didn’t want. So, to my discredit, I let it slide. I let other people take up my slack and focused on projects I was more interested in.
To his credit, my manager had stuck his neck out to get me the project so I could get broader exposure but I, well, didn’t care. Eventually my manager said, “Everyone knows you’re really busy, so they have decided to handle it themselves.”
I felt bad but I never said, “I know you were trying to help me. I’m sorry I let you down. I promise it will never happen again.” That one statement would have chased a very large elephant from the room.
The biggest elephants are emotional elephants. It’s up to you to chase them away.
I left the company years ago for another but I still run into former colleagues. Usually the ensuing conversation involves something along the lines of, “Hey, did you hear about the (latest management decision I think is really stupid) at the plant?”
This question was different.
“You worked there for almost 20 years,” my ex-coworker said. “Is there anything you wish you could go back and do over?”
I thought about it later. I don’t really regret strategic errors or poor tactical decisions or career missteps (I made plenty of those.) I certainly regretted those things then, but now, not really.
Instead I most regret the things I didn’t say: To employees who reported to me, to some of my peers, and to at least one person I worked for. Those are moments I’d like to have back.
It’s too late for me, but it’s not too late for you. Here are five things you should say—today—to people you work with:
“That was great how you…” No one receives enough praise. No one. Pick someone who did something well and tell them.
Feel free to go back in time. Saying, “I was just thinking about how you handled that project last year…” can make just as positive an impact today as it would have then. (Maybe a little more impact, because you still remember what happened a year later.) Surprise praise is a gift that costs the giver nothing but is priceless to the recipient.
“Can you help me…?” One of my biggest regrets is not asking a fellow supervisor for help. I was given the lead on a project he really wanted. To his credit, he swallowed his pride—he was senior to me in tenure and perceived status—and told me he would be happy to help in any way he could.
Even though I could tell he really wanted to participate, I never let him. I decided to show I could handle the project alone. I let my ego be more important than his feelings.
Asking someone for help implicitly recognizes their skills and value. Saying, “Can you help me?” is the same as saying, “You’re great at that.”
And there’s a bonus: You get help.
“I’m sorry I didn’t…” We’ve all screwed up. There are things we need to apologize for: Words. Actions. Omissions. Failing to step up, or step in, or simply be supportive.
Say you’re sorry. And don’t follow up your apology with a disclaimer like, “But I was really upset…” or, “I thought you were…” or any statement that in any way places even the tiniest amount of blame back on the other person.
Say you’re sorry, say why you’re sorry, and take all the blame. No less. No more.
“Can I help you…?” Then flip it around. In some organizations, asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness. Many people naturally hesitate to ask. But everyone needs help.
Don’t just say, “Is there anything I can help you with?” Most people will automatically say, “No, I’m all right.” Be specific. Say, “I’ve got a few minutes… can I help you finish that?”
Offer in a way that feels collaborative, not patronizing or gratuitous. And then actually help.
“I’m sorry I let you down.” I was assigned a project in a different department. It was a project I definitely didn’t want. So, to my discredit, I let it slide. I let other people take up my slack and focused on projects I was more interested in.
To his credit, my manager had stuck his neck out to get me the project so I could get broader exposure but I, well, didn’t care. Eventually my manager said, “Everyone knows you’re really busy, so they have decided to handle it themselves.”
I felt bad but I never said, “I know you were trying to help me. I’m sorry I let you down. I promise it will never happen again.” That one statement would have chased a very large elephant from the room.
The biggest elephants are emotional elephants. It’s up to you to chase them away.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Unvaccinated People a Threat to Public Health?
By Mike Adams, NaturalNews, March 6, 2012
Vaccine pushers often resort to an interesting fear tactic to try to mandate vaccine obedience among the masses: They insist that those who are unvaccinated are a health threat to the rest of the vaccinated population because the vaccinated people might get infected by the unvaccinated disease carriers!
The quack logic of such a claim should be self-evident. If vaccines protect people from infectious disease, then vaccinated people should not be concerned at all about being around unvaccinated people. After all, the vaccine made them all “immune,” right?
As it turns out, the real health risk that does exist in person-to-person exposure of infectious disease comes from people who routinely take antibiotics. Those who take the most antibiotics become drug-resistant bacteria factories, and they can spread their drug-resistant strains to others around them. Their risk of developing superbugs rises proportionally to the frequency and duration of their taking prescription antibiotics.
Vaccine pushers often resort to an interesting fear tactic to try to mandate vaccine obedience among the masses: They insist that those who are unvaccinated are a health threat to the rest of the vaccinated population because the vaccinated people might get infected by the unvaccinated disease carriers!
The quack logic of such a claim should be self-evident. If vaccines protect people from infectious disease, then vaccinated people should not be concerned at all about being around unvaccinated people. After all, the vaccine made them all “immune,” right?
As it turns out, the real health risk that does exist in person-to-person exposure of infectious disease comes from people who routinely take antibiotics. Those who take the most antibiotics become drug-resistant bacteria factories, and they can spread their drug-resistant strains to others around them. Their risk of developing superbugs rises proportionally to the frequency and duration of their taking prescription antibiotics.
