Familiar Things that Give Us Peace & Seeking Our Constant – Purity 679
Purity
679 03/15/2022 Purity 679 Podcast
Good
morning,
Today’s photo of a spectacular
afternoon sky and a prism rainbow shining above the glass topped peaked
building that, I now know, stands at 625 Broadway in Albany NY, comes to us
from yours truly as I was moved to take a “blind shot” and captured this sight while
I kept at least one eye on the road during my afternoon commute rolling down 787
on the way back home on March 8th.
Thanks to a determined search of Google
Maps this morning I was able to learn the address of this building, that houses
the “Hudson Valley River Greenway” and an office of the New York Department of
Environmental Conservation
I was shocked that my google searches for “glass
topped peaked building near 787 in Albany NY” failed to retrieve any images of
this building. The building at 625
Broadway may not be the tallest in Albany but the way that peaked roof stands out,
and is a great compliment to the setting sun in the afternoon, caused me to
admire it on several occasions. When I see that glass peak, I know I am not far
from crossing the Hudson River to make my way home.
Well, it’s Tuesday and since I am on my “working
vacation” that sends me in the opposite direction to cross the Rip Van Winkle
Bridge into Greene County I won’t be seeing my “pointy” friend until next week
but when I looked at this photo this morning I could still remember how seeing
this building at the end of the work day always seems to give me that measure
of peace and hope that is familiar to all of us.
We may travel different paths but if we
think about it we all have that point in our day when we know that the workday
is done and we are headed home that is uniquely ours. As our workdays consume a good portion of our
lives, that “end of the workday time and place” can become dear to us as it becomes
a constant of our routine and if a change sends us away from it we can even mourn
it’s exit from our lives.
For 20 years I commuted a different way to
Albany, so that familiar routine of going over the Patroon Island Bridge and
heading East on I-90 has been replaced by going south of 787 and seeing this
building that I admired enough to want to know where it stood. It’s funny how these things become a part of
our lives and touch our hearts.
Anyway, my training as a Psychiatric Tech for
the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team of Columbia & Greene Counties is underway
and one thing that stood out to me so far that we try to use to keep clients away
from depressive episodes that could lead them to suicidal thoughts or angry
thoughts that could result in acts of self-harm or violence is to talk with
them and to discuss the things in their lives that they enjoy and give them peace.
We prompt people in crisis to remember the people, places, and things that are
good in their life and to engage them when sad, bitter, anxious, angry, or
condemning thoughts come.
When we can remember the things that are
good and bring us peace, we can avoid negative mind states and regretful
actions. So a good deal of what the
agency I work for does is to keep people grounded in “the good” in their lives
that can testify that they are okay.
The wellness calls and hospital discharge
follow ups that we do remind people that they are okay now, that there are good
things in their lives, and that there are people that care about them. These simple reminders are literally helping
people to survive, and I am humbled to be a part of it.
I know the power of encouragement and
focusing on the good and when we raise our awareness to know that there is a
God that stands behind and sustains everything that is good, and who knows and
loves us personally, we can be encouraged all the more.
That’s why I encourage people to seek the Lord. Just like I had to know where that “good
building” on my afternoon commute stood, we should seek the source of all the good
things in life, and all goodness in general.
When we seek God, we will find Him and when
we find Him we can discover that there is no “bad day” that can separate us
from His love. His presence in our lives can give us the perspective and the
strength to reject the thoughts that would lead us into darkness.
So keep walking and
talking with God. He will remind us of all the good things in life and will
encourage us to enjoy them, but He will also remind us that even if things in
life change and we are separated from those familiar things that give us peace,
He is still there and He will always be there regardless of our changing circumstances
to provide us with the peace that comes from knowing His unending love. ______________________________________________________________________
If
you are interested in taking an online course with Freedom in Christ Ministries
below you will find the course options for our Spring Session. The
classes will meet for 1.5-2 hours once a week for 12 weeks starting the first
full week of April. Our prayer is that you will be able to set aside
time for one of these wonderful courses. They truly are life changing!
Spring
registration is now open! We are offering these times.
1. Women’s Group, Starting
Wednesday, April 6 at 10:00 AM EDT.
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April 8 at 10:30 AM EDT.
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April 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.
4. Men's Group, Starting Thursday,
April 7 at 6:30 PM EDT.
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SPEAKING Group, Starting Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.
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April 7 at 7:00 PM EDT.
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encourage you to order your books now through the FICM online Bookstore
at Freedominchrist.com. You will need the Freedom
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For
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click here or search SPG004-1 in the bookstore search
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Once
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Sign
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27
______________________________________________________________________
Today’s Bible verse come to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book
for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is :
1
Thessalonians 3:7 (NLT2)
7 So we have been greatly
encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and
sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith.
Today’s Bible verse reminds us of the great encouragement we can have even in the midst of our troubles and sufferings when we remain strong in our faith.
Wow, I really don’t plan these messages but I think the Lord might have an idea about how things will turn out.
Staying strong in our faith is the act of reminding ourselves of who God is and who we are in Christ because of our relationship with Him.
The good people, places, and things that we experience in life will change from time to time, but He never will. God is our constant. He doesn’t change. We can stand on His word, in His love, and with Him in our midst at all times.
When the going gets tough, I don’t know who might “get going”
but I know God will be there. The Bible
speaks of waiting on the Lord and Abiding in Christ and the only reason the
word of God can advise us to do these things is because we can count on the
Lord to never leave us or forsake us, and because of His infinite nature we can
always draw upon His strength and stand in His presence.
So be greatly encouraged because the Lord is with you. If you remain strong in your faith in Him, He
will give you peace and He will see you through all the troubles of this life and
will welcome you into His kingdom forever more.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Overeating: Freedom from Food Fixation.
As always, I share this
information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to
support his work. This resource is
available on many websites for less than $5.00.
B. What Is Compulsive Eating?
The fanaticism for fatty foods in the
1980s didn’t just tip the scales—it set new world records. Manuel Uribe went on
a saturated fat and sugar spree and earned a title that landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records as the
“World’s Fattest Man.” At 1,230 pounds, Manuel was the embodiment of compulsive
eating … a man completely out of control.
Compulsive
eating triggered another catastrophic consequence for Manuel. He turned to
liposuction to improve his appearance, but his damaged lymph nodes left giant
tumors on his legs—so weighty that he couldn’t walk. Manuel readily pointed to
one source for his sorrows: “It is all because of the junk food.”
Eventually
Manuel became determined to no longer be the world’s heaviest man. With serious
dietary changes, he dropped his weight to around 700 pounds and then set his
sights on a new title: “World’s Greatest Loser of Weight.” What a change of
focus!
Those like
Manuel who need powerful help to control their compulsive eating can find
invaluable strength from our powerful God.…
“He
gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
(Isaiah
40:29)
• Compulsive
eating is uncontrolled overeating based on satisfying emotional hunger, not
physical hunger.
• Compulsive
eating is a seemingly irresistible impulse to eat.
• Compulsive
eating is a food addiction that can result in a physical disorder and even
death.…
“For
lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.”
(Proverbs
5:23)
Overeating and Addictions
Question:
“Spiritually, is there a difference between a food addiction and other
addictions, such as smoking, gambling, or drinking?”
Answer: No, the Bible places them in the same
category, although the physical ramifications can be more serious with certain
addictions. The biblical book on wisdom states …
“Do
not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for
drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”
(Proverbs
23:20–21)
C. What Is Binge
Eating?
“It’s like having a pair of arms
around you.” That’s how Diana, Princess of Wales, described the comfort she
felt after consuming large amounts of food. Before dying in a car crash in
1997, Princess Diana struggled for years with bulimia … and knew all too well
how those “comforting arms” could quickly turn constrictive and smothering.
Although she
was considered the most popular woman in the world, it was not unusual for
Princess Diana to binge up to five times a day, gorging herself with food … and
then purging. While this futile cycle consumed her life, her lack of
self-control turned to self-loathing. At times, she surely could have
identified with Job.…
“I
despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no
meaning.”
(Job 7:16)
• “Bingeing”
is a period of unrestrained indulgence and most often refers to binge eating
and drinking, but can also refer to binge shopping and gambling.
• Binge
eating can easily become an addictive behavior.
— Binge
eaters who don’t purge typically experience great weight gain.
— Binge
eaters who do purge through vomiting or excessive laxative use are
“bulimics” who often experience severe health hazards, including death.
• Bingeing
in the Bible comes with a warning against overindulgence.
“If
you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit.”
(Proverbs
25:16)
Oh, that Princess Diana would have
turned to the Lord’s “everlasting arms,”
which would have forever embraced her in unconditional love as described in the
Bible.…
“The
eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
(Deuteronomy
33:27)[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”,
"Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
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These teachings are also available on the
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Email me
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encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Facebook
Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean
(https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Overeating:
Freedom from Food Fixation (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 3–4.
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