When World’s Collide - Call in the Specialist – Purity 684

 When World’s Collide - Call in the Specialist – Purity 684

Purity 684 03/21/2022   Purity 684 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a setting sun comes to us from a friend who recently left the Northeast winter behind for a vacation in Dunedin Florida, and even though they had to endure a six hour delay in their flight, the waiting made them more than ready for some “fun in the sun”.    

Well, as the sun has set on another weekend, and it’s Monday again, I have a “jet lag” feeling as I am contemplating a new transition of “world’s colliding” as I return to my normal job as a telecommunications field technician for the first part of my day but will be also serving my local community as a psychiatric tech for the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team this evening.   

Last week, I was on a “working vacation” and worked full time for the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team For Columbia & Green Counties and after a week of it I had a strange experience of thinking “this is my life now”.  After a few days, I quickly became fully immersed in my “ego-trip” as a psych tech as the work demands your full attention and commitment.  You can’t really fake your care and concern for people who are in crisis and who are reaching out for help, or at least you shouldn’t.  

If you were “going through the motions” in helping people in crisis you could do some serious damage as your lack of attention and care could confirm their worst suspicions that no one cares and could do more harm than good.  While we must maintain some level of separation and professionalism in our interactions with those we try to help, we have to be “real” in our commitment to be a sympathetic listener and to try to guide people out of crisis and into peace.     

Similarly, in my job as a communications tech I have to assure the customers I encounter that I care about their communications problem and am doing everything I can to resolve their problems as soon as possible.    

But in both jobs, as much as I want to help those I encounter, I also have to recognize that I can’t solve everyone’s problems and I have to know my limitations and refer people to specialists when necessary.    I have to do as much as I can to help but also be wise enough to know when the problem before me requires skills that are beyond me and be humble enough to admit that and guide people to those specialists.   

So today, I will be operating in both realms of telecommunications and the world of mental health and in order to function in both I have to maintain a level of inner peace and balance that will allow me to be effective.  

While there are many techniques people can employ to relax, I have come to understand that the greatest sense of peace that I can experience comes from my continuous relationship with the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.   Jesus is the Specialist who saved me from sin and death and I can walk through this earth now in peace with God because of Him.

Just as my jobs require my ability to discern when something is within my power to change and when things need to be given to a specialist, our relationship with God requires us to recognize that there are things that we are responsible for and there are things that are beyond our power to affect that we should “give to God”.

And just like when I refer problems I can’t fix to “unseen” specialists that I trust will help those in need, I have to also have faith that when I run into problems in my life that are beyond my ability to change and choose to surrender them to God I have to trust that He will guide things in the way they should go.    In fact our faith in God, requires even more faith than our trust in man.  

If a specialist fails to fix the problem, we would give it to another specialist until its fixed. But sometimes even the specialist, can’t fix what is broken and they have the hard task of telling those effected that there is nothing they can do and they will have to accept the loss and get something new to replace what’s broken. Even specialist can’t fix everything.  

With God, it’s the same way, but He has the harder job of having to deal with the really big problems.  With issues like ware and peace, sickness and health, and life and death, people will come to God and ask Him to fix it and fix it fast.  Sometimes our prayers are answered as we expect, and we praise His name and declare that God is good.

But more often than not, our expectations of what God should do are not met and just like when the specialist tells you that you will have to accept the loss and move on, we might become disappointed and angry.         

When specialists fail us, our anger can cause us to stop doing business with them.   

But if we have any insight into God’s eternal design, we have to realize that the only one who will suffer from not “doing business” with God is us.  

That’s why our faith in God, must transcend our faith in man. Our faith in God has to be more than our faith in others and more than our faith in ourselves. If we are honest, we have to realize that we don’t know everything, and we can’t fix everything.   But God does.     

As the world may seem to be falling apart at times, and the governments of men seem to be incapable of solving the problems that we face, we need to recognize that our faith is best put in the hands of the One who made the earth and will shape the future.  

As daunting as the questions of life and death can be, the Lord provided His answers to those questions in His Word, the Bible.  The word of God tells of a Messiah that would come to reconcile man to God and those prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.   Those who put their faith in Jesus, are given eternal life in His kingdom and even though their bodies may fail them here on earth, they are assured that the One who conquered death will prepare a place for them beyond this life.    

So whatever problems we face today, remember that there is only so much we can do and only so much we are responsible for, both for today and tomorrow.  We should do what we can and refer the problems we can’t handle to specialists. But as for our lives, we should do what we can to live according to God’s word and then trust the Lord to take care of the rest.  

When we live our lives by trusting the Lord with the things we can’t handle and just do our best to follow His wisdom, we discover that our lives become filled with the fruit of the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit, aka obey God’s word, our lives become living expressions of love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, patience and self-control.   

So keep walking and talking with God and trust in Him to help you accept the losses and disappointments in life and that He will eventually fix what’s broken, when Christ comes to rule and reign forever and ever, Amen.

 

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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.

2.     Women’s Group, Starting Friday, April 8 at 10:30 AM EDT.

3.     Men’s Group, Starting Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.

4.     Men's Group, Starting Thursday, April 7 at 6:30 PM EDT.

5.     CO-ED SPANISH SPEAKING Group, Starting Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.

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Today’s Bible verse come to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is :

James 1:2-3 (NKJV)
²  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
³  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Today’s Bible verse encourages to have joy in our trials because they will cause us to rely on the Lord and grow in the fruit of patience.   

Sometimes we can be pretty confident in our ability to fix problems.  We learn from our mistakes and can develop plans for every contingency.  However, the questions of sickness and health and life and death are problems we can’t fully prepare for, unless we have a relationship with God.     

The assurance of eternal life requires our faith in Jesus Christ.  Our faith in Christ recognizes our weakness. We can’t do it ourselves but when we put our faith in Jesus we receive a new spiritual life and have access to the power and wisdom of God Himself.  But in order to receive God’s wisdom and strength we have to ask for it and we have to rely on Him.   

Trials exhaust our ability to “fix things”. They challenge us because we can’t immediately fix them, and they cause us to recognize our weaknesses.  

But as James points out in today’s verses, that’s a good thing because they will cause us to rely on the Lord’s strength and wisdom to guide us through them and they will demand that we endure through them and wait for resolution.  The waiting on a resolution will create the environment to exercise our faith and grow in our patience.  

So if you are going through a trial, draw close to the Lord. Seek His presence, His wisdom, and His strength in prayer and in His word.  His help may come miraculously, or providentially, or may come with just through the strength He gives you to endure and persevere.   When we walk with God, we are assured of a good ending, either here on earth or as it is in heaven.  

But obviously, God caused James to write these words to assure us that trials would come in our lives, but we should recognize them as opportunities to grow in our relationship with God and in our patience.  The only way we could rejoice in trials is because we can know that they serve the purpose of becoming more like Christ and becoming closer to God.  

So trust in the Lord and He will see you through. Your trials will teach you how to solve problems you never faced before and will teach you to trust in God like you never have before, but they will also cause you to grow, and because of that we can rejoice.

 

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.

F. What Effect Does Bulimia Have on the Body?

Many hear the term “eating disorder” and feel little if any concern because they have little if any knowledge of the serious implications of the term. However, others hear “eating disorder” and feel paralyzed with fear—their hearts race … palms sweat … minds swirl. Why?

The reason is quite simple … they know all too well this lying, conniving, murdering thief. They’ve seen its bony fingers choke the life out of a precious loved one while whispering words of deception. They’ve seen the deadly stranglehold and felt helpless to lend a hand. Those who have watched a loved one drink its poisonous words have seen an eating disorder destroy a life, a family, a community. They are far too familiar with the hideous and horrendous ways it can destroy a person’s body, mind, and spirit.

They know because they have lived it. They have seen up close and personal the physical complications of bulimia nervosa.…

“The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”

(Proverbs 15:14)

How bulimia affects your body^[1]

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, office on Women’s Health

How Bulimia Affects Your Body

•     Blood Problems

—   Anemia

—   Poor circulation, low body temperature

—   Low blood pressure

—   Ketoacidosis (high levels of acid buildup in the blood)

—   Type 2 diabetes mellitus

•     Body Fluids

—   Dehydration

—   Low potassium, magnesium, sodium (Out of balance electrolytes can cause cardiac arrest.)

•     Kidneys

—   Problems from diuretic abuse

—   Infections from vitamin deficiencies, dehydration, and low blood pressure

•     Intestines

—   Abdominal cramping and bloating.

—   Chronic constipation and diarrhea.

—   Irregular bowel movements, abnormal bowel functioning.

—   Excessive use of laxatives causes bowels to no longer function without total dependence on laxatives.

•     Hormones

—   Irregular or absent period

—   Imbalances causing multiple problems throughout the body

•     Brain

—   Distorted body image

—   Excessive fear of weight gain

—   Anxiety and depression

—   Dizziness

—   Seizures

—   Difficulty concentrating

—   Low self-esteem and shame

—   Neurological and mental deterioration

•     Cheeks/Jaw area

—   Swelling, soreness, TMJ

—   Swollen salivary glands in cheeks

•     Mouth

—   Purging of food brings up hydrochloric acid from the stomach that washes across the teeth.

—   Teeth sensitive to hot and cold foods.

—   Tooth enamel erosion and discoloration. (Teeth look clear.)

—   Cavities and tooth loss.

—   Gum disease and pain.

—   Sores in the mouth, swollen salivary glands in the cheeks.

•     Throat and esophagus

—   Sore and irritated

—   Tears and ruptures

—   Esophageal reflux, damage to larynx and lungs

—   Bleeding esophagus

—   Cancer of the esophagus, larynx, and throat

•     Muscles

—   Fatigue and aching

—   Atrophy

•     Stomach

—   Pain and soreness

—   Delayed emptying

—   Ulcers and ruptures

—   Deficiency in digestive enzymes

—   Pancreatitis caused by repeated stomach trauma

•     Skin

—   Abrasions and calluses on knuckles

—   Dry, flaky skin

•     Heart

—   High cholesterol

—   Elevated triglyceride levels

—   Electrolyte imbalances

—   Irregular heartbeat

—   Heart muscle weakened and thickened

—   Heart failure with a mortality rate from 5% to 15% of bulimics due to cardiac arrest

•     Lungs

—   Shortness of breath

—   Increased infections

•     Eyes

—   Broken blood vessels in the eyes

—   Vision problems

•     Pregnancy

—   Miscarriage

—   Baby stillborn (not born alive)

—   Baby born early, low birth weight

—   Birth defects, such as blindness or mental retardation

•     Weight swings or drops

—   Chronic bingeing/purging causes extreme weight fluctuation within short periods of time.

Because the thinking of those deceived by bulimia is confused, they desperately need to follow the advice King David gave to his son who was soon to sit on the throne after him.…

“You, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you.…”

(1 Chronicles 28:9)

Laxative Abuse

Question: “What is the danger in using laxatives to lose weight?”

Answer: Laxatives do not prevent food or calories from being absorbed but they do cause the loss of water, minerals, electrolytes, indigestible fiber, and wastes from the colon. The result can be dehydration unless fluids are consumed to rehydrate the body, thus negating the weight loss. Some of the consequences of laxative abuse include …

•     Electrolyte and mineral imbalances, resulting in improper functioning of nerves and muscles, including impairment of the colon and heart

•     Severe dehydration that can lead to tremors, weakness, blurry vision, fainting, kidney damage, and even death

•     Laxative dependency when the colon fails to respond to normal laxative doses and requires larger amounts of laxatives in order to function

•     Internal organ damage, including lazy colon, colon infection, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and possible colon cancer

Clearly, laxative abuse is physically dangerous and can even become life-threatening. Tragically, some with eating disorders so despise their bodies that they come to prefer death to life.…

“I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine.”

(Job 7:15)^[1]

 

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Overeating: Freedom from Food Fixation (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 14–18.