"Just Give It To God" Have you said this?

 "Just Give It To God"

Have you ever said those words? Has anyone ever said that to you?

I called a friend who commented on one of my Instagram posts. She had commented several days before, and, being honest, I don't check Instagram daily, and I really am not very skilled with it. 

Her post said, "I needed this right now. I was thinking, why am I alive?" Praise God, it helped her know there are reasons she’s alive. Of course, she wants to be alive, just not living the way she is. She started explaining how people keep telling her, "Just give it to God." 

This woman goes to Bible study, was raised in the church, and has been around Christians most of her life. As she was telling me about her anxiety and how she was told, "Just give it to God", something hit me. I say that to people and to myself a lot. Why? Is it easy, "Just to give it to God"? If it were, this phrase would not exist.

I lived with fear for many years. I performed, I was surviving, but the overwhelming dread that would hit me about "anything". Driving down the road, I could get in an accident. My husband traveled for work, maybe he wouldn't return alive, and my children were always a heavy concern.

 I needed to volunteer at church and do good. I worked and was stressed there, but when I was home, I was stressed there. No one really knew.

I facilitated bible studies in my home. Honestly, throughout those days, the ladies were amazing. They truly didn't know the depth of my fears, though. I was the facilitator. I was "the leader". The more I prepared for the study and spent time in God's Word, the more He gave me my life back. I now know it was His Confidence in me that was needed and growing. But during that time, how was I to “JUST GIVE IT TO GOD?”

I always had a life and a pretty darn good one, according to everyone else. People thought things came easily to me. I struggled with school and technology. Technology was starting to grow. Ask my children, I was horrible at computer games, too. 

Like anything else, we need to learn how to “give it to God.” I think back on those days, and even now, when I want to hold on to problems and concerns that I really have no control over, and think, " Why is it so hard to turn things over to God? I answer that for myself, and I hope it will help you if you are anything like me.

I hate that pit in my stomach and the stress-induced urge to run to the bathroom. I hate not sleeping at night because of stress. I was telling a friend how I was never one to do “bowel cleanses”, but when you get hit with disturbing news, guess what, that bowel cleanse comes, whether you wanted it or not. Get what I’m saying? Can you relate?

I ask myself, when anxiety and fear arise, am I doubting God's word for my life? Am I doubting who He says He is? Do I lack faith? I am so thankful for the Prescription for Doubt from JesusRx, because it focuses me back on who God is and His promises according to His Word. I don’t have to doubt He knows all things and will never leave me, and as Jesus said, I am left with a comforter, the Holy Spirit. You have access to that same comforter if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

I also ask myself is my fear and anxiety due to guilt and shame? If it is, I need to confess anything I am guilty of knowing God forgives, and I no longer stand in condemnation before Him, as he will remove my sin as far as the east is from the west when I ask. Thank God I have the Prescription for Forgiveness from JesusRx. Forgiveness was settled at the cross, so it is settled in my life as I receive God’s amazing forgiveness.

The Prescription for Peace from JesusRx shows me so many promises. God will allow me to sleep better at night. His peace passes all understanding, and that is given to us. I need to believe that. He has done that for me throughout my life. He has shown His faithfulness to me, even when I was not faithful.

This next reason is quite difficult to write about, but I did discuss it with my friend. I had to because I think this is one of the biggest ways the enemy wants to keep us “good Christians” in bondage. We go to church most of our lives, and guess what? The love preached and taught (not on purpose) seemed so conditional, or maybe it was the way the enemy warped it...YOU NEED TO BE IN CHURCH EVERY TIME THESE DOORS ARE OPEN. YOU NEED TO SERVE IN THE CHURCH. WE NEED HELP WITH PROJECTS AND FINANCES. FILL OUT A COMMITMENT CARD. YOU NEED TO TITHE IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A MEMBER. SIGN THE CARD. DON’T WORK ON SUNDAYS. DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL OR WORK ANYWHERE WHERE IT IS SERVED. SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE IS BAD. (sex wasn’t really even talked about to us growing up in the church…other than just don’t do it if you aren’t married).

 We were always reminded of hell and damnation. This was somehow going to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Well, for some, it brought fear and performance. I believe and told my friend that this is what has been causing her anxiety all these years and mental health problems. When a person has to hide anything in their life, it causes problems. When women hide beatings or abuse from a husband, it gives the enemy a foothold. When people hide alcoholism, it brings damage to their bodies. Hiding pornography brings sickness to marriages.

Hiding anything that one knows goes against God’s ways, brings death to mind, body, and soul. Living a free life called by God does not exist. Soon, a whole lot of medications will be needed to support daily activities. Praise God for His Prescriptions! Seek the Great Physician first and allow Him to guide you to any treatments or medications that may be needed.

I can’t thank God enough for the Prescription for Fear and Prescription for Love from JesusRx.

The Prescription for Love is amazing. It will show you how much you are loved and how you can live in that love. His love is unconditional. He gave His son Jesus for us, the perfect one. Once you come to understand the love God has for you, you will no longer need to live by dos and don’ts to know your standing before God.

You will want to please God in all areas of your life once you understand that His purposes for you are to grow you. He has a calling for you while you are here. He wants us to join Him in His work. That’s an amazing thought. We have nothing to fear as He calls us. The world wants us to fear because the force in us is greater than what is in this world. People can come against you for doing the will and work of God in your life, so what? You are not to fear them. You are not to allow the enemy to rob you of the joys of this life God has for you. You don’t have to fight amongst people. Flesh fighting flesh is an ugly thing. Let the power of the Holy Spirit in you take over in overcoming evil.

Think about a company you admire, and the good things they do. What if the president of that company said, “I want you to work beside me. I will teach you all things.” Would you want to be part of that? I would! God has the time to teach us and train us in His ways. We just need to pick up that Bible, start reading, and watch what happens. You will grow. You can always join in on of our JesusRx Prescription for Life sessions. Email me at evapopekjesusrx@gmail.com

There is consequences for our deliberate sin on this earth. Accept them, but know any sin can be forgiven in your life because of the shed blood of a perfect man named Jesus. The closer you are to Jesus, the less you need to worry about consequences here on earth. I have another post about the differences between living a moral life and an immoral life. Things a person doesn’t worry about when they are living a morally good life.

The more I grow in Jesus Christ, the easier it is to “Just give it to God”. When I know I can trust someone with anything, it’s easy to confide in them and share my burdens. I know I can trust God completely with my life, and so can you. This is what makes it easy to “Just give it to God.”

Total trust, trust Him totally today, and “Just Give it to God.”

JesusRx Prescription for Life Workbooks are available at lulu.com

JesusRx Prescription For Love 

JesusRx website 

JesusRx Prescription for Life Workbook 12 studies

 

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Life Would Be Boring If We Had It All Figured Out

 

                                                         

                                                        

 I started thinking about the saying, “God is in the details.” I started thinking not just about my own life but about others' lives. I don’t know one person who has “it all figured out".

What if we did? I couldn’t imagine a life without “surprises”. Some people seem to have an easier time just “going with it”. When life throws them punches, they don’t seem to be as bruised and hurt as others. Some people can get up and move forward more easily and quickly than others. The ones I know who do that don’t keep telling themselves that good things can’t happen to them. In other words, they don’t give excuses. They don’t give up. Some are still searching for how to live in peace amid all the “surprises” in their lives.

There are several articles on how childhood trauma may impact adults. The article is just one, and I want to share it here in case anyone is in need of this information

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/how-childhood-trauma-may-impact-adults

Another website I would like to mention that may help in providing treatment for many of the mental health problems people are suffering from is :

https://www.honeylake.clinic/

I do not know anything other than what I read online about Honey Lake Clinic. Honestly, it sounds like a place I would want to vacation at for 7 to 10 days.

At JesusRx, we are about mind, body, and spirit healing, and we know that through the Great Physician, our needs will be met. I did not say that life will be all happy, as that is not what this world gives us. When God created this world, He gave us perfection, and all was good. When sin entered, it entered for all of us.

I just wanted to go over John 19:38-42 as we approach Easter.

Jesus dies on the cross, and two men take care of the burial. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take away Jesus' body. He was a “secret disciple” because he feared what the Jews would do to him if they knew he was following Jesus.

Nicodemus is the other man who came and brought about a hundred pounds of myrrh and Aloe. They used the spices and wrapped Jesus in strips of linen. This is the Jewish custom for burial.

In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb. No one had yet been laid there. The Jews had a preparation day before observing Passover, and no work was to be done on Passover day.

It was a perfect place to have the tomb so the men could lay Jesus' body before Passover. They would not have been allowed to transfer or prepare Jesus' body the next day, according to Jewish law.

Joseph and Nicodemus no doubt loved Jesus very much and wanted to give him the burial he deserved. No one else was there to get Jesus' body.

Notice how every detail is taken care of. The people to get Jesus' body, Pilate allowed them to do so, and the provision of oil and supplies needed. The timing and place are perfect. Jesus would have hung on the cross for several days because of the Passover.

This all happened at the perfect time, and God was in the details. There was an empty tomb in the garden, so it wasn’t necessary to try to look for a place or to take Jesus' body far away. God had it all figured out.

If you continue to read the next few chapters, it gets very exciting!

It’s draining to try to figure out all the details of my life. There is no way I can do this. I serve a God who is in every detail of my life if I will allow Him to be. If I knew what was happening tomorrow, I probably would not focus on today.

If I saw a wonderful thing that was going to happen, I would focus on that and let the great things of the day I’m in slip by me. If I knew something “bad” was going to happen, I would worry or try to avoid it. I do know I can avoid many “bad” things by staying away from things I know don’t do me any good.

I’ll try to explain this in very simple terms. Let's take a car accident, for example. If I head out to the shelter to volunteer and am on my way, someone runs a red light and hits me, I really have no control over that other than never getting in a car and going anywhere. That is not reasonable or how God would want me to live my life. (fear-based. We have a prescription for fear at JesusRx.org.)

If on my way to the shelter, I drive 100mph (my car would laugh at that. I always tell my husband I need a fast car.), lose control, and wreck, well, that is on me. I had control over how fast to drive and chose to drive out of the limits, and in turn, got hurt.

God is with me at all times. In every detail. Do I observe the things from Him that bring life, or choose my own ways? In many instances, I am selfish. It’s human nature to want what we want. I don’t want this human nature. I want a Spirit-filled nature.

The Spirit-filled nature will allow me to let the One who has my life all figured out guide me. What a relief, I don’t have to have life all figured out.

Do you need that relief today? You can have it. It’s as simple as 1,2,3.

1.         1.    Romans 3:23 Says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Admit you are a sinner (sin is the act of breaking God’s laws and is the sickness that separates us from God)

2.             2.     Romans 10:9-10  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Believe that  Jesus is the Son of God, the perfect One, able to take your sin and heal your separation from God.

3.             3.    1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Ask Jesus to come and live in your heart as your personal Savior. That is it; you have received His wonderful gift! He will change you.

Please send me an email if this spoke to you, and especially if you have received your free gift of Jesus Christ and no longer need to “have it all figured out!” Praise God for that.

 

 

 

Grief, Tears and the Empty Place

 

Grief, Tears, and the Empty Place

When a loved one passes, grief happens. I have known people to grieve even when a relative was not necessarily close to them. There is just something about a person being gone from this physical world that hits many of us in crazy ways.

What I learned from the passing of my mom is that grief really is a strange thing. How one minute I would be going about my daily activities of life, minding my own business, then BAM, just like that, it hits. IT is hard to describe. It isn’t like the heaviness of when you are taking care of a sick loved one. It was different. It is just that longing to hear her voice, to see her smile, and, yes, even to argue with me. She made me laugh, and I could get her to laugh on most days when she was not well.

I can’t even imagine the pain, hurt, or grief a mother, father, or grandparent feels when a child is taken from this earth. The unfulfilled dreams a parent had for them. Many tears must fall. Anger may even happen. (We have a Prescription For Anger available. See Jesusrx.org or evapopek.com for details)

In my tears, Jesus cares. In my tears, I may not recognize that He is near. In my tears, I should be seeking Him and His comfort. In my tears, I know He can be preparing me for an assignment. I need to know Jesus lives. I need to let Him live in my life, and turn my sadness into joy.

Mary, the disciples, and I have much to rejoice over. Jesus did and always does what He says He will.

Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus (Mark 15:40-41). She loved Him deeply. She had been delivered from demons (Luke 8:2). She witnessed His crucifixion and resurrection. (Matthew 27:54-28:10, Mark 16:1-10, Luke 24:10, and John 19:25-20:18)

Mary went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. She was weeping. She was so sad and stooped down to look into the tomb, and it was empty. Nobody, dead or alive, was there. She couldn’t believe this. Who would take Jesus dead body? She wept, and then saw 2 angels in white, one at the head of where Jesus body had lain and one at the foot.

They asked, “Why are you weeping?” She said, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid Him”.

As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know it was Him. He must not have looked the same as before His death, or she was so distraught that she did not even recognize Him. I think He must have looked different, because two of the disciples He was walking behind after He rose from the grave didn't recognize Him either.

Jesus asked Mary the same questions as the angels did, “Why are you weeping? And adds “Who are you seeking?” (John 20:1-21)

Jesus cared about why Mary was weeping. Jesus cares about why we weep. He wants to know who Mary was seeking. I think that when I’m in tears over anything, I know God cares. He sent Jesus to us because of the many tears we will shed here on earth. For many, heartache and tears have led them to know the Love of God. As we seek Jesus, knowing He died for us and, better yet, rose to sit at the right hand of the Father, they see us. Jesus did not stay in that grave.

At that moment, Mary did not know that Jesus was speaking to her. She thought it was the gardener, since the gardener usually worked the hour she was in the garden. She thought maybe the gardener had placed Him somewhere else. She wanted to know where He was so she could go get Him.

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” Because of the exclamation mark (this is in the NKJV), I believe He said it the way I do when I need to get my dog Rosie's attention. I say it with force and authority. She knows the voice. Mary belonged to Jesus. He wanted to make sure she knew His voice.

Jesus called out Mary’s name with authority. She turned to him and said Robboni (I think she may have shouted it!). It means teacher. I’m sure she was so excited to see Him alive and talking to her. She wanted to stay near Him. Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to my brethren (believers) and say to them “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”

We are told she went and did as Jesus, her Lord asked.

Wow! She was so obedient. I wonder if she thought, “But Jesus, they won’t believe me. But Jesus, I just want to stay near you. But Jesus, I’m tired. What I just experienced is too emotional for me.” She no doubt was happy and did as Jesus asked. She seemed to know she would see Him again. She did.

I have no doubt I will get to see my loved ones again that know Jesus. He has a place for them and all those knowing Him to re-unite. Oh what a reunion it will be. Glorifying the Lord in truth and Spirit, not room for the flesh.

John 20:19 we see Jesus words “Peace be with you” and as He breathed on them, He said  “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  Peace be with you the common Jewish greeting is still used today (Shalom alekem).

Peace was Jesus’s gift to His followers by virtue of His sacrificial death on the cross. (NKJV study notes).  As Easter time approaches and we remember His resurrection, keep in mind the gift of His peace to those who follow Him. Seek His peace when you grieve, joy will come in the morning. Maybe not the next morning, but it will come.

We have the Prescription For Peace workbook available. See my website Jesusrx.org or evapopek.com for details. We offer 5 week sessions on each prescription. If interested send me a message from my website.

I have been given peace that passes all understanding because of His promises. May you continue in His word and my peace abound in the midst of your tears.