Why Should We Number Our Days?

Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Numbering our days. Do you ever sit and contemplate that we have a limited finite time on this earth, in this body, as a human being? This scripture shows us that we should be mindful and understand that. Then we may be more careful in what we do with each day. Every day is a 🎁 gift!

I believe I am accountable for each day. What did I do with it. How did I use it? Did I do any good, or was it all about me?

  • Did I worship my Creator today?
  • Did I Pray today?
  • Did I help anyone today?
  • Did I love anyone today?
  • Did I speak kindness today?
  • Was I gentle?
  • Was I gracious?
  • Was I encouraging?
  • Did I pour anything of value into the younger generation today?

I can go on and on. As I read this Scripture I am convicted. I don’t want to leave this world knowing that this one life I’ve lived was all about me. I would hope it’s more about God and more about others.

Early in life a got off to a bad start. Every thing was about me, my own self-pity, my victim mentality. I was a selfish jerk.

Then I met Jesus in 2008. And everything turned around.

I was to finish well.

I want to number my days because it’s important.

God Bless You All!

May You Never Thirst

May you never thirst. May your body and your spirit always have what the need. When you need refreshment, or new life, may the waters be available to you. May you never know thirst unto death, in your body or in your soul. May you never thirst.

And May your body and your spirit always thirst enough to stay alive. May you know the dissatisfaction with things as they are what leads to work for justice. May you know the thirst for new knowledge that leads to the quest for truth. May you know the desire for deeper connection that creates new and stronger relationships.

May you know the Spiritual thirst the keeps the soul searching, and gives the sweetness of new discovery to faithful follow of Spiritual paths of all kinds.

May you never thirst too deeply, but May your thirst never be entirely quenched.

The Impact Of Emotional Abuse On A Child

The adverse childhood experiences people suffer as adults as a result of childhood abuse and trauma leads to adverse physical and mental healing with behavioral issues later in life.

The consequences of child abuse in any form can be severe and often persist well into adulthood. A child often believes that they are Redford the abuse and that means they are unloved, unlovable, and unwanted.

Attachment Issues

Emotional abuse can interfere with a child’s ability to form or maintain healthy attachments. Attachment issues in early childhood have been linked to insecure attachments in adulthood. Children also might be at an increased risk for poor peer relations, trouble with intimacy, difficulty with conflict resolution, and aggression.

Behavioral And Social Problems

Emotional abuse in childhood also has been linked to delinquency and sexually aggressive behavior in young adults. Problems at school and with peers are also more common in these children,

Repeating The Cycle Of Abuse

Without appropriate intervention, people who were abused as children can be likely to abuse their children than people who did not experience abuse. While it is more likely to abuse their children few come out of their abused situation feeling like they would never treat another person the way they were treated. Therefore stopping the cycle of abuse with them.

Suicide And Mental Illness

Teens who experience emotional abuse as children are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness, such as depression, anxiety or mood disorders with can persist into adulthood. As well as drug use, children who feel unloved, unlovable and unwanted have a high risk of drug abuse. Which leads to the increased self-harm and suicide.

Societal Harm

Emotional abuse doesn’t just have a negative effect on individuals and families, it also strains society as a whole . The consequences of abuse burden the health and social systems, and is costly because of increased educational failure, and crime.

Emotional abuse leaves life long scars, the duration, severity and age of onset of the abuse as well a lack of personal coping skills.

The emotionally abused will need people in their lives that are supportive and loving to offset the impact that the abuse has caused.

What To Do

Mandated reporters are people who encounter children through their occupation, including child daycare, educators, legal and law enforcement personnel, and medical personnel. These reporters have an obligation to report suspected emotional abuse just as they do physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect.

Even if you are not a mandated reporter and you suspect that a child is being emotionally abused, report it. A child who is experiencing any type of abuse needs to be evaluated and be treated appropriately.

Most children are afraid to say anything, in fear that they will be injured more. If they do get up the courage to tell an adult about the abuse and the adult doesn’t believe the child it can be devastating.

I urge that if you suspect abuse of any kind to stand up and say something. The trauma of a abused child has last effects on them through childhood and beyond. You could end up saving a precious life.

Speaking In Tongues

The subject of speaking in tongues remains controversial today and is a subject deserving of some close attention. I have found unless you truly understand something it can b freighting.

This post is short and is not designed to argue that tongues is a valid gift but it simply attempts to describe the nature and function of speaking in tongues.

The “tongues” spoken on the Day of Pentecost were real human language.

The variety of nations represented in Acts would certainly confirm this. Every heard in their own language and dialect. Can this phenomenon still occur today? Absolutely, yes. While it’s not common today. Some feel it’s the language of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift. It meaning speaking with words or in a language one doesn’t know in order to edify yourself and others.

Jesus foretold of speaking in tongues, “And these signs will follow those who believe… they will speak in new tongues.” ( Mark 16:17). The first time anyone spoke in tongues was on the day of Pentecost; when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles, in Acts. The apostles spoke the gospel to the crowds in Jerusalem, and what they said could be understood by people speaking many different languages… we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11).

Later the apostle Paul also writes about the gift of speaking in tongues, in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. However, he writes that the person speaking in tongues doesn’t speak in an understandable language: “no one understands them, however in his spirit he speaks mysteries.’ (1 Corinthians 14:2). Yet this gift that has been given to believers can be of benefit to the recipients and used to edify others in Christian gatherings.

What Does The Bible Say About Speaking In Tongues?

Much of what is written in the Bible about this gift is written by Paul to the Corinthians church. Apparently many of them had received this gift but did not understand the proper use of it in their gatherings.

Paul attempted to help them understand it’s purpose: “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all; for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of Sprits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues “ (1 Corinthians 12:4-10.

The gift of speaking In tongues was one of many given to believers to aid in the building of the body of Christ, which is the church.

Speaking In Tongues For Edification

Speaking In tongues in itself can benefit a person. Paul states: “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.” (1 Corinthians 14:4). Speaking in tongues can help you express what your spirit and which you cannot express with words. Paul makes it clear that the best way to edify the church is to speak prophetically, with “plain” words that build faith and understanding for all who hear the message (1 Corinthians 14: 18-19).

However,speaking in tongues can also be of “profit to all” in a Christian assembly if it is interpreted to a common language of those in the gathering.

How is it then brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching , has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification, if anyone speaks in the tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.

1 Corinthians 14:26

When used this way, the gift of tongues should be used to empathize and support the spiritual message, and not because you feel strongly moved in your emotions. In this way, others besides the one speaking in tongues will be edified,

Speaking In Tongues As A Sign For Unbelievers

There is another reason the gift of tongues is given. “In the law it is written:’ With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people, And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me, says the Lord. Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers” (1 Corinthians 14:21-22). In this way it could benefit those who attend a gathering but have not yet committed their life to Christ.

Who Receives This Spiritual Gift?

It is e pressed in the Bible that not all believers will receive this gift: “God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrators, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles! Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:28-30). We see here that only some will receive the gift to speak in tongues, just as some are only called to be prophets, etc,,,

As with all gifts of the Spirit, the speaking in tongues is not necessarily a sign of spiritual maturity. Many of the Corinthians spoke in tongues but Paul states that they were “babes of Christ “ (1 Corinthians 3:1). However, when used in an orderly and appropriate manner, it can be used to build up the individual and other members of the body of Christ.

How Does Satan Keep Unbelievers In Spiritual Darkness?

According to scripture. Satan does the following things to keep those who have not believed in Christ in spiritual darkness.

Deny His Existence

One of the favorite ways in which Satan operates is to get people to deny that he exists. He seems to be most effective when people do not believe there is such a creature as the Devil. If he can get people to doubt his existence, then he can do much of his work without them knowing.

Disguise

We find from the Bible that Satan had often approached people in disguise. For example, in the Garden of Eden he came in the form of a snake (serpent) to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians that he appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

To His Advantage

This unbelief in his existence works to Satan’s advantage. When people are either uninformed or misinformed about the existence of the devil, they become like the Sadducees in Jesus’s day, who did not believe in angels or spirits. When someone rejects the idea of Satan’s existence they are an easy target for him to manipulate.

Blinds People To God’s Truth

The truth of the gospel is what sets people free. Satan attempts to blind people from that truth.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this age had blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Energizes His Own Ministerss

Satan gives power to his own ministers.

It is no great thing therefore if his ministers fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose and shall be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11:15

Controls People’s Heart And Minds

Satan has the ability to control hearts and minds. (He did mine for years).

And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

Luke 22:3

Hinders The Gospel

The message of the gospel is hindered by the devil.

When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path

Matthew 13:19

Prevents People From Hearing The Gospel

Satan’s main goal is to prevent people from hearing the good news about Jesus. The message about forgiveness offered through Jesus that sets people free.

So, if the Son makes you free you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

Misrepresents The Truth

Satan lies, denies, and misrepresents the truth. To Eve he said

And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not truly die

Genesis 3:4

Takes Away Gospel

He also takes away that which the unbeliever has heard.

And those by the way side are they that have heard, then comes the devil, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.

Luke 8:46

Satan attempts to get people to falsely place their trust in themselves, religion, or good works. He wants people to feel religiously satisfied, but without having a saving knowledge of Christ. The Bible says.

There is a way which seems right unto a person, but the end there of are the ways of people.

Proverbs 16:25

Goal Is Destruction

His ultimate goal is the destruction of people

And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10;28

Hope For Escape

Fortunately, there is hope for unbelievers to escape the traps of the devil.

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition. If God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

Satan has his methods with unbelievers. He wants to keep them from hearing the good news about Christ- the forgiveness of sins. To accomplish this he prevents people from hearing, blinds them to the good news, takes away the good news once they’ve heard it, and has them falsely trust in something apart from Christ and His gospel. This is his strategy to keep people from hearing and believing the truth about Christ.

Satan Only Comes To Steal, Kill And Destroy But Christ Comes To Give A Rich And Satisfying Life. – John 10:10