Depression - we are not alone

For the last couple of weeks, I have seen little fruit flies flying around my house.

At first it was just a couple and I don't like to kill things so, I figured I would do my best to shew them outside or deal with them until they died (they typically only live about 30 days or so).. The number started to increase little by little until I was so frustrated that I had to start trying to kill some of them. I started swatting at them, killing them here and there. I thought that the problem was starting to go away. Monday morning when I went into my kitchen, they were literally everywhere! I have had some pans on my counter that I was ready to put away but I have to climb to reach the place where they go. Having very little time to take care of these types of things lately, they had been sitting there for a couple of weeks.

I read online about the fruit flies and why they decide to take over any one area. It is typically due to the fact that a piece of fruit or something fermenting has been left out.  I started to scour the kitchen area for anything that it might be.  Then I saw it hidden behind the pans on the counter, the mason jar that had salsa in it that I wanted to clean and use the canning jar that it was in. The lid was slightly off of the jar. I had put it there to take out to the dumpster and dump into a plastic bag because I did not want to dump it into my drain. There were what seemed like thousands of these things swarming this jar.

I bagged the jar up into the trash and put all of my fruit in the fridge. I have not been keeping trash in my garbage at all but sealing it in a plastic old spinach bin that I am going to keep emptying into our dumpster. I would like to say that they are all gone now but it is taking some time for them to dwindle.

I started thinking this morning, it was easy enough to find the source of what was causing all of the fruit flies. A festering time bomb on my kitchen counter that while put there with good intention, was the self imposed cause of my fruit fly infestation. The bugs flying all around, pestering me  and stealing my peace.

What if I had tried to find the source and I could not find it? What if the kitchen was dark and I had no way of turning the light on to see where it was? It would remain there and continue to get worse until the whole house was full of it. After a while, I imagine it would wear me down and give me little hope that the problem would be solved.

I have suffered depression in the past and I know that it feels a lot like the scenario that I have spoken of above. You know something is there that is not right but you feel as if you cannot figure out where or what it is. Instead of getting better, it continues to get worse because the source has not been exposed. Without light, it would be difficult if not impossible to figure out the cause of most problems in our material world. The same is true with the Spiritual. We need light to expose the hidden source of our pain. Sometimes we may need someone else to be this source of light for us. Sometimes if we take enough quiet time with our Lord and stay in Word, we are able to figure things out and continue walking our paths. Whatever it is, it is imperative that we do something. Leaving things be as if they are not, will only cause further harm. Once we find the source, we need to be patient. It most likely took some time for the problem to manifest on the level that it has. It will get better, it just needs time. This too shall pass.

The death of Robin Williams has had a significant impact on our society as far as being aware that depression is real and can be as deadly as having cancer. He spent his life making us laugh, while crying on the inside.. How many others in our lives could be doing the same thing? We don't think about the people that are smiling all of the time because we are blinded by outer appearance and fooled into thinking that person has it all together and may even be tempted to think, why can't I be more like them?

I encourage you to slow down and take the time to look at the people around you. Is there someone who is rarely serious, always seems to be laughing and in good Spirits? It could be that they are so in tuned with God that they are able to be this way out of His Good Spirit but maybe take the time to try to know that for sure. Talk to them on a more serious level, ask they how they are doing and pay attention not only to their response but their actions. Watch them when they do not know you are watching. Pay attention to the things that they do, to what they say when they do not know you are listening. People show us who they are by their actions when unaware they are being watched.

If you are struggling with depression, please talk to someone. If you do not have  person that you feel you can talk to, go to a non-denominational church or if you have a church already, seek the pastor. That is what they are there for and they are called to keep your confidence. You are not different or strange or weird. Most people have suffered from depression at some point and would be able to maybe help you find your light to expose the root of your depression. Often times, God will place people around you that are walking the same path. They can help you. Please give them a chance to help you.

May God continually help our society learn that keeping things to yourself when you are hurting is not the route to go, AMEN.

Wake up America, arise from your sleep!!!!

Christ sets us free from bondage on the inside and that creates a free man on the outside, as well as a person that is able to self govern through Godly Morals. I have been studying real history that can be verified as being true. The public schools are funded by the government and therefore on the government's agenda. Initially schools were set up to teach the children to be able to read the Bible so that they could continue from generation to generation to secure the blessing of liberty that our ancestors fought so hard to have for us. The schools were not funded by the government, they were locally funded and initially in a home-schooling atmosphere. America was setup for religious freedom to worship Christ in the way that we felt we needed to in our hearts without persecution. I say Christ because they said Christ. Separation of Church and State was added to protect us from the government telling us how we could worship Christ or that we could not worship Him at all. It was not meant to be used to take God out of the political realm or out of schools. The government has violated this right by condemning the Bible in schools and or any discussion that speak of God or our beliefs. Another right violated, Freedom of Speech...There is a term for hushing us and it's called, "politically correct".. It is very clever how they are turning us against each other with this and distracting us as they systematically strip away our liberties (satan works the same way).. I am not afraid to speak my beliefs and will not be hushed to soothe the conscience of another. I will remain respectful to others, but will not allow them to squelch my beliefs because they are not strong enough in their own and feel threatened by my voicing mine. I will act in love as I am called to do and love does not withhold rebuke when it is needed. God blessed us with a country of freedom because we the people, relied on His provision daily and thanked Him fervently for our blessings. We were obedient to His Word and we secured our liberty because of it. We have shifted our reliance to our government in many cases and have taken God out. “Those who will not be Governed by God will be Ruled by Tyrants". William Penn.. It is OK if you do not believe or agree with what I am saying but at least study the history of our founding Fathers and the ideas behind the men with the vision that they had for our America and why America presently has her liberties, the real history and not what they are teaching today in our schools.. It could change your way of thinking and while that can be scary, the Truth also sets us free.. "Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God." - Benjamin Franklin

Hosea 4:6  (1611 King James Bible)

Viewing the 1611 King James Version. Click to switch to standard King James Version of Hosea 4:6

¶ My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge: because thou hast reiected knowledge, I will also reiect thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the lawe of thy God, I wil also forget thy children.

- 1611 King James Bible

The Assumption of Mary

My writing on this post is in blue. 

http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap080500.htm

Pope Pius XII, declared infallibly, ex cathedra: "Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory." (The Magisterium has stayed cospicuously silent regarding whether this process entailed Mary's physical death. The teaching merely states that Mary's body and soul were assumed at the completion of the course of Mary's life.)

Ex catheda, in the Catholic world means that the Pope spoke these words as guided by Spirit and they can never be untrue, infallible (no human on Earth is infallible and that includes the pope.  It is not found in the Bible.

Pay close attention to the history defined at this Catholic site below. It appears to have changed over time to suit the time period (God's words are timeless and the same today as they were yesterday, that is Truth). Falling asleep in those days refereed to someone that had died.

http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Assumption.htm

The verses below are the only accounts that you will find in the Bible, regarding people that went up to Heaven in any other way besides dying a physical death. Jesus ascended into Heaven but He did die a physical death first. There is nothing in the Bible that states that Mary did not die a physical death. She took up her Cross,  followed Jesus and died a physical death to be raised again. Again, there is little regarding Mary at all in the Bible. It's just another attempt to distract you from Truth of Jesus and why He came and what we all have available to us through Him. Total Grace, nothing we will or could ever do on our own. Mary was under this Grace as well. She was a humble servant of the Lord and the vessel He chose to bear Jesus. It had nothing to do with Mary and everything to do with our Lord Jesus Christ! 

2 KINGS 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Genesis 5:24

King James Version (KJV)

24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5

King James Version (KJV)

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Luke 24 (King James Version)--- JESUS 

51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven

John 3:13
King James Version (KJV)
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

as·sumed

  [uh-soomd]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

adopted in order to deceive; fictitious; pretended; feigned: an assumed name; an assumed air ofhumility.

2.

taken for granted; supposed: His assumed innocence proved untrue.

3.

usurped.

Origin: 
1615–25; assume + -ed2

Dictionary.com Unabridged

as·sume

  [uh-soom]  Show IPA

verb (used with object), as·sumed, as·sum·ing.

1.

to take for granted or without proof: to assume that everyone wants peace. Synonyms: suppose,presuppose; postulate, posit.

2.

to take upon oneself; undertake: to assume an obligation.

3.

to take over the duties or responsibilities of: to assume the office of treasurer.

4.

to take on (a particular character, quality, mode of life, etc.); adopt: He assumed the style of anaggressive go-getter.

5.

to take on; be invested or endowed with: The situation assumed a threatening character.

as·sump·tion  (-smpshn)

n.

1. The act of taking to or upon oneself: assumption of an obligation.

2. The act of taking possession or asserting a claim: assumption of command.

3. The act of taking for granted: assumption of a false theory.

4. Something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof; a supposition: a valid assumption.

5. Presumption; arrogance.

6. Logic A minor premise.

7. Assumption

a. Christianity (NOT TRUE , ALL CHRISTIANS DO NOT BELIEVE THIS ONLY CATHOLICS) The taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven in body and soul after her death.

b. A feast celebrating this event.

c. August 15, the day on which this feast is observed.

Lightning bugs in Ohio..

There are so many of them outside this summer. They are shining their lights, are you shining yours?

Matthew 5:16  King James Version (KJV)Close

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Become Like a Child

Matthew 18:3

King James Version (KJV)

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

con·ver·sion

 noun \kən-ˈvər-zhən, -shən\

: the act or process of changing from one form, state, etc., to another

: the act or process of changing from one religion, belief, political party, etc., to another

¹hum·ble

 adjective \ˈhəm-bəl also chiefly Southern ˈəm-\

: not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people

: given or said in a way that shows you do not think you are better than other people

: showing that you do not think of yourself as better than other people.

Yesterday on my walk, I saw children playing at the playground. I hadn't decided what my Biblical reading of the day was until I saw them.  I observed them for a couple of laps and pondered the verse above that I knew was in the Bible someplace. As I opened the Bible, yes it opened up right to it and it was the first thing I saw. Things like this are of no coincidence. 

I started thinking of how He told us change our beliefs and become as little children. What are some things that set a part children from the adults? 

They  believe what you tell them 

They do not have a problem receiving gifts: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCvBzb1fhBg

They  do not  worry about how they are going to pay bills or how they will get the things that they need to survive. They trust their Mommy and Daddy will take care of that. 

They have fun and they do not care who is watching. 

They are not afraid to ask questions and listen to the answer.

They sing and dance and do not care who is watching or listening. 

They are genuine with others and do not feel the need to mask who they are or how they feel. 

They make friends with everyone and do not care about differences in appearance. 

They have no problem showing affection in public. 

I challenge you to take some time to observe a group of young children. 1-4 years old. It seems this age group is a good on that has not had enough time yet to soak in too many poor life experiences to have it change their outlook. Are you able to see yourself in them still today? If so, you are the right track. 

A reminder: The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug..

A friend of mine sent this to me today on a Facebook message: 

1 Peter 4:8. Love covers over sin. Praying that you feel loved and peaceful and safe today. Light always overcomes the darkness and love covers sin. Let your light and your love do their thing today!

Tonight I watched this movie. It was the first time that I was unable to remember the movie that had come before it in a three part series. It dawned on me while watching it that I had posted about The Hobbit part one, An Unexpected Journey.. I decided however to watch the rest of part two before I looked to see what it was. 

In part two, there is a girl elf named Tauriel. I felt as if He was telling me that I am like this elf but have lost sight of the power that I posses in Christ. She had a quest of her own in this movie and that was to keep darkness from settling over the land that she was fighting with a man that is like a brother to her, Legolos. In one part of the movie, she is healing a man name Kili, (whom she later grows to love) and a bright light shines from her as she is doing so.  I do not want to spoil too much of the movie since it is a newer release. Tonight, it is cold and rainy out. How fitting for God to speak the same message to me over again through the same movie on the same kind of a night.  I really needed to see this message again. I am supposing there are others that need it as well..Remember, we are all like Tauriel and Legolos on the same quest.

Tuesday,  03/19/2012 at 12:32 P.M.

 

I received a birthday gift from a dear friend of mine. It arrived in a silver box with my full name engraved on the top. It reminded me of the type of gift box that may have been like one that the three kings had presented to Jesus so long ago. Inside there was a black velvet pouch that had another pink velvet pouch inside of that. This pouch had a set of silver dog tags in it. The top plate has a trellis like design and a cut out heart so that you can see through it to the bottom plate. The front of the bottom plate has my Army Serial number art323, my position Disciple of God (DOG) and the back of that same plate has HOPE 111 engraved on it. When the top plate is directly aligned with the bottom, you can see the words OF GOD inside the heart that is on the top plate. The initials are smaller case to remind me to stay humble. The message of HOPE 111 was a revelation that God had shared with me a few years ago that I had shared with my friend.

 

I remember before this package had arrived that day, I was in the restroom at work and when I looked in the mirror, I had acknowledged that the outfit I was wearing reminded me that I am in the Army of Lord. It was a black T shirt with a silver Jesus Fish and Capri's that had camouflage on them.

 

Some may call this a coincidence but I know that it was not. It was a confirmation for me that I am a part of His Army. It was as if He was handing me the dogs tags Himself.

 

For the last few years I had made it a point to have dinner on Monday nights at my Mom's, (who lived with my Grandma),. I brought my son with me, and eventually my Brother started coming and he would bring his girlfriend. Once Kyle started to date someone, he would bring her as well. Eventually, my brother started bringing his friends at times. Everyone had always been welcomed in that house and my loving Mother with a gift of serving had made it a feeling of home for all.

 

When I came to my Mom's house that night, I had noticed that every single person that was in the house had camouflage on. This was actually pretty unusual and even my Mom had it on. Granted hers was a Disney shirt with blue camouflage but camo nonetheless, LOL.

 

As I am writing this story now, I do so with a smile in my heart mixed with sadness and revelation. There has been much turmoil on my Grandmothers side of the family in the way of the siblings. They are all very kindhearted, loving people however the family was steeped in religion that bore it's natural fruit of judgement and condemnation, rather than love and mercy towards each other. Needless to say, once my Grandmother passed last year, it has only gotten worse. I am not sure why my Grandmother did not  leave the house to my Mother who moved in with her and had taken care of her but I suppose it is not my place to judge her actions. I stand with a broken heart watching the family succumb to the spirit of Greed in ways that I could have never imagined. I guess in my heart, I thought they would do the right thing and let my Mom have the house. You see the house would not be if she had not moved in. Grandma could not make the payments so, she asked my Mother to move in with her. I love all of my family and I will always strive to believe the best and try to convince each of them to believe the same in each other. My Mom did not expect to be given the house, and agreed that the siblings are entitled to their inheritance. Over the last year I have seen and heard things that have really stretched my Faith. I have been moving my Mother for the last couple of months who is now an hour away from me :-(.. Life has been very hectic for me. I went from not having to suffer much loss to suffering a great amount of loss and it seems to continue to be more and more. It dawned on me today that the worst of this started right after I received my dog tags and how appropriate that I went to that house after having received them and all of my immediate family who are in this battle, were wearing camo as well.

 

Today is a colder rainy day. These are the types of days when I seem to be able to hear God the clearest. After feeling as if God has been anywhere but in my midst for the last few months, I watched the Hobbit this AM and then I read a book and prayed. It was through all of these vessels that God spoke very clearly to me. There is a scene in the Hobbit where there are Eagles that rescue the gang and sweep them away to a safe place on top of a mountain. They are able to see their homeland from this high point, that they have been trying to save on their journey. A dragon was able to steal it away from their ancestors when their kings heart became set on gold. I thought to myself, why didn't they just fly them over all the way? It was still a very long journey from where they were.  I heard, because they will not be  prepared to fight the battle unless they take the entire journey. For it is on the journey that they will experience trials that will teach them what cannot be taught by words. It is our trials that make us stronger, not our comfort. It is the time that it takes to make the journey that gives us the chance to have these experiences.  If we lean in closer to God during these times and wait for Him with a Hopeful Heart, we can win the battle and the Kingdom He has promised us!

The last memory that I have on the last Monday we all shared together in Grandma's house was all of us hugging in a huge pact like formation telling each other that we love each other jumping up and down being goofy. My Mom who was sitting in a chair at that time even jumped up and joined in. I remember thanking God for giving me that memory to hold onto. I was hopeful that God by way of miracle would let my Mom keep the house. It appears the answer at this time is no but things are not always what they seem. Please if you are reading this post, pray for the peace of all in my family in the Will of God and restoration.. I pray for your peace in your life in the Will of God as well.

AND NOW TO YOU the reader.........................................

 

I was prompted to share this story with you and felt a prompting to relay a prophetic message to you. This post is anointed to get a Word to you today. If you are reading it, it is not by coincidence or chance. You were destined to read it and let it serve as a confirmation for you. There are feelings that you have already had on your heart about the spiritual warfare that is in our country and all around the world. You have seen the signs and YES, THIS IS WAR! God has been and will continue to prepare you for this battle. You are enlisted in His Holy Army. The best weapons that you have are your relationship to our Father, love and mercy. You look around and see pain all around but don't worry and keep pushing forward in FAITH and TRUST. God will work ALL things out for the good of those that LOVE HIM. Do not choose to let your heart grow cold in distrust in His Promises. WE NEED YOU! HOLD THE LINE!  

IN LOVE AND SERVICE,

art

For You !

If you are reading these words right now and thinking that no one in this world cares about you, know that I prayed that God would bring you here to see these words:

JESUS LOVES YOU SO MUCH THAT HE DIED ON THE CROSS SO THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO TASTE DEATH. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BELIEVE IN THE SON OF GOD. RECEIVE HIS GIFT..

If you are looking for a reason to keep on living, this is it. You matter and you would be greatly missed.