back to the garden 22

    Michaels' S.O.A.P. for 7-26-22 from DBS (Thanks Michael!) S- “A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:22‬ ‭AMP‬‬ O- Where our heart and mind are led has great impact on our emotional and physical well being. A- I will heed the advice of Phil 4:8 today! “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭AMP‬‬ This is the best daily medicine to take! P- Help my heart and mind to be centered on You today. Help me to filter my mind with Phil 4:8

    Empathy and Tribalism       The possibility of misplaced empathy raises a final danger. Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology and cognitive science, has written an entire book called Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion . 17 Bloom notes that, because we are finite and can feel the feelings of only a limited number of people, empathy is highly selective. Empathy, therefore, behaves like a spotlight, linking us to the suffering and feelings of particular people or groups and not others . This empathetic myopia results in competing empathies, with some identifying with the suffering of one group, and others identifying with the suffering of another group. This built-in bias inhibits our ability to see the big picture. We struggle to maintain an appropriate measure of objectivity. We find it easy to demonize those that we don’t feel empathy for. Thus, empathy for our in...

  What does the Bible say about empathy? The Scriptures refer to the quality of empathy, which we see demonstrated in several biblical narratives. Empathy is the capacity to feel another person’s feelings, thoughts, or attitudes vicariously. The apostle Peter counseled Christians to have “compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” ( 1 Peter 3:8, NKJV ). The apostle Paul also encouraged empathy when he exhorted fellow Christians to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” ( Romans 12:15 ). Empathy is related to sympathy but is narrower in focus and is generally considered more deeply personal. Compassion , sympathy, and empathy all have to do with having passion (feeling) for another person because of his or her suffering. True empathy is the feeling of actually participating in the suffering of another. The apostle John asked, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pi...

  The Apostle Paul in, 1 Corinthians 9:9-23,  tells us that he is all things to all people and he lists examples in these verses.  I believe he was an empath through the grace of God and the power of God's  Holy Spirit. God changed Paul through the saving grace of Jesus who forgave him and restored him. Paul was transformed from a persecutor of Christians to an empathetic missionary of the gospel of Jesus Christ who literally shone a light on Paul's path on the road to Damascus. Someone who is empathetic will likely smile and take the trouble to remember people's names. According to a google search, this behavior along with  giving people your full attention in meetings, being curious about their lives and interests, and offering constructive feedback are all empathic behaviors.  Also, according to a google search, empaths are highly sensitive individuals, who have a keen ability to sense what people around them are thinking and feeling. Psychologists...

 Father God, You are my strength. I have forgiveness in Your Son Jesus. Your Holy Spirit gives me Joy unspeakable and full of glory. The half has never yet been told. Hallelujah! I pray that all who read this post will ask You to forgive their sins and ask Your Holy Spirit to come live in them filling them with Joy.  I pray all, new and old believers, will realize that Your Joy is not the same as the happiness the world gives us. It is not the same as the well being we feel when all is right with the world. It is a supernatural gift from You which abounds as we yield to You even in very tough times when nothing seems right with the world.  Your Joy is our rebellion against the enemy's plans for us. Your plans are good. You are our song in the night. You save us in the midst of troubles. You are the Strength of our life.  Thank You for holding us up with Your mighty hand. We sing praises to Your Name, Oh Lord Most High.  In Jesus Name I pray.  Amen. NLV 1Pe...

 Isaiah 53:6 NKJ   All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  NLT  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Thanks for this creative card, Lisa.  Just loved these sheep and thought of this verse. The two sheep in the picture have turned to their own way to eat. Leaving the grass which was not as plentiful as they wished, they decided to feast on the young fruit tree. They have gone  astray in the pasture in which they were placed by their owner. Like sheep, all humans have gone astray because Adam and Eve went astray in the garden in which they were placed . We inherited the sinful nature to go our own way, away from obeying God. We as humans have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet God has not forgotten us. He gives us an opportunity to be restored to Him through Jesus, H...

I'm singing in the reign, the reign of God's Son in my heart. I threw my umbrella of doubt away. "I'm singing in the reign. What a beautiful feeling, I'm happy again. I walk down the street, I'm light on my feet. I'm singing, singing in His reign." He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6

    Click here for your FREE PDF After the Rapture Guide by Dr. David Jeremiah  DO NOT TAKE THE MARK OF THE BEAST  Please read the pdf I received from Christian Books Distributors. Dr. Jeremiah explains what the Rapture is and what to do if you miss it. Pray the Prayer of Restoration from Billy Graham and be ready to go to heaven in the Rapture with Jesus.

  Spiritual Amnesia My last round with Spiritual Amnesia occurred recently.   I was talking with someone I love very much as he and I were walking down the road to Despondency.   There were dangerous boulders all along the path and I was walking very closely to the edge of the precipice of the Pool of No Hope. He was carrying the Umbrella of Resistance and moved closer to me to shelter me from the sweet rain of Faith gently coming down from above. He usually carries this umbrella, especially when he feels depressed and hopeless, so as to be shielded from the blessings of Truth from above as the enemy wishes. As he moved closer to me in avoiding the shelter of his umbrella, I stumbled and fell upon a big boulder of Hopelessness.   When I came to, I could not remember very much about Faith and God’s Love.   That’s when I knew something was wrong. However, the amnesia was not fully recognized until I started to get mad at God, and yell out, “Where are You i...