Psalm 119:143 and Stress Management

The Bible has much wisdom regarding stress and how to manage it. "As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands" is from the New Living Translation of Psalm 119:143. The New International Version says "Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight."

This says that as a person becomes stressed that he can find relief by following the principles and commandments of God that are found in the Bible. I would contend that the Bible is the first book written on stress management. As you read and study God's Word you find that there are so many nuggets of truth and such great wisdom. The reader can gain so much if his heart and spirit are open to this great wisdom and God's principles.

More and more I have found that as I ask God to reveal to me His truths, I find them. And as I find them tucked throughout His Word, I then am challenged by figuring out how to implement these truths in my life. That is the challenge we all have... how to make it personal to us and then to do it!

There are many sites on the internet that refer to other Bible verses that might assist us when we are stressed. Here is one site. The principles found in these verses are in fact what God would want us to implement during stressful times.

As I reflect on a few of His principles a few come to mind. First, cry out to God. This is a form of Spiritual Exercise. So many times in the Bible you read where people cried out to Him when there had heavy burdens or we "stressed." Simply taking time to open up our hearts to God during these times is so very critical. For me, I have to make it a point to go deeper into my heart, not just converse with God from my mind. To be really effective for me, it has to be a heart thing. That is where we really live and relate... from our hearts. If we expect God to provide direction and strength and sooth us during difficult times, I believe He wants us to come to Him from deep within... from our hearts.

I have also learned that it takes making a certain amount of time to be alone with God. This must be a precursor to crying out to Him. We have to be able to slow way down and spend time with Him. Too often I let time rush by. One day becomes two and two days become three. I might have thought about my concerns and lifted them up to God in a quick prayer and this is good but it is not as good as spending some dedicated quiet alone time with Him. When I am able to do this and still by inner self...still my heart and go to God in an intentional deliberate way I am rewarded by the peace that comes my way. This more complete and deep peace and calmness does not come when I send off a 'quick' prayer to Him. Those quick prayers don't seem to give my spirit time to mix with His Spirit in the same way that comes from a lingering time with Him.

So, a key to being able to better manage our stress is to read the Bible and know His principles, His commandments and then to implement them into our day to day lives.

Read It. Study It. Do It! And have a wonderful day!

Is Belief in Your Heart or in Your Mind?

Is believing that Jesus is your savior a heart thing or a mind thing? Is it true that we have to pass that idea through our mind before we believe this in our heart? What if our mind blocks the concept that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was resurrected? If our mind does not accept this how can we believe it in our heart? Is it possible that our hearts can overrule our mind in this matter. Can a person chose to accept this in his/her heart even though the mind is not able to comprehend it?

This is an area where it seems clear that the mind and the heart are inseparable. So much of our faith is, on the one hand, a heart thing, yet it seems that the mind has a certain degree of control over what the heart will believe. Yet Romans 10:9 says that "if you believe in your heart that God raised him(Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved." It says nothing of your mind.

I believe that we must make a choice to believe in our heart even though our mind might think something else. Isn't this the essence of faith? Believing what we can not see or comprehend.

What are your thoughts? Have you struggled with something big and been able to believe in your heart something different than you were thinking in your head?

Being Connected to God

My most recent article for Faith and Fitness magazine is on the spiritual exercise of abiding with God. When we stay closely connected to God, we can enjoy the many fruits that He desires for us to have like peace and kindness and joy along with the power to make behavior changes that He intended us to have. We are more likely to behave and think in a way that aligns us with His will for our life. We can have the hope that can only come from being close to Him.

As I write this entry I have some soft Christian music playing on my Ipod. I feel His presence... and from that I feel joy in my heart. I hope that you'll take a few minutes to read the article at the link above. And I hope that you'll reap the benefits from abiding with God.

Have a blessed day! :-)

Dale

Integrating Faith and Fitness

This morning I conducted a first session for a new personal training client. As we were walking during the 1 mile walk assessment to determine her cardiovascular fitness level she asked me what a good walking pace would be for a solid workout. I mentioned that a 15 minutes/mile pace would be something she could shoot for.

As we wrapped up the session we spoke briefly about goals and "targets" for the training and gained a commitment from her that she would look on the positive side of her efforts and to not focus on what fitness level she was currently at. We then briefly talked about some spiritual or faith-related "targets" to help her.

A strong believer, she understands the importance of mixing her faith with her intentions and actions to become more fit. I had previously challenged her to pick out three scriptures that spoke to her personally about her intentions to become more physically active. She had done her homework and written these out. I reminded her of the importance of speaking these scriptures out loud and that this would help to mix her spirit with God's Holy Spirit that is inside her.

Just as this new client of mine has done, if you are attempting a behavior change to impact upon your health and fitness level, I encourage you to integrate your personal faith into your efforts. Think Biblical truths about who you are and how God is helping you. Pick out a few scriptures that are meaningful and write them out. Perhaps put them on a 3x5 card and keep them visible to refer to them, even consider memorizing them. This is a form of spiritual exercise that if practiced regularly will help you in your behavior change efforts.

Well, it's going to be another near-100 degree day in Charlotte. I'll be drinking a lot of water and staying inside when I can.

Be healthy and be fit!

Morning Exercise & Personal Confessions

The last two days for me have been terrific! I attribute this to a practice I have incorporated into my morning physical exercise. I have read out loud

personal confessions that I have typed and printed out.

A few weeks ago I started to browse through my Bible, beginning with the book of Matthew, to find verses I had previously underlined. These verses must have made an impact on me at one time or another. I wrote out these scriptures in the form of a personal confession. A partial list is at this link. so you can get the idea. These are God's truths as they speak to me personally.

Reading these personal confessions out loud has a tremendous effect. It gets God's truth deep into my spirit. It helps to mix my spirit with His Holy Spirit that lives in me. It helps to renew my mind. It sets my mind on things above. And it gets me thinking about God and Jesus and who I am in God... my true identity. As I have taken time to do this each of the last two days, it has prepared me for the day and circumstances that lie ahead of me.

I challenge you to try this. Don't just take my list and use it but create your own confessions. Perhaps use the same technique I used if you have made it a practice of underlining scriptures. Or you might look into the books of Proverbs or Psalm to pick out relevant verses that you find meaningful. If you do this, I'll bet that you notice a difference in how the day goes.

Let me know....... and have a great day in the Lord!!

What are You Thinking?

More and more I try to monitor what is in my head... what I am thinking about. Why? Because it is our thoughts that are the precursors to our feelings and our actions. The bottom line is that how we think controls how we live. So isn't that a strong enough reason to monitor our thiking throughout each day?

It takes discipline to do this but like any habit is formed, if you do it enough, it can become a habit and it can be a very positive lifestyle behavior in your life. The more I read about the faith and heallth connection and understand how our mind, body and spirt are integrated, the more I understand how critical the spiritual exercise of Renew Your Mind/Think Spiritual Thoughts is.

The more I read the Bible and let what I read soak into my mind, the easier it is to be reminded of these Biblical truths throughout the day. I try to ask myself- are my thoughts positive and based on Biblical truths? If they are not, then I consciously think of a truth that is spiritually/Biblically sound and correct. This can help me get out of thinking in a negative way.

Click here to read more about this spiritual exercise in an excerpt from my booklet on "Spiritual Exercises for a Healthier Life."

Have a terrific day!!

It Comes Back to You

When you give, it does come back to you.

This morning I was awakened by a by a pastor of a local ministry who I am providing complementary health coaching to. He was so excited that he started his day with a walk... a walk of a distance that he had not covered in years and years. I could tell by his voice that he was energized and hopeful about his efforts to lose weight and become healthier.

This was a blessing to me... hearing his voice and knowing that he wanted to share this moment of victory with me. It was a great way to start my day. It gave me encouragement and lifted my spirit knowing that he was grateful and encouraged.

It is a spiritual law... give and it shall be given unto you. Sow and you will reap. It is found throughout the Bible and it is a form of spiritual exercise because it is a principle of God and the Christian faith. We give not so that we can receive but we give from a loving heart that has been touched and transformed by God.

Go find someone to give of your time and talents because you care about them.

Have a great day! I know I will. :-)

His Instruction Manual.....Our Owner's Guide for Living

Have you ever wondered where to look in the Bible to read about the benefits of obeying God's commandments and principles? I have found that Psalm 119 is the most comprehensive chapter that speaks to this issue. You can read a contemporary version of this Psalm at Biblegateway.com.

In Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, the writer uses the words principles, laws, precepts and commandments 156 times in the 176 verses to describe how God blesses him as he lives according to the principles of God. Happiness, joy, a renewed life, hope, freedom, understanding, comfort, wisdom, peace and health are some of these blessings mentioned that the author received and that we can have if we live as God instructs us to live in the Bible.

If you take time to read this chapter, I hope that you can identify with the reader in the blessings you can also receive as you live a life that lines up with God's precepts. Reading the Bible and Obeying God's Principles are two Spiritual Exercises that are important in living the full and abundant life that God intended for us all to live.

I have found that as I live in accordance with God's principles as outlined in the Bible that my life is more joyful and that I am more at peace. Our sinful nature beckons us to live in ways contrary to God's commandments but as we surrender more and more to Him, we can experience more true freedom and joy. This happens because God designed us to live His way, not our way. And the only way to live His way is to know His way and that comes by reading the Bible.

Try it and see if your life doesn't change.

Running in alignment with Him!

Confessions of Faith

Summer and more humid weather has arrived here in Charlotte. That makes it easier to spend just a little more time inside than outdoors. And this makes it easier to read and write more than normal.

Recently I have enjoyed reading and listening to CDs by Charles Capps, a noted faith teacher who lives in Arkansas. His material is based on the Spiritual Law of speaking/confessing God's Word out loud. He writes that there is power in this and that as one's mind is transformed and as our spirit mixes with God's spirit, that this releases the power of God to work in our life in a special way. I have spent time listening to his material on my Ipod on my walks and also reading his book, Faith and Confession-How to activate the Power of God in Your Life. This practice has helped me be even more mindful of my thoughts throughout my day and it has helped me look more positively into the future as I sense God providing direction. As I better appreciate this Spiritual Exercise of confessing God's Word and how it impacts my life I'll share this with you.

Stay Cool and drink plenty of water as you "run your race",

Dale

Surgery Postponed

On Friday I went to the hospital for my pre-surgery visit to have lab work done and to talk with the anesthesiologist. I had been wondering whether he would say that surgery is a good idea with the problems I have been having with my vocal cords. When I met with the anesthesiologist, he was not too keen on the idea of surgery, specifically, having a breathing tube down my throat for 3 hours. He conferred with another anesthesiologist and the decision was that surgery was not in order as scheduled. It was to be today, April 30th.

You can imagine how this rocked my boat somewhat. My sister was to fly in the next day from Dayton and my daughter was driving in on Sunday and another sister had flight reservations for later in the week. I quickly made calls to them so they could cancel plane reservations and change plans.

I wondered and asked God, "What is going on? What is your purpose in all this? Is it so you can stretch my faith? Is it through the delay and in my stretched faith and asking for healing, that your plan is to miraculously heal me?"

Throughout the weekend, my thoughts have been that God is in control and He does have a purpose in all this..... it's just that I do not yet know His purpose.

So here I sit on Monday morning, at a time that I was to be in surgery... or just getting out of it and in the recovery room and am wondering what God has in store. I'm unemployed, have laryngitis, and now a new surgery date of June 14th. Unquestionably, God is at work... He always is...and I am trusting that His plan in all this is greater than I could imagine.

Over the last three months I have moved forward in my ministry of the Faith and Health Connection in a huge way. Last week I gave two workshops and I am preparing for one in June. I have written two articles about spiritual exercise as well as a first draft of a booklet on that topic. I am sure that the enemy has not liked what I have been doing. He does not want me, or anyone for that matter, talking about Biblical truths and how they impact a person's health. So quite possibly, Satan is playing havoc with my personal health. He knows that if he confuses me and could cause me to become depressed over my situation that I could become ineffective in what I am trying to accomplish with my ministry.

What I have done is to try to be as humble as possible and as dependant as possible on God through all this. I am praising Him for His love for me and the faith and strength that He is providing me. I am reading more about healing and trying to maintain the mindset and disposition of my spirit the way I understand God would want me to so that I will be victorious in all this. All for the Glory of God.

Dale

Trust and Faith

This past Thursday I visited with another Urologist/Oncologist to receive another opinion about treatment for the prostate cancer. He was up front and direct. He told me that it was a no brainer... surgery is the way to go. I told him of a tentative date I had secured for surgery... June 20th, and he strongly advised me to move that up to be much sooner. Although the cancer is currently contained in the prostate, he reminded me that it only takes one cell to get out of the organ to spread into other parts of my body.

He also told me that he would recommend sparing or saving only the left nerve bundle, not the right. He is concerned that there is too much cancer right up next to the right edge of the prostate and he would want to ensure that during surgery all the cancer cells are removed. At the end of the visit the doctor prayed with me. He reminded me that God will guide me in the decisions I make. The next two days, I prayed a lot and asked Him for guidance and wisdom.

Saturday, a friend called me to say he learned of my condition and told me he had been praying for me. I learned that he also has prostate cancer. We talked for about an hour. His doctor is a man that others have suggested I visit with and consider using as my surgeon. I believe that God orchestrated this phone call and so about an hour ago I placed a call to this doctor's office asking for an appointment.

I am placing my trust in God that He WILL direct my path and guide me in the decisions I must make and that He will cause the timing of surgery to take place as it is necessary for my complete healing.

Forgiveness as a Spiritual Exercise

I attended a Bible Study earlier in the week on Tuesday night. For the last year I have been involved in this ministry that provides transitional housing, food, prayer, clothing and assistance to men who are poor and homeless. During the meeting one of the men spoke of how his younger brother was shot while walking home from school. “How am I supposed to forgive this man who shot my brother?” asked the man. My heart sank as I heard the pain in his voice. All I felt I could do was to approach the man afterwards and tell him I was sorry this had happened and that I would pray for him. He looked into my eyes and told me how the shooting of his brother had turned his life upside down and caused him to turn to unhealthy behaviors. I left the meeting with a heavy and burdened heart. When I returned home I dropped to my knees and said a prayer for him. Next week when I see him I intend to ask him if he’d like to talk with me about this. My hopes are that he will be able to forgive this man some day.

What I have written above is the introduction of an article that will appear in March on the online magazine, Faith and Fitness. It will be one of a series of articles on Spiritual Exercises in the context of how a person practices their faith and the relationship that respective Spiritual Exercise has on a person's health.

I have recognized the need to address this issue of forgiveness for a long time as it is an extremely relevant exercise that a person must address if he is to experience total health. Although I recognize the importance of this issue, it has been a challenge for me to get my arms around how to address it in a fairly short manner in a one-page article. It's only when I was able to seek God in a very humble and sincere way and ask Him to help me with this that he opened the door and gave me insight. I also believe that He orchestrated the events that occured on Tuesday night at the Bible Study as He provided a real life example of a person's struggle to forgive. I thank God for how He helped me with the article. More importantly I pray that God will touch and heal the heart of the man who's brother was shot.

For Fitness and Health Professionals

Ok... you're a fitness/health professional and the purpose of your role is to help your clients/patients be more healthy. You understand that one's spiritual health is every bit as important as one's physical health. You recognize that there is a connection between one's faith and their health... that if one attends to their deep spiritual needs and has a connection with God and practices certain religious/spiritual behaviors, then it will impact in a positive way on their emotional and physical health. Yet, you do not "go there" with your clients or patients. You don't initiate conversation with the people you serve on this topic. Why not? What are the obstacles that cause you not to "go there?"

Spiritual Exercise

The term 'spiritual exercise' is mentioned in the first version of the New Living Translation in 1 Timothy 4:8. What does the term spiritual exercise mean to you? What is the spiritual exercise that's most important to you?

What Do You Believe?

If you believe that there is a connection between one's spirit(and the faith of an individual) and one's health, why does that connection exist?