Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

December, 2017/January, 2018

M A G A Z I N E

Seven Ways To Wage War Against Sin Are Christians With Addictions Still Saved?

Are You a Double-Minded Christian?

Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?

How to Handle Infidelity Within Your Marriage

Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair

Is Being Overly Religious Keeping You MANLess?

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Contents December, 2017/January, 2018

Inside This Issue

39

 Are You a Double-Minded Christian? – 21 21  7 Ways to Wage War Against Sin – 25  Returning to the God You Divorced – 29

Relationships:  Is Being Overly Religious 39 Keeping You MANLess? – 39  How to Handle Infidelity Within Your Marriage – 43

Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock 331470731

Spiritual Wellness:

Personal Wellness:  Are Christians With Addictions Still Saved? – 52 52  Should Christians Be Superstitious? – 63  What Does the Bible Say About Superstition? - 65

Feature Story: 69  Why Do We Celebrate Christmas? - 69 14 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

Is Being Overly Religious Keeping You MANLess?

Cover Photo Freshome

Table of Contents Also in this issue‌ 19 46 57 75

Letter from the Editor Round the Clock Presents Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair Just For Fun

Question: Do You Know

Jesus?

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 15

HELP SAVE MY CHILD! PLEASE SHARE EVERYWHERE

If anyone has seen or know the whereabouts of this little boy, please contact

Bryan Keathley pukydo@gmail.com 573 660 2346 cell 573 785 3713 home

Any Attorneys who would kindly help this family in need of assistance to get their little boy back is encouraged to contact Mr. Keathley

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Editor’s Corner

First, I always give all glory and honor to my Lord Jesus Christ for without Him in my life, nothing I could ever do would amount to anything!

As we approach Christmas, I implore each and everyone of you to take this time to reflect on the blessings God has blessed us with all year long. So many have been battling diseases and sickness and others have gone on in to glory, but we are still here. Alive to say ‗thank You Jesus‘ for everything. We are so grateful!

We celebrate Christmas because of Jesus. We celebrate Christmas because we want to share the love of Christ to everyone we meet because of God‘s Love for us! Enjoy this time with your family and friends, but don‘t forget the real reason we celebrate this time of year. Jesus is the reason for this season…Amen!

I want to personally thank all of our fans and readers for their continued support of this ministry which has continued to strive and for that I am grateful to our Lord, Jesus Christ Our goal is to continue being a resource for Christians and others for years to come and with your support we can keep this publication available free of charge always on our digital platform Pray for us as we continue to pray for you and thank you for reading this issue of Blessed Magazine God bless you!

Your Humble Servant in Christ,

Laraine Turner Editor-in-Chief

Letter From the Editor

Praise the Lord My Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 19

20 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

Spiritual Wellness

Are You a DoubleMinded Christian?

by Got Questions Ministries

It is impossible for someone to say they fully love and serve God and be double minded. Why? Because Jesus said so.

In essence, a double-minded person so lacks conviction in their beliefs that they are found to often change loyalties or ideas, depending who they are with, desiring to influence or wanting to show allegiance to or have association with.

The double minded man is actually dishonest with themselves and others, and appears to use truth and lies in whatever situation to benefit themselves in some way. The person is filled with hypocrisy Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 21

Spiritual Wellness The term double-minded comes from the Greek word dipsuchos, meaning ―a person with two minds or souls.‖ It‘s interesting that this word appears only in the book of James (James 1:8; 4:8). Bible scholars conclude that James might have coined this word. To grasp the full meaning of this word, it is best to understand how it is used within its context.

James writes of the doubting person that he is ―like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does‖ (James 1:6–8). A doubter is a double-minded person. Jesus had in mind such a person when He spoke of the one who tries to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). As such, he is ―unstable,‖ which comes from a Greek word meaning ―unsteady, wavering, in both his character and feelings.‖

A double-minded person is restless and confused in his thoughts, his actions, and his behavior. Such a person is always in conflict with himself. One torn by such inner conflict can never lean with confidence on God and His gracious promises. Correspondingly, the term unstable is analogous to a drunken man unable to walk a straight line, swaying one way, then another. He has no defined direction and as a result doesn‘t get anywhere. Such a person is ―unstable in all he does.‖ Those who are double-minded do not have the faith spoken of in Hebrews 11:1, 3: ―Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . . . By faith we

22 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.‖ We cannot be both ―certain‖ and doubting, as is the doubleminded person. One part of his mind is sure of something, while the other part doubts. It brings to mind the ―pushmi-pullyu‖ of the Dr. Doolittle stories, an animal with a head at either end of its body and which was constantly trying to walk in two directions at once. Such is the double-minded man.

Jesus declared, ―No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other‖ (Matthew 6:24). God and the things of this world are of such opposite natures that it is impossible to love either one completely without hating the other. Those who try to love both will become unstable in all their ways. If someone struggles with being double-minded, he or she should read, study, and memorize the Word, for it is the Word of God that produces faith (Romans 10:17). And he or she should pray for faith.

God freely gives what is good to those who ask Him (Luke 11:9–12), and it‘s good to ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5; Mark 9:24).

Article Shared From Got Questions Ministries Image Shared From High on Poems

How to Increase Your Faith?

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Remember, if you are ashamed to confess Jesus before the world, He will likewise deny you before His Father which is in heaven – Matthew 10:32

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Spiritual Wellness

7 Ways to Wage War Against Sin

by Chris Poblete

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 25

Spiritual Wellness Sin. It is everywhere. It is never dormant. It is not passive. It does not sleep. It actively weakens and darkens the soul of every human being and has done so since the Fall.

Sin tempts our will. It separates us from our Father. It deceives our hearts and hardens men to the gospel. And apart from Christ, we are utterly hopeless against it.

The Christian, redeemed and sustained by the finished work of Christ, must wage war against sin.

―For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.‖ ―PUT TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF THE BODY…‖ Seldom is written these days about how to ―put to death the deeds of the body.‖ Thankfully, the Puritan writers were not silent on the issue. John Owen called it the mortification of sin. In his treatise The Mortification of Sin in Believers, he writes: The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin…

Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work;

26 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

be always at it while you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.

If sin is out to kill me, then I ought to know how to kill it first—mortify it.

Consider these seven ways we can wage war against sin 1. YOU MUST BE A CHRISTIAN— BELIEVE UPON THE GOSPEL. There is no victory apart from Christ. His good news is ―the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes‖ (Romans 1:116). Without him, any war that you wage against your indwelling sins will consequently fail.

2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY. First, you must know your enemy within: indwelling sin. ―For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander‖.

Know your sins and call them what they are.

Looking at porn and flirting with your neighbor‘s wife is not innocent play; it is spiritual adultery. Cursing at the traffic jam on the I-5 is not a mild slip of the tongue; it is a sin of the tongue. If you turn a blind eye to the weight of your sins, you will end up neglecting your need for God‘s grace.

Second, know the enemy hunting after you.

The Bible tells us to ―be sober-minded; be

Spiritual Wellness watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour‖. Our enemy prowls around day and night looking to consume us. He is not passive—he is active—so we should not be either.

4. STORE GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEART AND USE IT. We agree with the reformer Martin Luther,

3. PUT ON YOUR ARMOR (PRAY).

You would not step into a flurry of gunfire without your bullet proof vest and helmet on, especially if they have been provided to you. When you got saved, you entered a spiritual battle and, likewise, your armor and weaponry has been provided: ―Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.‖

who affirmed, ―When the Scripture speaks, God speaks.‖ Biblical truths and revelation are used by God the Holy Spirit to make us more and more like Jesus. Therefore, we need to listen to what The Bible says, learn what it teaches, store it in our hearts, and make every effort by the Holy Spirit‘s empowering grace to mortify our sin and be transformed by the renewing of our minds. ―I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.‖ ―For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.‖

5. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. Sometimes, we think to ourselves, ―I just need to get supernaturally zapped soon by a Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 27

Spiritual Wellness good sermon or devotional. Once God does this, then I‘ll kick my sin to the curb!‖ Before long, we remain unzapped, and God is to blame: ―After all, he knew very well what I needed, and he didn‘t follow through.‖ This is cowardly thinking.

One of the biggest misconceptions of the sovereignty of God is that it excuses us from any responsibility. False. God is working in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. He gives us the power, but we are responsible; we are called to both godliness and obedience. No excuses. And here‘s the best part: even though we are responsible, it is God who does the work in us! Thus, because the Holy Spirit is in you, kill your sin!

To wage war against sin is not to destroy it.

That is Jesus‘ job, not ours. Nonetheless, Jesus is risen today in triumphant victory over Satan, sin, and death. Through Christ and his gospel, God Almighty has provided us his power for salvation. Lay hold of it and rejoice in his victory! ―But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…‖

7. JOIN A LOCAL CHURCH AND COMMIT TO HER. A lot could be said about the biblical need for membership in a local church, but we will save that for another day. For now, I‘ll let pastor Mark Dever speak. In The Deliberate Church, he writes, ―The nature of the Christian life is corporate, because the body of Christ is a corporate entity. While our individual walks are crucial, we are impoverished in our persona pursuit of God if we do not avail ourselves of the help that is available through mutually edifying relationships in our covenant church family

―For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.‖

6. LAY HOLD OF YOUR VICTORY IN CHRIST.

28 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

We are members of a church body, not just when we desire to be, but always. If we desire to be a healthy body, we need to meet and fellowship with one another as God commands us to. For the sake of gospeladvancement in our cities and gospelevidence in our lives, we must join a local a

Spiritual Wellness family of believers. Make it a home and a family. There you will find prayer, fellowship, discipleship, and accountability.

CONCLUSION At the end of the day, God alone is our hope from sin. After all, He is an active participant in each of the previous steps. It is God‘s gospel who saves, God‘s armor we wear, God‘s Word we hide, God‘s victory we claim, God‘s church we are members of. In all of our war-waging we rest in God‘s promise to keep His own: ―Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.‖ (Jude 24-25) What about you? How do you wage war against sin in your own life?

Question: Do You Know

Jesus?

Returning to the God You Divorced When we first begin our relationship with God, we bring a list of ultimatums with us. That list contains a bunch of behaviors which we won‘t tolerate God engaging in. That list defines the limits our of willingness to be dominated by Him. Sure, we‘ll stay as long as God doesn‘t engage in some unpardonable sin. But if He does cross certain lines with us, we‘re divorcing Him, and it will be all His fault.

Now every human has their own list of ultimatums, but if you talk to folks who have walked away from Christianity, you‘ll find some definite patterns. God refusing to save us from some form of devastation is a very popular ultimatum. Maybe God killed your kid. Maybe He let your marriage tank.

Maybe He crushed some dream that you were defining yourself by. When God hurts us too much, we feel quite justified in walking, and equally justified in blaming Him for being an abusive Monster.

Another very common ultimatum is God‘s prolonged silence. When He suddenly shuts down all positive feedback and does His ―I‘m on Mars and I‘m not listening to you‖ routine, we feel both hurt and angry. If He keeps it up for too long, we ditch Him, and once again we feel justified in blaming Him for being the One who ended the relationship.

A third very common ultimatum is God Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 29

Spiritual Wellness deceiving us. He makes a specific promise to you, then fails to deliver, or He gives you the exact opposite of what He said He would. Well, we‘re not going to put up with this kind of treachery. So we walk, and we absolve ourselves of all blame for ending the relationship, because after all, God committed an unpardonable sin.

Now once we cut God off, is there any hope of reconciliation? It depends. If we‘re obsessed with grudge holding, we might go down the road of angry vengeance and start telling ourselves that it‘s actually possible for us to stick it to God somehow. Of course we‘re delusional, but this is where many atheists end up: seething with anger and clinging to all kinds of ridiculous fantasies that they can actually turn the tables on the One who is holding their molecules together Perpetual seething isn‘t our only option.

Some of us grow very sad and find ourselves wishing we could somehow reconcile with God. And indeed, we can, but first we need to understand what the real issue is. The problem is not that God did something unforgivable—that‘s often how we frame it in our minds, but there is a deeper issue at hand. Whenever we find our will clashing with God‘s, focusing on submission is going to be the thing that brings us peace.

A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC We all want God to talk to us when and how we choose. Sure, we‘re willing to be flexible to a point. But if He never shows

30 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

up, how are we supposed to carry the relationship on our own?

We can‘t. Relating to God is not a case of us straining to believe that some fantasy is real. All relationships require participation from both sides in order to survive, but with God, the dynamic we‘ll need to get comfortable with is one that is totally foreign to us.

God is not a human, and the more we progress with Him, the more we‘ll discover how unique our dynamic with Him is. When we initially walk away from God, we‘re using the same ultimatums with Him as we would with another human. We‘re drawing boundaries, and we think that‘s a good thing, because having boundaries with humans is a critical way of protecting ourselves from abuse. When we walk away from God, we‘re saying, ―You‘ve crossed a line with me. Your treatment of me is unacceptable. I‘m not going to stay here and let You keep hurting me.‖ Then we go off in a huff and join the atheists or convert to some other religion just to prove to God how serious we are about cutting ties with Him. This kind of distancing behavior can be very effective with getting humans to either stop bothering us or start apologizing and trying to get back on our good side. But we quickly discover that God is not so easy to control. When we try to make Him improve His response to us by icing Him, we often discover that He either continues to act indifferent to us, or He continues plaguing our lives with

Spiritual Wellness problems which we find overwhelming. What is His point in being so difficult? His point is to show us that in our relationship with Him, we‘re not going to be in the driver‘s seat.

riddled with errors. If we‘re going to maintain the fantasy that we are able to control God, then we need Him to act in predictable ways. He needs to always keep the promises that we think He made to us. He mustn‘t do anything that contradicts our personal interpretation of Scriptures. He must demonstrate submission to us if we pour extra money into the offering plate or fast or get a bunch of other Christians to all bombard Him with the same request enough days in a row. He must make His Presence especially evident to us when we‘re super upset. He can‘t ever lie to us. He can‘t intentionally hurt us. He can‘t not be distressed by the things which distress us.

CHANGING FOUNDATIONS

Should God start breaking these rules, our sense of control over Him will begin to crumble, and that will result in a fearful panic. If God doesn‘t clean up His act, we‘ll end up in a full-blown faith crisis. But why? Because our faith was built on the illusion that we could control and predict God. It wasn‘t built on total submission.

God will not be controlled by you. Yet if you talk with Christians who claim to be having a jolly time in their relationships with God, you‘ll hear them talking quite a bit about controlling Him. They won‘t use the actual word ―control,‖ because that‘s one of those taboo words, and yet as they talk about the power of faith, and the effectiveness of their prayers, and the fact that God‘s promises never fail, what they‘re really telling you is that their ―joy in the Lord‖ is largely built on the illusion that they can control Him. It is because Christians are building their faith on an illusion of control that they are so quick to panic when they are confronted with the concept of God lying or of God controlling evil, or of their Bibles being

Here‘s a critical question which you could use to really ponder: What kind of relationship do you want to have with God? Do you want something real, or do you just want a pretense? Do you want to really know Him or do you just want to flirt with the idea of Him? The true Gods are not fictional tales that humans invented for themselves. Yahweh, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are real, independent, totally alien kinds of Beings. Getting to really know Them is going to be an uncomfortable

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 31

Spiritual Wellness experience, especially when They‘re not going to change who They are to suit you.

When you begin a relationship with another human, you both spend a lot of time adjusting your behaviors and compromising for the sake of pleasing each other. You take turns with getting your own ways. Well, God doesn‘t take turns and He doesn‘t compromise. He‘s like an Instructor who is glad to keep going over certain lessons until you grasp them, but He‘s not going to let you have any say in the curriculum. You don‘t get to decide what God will teach you or what methods He will use to teach you. He controls the agenda. He controls the pace of learning, discovery, growth, and healing.

You want Him to help you get over your addiction today, but He‘s planning to keep you stuck with it for the next 20 years because He finds it to be a valuable teaching tool. You want Him to open doors for you to serve today, but He‘s keeping all doors locked until He decides that you‘re finally prepared. You want to learn about His love, but He‘s only willing to talk about His wrath.

You want to understand some disturbing comment Jesus made in the Gospels, but He‘s only willing to discuss other passages with you.

God will not be led by you. He won‘t negotiate with you. He‘ll give you some choices in life, but He‘ll force many other experiences on you without you getting any choice at all. You don‘t have the options

32 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

with God that you have with other humans. You can‘t just cut ties with Him, because He‘s always in your business. You can‘t make Him leave you alone. You can‘t upset Him or surprise Him, or throw Him off His game. On the one hand, God is the kindest, gentlest, sweetest Being you‘ll ever know.

But He‘s also dominating, controlling, and maddeningly autonomous. He just doesn‘t need you, yet you desperately need Him. He can get along just fine without you, and yet He is your only hope of having any joy in your life.

In your relationships with humans, it is critical that you share the power. But in your relationship with God, you are totally powerless. He has all of the power, and He won‘t share any of it with you. Of course there are a bunch of Christians in the world today who are pretending that God is sharing His power with them by claiming that they can greatly influence how God uses His

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Spiritual Wellness power. Such Christians are clinging to the illusion that they can control God and building their faith on a foundation that is destined to crumble. But then there‘s you: blasted with the very distressing realization that nothing you do can make God do what you want Him to do because He just isn‘t going to take the submissive role in this relationship. As upset and vulnerable as this makes you feel, you‘re actually in a much better position than the folks who are still clinging to happy delusions. God has essentially shoved your house of faith off of that bad foundation that we all try to build on, and now your house is a crumbled mess. So is the end of everything? It doesn‘t have to be.

If you make some wise choices, this can be the start of a whole new and far better chapter for you and God. Now that you have gotten a big dose of how little control you have over Him, it‘s time to choose a better foundation: one which will actually be able to withstand the storms of God acting in ways that you hate.

That foundation is submission. Not partial submission, but full on, ―Have Your total way in my life.‖ God is never going to be less than God over you. There‘s only one productive way for you to approach a Being who reigns supreme over all created things: you need to treat Him as supreme as He is. You need to acknowledge the immense difference in power, options, and control between you and God and embrace your place as the powerless one in this relationship. It is by

34 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

accepting God‘s great supremacy over us— not railing against it—that moves us onto the right foundation. God is not always going to do what you want Him to do. There will be times when you totally loathe the decisions He‘s making, but your disapproval of Him is not going to change His behavior. If you want to get somewhere with God, you have to throw out your list of ultimatums and realize what a crock it is for dots like us to try and hold boundaries with our own Creator.

When we pretend that God doesn‘t have certain options with us, we‘re just deluding ourselves. God has infinite options. He doesn‘t have to keep His promises. He doesn‘t have to stay within our pinched up expectations. He isn‘t limited by anything that‘s written in the Bible, and He doesn‘t have to explain Himself to us. When we first start with God, we draw comfort from thinking that we have a certain amount of negotiating power in the relationship. We tell ourselves that if we were ever desperate enough, we could make God meet with us. But no, we can‘t make God do anything. We‘re His creations—we depend on Him to sustain our very existence. There‘s just no way for us to balance the power in this relationship and the sooner we stop trying, the better off we‘ll be.

YOUR CHALLENGE God handles every soul differently. Some go decades without ever feeling severely

Spiritual Wellness disillusioned in their relationships with Him. Some barely go five minutes before God blasts them out of the water by violating one of those sacred ―God would never…‖ rules. But the advantage of having God confront you with His wild side is that it gives you the opportunity to switch foundations. You need your first house to crumble, because that first house is always built on a faulty foundation. We all go into it trusting in illusions and false assumptions and overly simplistic theories about who God is and how He operates. If we‘re ever going to get close to Him, we need Him to shove us into the dirt and force us to realize how much of our confidence in Him has been rooted in the wrong things. Then we need Him to help us reconstruct our faith onto the right foundation: total submission and a refusal to try and put any limits on Him.

you—and submission is about us yielding to God‘s will even when we seriously dislike what He‘s doing. By frustrating you to the point that you decided to walk away from the faith, God has done you a big favor. He‘s giving you the opportunity to come back in a whole new way, without the list of ultimatums. If you ask Him to help you embrace Him as the Supreme Authority of your life, He will, and then you‘ll discover what true Christianity is really all about.

Article Shared From 924jeremiah.wordpress.com

So then, what kind of relationship do you want with God? The unfortunate truth is that most of the souls who are calling themselves Christians don‘t want to pursue the real deal—they just want the happy delusion. If delusions are all you want, the world has plenty to offer you: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age. There‘s really no point in you sticking with Christianity if you‘re not going to treat God like the Supreme Authority in your life. Merely calling yourself a Christian and praying to Jesus isn‘t going to land you on the right side of eternity. Yahweh, Jesus and the Holy Spirit demand submission from

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 35

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Relationships

By Crystal Nicole Little

Is Being Overly Religious Keeping You MANLess?

I‘m going to share with you some of my feelings and ideas about overly religious woman and dating. This blog post may be all over the place, but it is something that women of faith need to hear.

I remember when I was dating my husband in the beginning. And because we met in a church, some people thought that we spent hours on the phone talking about God, Jesus, the Holy Bible‌lol no. While those may have been aspects of our conversation, the great deal of what we talked about was spent on getting to know each other as a person. We talked about music, books, and life.

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 39

Relationships We both knew that if we were going to entertain being together for a really long time, we would have to make sure that we were compatible and had more in common than just our faith.

I want to introduce a theory to you – one that I think will help you to better understand how hiding behind your faith can be detrimental to your dating life.

―If in dating, the two people inside the dating experience were a Shirt, the label on the shirt would be what the two people stand for, and the shirt itself would be who those people really are‖ Many women of faith today, lead with the label of their shirt in dating, instead of allowing a man to get to know the real them so that they can see if their shirt, as in who they really are as a woman, is a good fit for that man. And because these women are so afraid to share their truth and their authenticity – or for some, they don‘t even know who they are, they end up manless and alone.

―When I think about faith and people, I think about Shirts and Labels. The Label is what you stand for, and the Shirt is who you are.‖ When me and my husband first started dating, the label only told us what we stood for, what we believed, and our stance

40 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

on different socioeconomic issues.

However, if we were really going to get to know each other, we had to try on the shirt.

My husband had to get to know as much about me (the Shirt) as possible.

He came to me seeing my label and what I stood for – that I loved God and people, and that I tried my best to do right by them. But he also went beyond the label of getting to know me as a person, and found out that I was a huge movie buff that he could veg out with until 2am over $30 dollars of Taco Bell. (This is only one of my many talents).

My husband didn‘t just look at the label of what I stood for. He tried on the shirt. He saw that it was comfy. He saw that it felt snug. He saw that aside from my spiritual practice and beliefs, that I had my own likes, dislikes, preferences, and opinions as a woman. He saw that my Shirt was comfortable for him and made of cotton – and that the fit was just right. He didn‘t just look at the label and say, ―It‘s Gucci – I‘ll buy it‖. He got to know the shirt.

―Leading with your label in dating will leave you single. How is a man ever supposed to purchase you (the shirt), if he never knows the real you and how you fit?‖ I understand that it can be difficult to balance your faith and your authenticity as a woman and a believer.

Relationships So many times when you are a woman of faith, people either want to put you into one of two categories..a Holy Roller or a Jezebel, and this way of thinking is what strips you from your ability to be your true and authentic self in the dating process so that you can see if the relationship and the man is a good fit for you.

I went through this in the beginning of my dating process as a Single as well. Be politically and spiritually correct they say…but what if being politically, socially, and spiritually correct means living a lie, and putting on a face in the morning that isn‘t you or anything that looks like you?

So, when it comes to Crystal, do you want to know what I say? ..And feel free to adopt this if it resonates with who you really are and your spirit…

as a whole. Yes I thank God when I wake up in the morning, and yes I look at my children and know that they couldn‘t have come from any place lower than heaven.

But I am also a woman. I think my husband is fine. Idris Elba is my TV Star husband if anything ever happened to my husband, and don‘t you dare bother telling him I said that, because he already knows.

We‘ve already had this conversation. (lol, he does seriously know though).

Yes, I love to laugh with my girlfriends over an inside joke and a glass of Pink Moscato. I feel that I am being more truer to my God, myself, and the people around me when I take off the mask that everyone else deems is appropriate, and decide to live my truth out loud.

And do you want to know what the crazy thing is? I don‘t even think that my God is mad or upset about it! I think God is looking at me like..finally! It‘s about time, girl. Now you can breathe. Now I can use you to be real and ignite real and irrevocable change in woman and their relationships!

―I say, Yes I love God. But I am also a woman‖ Yes I am grounded in morality, ethics, and work hard to remain in alignment with my true nature, all that is good, and positivity

My point to you is this: When you date, there is nothing wrong with saying that you are God‘s, but make sure that the man you are dating knows the woman behind the faith. Do not hide behind your faith, or that man will never get to know the real you.

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 41

Relationships If you think that you are doing this – leading with your Label on dates instead of with your Shirt, I am here to tell you that hiding who you are will not help you – and not knowing who you are will not help you either.

with. Someone that can love God, but understand that you are both living in the real world with a real marriage and a real life dealing with real issues.

Real men that want to live a true and honest marriage, will want to try on the shirt.

A real man looking for a real marriage, will want a woman of substance beyond the label.

But if the label is all you lead with, then he will never purchase you.

This is why so many times women with no faith seem to attract men that want real and long lasting relationships and end up getting married quicker than women in the faith – because often times, they are more real.

They give men the functionality and convenience of having a real life partner instead of just a label. Essentially, they are a whole and functional Shirt that a man can really wear and spend his life with.

How would you like a life size cut out of a man that only said I love Jesus all day, but you could never relate to? Yeah, I don‘t think that idea would be too appetizing.

You want a husband. Someone that you can relate to and talk your day over

42 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

―As a woman of faith, you have to learn how to balance what you stand for with who you are – and you cannot allow either one to take over.‖ Do you wanna know why? Because both are important. If you were supposed to be all faith, then you wouldn‘t be here on this planet. And if you were supposed to be all woman, then you wouldn‘t have God in your heart. So your job is to maintain a perfect balance between the two so that you can operate on this planet and be effective. You need God to shine, and God needs you so that others can see the light.

If you are going to attract a good man, you are going to have to stop hiding behind the mask of your faith and

Relationships understand that your faith is just the label – as in, a statement of what you stand for and what you believe, but it is not who you are.

How to Handle Infidelity Within Your Marriage

In dating, it is important to share with your man the special things about you – like the fact that you love Comedies, you love the smell of scented candles burning in your house, or that you have a thing for Action movies. In dating, it is important to reveal the true You. Men don‘t marry labels. At least, not the ones that want to get married for the right reasons anyway. The only men that marry labels, are the ones that want to use women for ‗show‘ and validation. Meaning, he only wants to flaunt the fact that he purchased the Label: Gucci, Prada, or Louis Vuitton, but he may not really be all that into the Shirt itself. Get it? Never forget that.

When you, as a woman, lead with a label, you attract a man that only wants to look the part, and not truly be it.

Take off the mask. There is a difference between what you stand for and who you are. Embrace both. Show the world both. Be her.

Every real good man wants a real good woman.

Article Shared From crystallovecoach.wordpress.com

Infidelity creates a very difficult and painful situation, one that involves all the emotions, and, for the Christian, can stretch faith almost to the breaking point.

The best thing to do is ―turn all your worries over to Him. He cares about you‖ (1 Peter 5:7). If you have been wronged, go to the Lord for comfort, wisdom, and direction on a daily basis.

God can help us through the deepest of trials.

Adultery is always wrong. ―God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral‖ (Hebrews 13:4). The injured party should rest in the truth that God is the avenger. The wronged individual does not need to fret over getting even.

God will do a much better job of avenging us. When we are betrayed, we need to commit the pain to the One who knows every detail and will deal with it appropriately.

PRAY

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 43

Relationships Seek the Lord for wisdom, for healing, and for guidance. Pray for yourself, pray for the offender, and pray for anyone else involved. Pray for the Lord to direct your thoughts, words, actions, and decisions.

We must consider the possibility that the unfaithful spouse does not repent of his or her sin. Are we to forgive a person who does not confess his sin and remains unrepentant? Part of the answer is to remember what forgiveness is not:

BE HONEST. A betrayed spouse is going to suffer the effects of deep hurt. It is appropriate to engage the anger and hurt caused by infidelity. Expressing these emotions to God can be a first step toward true healing (see Psalm 77:1–2). Giving our emotions and needs over to God allows Him to minister to our hearts so that we can begin to let go of the offense. Godly counsel from a Christian counselor or pastor is helpful.

Forgiveness is not forgetting. We are not asked to forget the experience but to deal with it and move forward.

Forgiveness is not the elimination of consequences.

Sin has natural consequences, and even those who are forgiven may still suffer as a result of their past choices: ―Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?

So is he who sleeps with another man‘s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished‖ (Proverbs 6:28–29).

BE WILLING TO FORGIVE. We are to forgive others as we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32). We should be willing and ready to extend forgiveness to anyone, including a spouse who has had an affair, who comes to us in repentance, confessing his sin (Matthew 6:14 –15; 18:23 –35; Ephesians 4:31 –32; Colossians 3:13). True forgiveness may not be accomplished for some time, but the willingness to forgive should be present always. To harbor bitterness is sin and will negatively affect everyday decisions.

BE WISE.

44 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a commitment to pardon the offender. It is a transaction made between the offended and the offender. Feelings may or may not accompany forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not a private, secret act within an individual‘s heart. Forgiveness involves at least two people. This is why confession and repentance are required.

Forgiveness is not the automatic restoration of trust. It is wrong to think that forgiving an unfaithful spouse today means everything is back to normal tomorrow. Scripture gives us many

Relationships reasons to distrust those who have proved themselves untrustworthy (see Luke 16:10–12). Rebuilding trust can only begin after a process of reconciliation involving true forgiveness—which, of course, involves confession and repentance.

Also, importantly, forgiveness offered is not the same as forgiveness received.

The attitude of forgiveness—being willing to forgive—is different from the actual transaction of forgiveness. We must not short-circuit the process of confession and repentance and the rebuilding of trust.

Forgiveness may be offered by the wronged spouse, but, to be complete, it requires that the one who had the affair acknowledges his need for forgiveness and receives it, bringing reconciliation to the relationship.

BE FORGIVEN. ―If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness‖ (1 John 1:9).

When a marriage is in crisis, both parties

should ask God to help them see how each may have contributed to the whole situation and be released from the weight of guilt before God. From that point on, there will be freedom to seek His counsel and guidance. His Holy Spirit will enable them to do what they could not do on their own. ―I can do all this through him who gives me strength‖ (Philippians 4:13).

As God leads, true forgiveness and reconciliation are possible. No matter how long it takes, every effort must be made to forgive and reconcile (see Matthew 5:23–24). As to whether to stay or to leave, ―whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful‖ (Matthew 19:9, NLT). While the innocent party may have grounds for divorce, God‘s preference is forgiveness and reconciliation.

In summary, when a Christian‘s spouse has had an affair, the wronged party must guard against bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) and be careful not to repay evil for evil (1 Peter 3:9). We should be willing to forgive and genuinely want reconciliation; at the same time, we should not extend forgiveness to the unrepentant. In all things we must seek the Lord and find our wholeness and healing in Him. Article Shared From Got Questions Ministries

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 45

KENOSIS DEAN: ―Filling the Emptiness – Lighting the Fire!‖

By Warren O. Williams First things first about the man, the minister, the singer born Kendall Dean 35-years ago in the Dallas suburb of The Colony: What‘s up with the stage name Kenosis? ―It‘s Greek for ‗empty,‘‖ says Dean. ―For my music ministry, I wanted a different label. A few years back, during a Bible study session, one of the participants mentioned the word ‗kenosis‘ in the context of a verse in second Timothy: ‗So, if anyone empties/cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor – sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.‘ Later that night, during pillow talk with my wife, Amy, we considered that word, ‗Kenosis‘ – as an appropriate stage name. After all, we reasoned, the goal of my ministry work was to fill folks up with GOD, fill them up with the Word. And, it is an empty vessel that one can fill the most.

So, ‗Kenosis Dean‘ was born!‖ Dean comes from a musical and deeply religious family. He‘s a ―PK,‖ a preacher‘s kid -- and began singing in church around the age of 11. As is the case with many Texans, life for Kenosis was centered around faith, family and football. He was a star in high school, went on to play at a junior college Kansas, and wound up a soccer player at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma.

46 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

As a young adult, Kenosis admits to having spent -- like Moses in the Bible – some time wandering in the desert. As he tells it: ―One of the Bible verses which has resonated most in my life is Ephesians 5:10 – ‗Find out what pleases the Lord.‘ It took a while for me to find my purpose. But then the inspiration came to me – to use my gifts and abilities to serve God, to expand his kingdom on earth. To use my love of Christ, and of music, to bring joy to people. To inspire them. To empty them of worldliness and fill them with righteous fire.‖ Kenosis‘ day-job is as serving as the College Minister at Muskogee Church of Christ in northeast Oklahoma. And in that regard, he serves as both minister and mentor to young people from their teens to their 20‘s. Using his gifts to empty those young folks of things which are not of God, and filling them up with the things that are!

The lyrics to his latest single, ―Create In Me,‖ are instructive: ―As I look over the skyline – I have the seen the things that man has made, decline. ‗Cause man can only build, but YOU can create. God, please create in me. Oh, and renew a right spirit in me.‖ Thankfully, we have folks like Kenosis ready to help us empty ourselves of worldliness, so God can create a new person filled with righteousness. ~ Warren O. Williams *(Kenosis Dean’s latest single, “Create In Me,” is available across most digital music platforms).

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 47

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Personal Wellness

Are Christians With Addictions Still Saved?

By The Road to Freedom

Salvation is a focus for Christians of all denominations and a central tenet of faith. The idea of everlasting happiness and eternal life is assuredly appealing, driving many Christians to live their lives by the teachings of the Bible and the Word of God.

Despite this, seeking salvation and receiving salvation isn‘t always the same thing. In order to be granted salvation by God, His followers need to follow His rules and His examples to be considered worthy of a place in heaven. This might seem easy enough, but Christians with addictions may see things differently.

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 51

Personal Wellness Addiction and the Bible Addiction is not looked upon kindly in the Bible. As 1 John 2:16 states, ―For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.‖ Temptations, especially in the form of drink and drugs, are not a gift of God. Rather, they are sins from the earthly world. With this in mind, Christians with addictions may feel as though they cannot be saved; that their time is over and that the ship has sailed without them. With prayer, faith, and recovery, however, this doesn‘t have to be the case.

Salvation in the Bible ―For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ―no‖ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.‖ – Titus 2:11-12 Salvation is an ongoing topic throughout the Bible. A way to escape the evils on Earth in exchange for life everlasting, salvation is a main priority for many Christians. As stated in many places across many passages, loving Jesus Christ, following His examples, and abiding by His Word is the path to salvation— to being saved.

While the focus on salvation is certainly inspiring, the warnings about failed efforts

52 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

of attaining it are less so. The Bible makes it clear that salvation is not for everyone and that not all who want to be saved will receive God‘s forgiveness. As stated in Luke 13:23-24, ―Someone asked him, ‗Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?‘ He said to them, ‗Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.‘‖ While motivating for many, these kinds of passages can be extremely damaging for those trapped in a dark place.

The knowledge that salvation is limited can easily diminish hope for any Christian addict. Rather than seeing the pursuit of salvation as a reason to get sober, substance abusers are far more likely to assume that the door to eternal life has been closed to them forever. Even worse, with so few options available for Christian addiction treatment, those who struggle with both addiction and faith may believe that there‘s no point in trying to find salvation.

How Can an Addict Find Salvation ―He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.‖ – 2 Timothy 1:9 Due to the nature of addiction in the Bible, many Christian addicts feel as though their

Personal Wellness chance at salvation has passed. By deliberately disobeying the word of God through using substances, each day spent in drink or with drug is further diminishing their chances earning a place and a life at God‘s side.

This, of course, isn‘t true. It‘s easy to feel lost and alone during the depths of addiction. But, as a follower of God, you‘re never truly isolated. God is always with you, and He‘ll always love you, no matter how many mistakes you make or how many times it takes to finally gain sobriety.

Taking the Steps Toward Salvation and Away from Addiction ―For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God

prepared in advance for us to do‖ – Ephesians 2:8-10.

The Bible addresses the steps to salvation in several different places, including in the Acts of the Apostles. In this book, Paul and Silas find themselves in a jail in Philippi, beaten and fastened to the stocks in a painful position. Together, they prayed and sang songs of worship until a sizable earthquake struck, breaking the walls of the prison and freeing Paul and Silas from their captivity.

The jailer was horrified— laws of the time dictated that a jailer who lost his prisoners should be condemned to death— but was shocked to find Paul and Silas still within the jail.

Weeping, the jailer threw himself at the men‘s feet and cried ―Sirs, what must I do to be saved?‖ In Acts 16:31, they answered him: ―Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.‖ The message? Believing in Christ, following His teachings and examples, and opening your heart up to Him is the secret to salvation. This is the case for anyone, even those who struggle with the disease that is addiction.

Forgiveness in the Bible Christianity is about following the guidance of the Bible, but it‘s important to remember the passages about forgiveness. As stated in 1 John 1:9, ―If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.‖

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 53

Personal Wellness After seeking forgiveness, it‘s possible for any recovering Christian addict to return to the embrace of the Lord and continue the quest for salvation.

The mistakes you make in your past don‘t have to dictate your future. Being saved isn‘t a use-it-or-lose-it opportunity.

Christians with addiction can certainly still be saved, but it‘s up to you to right your wrongs before you can be forgiven and, consequently, truly saved.

Seeking Salvation – and Treatment As a Christian, the first step in searching for salvation must involve atoning for your sins. As a substance abuser, this, of course, means sobriety. In order to move beyond addiction and seek a happier, healthier way to live, recovery is absolutely essential. And you can absolutely find it at the best Christian addiction treatment center in the nation.

Road to Freedom is a Christian addiction treatment center focused on combining addiction medicine, psychotherapy, and worship to build a customized path to sobriety. At Road to Freedom, patients work through detox and rehabilitation in a safe, secure atmosphere that embraces faith and uses God‘s teachings to further the journey toward sobriety and abstinence. Whether you remain strong in your faith or have lapsed during your

54 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

descent into addiction, our team is here to hold you up in prayer and help you find your way toward salvation.

If you or someone you love is suffering from addiction, Road to Freedom can help. Please contact us at (844) 329-6895 to get the faithbased support you need.

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Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 57

Beauty When it comes to healthy hair, it‘s not just what you put on your tresses that counts -- it‘s what you put in your body, too.

By Elizabeth B. Krieger

Better-looking hair can start at your next meal.

what you eat. Smoking, hormonal imbalances, and not enough sleep can also affect how your hair looks and feels. No magic nutrient can make up for those concerns.

Still, you have a lot more leverage than you might think. If you eat a balanced, varied, protein-rich diet that focuses on the following 10 foods, you'll be giving your hair the TLC it needs and deserves.

"Just like every other part of your body, the cells and processes that support strong, vibrant hair depend on a balanced diet," says New York nutritionist Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of The Beauty Diet.

It can take longer to notice changes (both good or bad!) in your hair than in your skin. For example, "just one week with a poor diet can yield acne flare-ups or dry, sallow skin within days," says New York City dermatologist Cybele Fishman, MD, "but with hair, it can take a few months for a nutritional deficiency or the effects of a crash diet to show up.― The nutrients you eat today help fortify the hair follicle -- from which each strand is born -- and the scalp that surrounds it.

"Healthier follicles? Healthier hair.

Healthier scalp? Healthier hair!" Drayer says.

Of course, there's more to your hair than

58 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

1. Salmon Besides being rich in protein and vitamin D (both are key to strong hair) the omega-3 fatty acids found in this tasty cold-water fish are the true superstar. Your body can't make those fatty acids, which your body needs to grow hair. About 3% of the hair shaft is make up of these fatty acids, Drayer says. Omega-3s are also found in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp, and in the natural oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated.

Beauty Other options: If salmon doesn't thrill you, you can also get essential fatty acids from fish like herring, sardines, trout, and mackerel, as well as avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts (see below for more wonderful things about walnuts.)

2. Walnuts These are the only type of nut that have a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

They're also rich in biotin and vitamin E, which helps protect your cells from DNA damage. Since your hair rarely gets much shielding from the sun, this is especially great, Drayer says. Too little biotin can lead to hair loss. Walnuts also have copper, a mineral that helps keep your natural hair color rich and lustrous, Fishman says.

lead to hair loss (even in your eyelashes), as well as a dry, flaky scalp.

Three ounces has a whopping 493% of your daily value. You can get some zinc through fortified cereals and whole grain breads, but oysters can boast a good level of protein too. "Remember, hair is about 97% protein," Drayer says. Without enough protein, your body can't replace the hairs that you naturally shed every day and what you do make can be dry, brittle, or weak.

Other options: Get your fill of zinc with nuts, beef, and eggs.

4. Sweet Potatoes

3. Oysters

Sweet potatoes are a great source of the antioxidant beta carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. "Basically, every cell of the body cannot function without enough A," Fishman says. It also helps protect and produce the oils that sustain your scalp, and being low on vitamin A can even leave you with itchy, irksome dandruff.

Oysters are rich in zinc, a lack of which can

Other options: Carrots, cantaloupe,

Other options: Try using walnut oil in your salad dressing or stir-fry instead of canola or safflower, Fishman says.

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 59

Beauty Other options: Try similarly nutrientrich dark, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and Swiss chard.

7. Lentils mangoes, pumpkin, and apricots are all good sources of beta carotene.

5. Eggs

Tiny but mighty, these legumes are teeming with protein, iron, zinc, and biotin, says Fishman, making it a great staple for vegetarian, vegans, and meat eaters.

A great source of protein, eggs are loaded with four key minerals: zinc, selenium, sulfur, and iron. Iron is especially important, because it helps cells carry oxygen to the hair follicles, and too little iron (anemia) is a major cause of hair loss, particularly in women, Drayer says.

Other options: You can also boost your iron stores with animal sources, including chicken, fish, pork, and beef.

Other options: Toss other beans such as soybeans (the young ones are called edamame) and kidney beans into your soup or salad.

6. Spinach 8. Greek yogurt

The iron, beta carotene, folate, and vitamin C in spinach help keep hair follicles healthy and scalp oils circulating.

60 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

Cruise the dairy aisle for low-fat options

Beauty Cruise the dairy aisle for low-fat options such as Greek yogurt, which is high in hair-friendly protein, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid -- an ingredient you'll often see on hair care product labels), and vitamin D. Emerging research links vitamin D and hair follicle health, but exactly how that works isn't clear, Fishman says.

protein, "foods rich in protein are literally giving you the building blocks for hair," Drayer says.

Other options: Cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, and skim milk also fit the bill.

9. Blueberries Other options: Lean cuts of beef are another good source of lean protein.

Exotic super fruits may come and go but when it comes to vitamin C, "It's hard to top this nutrient superhero," Drayer says. C is critical for circulation to the scalp and supports the tiny blood vessels that feed the follicles. Too little C in your diet can lead to hair breakage.

Other options: Kiwis, sweet tomatoes, and strawberries.

potatoes,

10. Poultry This everyday entree is extraordinary when it comes to protein, as well as hair-healthy zinc, iron, and B vitamins to keep strands strong and plentiful. Because hair is nearly all

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 61

Personal Wellness

Should Christians Be Superstitious?

By Daria Sivashenkova

Christian faith and superstitions do not mix.

Orthodox believers do not pay any attention to black cats and women with empty buckets. However, there are many superstitions in the Orthodox religion anyway.

Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 63

Personal Wellness The majority of humans are superstitious, and believers are not an exception. The Bible teaches people not to believe in silly superstitions, but it appears that the holy book is unable to change human nature.

Superstitions exist even in churches. Many Orthodox church-goers are certain that they are not supposed to put up candles with a left hand, nor can they walk between the candelabrum and the icon, not to upset God. What is superstition? It is nothing more than an attempt to find and control an invisible "spiritual" law. It is an attempt to find a direct connection between the things that happen now and the future. If the connection is found, then a person can control the future. It appears that people find it much harder to hope for God's will.

Instead, it is much easier to know that if you come across a black cat then something bad is going to happen to you, or if you spill some salt then you are going to have a fight with someone.

The majority of Russians believe those things, even though they consider themselves true Christians. This position gives rise to strange and "refined" superstitions that one may come across in Orthodox churches.

Here is one of them. The energy atmosphere in an Orthodox temple is very strong. That is the reason why a woman is supposed to cover her head with a veil to protect herself from this energy. Men do

64 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

not need to cover their heads with anything just because they are stronger - men can handle it. This is how many religious Russians explain the tradition to cover women's head with a veil in a church.

However, Paul the Apostle wrote that the rule was obligatory for married women only.

A veil is directly related to family relations.

"A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of man." Man is the head, and woman is the helper. She ought to have power, that is, a veil, on her head, because of the angels. This is the reason why women should cover their heads.

Superstitions offer a great variety of simple and easy ways to get rid of sins. This path is much easier to follow rather than walking the long road of penance and spiritual rebirth. One may rub their baptismal crosses to rub away the sins. Killing a spider forgives you 40 sins. If you do not feel like killing an innocent insect, you can wash the floor in your house after funeral. This will also save you 40 sins.

Funeral is a subject of many superstitions in Russia. Some of them are funny, others are bizarre, but all of them are presented as godfearing traditions. Here is a funny one. A deceased person has their face covered with a pancake before burial. They remove the pancake from the coffin prior to the burial and eat it afterwards, during the funeral feast. People try to make a priest eat the pancake, but they try to do it on the sly. If

Personal Wellness the priest eats the pancake, the deceased will go to heaven. If the priest finds out what he eats, then the priest may go to meet his maker during the feast too.

their own fiction and follow the stupid rules rather than following the commandments of Jesus Christ. One does not have to kill spiders and put pancakes on dead people's faces to go to the Kingdom of Heaven. Faith is supposed to be pure. It does not mix with superstition.

Article Shared From

PRAVDA.Ru

What Does the Bible Say About Superstition?

Another tradition does not allow burying a person with their jewelry on - the jewelry will not let the person to paradise.

If you want to get rich, take an old coin, walk around a church three times and then put the coin in the beautiful corner of your home (where the icons are kept). Strangely enough, this tradition comes from the Soviet era.

When putting up a candle, it is not recommended to melt its lower end so that it stands firmly on the candelabrum. The explanation may seem blasphemous: "Don't burn Christ's feet." Here is another one. Do not turn your back to the altar God will turn away from you otherwise.

There are many other silly rules which people invent to regulate their strange relations with God. They sincerely believe

By Got Questions Ministries

Superstition is based on the ignorant faith of an object having magical powers. Another word for superstition is ―idolatry.‖ The Bible does not support the idea of things occurring by chance, but nothing is done outside of God‘s sovereign control. Either He causes or allows everything in keeping with His divine plan (Acts 4:28; Ephesians 1:10).

There are many types of superstitions in the world, ranging from the benign—such as not walking under a ladder—to the occult practices of astrology, black magic, divination, voodoo and sorcery. Scripture condemns those who practice astrology (Deuteronomy 4:19), magic, divination and sorcery (2 Kings 21:6, Isaiah 2:6). Idolatry is also forbidden, and no one who practices it will enter the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27). These types of practices are

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Personal Wellness extremely dangerous because they open the minds of the practitioners to the influence of the devil. First Peter 5:8 warns us to ―be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.‖ We should get our faith not from objects or rituals of man-made origin, but from the one true God who gives eternal life. ―See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority‖ (Colossians 2:8-10).

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Feature Story

Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?

By Got Questions Ministries

Christians the world over celebrate Christmas in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Various Christmas traditions have been associated with the celebration of Christmas, and different cultures celebrate different ways. The unifying factor is the historical fact that Jesus was born, c. 5 BC. The angel who appeared to the shepherds the night of Jesus‘ birth said, ―I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord‖ (Luke 2:10–11).

We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, the birth of Jesus Christ is ―good news.‖ Good news is meant to be celebrated. In fact, the angel said the news of Jesus‘ birth would cause ―great joy‖ and would be ―for all the people‖—the joyful celebration would be universal. People around the globe would be glad for this occasion

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Feature Story We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, ―A Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.‖ The three titles the angel applies to Jesus are important.

Jesus is the Savior who delivers us from sin and death (Matthew 1:21). He is the human Messiah (or Christ) who fulfills the Law and the Prophets, showing that God is faithful (see Matthew 5:17). And He is the divine Lord who has entered our world: the Almighty has taken on human flesh; God and man have been fused together in an indivisible, eternal bond; God is truly with us (see Matthew 1:23).

Christmas we celebrate the love and condescension of God. In Texas in 1987, a toddler by the name of Jessica McClure fell into an eight-inch well casing. Down she went, becoming stuck twenty-two feet below ground. Once people discovered that ―Baby Jessica‖ was in the well, they took immediate action. They didn‘t tell her to find a way to climb back up, and they didn‘t just shout happy thoughts to encourage her.

No, they went down to where she was and got her. They did whatever it took. Rescuers worked nonstop for fifty-eight hours to free her.

In celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the Savior, because we needed deliverance. We celebrate the Christ in whom all of God‘s promises are ―Yes‖ and ―Amen‖ (2 Corinthians 1:20). We celebrate the Lord who in humility took on ―the very nature of a servant‖ for our sakes (see Philippians 2:6–8).

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell.

Down they went, dragging all humanity with them into the darkness and death of sin. And what did God do? He did not tell us to find our own way out of the mess we were in, and He did more than shout down happy thoughts to us from heaven. No, He came down to where we were and got us. That‘s what Christmas is all about—God‘s coming down to rescue us, to do whatever it took to deliver us from sure death.

We celebrate Christmas with gift-giving because of the ―indescribable gift‖ that God gave to us (2 Corinthians 9:15). We celebrate Christmas by stringing lights because the Light of the world has come to us (John 1:4; Isaiah 9:2). We celebrate Christmas with carols and choirs because they are expressive of joy and follow the examples of Mary and Zacharias and Simeon and the angels, all of whom extoled the Lord in poetry (Luke 1–2). We celebrate Christmas by decorating evergreen trees with stars and angels and tinsel because of the eternal life Jesus brings (John 4:14)— and stars and angels and beauty were all associated with Jesus‘ birth. In celebrating 70 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018

When even one person is in a lifethreatening situation, we understand what has to be done. When God looked down at our sinful planet, He saw a whole world of people in mortal danger. We celebrate Christmas because it was at Christmastime that the Rescuer of all mankind came to save us from the hopeless situation we were in.

God did not stay in heaven; He came down to where we are.

Article Shared From Got Questions Ministries

Just For Fun Do You Know Your Bible?

What was the name of the Queen who embarrassed her husband?

What were the first 3 words spoken by God in the book of Genesis?

How many angels did God send to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy it?

What did the Israelites place over their door and down their door posts to keep the angel of death from killing their first born?

People look on the outward appearance, but what does God look on?

What food do we ask God to give us in the Lord's prayer?

How many sons did Israel have?

This man lost his life because an evil king wanted his vineyard?

The father of the prodigal son had how many sons?

How many men lapped like a dog in Gideon's army?

What was the name of the harlot who hid spies in her home?

What was the name of the woman who had seven devils?

Answers on Page 77 Blessed Magazine December, 2017/January, 2018 75

Just For Fun Answers Do You Know Your Bible Answers?

What was the name of the Queen who embarrassed her husband? - Queen Vashti (Esther 1:10-17) What were the first 3 words spoken by God in the book of Genesis? - Let there be (Genesis 1:3) How many angels did God send to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy it? 2 Angels (Genesis 19:1) What did the Israelites place over their door and down their door posts to keep the angel of death from killing their first born? - Lambs Blood (Exodus 12:3-27)

People look on the outward appearance, but what does God look on? – The Heart (1 Samuel 16:7) What food do we ask God to give us in the Lord's prayer? – Bread (Matthew 6:11) How many sons did Israel have? – 12 (Genesis 35:22-26) This man lost his life because an evil king wanted his vineyard? – Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16) The father of the prodigal son had how many sons? – 2 Sons (Luke 15:11-32) How many men lapped like a dog in Gideon's army? – 300 Men (Judges 7:5-6) What was the name of the harlot who hid spies in her home? - Rahab (Joshua 2:1-24) What was the name of the woman who had seven devils? - Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2)

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