Saturday, December 5, 2009

Spiritual Sundays ~ A Pause in Advent


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I want to sincerely thank Floss for hosting "A Pause for Advent". I know that God is wanting me to pause and look around at the wonderful women of faith that He has brought into my life. Charlotte & Ginger are my pillars of wisdom and they host Spiritual Sundays.
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"Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said “Woman, you are set free from your ailment”. When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God." (Luke 13:10-13)
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In the book of Luke, Jesus is teaching on the Sabbath. Today He teaches 24-7. This tells me that He is always available. The story is about one woman's faith and hope. It is so easy for us to be like the Crippled Woman. We too have been crippled emotionally, mentally, and physically. There are times that negative attitudes, anger, and impatience lead to physical ailments like headaches and stomach aches. A spiritually deficient person can not stand straight in faith but instead looks down at everything in life. We allow negativity to take our focus away from God. Like the Crippled Woman, we can also look beyond our problems and seek hope in Christ. When Jesus approached the woman, she was probably embarassed about her defects but she was confident in His power. When He told her that she was healed, she accepted his word as truth. She didn't question its' authenticity. She looked-up, stood up, and lived up to the a life of hope and faith.
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What has you crippled? As for me, I stress out a lot because I try to do things on my own too often. I get frustrated, tired, and impatient, and then I get headaches and muscle tension. Maybe if I would start by having greater faith in God I would be more peaceful and confident knowing that He was in control. I acknowledge my defects and stand before Jesus for healing. I wish the same for you.
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God Bless You ~ Yoli

14 comments:

  1. Oh Yoli this was just a great post. I love how you related this scripture to your own life. And it is soo true what you said. Often times we do suffer the consequences of our own negative attitudes. I do tend to fret and worry too much which results in many physical problems at times. How much better I do when I cast all my cares on him. Thanks for sharing your insights and thoughts on this. Have a great week. Blessings to you, Debbie

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  2. Yoli,

    What a transparent heart you have :) The Lord loves it when we humble ourselves and share our honesty ya know and guess what ?? It inspires others too!

    Blessings to you my friend

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  3. You have a very beautiful heart.

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  4. Great post. You shared your heart. Have a wonderful Sunday.
    cindy

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  5. praying for Him to bless you with more strength - I think you already have a beautiful sweet spirit of faith. Sarah

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  6. Great post! We're all guilty of stressing too much, and believing too little. I have a wonderful sign in my home that says, "Great strength comes from great faith in God." I see it every time I walk into the family room. I need that visual reminder daily.

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  7. I am trying not to worry so much about a physical problem, knowing that God is in control. We need to cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us. And He is always with us and will never leave nor forsake us. Praying for blessings and peace for you ~

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  8. Great message. By sharing your heart you have blessed and strengthened all of us. I want to do better.

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  9. Great post. Many times when I try doing something on my own and fail I realize I should have asked God for help in the first place. This is a good reminder. Thank you for posting it.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  10. Thank-you so much for this wonderful post! Sometimes I think I give it to the Lord but I hold on to just a small piece, I need to give it all to him in prayer. Thank-you so much this post touched my heart.
    God Bless,
    Ginger

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  11. We all need to be reminded to carry everything to God in prayer. Thank you for a great post!

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  12. Hi Yoli, What a wonderful post you have shared, I think we all can relate to this. I know I can, Thank you for sharing your heart.I have been so blessed.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  13. Hi Yoli,
    This is a great post and something we all need to reflect on...sometimes we try to do to much and then find out we don't have the strength without God's help. Thanks for the reminder! Have a great week!


    Blessings,
    Jean

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  14. This is an awesome post! Definitely something that I’m going to think more about.

    Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

    God Bless YOU!

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