ReceiveHealing.com

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Joy is usually defined as a lasting contentment or fulfillment in life. It is something we all want. The question is, where do we find it?

Most people would agree that joy must be a matter of the spirit.

Happiness is usually defined as short term enjoyment that comes from positive, surrounding events. This is in contrast to joy, which is considered lasting because it is not derived from circumstances but from your inner self, your spirit. The meaning of the common Greek word for joy–chara-consists of calm delight and exceedingly joyful. The Greek word for complete-pleroo-is usually combined with the term for joy; it literally means to “cram full a net,” or figuratively to “satisfy, fill up, fulfill, supply.” This gives us the visual picture that joy is lasting like a calm delight, yet excessive, like an overflowing fishing net, bringing complete satisfaction and fulfillment to our lives. It supplies completely what we desire most in life, yet it comes from within.

You can find your spirit’s source of joy.

Your spirit, the eternal part of you, comes from the eternal Spirit of God. Since your spirit was created by God, did God intend for your spirit to exist in a state of joy? Absolutely. God describes His desire for your joy this way:

I say these things…so that My joy made be made full and complete and perfect in you and you may experience My delight fulfilled in you, that My enjoyment may be perfected in your own soul, and you may have My gladness within you filling your heart. Jn. 17:13

What is significant in this quote is that God states that He desires the source of our joy, delight, enjoyment, gladness to be derived from His joy, delight, enjoyment, gladness.

What aspects of your spiritual existence are the source of joy?

This is in no way a complete list, but it should give you several points to ponder. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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A new year brings most of us the hope of starting over. We desire to see life be better in various areas of our lives during the new year. To start over, to experience a better life, make the decision to allow your year to be new.

First, forgive yourself of past mistakes.

Self-condemnation has no benefit. Even God desires us to live without the weight of condemnation. Romans 8:1,2 says that there is no condemnation for those who live in Jesus because God’s Spirit has freed them from the laws (the control, the results) of sin and death.

Second, forgive others.

Remember, if you’ve followed the posts this past year, forgiveness does not involve allowing people to mistreat you. There is a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. For reconciliation to take place, it involves both people being willing to have resolution; in many situations, this is impossible. However, forgiveness takes place in your own heart and frees you from being emotionally tied to that person and bad experience for the rest of your life. For a full discussion on this topic, read the post, Forgiveness or Reconciliation: Understanding the Difference.

Third, forget what God forgets.

That may sound strange to someone who, at first thought, believes that God does not forget. Unlike people, God’s forgetfulness is not due to insufficient memory capability; He chooses to forget certain things. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

I would like to speak a blessing of abundance over your lives as the first year of ReceiveHealing.com’s blog comes to a close. ReceiveHealing.com was developed and exists solely for the purpose of bringing physical, emotional, and spiritual healing to people’s lives. We trust you have benefited in a variety of ways this past year.

May your life be filled with the abundance and peace God desires for you, containing all that is beautiful, best, bountiful, cheerful, good, joyful, loving, prosperous, and wealthy [Hebrew and Greek definitions of abundance], as well as existing in a state of safety, happiness, good health, friendship, rest, and wholeness so that all is well in your life [Hebrew and Greek definitions of peace].

May you be comforted from all past and present sorrows. May you receive compassion as freely as you have shown it. May all your fears be replaced with faith and peace. May you forgive those who have harmed you in the past so that you are released to reach your future goals and desires. May the greater understanding of God’s love for you which you have gained this year be used as an unshakeable basis for your self worth and foundation for your life. May all your relationships be healthy, rewarding, and free from resentment. May the voice of God be clear in your spirit so that your words and decisions flow from His wisdom, bringing healing and wholeness to every aspect of your life.

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas! R.H. @ ReceiveHealing.com

Reading Level: Leisurely

Whether you need encouragement or want some ideas upon which to meditate, this poem is worth reading.

A website out of Amarillo, TX, took this collection of verses, wrote out the main points in simple English, and arranged them into this moving poem. Receive from it whatever you need today. A link to their site is at the end of the post.

You may not know Me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in My image. Genesis 1:27
In Me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are My offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in My book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know Me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is My desire to lavish My love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are My child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from My hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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An often asked question by readers is, “Does God desire people to be poor?”

Scripture does address God’s view on poverty. Though I cannot cover all possible aspects of poverty in one post, I think this article will give you clear answers.

God specifically mentions His watchful care over the poor.

It is important to realize that this is not a matter of favoritism, because God speaks against that and promises His unfailing love to all who seek Him, but a matter of special reassurance. The poor are often neglect or forgotten by the societies in which they live. Anyone who has been in poverty understands the struggles with the feeling of abandonment, hopelessness, and that there is no one who cares. Fully understanding a person’s circumstances, God specifically speaks to remind the poor that He cares, is paying attention, and is attentive to their requests for help.

Here are a few quotes in which God expresses His attentiveness to the poor:

Isa 41:17 The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

Ex 22:22,23 Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.

De 15:4,7 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you. If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Changing the often un-noticed habit of projection makes your life more receptive to the abundance that would otherwise come to you through your relationships with other people and God.

This post is Part 2 of 2. If you missed the first post, Clearing the Path to Attract Abundance, please read that first as it explains how we project past experiences into our relationships and ways to implement change.

I was reading a passage the other day which was the source of inspiration for these 2 posts. It clearly portrays an attitude of abundance, of clearing the path to attract and receive abundance based on believing good will come to you.

This passage speaks of many types of abundance that you can expect to receive from your interaction with God. However, there are several key points of benefit for you to keep in mind as you read it to change your habit of projection with God or people:

1. Notice the overwhelmingly positive description of God’s love and compassion and the resulting abundance that comes to you from them.

2. If you realize after reading Part 1 that you are projecting past negative experiences onto God and need to change, the main way to overcome those negative thoughts is by replacing them with these truths He speaks of Himself.

3. If you have been projecting past negative experiences onto people, hindering your job and personal relationships, use this example of the overwhelmingly positive thoughts of abundance coming to you from God to pattern your own expectations of good coming to you on a daily basis with your job interactions and personal life. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

We each desire good to come to us in our relationships with other people and with God. Sometimes it is necessary to clear the path for abundance by evaluating the views we automatically project onto others and God.

Each of us have ideas of how other people will respond to us based on past experiences. There may be certain personality types which don’t mesh well with our own, so we immediately assume anyone with one of those personality types will not like us and will not bring good into our lives. Or, some have a more extreme view, going through life assuming that it is most likely that any person will not like them. Obviously, past negative experiences tend to leave a deeper mark than positive ones. It is beneficial to clear the path for abundance by evaluating and altering negative views from past experiences that we project onto people as projection repels, rather than attracts, whatever good they may bring into our lives.

Projection is the opposite of the Law of Attraction.

For those who haven’t read about projection before, it is a term from psychology which basically is the opposite of the Law of Attraction, repelling good instead of attracting it. In the Law of Attraction, no matter how bad your life has been up to that point, you choose to change and believe that your life is destined for good purposes and good results; you choose to believe that abundance will come to you. This causes you to be looking for, and eventually see, the right openings and beneficial connections which you otherwise would have missed if you had a defeatist attitude.

With projection, a person projects negative feelings and perceptions from past experiences into present job situations and relationships. He or she expects the same past bad scenarios to repeat themselves, or is afraid that they will. The person may frequently change jobs or change relationships due to this unrecognized habit of projection. Completely unaware, the person now interprets people’s responses on the new job or in the new personal life in light of those past experiences; Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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One’s level of abundance and wholeness in life is often determined by your own chosen responses.

One’s goal in life must be directed solely by what you know to be your God-given destiny, not by how other people respond to it. There is a incredible, thought-provoking poem said to have been on a wall in Mother Teresa’s orphanage, though the source is unknown. It aptly describes how one’s level of abundance and wholeness depend on your personal response and commitment to your goals or destiny regardless of people’s responses. These points are also key to personal growth and spiritual maturity. A brief biography of Mother Teresa follows the poem.

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
People may cheat you;
be honest and frank anyway. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

I have mentioned the Law of Attraction several times, as it is a secular philosophy built on scriptural principles, that has become very popular again in recent years. It involves speaking out the good that you need to see take place in your life, visualizing it, believing that it will come in to existence, and, through this focus, changing your thought patterns so that you (1) develop good, creative decisions which make you successful and (2) become aware of helpful connections and opportunities that you would have missed if you had not changed the focus of your thinking.

I came across a brief, but thorough article by Rhonda Jones which clearly describes how the Law of Attraction is scripturally based and how to effectively implement it. A link to the full article is below and is well worth reading.

Here are excerpts of her 6 steps to attract restoration and success:

Ask - The first step is deciding what it is you want from God. You need to create specific goals for your life. Be specific about what you desire by creating a vision chart or writing down your specific request…

Believe – You must believe that you have already received what you asked for. I’m talking about faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for that evidence of things not seen. Your faith is not in yourself or your own abilities. The scriptures tell us to have faith in God. That is where the power lies… Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

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A reader recently asked, “How does God desire for us to handle abusive relationships?” I already have some other posts related to this topic such as recognizing real love and how to move forward after getting out of the situation which I will reference below.

Let’s cover now 6 specific steps important for anyone in an abusive relationship or trying to recover after one.

Forgive Yourself- Admit any mistakes you made in the situation. There are always mistakes on both sides. You may need to forgive yourself for getting into that relationship to begin with, especially, if in retrospect, you realize you ignored all the warning signs. Or, you may now see that you should have not waited so long to confront or abandon the relationship. Also, people often feel the need to forgive themselves for the valuable time that was lost while devoted to an unhealthy relationship.

Forget - Leave the past in the past. We all make decisions that we later regret. They cannot be changed, but we can keep from living under their shadow the rest of our lives. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Ever imagined a life of perfect peace, free from anxiety or fear? How about a peace that transcends all understanding? This is exactly the type of peace God promises His people. Enjoy this brief flash video which shares some of God’s promises for your peace.

To view a related video, look at my blog, “God of Peace” in which God describes His nature to be in a covenant of peace with you.

References: Is. 26:3; Jn. 14:27; Jer. 33:6; Jer. 33:9; Jer. 46:27; Dan. 10:19; Jn. 16:33; Phil. 4:6,7; Rom. 15:13

Click Here to Open the Promises of Peace Flash Video

Peace is so much a part of God’s nature that “Peace” is one of His names. God also describes Himself as our peace. Not only does God promises peace to us, but it is actually one of His everlasting covenants with us. Enjoy this brief flash video on The God of Peace.

References for this video: Ps. 85:8; Ez. 37:26; Mal. 2:5; Ps. 29:11; Is. 54:10; Is. 9:6; Is. 53:5; Eph. 2:14; 2 Thes. 3:16; Ju.1:2

Click Here to Open the God of Peace Flash Video

Reading Level: Leisurely

Are you your own worst enemy? Are you sure? What do you believe that your life is destined for?

When you envision your present situation and then the rest of your life, what do you see? Do you see a life of continual lack, illness, struggle, and disappointments? Or instead, do you envision that you are destined for a good life, an effective, satisfying life? There is an old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” Why do people say that? Because there is great power to your thoughts just as there is in your words. People who believe that they are destined for a satisfying, effective life are more aware of the right opportunities when they present themselves. Such people Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

Most of us get in the typical morning rush. We wake up in such a rush to get in to the office that the word “morning” does not even create a pleasant mental picture.

I’ve often read that successful people are “morning people.” That is characteristically true for several reasons. Part of which is that most successful people do not do the typical morning rush scenario. They get up early enough to have alone time, unrushed, to meditate, think, and envision the day and their future goals. The unrushed morning actually brings healing to their lives. Why?

This type of “healing morning” develops more creative thinking, a sense of peace instead of life being out of one’s control, and allows for help and direction from a person greater than yourself, from the One who planned each day of your life before it ever existed in the physical realm (Ps. 139:15,16).

If you’ve never thought you could hear God’s voice in your spirit, a search of the term “voice” in Scripture shows numerous references to the “voice of the Lord.” More specifically, Jesus said that those who seek God know His voice and follow it (Jn. 10:27). You can make significant progress in the healing of your life by Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Gratifying

One of the most popular philosophies that I’ve come across on the web is the Law of Attraction.

Wikipedia says, “It takes the principal ‘Like Attracts Like’ and applies it to conscious desire. That is, a person’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs cause a change in the physical world that attracts positive or negative experiences to them. You get what you think about; your thoughts determine your experience.” (1)

What’s interesting to me in the articles I’ve read is that multitudes of people have seen healing and success come to their lives, often after years of illness and poverty, by implementing the laws of faith apart from a faith in God and still seen it work.

Adherents of this philosophy believe that they are “intended” through the laws of the universe to be healthy and successful and they speak it over their lives until they see it happen. An email newsletter I read yesterday about it said that you cannot see success without speaking and believing daily that you are successful–the reasoning behind it being that your energy, body, spirit, and thoughts will only line up with what you are speaking and believing. For example, the necessary ideas, good energy, healing, opportunities, etc. won’t come to you or be recognized by you unless you FIRST speak them out daily and believe them.

These principles work because of the spiritual law of faith Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »