Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.--2 Timothy 2:15
My walk with the Lord is very rocky. No one who looks at me would say, “That is a Christian.” I, however, try to study as thoroughly as possible. I will admit that those who know me will tell you that I can’t possibly be Christian because I do this and I do that. In actuality I consider myself a disciple rather than a Christian.
I discovered some interesting things about the Psalms while listening to an audio version of the book. I was in pain and so several of the verses came clear to me. When I started my exploration, I was absolutely stunned at how much encouragement I was missing by not concentrating on this important addition to the Bible.
I learned that King David is not the only writer of Psalms, though most of his are added in this marvelous work. You will see in some of the titles, for example, that some are attributed to Asaph, one of the Chief Musicians that King David assigned to the temple during his reign. It might surprise you to learn that I just gathered that bit of intel while writing this very paragraph. No one ever explained this to me, nor did you likely learn this in your Church, and, thus, you like I may have thought all were written by King David.
I hope that as you study the Psalms you will find, as I did, that some words of the Psalms are repeated within the Psalms and are found referenced in other portions of the Bible. Paul references the Psalms quite a bit in his epistles. For those who might be new to The Word, I will point out that epistles are simply letters that certain of the apostles sent to others. The epistles of Paul, for example, are sent to the Romans and the Greeks. The epistles of Peter, James, Jude and John are generally sent to the other Hebrews that were dispersed through out the nations. How blessed are we that we have them gathered into one resource so that we see all points of view. I would that you heed the advice of James in his epistle to the Hebrews, Chapter 1:
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
If you are not sure what you read here or what you hear in churches or from Televangelists, ASK THE FATHER! Ask Him, however, with the attitude that he is going to GIVE you wisdom. Your salvation depends on it! You will stand before the Father and answer for yourself. Just as I will. At that time you will really know what naked and afraid means.
What are Psalms?
Psalms, quite simply, are songs. They are sung to the psaltery and instruments of ten strings. So why don’t they rhyme? The Psalms were written in the Hebrew language and translated into English. They may have rhymed or, at least, been more melodic when they were written. The good news is that they need not rhyme. The message is the important thing and, I believe, the message relayed in the King James Version is fairly accurate. As you read through the Psalms, seek the message that the Father is trying to relay. Or, in times of distress, the ones you want to use to relay your message to the Father.
The Way I Use the Psalms.
I am trying to create a guide breaking the Psalms into various categories. One section of the Psalms concern praise of the Father, for example. Another are prayers for forgiveness. Another of prayers for deliverance, and so-on.
Sometimes I am so stressed that I don’t know exactly what to pray. When anyone gets stressed their minds do not work correctly. I pick up the Psalms and try to remember a Psalm for that problem. For example, if I have sinned, Psalm 51 works.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
This is only a portion of Psalm 51. I either try to remember the gist of the Psalm or read the exact Psalm out loud. I find that comforts me.
Did you know, however, that the Father helps you in other ways? If you experience stress, I hope you remember this. Remember that Jesus sent a comforter? That comforter we call the Holy Spirit. You may not feel him, but he is there. He also has another function that many do not realize. Paul tells us in Romans Chapter 8: 26
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Thus the Holy Spirit is praying for you in your time of stress with words you do not know to say! How much more loving can a God get? He sends you a spirit that KNOWS your trials and tribulations and actually prays to God FOR YOU since he realizes you do not know what to pray.
That being said, you must make the effort. It should also be noted, that you must ask in the name of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John, 14.13 and 14. 13
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
This is repeated in John 15.16 and John 16.23 through 26. Remember that it must also be the will of God. So, for example, you might pray for deliverance from your trial If it be your will Father in the Holy name of Jesus. There are several Internet sites where you can download audio copies of the Psalms for free.
I recommend that you download them to your phone or computer or your MP3 player (for those that still own one!) and listen over-and-over. I believe you will learn from them—As I did—how to pray and what to pray for.
One VERY IMPORTANT thing to consider before trying the suggestion in this article. You should consult your physician before trying it. If he is really interested in the results, don’t forget to bill him $300 an hour. Seriously they may be interested in the results even to the point of paying for before and after tests to verify the results. If you are sick it might be a good time to ask your physician if this effort might help or if there is some medical reason you should not. I went into this in a relatively healthy condition. I do not have extra cash to pay doctors and it would take me six-to-twelve months to get a doctor through the VA to give me the okay.
I will also warn you that my descriptions are somewhat graphic, but I felt it important to report all of the effects.
In my work I run across a lot of different views and opinions. I found a short interview on fasting at the Natural News web site. The interview was with Thomas Lodi, MD(H). His web site, An Oasis of Health, is primarily concerning alternative treatments for cancer.
The interview concerned fasting for seven-days and the physiological effects. According to Dr. Lodi, fasting this long restores the proper ratio of cyclic adenosine monophospate (called Ciclic ANP, or abbreviate cAMP) to cyclic guanosine monophosphate (Commonly called cyclic GMP or abbreviated cGMP). The proper ratio is 4 cAMP-to-1 cGMP.
I do not pretend to know what this means, but cAMP and cGMP are called messengers which are broken off of a higher compound. An article on Lab Manager suggests that an increase of cAMP may have positive effects on people with depression. So if the research Dr. Lodi sites is correct, fasting for a short period, or up to seven-days, may improve your depression better than any drug.
Dr. Lodi suggests a relationship between the proper ratio of these messengers and the lymphoid tissue associated with the immune system. 60% of the lymphoid tissue associated with immune is in gastrointestinal tract, he said. I tried to research this but it went into very technical explanations that I did not understand. I can put a dressing on a wound and I know that it will eventually stop the bleeding through clotting. I cannot pretend to explain the physiological mechanism behind it. The basic idea—as I understand it—is that when you eat, especially overeat, these lymphoid tissues are engaged in defending against what you eat and not engaged in defending you against sickness.
The purpose of this article is to describe my experience with a seven-day fast with some caveats.
(1) I continued to take 1000 to 2000 mg of vitamin C through gummy vitamins. I chose those because the other non-chewable pill forms generally require food to properly dissolve them. I was taking a multivitamin gummy, but ran out on day two or day three.
(2) I continued to drink coffee and, on occasion, used those flavored creamers. Probably not the best idea but I think the effect was negligible.
(3) I continued to drink iced tea with some sugar. Again I believe the amount of sugar was negligible.
HOW MY WEEK WENT
Forgive the fact that I drift from past tense to present. I began to write this article into the fast, thus on some days I was describing how I actually felt that day.
Day 1
I started off on Sunday. I started Sunday morning. In other words, I could not eat until the next Sunday at breakfast. No real effect on my well-being. It seems I did urinate more, but that was probably because I drink a lot of liquids. At this time it was mostly water. In fact I slept pretty good Sunday night. Except that I was woken by a thunderstorm while camping and decided it best to conduct an emergency evacuation about 11 p.m. Right when I got home, of course, the thunder stopped. I think I went back to sleep around 2 a.m. and slept well.
Day 2
Through Monday I felt okay, but the hunger pangs were with me throughout the day. I was able to function clearly, though. I napped in the afternoon and that seemed to help.
Day 3
Tuesday was the worst. I was hungry. I was not dizzy, exactly, but my mind was kind of off-balance. So I was off balance. That is the best description I can give. I was miserable and thinking about giving up. I have fasted this long before and this is usually the point I give up. I slept after working.
I am not ashamed to admit that I prayed to God—the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob—to strengthen me and shore me up. You may call that mental re-enforcement, lack of oxygen to the brain or whatever. I call it being a Christian, which is what I am. I prefer disciple over that term, but you would not understand unless you understand the history. The point is that on Day 3 I did not think I would last. I used sleep, mainly, to stave off the problems. I was determined, however, to last the seven-days.
Day 4
Wednesday. I expected to wake up in the same condition. To my amazement, my mind was completely clear. I was weaker than usual. I did not feel real energetic.
Because this day happened to coincide with National Dog Day, I took my dog out to walk in the woods and spent the day, mostly, playing with him. I still feel the hunger, but it is very manageable. Although I still felt weak, I had the strength to clear a fallen tree from the road we walked on. The tree was not really huge, but it had been rain soaked which made it a little heavier. I did not lift the tree, but dragged it. The top part was rather light, only about 100 pounds. I am guessing the weight because in my weakened state it might have been even lighter. The trunk, however, seemed to be about 250-t0-300 pounds. I was able, however, to drag it to the side of the road, as well. I did drag the objects. I did not attempt to lift them.
I do not usually seek to move trees from forest roads, but I usually do pack out trash left by disgusting people with no respect for the land. This was more a mental affirmation that I was okay.
Day 5
Thursday. I woke up slightly better than Wednesday. My mind was a little clearer. The hunger is still felt, but slightly less. I began to write this article (which I should have done from the beginning). While I kept my mind on researching these effects, the hunger did not bother me. I was able to absorb only a fraction of the material. I confess that, at this point, I still do not understand it all. My objective, here, is to simply determine the effects of fasting for seven-days. So far there have been few negative effects (mainly on the third day) and none after that. My mind seems to be a little clearer. I am anticipating being able to eat again, though. That is one possible negative effect. Particularly when my friends on Facebook are posting their scrumptious meals. That effect is negligible, though, and has not affected my desire to continue with the fast. I have found that combining fast with naps is very helpful. I have that luxury which many do not have, however.
Interestingly I had a big day 5 test. The vehicle that I just bought broke down before my first payment. Before this fast, this would have driven me into a rage. Yet I am calm. I had some “stinkin’ thinkin’,” as my AA friends would tell me. But I am not enraged. Even speculating an expensive repair bill is not giving me to anger. (Of course I will not publish this article until probably AFTER the repair is made so the mechanic will not know that) The point is that I feel more amazingly in control of my emotions than before the fast. I admit this does stress me to give up and eat.
Another thing that I never thought to do was to check my urine. Before the experiment my urine was light and WebMD says that is probably because I was drinking too much fluid. I did notice that I was going far more regularly the first day. Today that color turned to the amber color which indicates that I might not be drinking enough fluid. I drank about the same amount of tea and coffee. I could probably increase water. The other cause could be the increased amount of vitamin C.
What is critical is the smell. I did not notice any change in smell. Your urine may smell strange if you eat certain foods such as asparagus and beets, according to the WebMD article. No cause for alarm. What this change in color did do is tell me that there are definite physiological changes going on. Since I felt okay, I was not alarmed. I would suggest that, if you are working with a physician, you report any changes in the smell of your urine.
I am tired at 7:39 p.m. I did not get a chance to nap during the day. My mind, however, is surprisingly clear.
Day 6
Friday. On day 6 I woke up about twenty minutes after midnight due to itchy hands. Had to get up and get medicine on to stop them. The hunger pangs are back and I think that is keeping me up, as well. Another stress arose over my car. Yet, I actually feel quite calm. I have already worked out a strategy in my mind. I wound up working until about 3:30 a.m. Oddly enough, I felt the need to defecate this morning prior to returning to bed. I woke again about 8 a.m. I did defecate a little, but there was more smelly gas.
The rest of the day was spent concentrating on my stressful situation. I did notice that some of my bad thinking was returning, but I handled it in a much more calm fashion. I did forget to take the vitamin C in the morning, but I do not know if that was a contributing factor. I do know that I was able to finally get an hour nap beginning at 4:45. That energized me the rest of the evening.
This was not one of the goals, but a friend asked me about my weight. I weighed in 15-pounds lighter this afternoon. If I return with a steady diet, I should be able to, at least, maintain that new level. This is why I plan to start off with soups and a lighter diet. I do still have the urge for some of those chemical-laden tasty treats I used to eat, but not as bad as I used to. Returning to them might bring the more intense urges back so I’ll have to take care.
As of now, I consider this experiment very successful. I am feeling good, though I feel the hunger a bit. I do admit that I am anticipating the end of day 7. I must stress, again, that you should check with your doctor to determine if you are healthy enough to try this. Water helps to dilute the feeling of hunger considerably and is necessary for your life. You can drink up to a gallon a day. I highly recommend that if you choose filtered water, do NOT choose distilled water. I understand that distilled water is absolutely free of chemical compounds that your body will need. If you drink distilled water, I am told that it will actually extract those chemicals from your body.
Day 7
I woke about 7 a.m. I had to check my car and replace a part. I was hoping that would resolve my problem and everything would smooth out. It did not happen. Although I was disappointed, I did not get enraged. I expect the worst but hope for the best.
Again my mind was clear and I had no real anger.
I broke my fast at about 4 p.m. I ended it by sharing a beef jerky with my dog. I then had a bowl of cream of potato soup with crackers. That was after about an hour nap.
I did wind up consuming another bowl of soup about 8 p.m., or so.
RECOVERY
The next morning I ate soup and some of those bad things. I do notice, though, that I am not craving those bad things as much. I did not really think to write down a menu. I was able to keep to a reasonable diet, although Sunday night there was a special function in which I probably overdid it.
What interests me the most is the change in myself. I would normally take a bathroom break and, on the way back to the computer, pick up whatever I had laying down to snack on. I do not crave doing that now. The other thing is the peace in my mind. It is something that I really cannot describe. It is something one must experience. I really think that in some cases—maybe not all—this might be an effective treatment for certain depressions and other mental illness. I stress, however, that the person should be monitored constantly by loved-ones who have been briefed on how to talk with the person during this period and when to call it quits. It might help to even have the loved-one fast with them. I would not recommend a fast this long for children.
I am concentrating, now, on trying to focus on a better diet. I might try this again the last week of next month. I might even try to get the VA involved and have some tests run before and after to see the results.
SUMMARY
If you are a working stiff, here are a few tips that might help. Start your fast Thursday evening. It will not affect your performance on Friday. If you have the same experience as I, your worst day will be on Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday you will probably have to forego the “honey-do” list and nap to help you through the tough period. By Monday, you should return to a rational, functional human being.
If you are in a stressful job, those stresses will still remain. I would drop the coffee altogether during your fasting period and stick to hot or iced tea. Particularly green tea, but regular pekoe tea is okay. Use very little sugar. I believe that by this time, your mind will be clear and your disposition will actually be better. You may even surprise a few people at work. You may not be able to take a nap, save your lunch hour. I would suggest, though, that hour might be better spent concentrating on manuals or books which might improve your job position. For sleep I would recommend the old Ben Franklin saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” In other words, when you return home, go to bed earlier than normal. If you usually go to bed at 11 p.m. try going to bed at 9 p.m. Or even 8. If you work during the night, obviously you will have to set your sleep schedule accordingly. The idea is to try to get more sleep while you fast.
I find it better if I tell as few people as possible when I start something like this. The reason is that they will either try to derail you or tell you what a good job you are doing. Either is a detriment to your goal. This is called negative and positive reinforcement, respectively. The more people try to cheer you to your goal, the more you tend to think about your goal and fixate on it. That is okay if you are running a 5k which you will probably accomplish in about ten minutes (That’s thirty minutes for me in my car). Or if you are trying to do a number of sit-ups and push-ups, positive reinforcement is great. If you are trying to do something like this, however, over a period of time, positive reinforcement might not help no matter how helpful the person is trying to be. That has been my experience in the past.
I discussed this project with a friend whom I felt it might help. He reminded me of something very important. How to break your fast. You do not want to start stuffing down three plates of bacon and pancakes. Start slow. My plan is to start with soups and perhaps some crackers. I will probably consume four-to-six throughout the day. To not sabotage my efforts, I will probably stop eating about 5 or 6 p.m. I usually go to bed right around midnight.
There is one more very important concept here. If your neighborhood, State or country should suffer a natural disaster or an external attack, you can—and probably should—fast for as many days as possible. It apparently has not killed me, so it might not kill you. This will extend your food stores. If you have any food in the refrigerator, you should consume those foods, then you can start your fast. You do not know how long your difficulty may last. If it last only seven-days even better. You still have your storable food in stock.
The bible speaks about prayer and fasting. I have not found anywhere that directs the length of time. In Matthew 17:14 (Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-42; Luke 17:5-10) the disciples have a discussion concerning the casting out of demons. There was a man with a lunatic son who was “sore vexed.”
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Can you cast out your demons? Jesus tells us that it requires faith and prayer and fasting. I believe we rely too much on the pharmaceutical companies for our well-being. In some cases they are absolutely necessary. If you get a snake bite, you want to get an anti-venom as quickly as possible. Ritalin may not be the right answer for ADHD. It may be a last resort.
I did not start this as a religious fast, mind you. Though I did ask for the help of God on several occasions. This was an experiment solely on the physiological effects of fasting. I found that even though I retained a few old bad habits, the fasting was very successful.
I have to confess that the spiritual effects and the effect on my mind is stunning.
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I find it interesting when the government gets religion. More accurately, I find it suspicious. Particularly when they speak under the banner of separation of Church and State.
I recently listened to a program on a web site called Love Guns and Freedom. Gianaluca Zanna Pastor Walt Mansfield from Ohio who exposed FEMAs use of pastors to perpetuating the Romans 13 lie.
I have run into this debate before. I debated this with a friend on a web site whom I am sure believes he is a good and devout Christian. He is absolutely convinced that the perverse interpretation delivered from the pulpit of FEMA (Which obviously violates their so-called separation of Church and State) is true and correct. That we should allow the absolute rule of His Majesty Obama and his court. By the way this is the same FEMA which violated the Constitution during the Katrina crisis and labeled the forefathers as terrorists.
I shall make a few observations first.
It is interesting that the court and his adoring serfs liken Obama to the mythical character of Robin Hood. Particularly since Robin Hood was an outlaw. What does that make Obama?
Another problem with this characterization is what Robin Hood stood for. Robin Hood lived in a era, so the myth goes, where the Normans were inflicting unjust rule over the Saxons with a leader who had usurped the power he was intrusted with. Prince John, the usurper, continually wrote “executive orders” which were in conflict with the the rule of law set forth by the rightful King of England—King Richard. King Richard was, at the time, off fighting against terrorists in the Middle East.
Indeed, the characterization of the Prince John is more apt to describe Obama.
The second observation is that those who call themselves the foederal (original spelling) government are being hypocritical. They use pieces of scripture to build their religion. This is not unusual since most “religions” do the same thing. They will feed you the lines of Jesus taking care of the poor. Yet, they ignore the scripture, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Taking care of the poor actually goes back to the Old Testament. Taking care of widows and orphans and those who cannot take care of themselves is Christian teaching. James 1:27 tells us, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” In the Old Testament, when harvesting crops the farmers were ordered to leave a certain amount of food laying for the poor to gather. The onus was on the people to do this, not the employees of the people.
The third, and most interesting, observation in my mind is the fact that before the American War for Independence, the clergy was used to inspire the justification of their cause. The clergy was among the most educated in that era. Their opinions were highly regarded. When the war started they became the first Chaplains in the service of the United States actually participating in the battles.
One of the most wasteful uses of tax dollars is supporting those “Non-Profits” that support government positions. These “Pastors” who spew the Romans 13 nonsense actually get paid by the national government, according to some accounts.
Patrick Henry warned of this during the debates in Virginia to discuss the ratification of the Constitution. On June 9, 1788 he warned:
Congress, by the power of taxation, by that of raising an army, and by their control over the militia, have the sword in one hand, and the purse in the other. Shall we be safe without either? Congress have an unlimited power over both: they are entirely given up by us. Let him candidly tell me, where and when did freedom exist, when the sword and purse were given up from the people?
Notebook designed to help you get the most out of sermons or Bible study.
I have just created My Bible Study Notebook. This idea sprung from a notebook of sermons that I was keeping. I realized that I could create a notebook with space for various aspects of a Biblical topic whether from a sermon, Bible study class or my own private study. You can click HERE for a preview of the inside of the notebook.
The notebook is designed for a right-handed person. If you go to Page 10 of the preview (Page 6 in the actual print version), you will see the beginning of the section. This page has a section in which you can write scriptural references from the sermon or Bible study and a section for your own private notes.
Opposite the page on Page 9 of the preview is a section in which you can place a quote you like from the sermon. You can also add words or terms that you decide need more study. You can add definitions from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance or your favorite Bible dictionary.
When you get home, you go to Page 1 of the printed book (Page 5 on the preview) where you have space to start writing the sermon scriptures. If the sermon contains quite a few scripture references (as tends to happen at the Church I attend), you can add only what you consider the most important. Do not fear adding scriptures that you feel that you want to remember on the topic.
That is the manner in which each section is laid out. At the front of the book is an index with each beginning page of each section already printed for you. You simply provide the title of the sermon from that section.
There are a few important quotes to review which explains why it is important that you study. It is important that YOU know what the Bible says. Your salvation depends on what you KNOW; not what you are TOLD.
