Forgive your parents.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13,14. And also, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. I use to think, why did my friends do this to me, why did my family do this to me or even why did my parents do this to me. God does or allows things in our life, And I don't have all the answers, only God does. But when we hold grudges for some of the things our parents have done to us, we have to understand that they are or were not perfect. Though God can and will turn the bad into good, our parents did the best they could with the tools they had, in most cases I think. Like a mechanic for instance, If he only had a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to fix a car, he will not be able to do the job right and on top of that, he will cause a lot of damage, because he will try to fix everything with those two tools, when special tools and so many other tools will do the job better and are needed for certain parts of the car. In some repairs if you use the wrong tool you can cause damage to the part, scratch it, deform it or even break it. In the same way our parents and even us, have little or many tools to run and walk through this life on earth. We try to do many things and tasks with the little we know. And some of the things we do, like using the wrong tool, will sometimes cause damage and problems uncalled for. God forgave us many things and many ugly things, if we are really honest with ourselves and realize the truth. How can you judge and hold someone accountable for not having the right tool for the job. Now I am talking about forgiving your parents for doing the best they could with the tools they had. We all fall short and are not perfect. Only God is perfect and even God will not give us sometimes what we really deserve. If we are Christians, I think, it is our duty to forgive and move forward and learn from our parent's mistakes, not condemning them and be examples of the correct behavior in love. So follow God with all you have and He will give you the tools you need for your life and the plan He has for you.

What do you put into your mind?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8. What we put or what we allow or entertain in our mind sometimes is not what God would want us to think. Sure the evil one will tempt us, but do we go along with him or do we resist the temptation. What do we put into our minds? It's very important that our thoughts are centered on godly things. Meditation on scripture, involved in church, reading and studying the bible, fellowship with other Christians and so forth . Your intimate friends should be Christians and those that are not believers you should be trying to win over to Christ. Our mind controls our body, so it is very important what we put in and do with our minds. Protect it with all you got, and the best way to protect it is with Jesus in the center of your life. Our own ways are sometimes incorrect. We are not perfect and should always think that anything we do that is great or worth while in God's eyes, you can be sure God did it. When we do the things of God, you can be sure that you are on the right path. Don't always look at the other persons faults which are getting your attention, but ask God what are you trying to tell me with this problem, what do you maybe want me to change in my life. And don't always blame the evil one for everything, remember God is in control and He does or allows anything He wants to happen. God will tell you the answer, but if He doesn't, remember God has a master plan for your life, trust Him with all your life. Also remember that wherever God guides, He provides and it must be biblical. Trust not on your own understanding unless it is what God would do. Use your Christian counselors and/or advisers. Healing will come though all this, and make you more stable. God is all about bringing together, putting together. He will make your dreams come true, because he knows what makes us alive.

The old has gone, the new has come.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17. Everything has it's time, and everything is in God's time, because He is in control of everything, or else He would not be God. In my life, suffering with my mental illness was not easy but after over thirty years of dealing with this, and reaching the end of my rope many times, I've always had to do what God was trying to show me to do in the end. Which was to obey Him at all cost. Even in deep fear, anxiety, or in any problem that might overwhelm me. Now to be realistic, we are human and God will forgive our sins always but sins have consequences and sometimes very serious. The Bible says we were created though Him and for Him, Colossians 1:16 but how long do we have to go on with our own thoughts and our own silly opinions about life and dwelling on poor little old me, until we finally realize that it's all about Jesus and not about me. Let me repeat it again, EVERYTHING is all about Jesus and not about me. The sooner we realize this fact, the quicker we will heal in many areas, while under our doctors care also, of course. The first thing we must know is, are we truly saved. If you are not sure, then we must seek out and make sure. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life. Believe in Him it says. Also, it says in Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You see once we believe, and know we are saved, we will receive the Holy Spirit. Once saved, it says in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. You see if we are saved, we have the power, and in God's time, to have a sound mind. I did not say this, God said this in His word and what God says, God will do. So believe in Him today and make Him the center of your life, don't dwell on your past failures and receive His blessings.   

Who gave you that ability?

When I first became ill I did not have much of an interest in the arts, like music, painting, writing and things along that line. But one day I started writing poems and it helped me tremendously. I then continued, and I found that it helped me see what I was feeling and see what was going on in my mind. Even though some of the things I wrote at that time I think were silly, it still helped me and I was able to speak to my doctor better and express my thoughts to him and in turn, help him in prescribing my medicine much more accurately. It's important that your doctor and/or counselors know everything and that you communicate your thoughts and feelings the best possible way you can. So as time went by and I craved on this creative energy, I then picked up a guitar and with my words I started to write songs. This became so encouraging to me because the music felt like medicine that was nourishing my mind and soul. But I did not stop there, I also started to draw and paint. Now I am not saying that these artistic things that I was doing were good, but it surely made me feel good and satisfied in a very deep way. So since I never experienced this before, I then began to research this new phenomenon that was occurring in my life. I latter learned that there were many people in world that were famous and not famous, that were very creative, and had problems with mental illnesses. This blew my mind because I could not explain the reason why this happens. Now I think not all mentally ill people are creative. But it's still a mystery to me. I know God gives us gifts and talents, but to me all of this creative energy stuff, I am still learning about. But the reason I am writing about this, is to encourage and guide. Use your gifts and talents for God, who gave them to you. The moment I started to use my gifts and talents for God, there was a much more meaning to what I was doing, and it held a greater purpose in my life.  1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Also, Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. But always be careful of what you create and think and do. Run it all through the filter of the Bible, do it all for the Lord. Show your friends your work, the ones you trust, and especially your mature brothers and/or sisters in the Lord. Remember we are not always right, no matter who we are. And just because maybe, we create something great, remember who gave us the ability. Jesus.         

Once Saved, always Saved.

When I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior I was about 21 years of age. I had been taking drugs, alcohol, and other substances with my medication at the time. I could not stop, and at that time period I was literally crying out to God to take the addiction away, because I was afraid of being permanently institutionalized because of the damage I was causing to myself. I was working then at a major hotel as a security guard to say the least. And then one night, I was resting in the lobby area on a couch there and speaking to someone having a conversation, when this guy I see, come out of the lounge area and sits next to me and the gentleman I was speaking to. He started to talk to me about Jesus, and salvation, and how Jesus can forgive all my sins and how I can go to heaven the day I die. While all of this was going on, I could smell the scent of alcohol coming out of his mouth as he spoke, but for some reason it did not phase me at all, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that night as I said the sinners prayer. When I finished the prayer, he then asked me, where is Jesus now ?, and I said, in my heart. He then began to tell me that he was an x-con and that he used to be a jewel thief. And now was a Christian. So he then left and I never saw him again. You see we cannot judge anybody who drinks to get drunk or was in jail because he disobeyed the law or has done anything that goes against God, instead we should hate the sin but love the sinner. So about a week went by and I had a beer one night. I tell you I got so sick emotionally that after that night I  had finally the power to stop my drug and alcohol use. Now this does not mean I have not had a drink or two since then, but the addiction was totally gone. After that, it took me for some reason or another, seven years to read the Bible or even step into a church to commit and start my walk with the Lord. But in that seven year time span, my life was changing for the better. This is how I know that, you cannot lose your salvation in any way possible, because how could I do the productive things I did in that span of time, things I in no way could do before I got saved, If the Holy Spirit was not living in me. And again, I did not go to church or read the Bible in those seven years. I was saved and once saved always saved. 1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Healing the mind.

Joshua 1:8,9 This Book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you ? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth it's fruit in it's season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. These verses are so important and have been all my Christian walk. If you want to know about success and prosperity of the mind, any mind even the mentally ill's mind, and I say this because it happened to me. But I must say it might not apply to you, because I am not God and only He knows what he has planed for His children. But I believe His word is truth. I first learned about meditating on the word early in my walk with Christ. I didn't right off the bat start memorizing scripture and repeat in my mind over and over while I thought what it meant and let the Lord give me wisdom about the verse, no, I started with "Jesus loves me I love Jesus". A brother at the time gave me that Biblical advise one day, because you see in those days I suffered much mental anguish, like if someone had a baseball bat and was just hitting my head over and over with it. The pain was extreme, I use to have extreme feelings of  depression, fear, paranoia, delusions, mania, jealousies beyond what you can expect, and my wife was always innocent, it was my mind that was defective. Worries about many things to say the least. So in my walk with Christ with my many mature Christian brothers to help and counsel me, that God put in my path, I began to slowly come out of the hell I was in. It especially began to get better the day I started to meditate on "Jesus loves me I love Jesus". The worries or what ever problem I was having at the time would improve. I would do this for awhile until later on I would find a verse in the Bible that would mean something very special to me and I would memorize it and use it when I would meditate. It was very difficult at first, memorizing, meditating and doing my daily things. But as time went by, with much effort, especially seeing and feeling the difference in my life as I practiced this, It became easier and easier, you see we are creatures of habit and it takes a lot of mental discipline to do this effectively I believe. So as the years went by and I meditated, day and night like the Bible says, I began to see more and more the success and prosperity in my life, with less and less of that bat hitting my head until finally, it stopped. My marriage got better, my thinking was clearer, worries were less, things just got better, not perfect but better, I had answers to questions many long to hear. I had strength and the ability to do things I only dreamed of. But I in doing this I had to be very courageous and obey God in things that were sometimes extremely scary. Things Biblical of course, but sometimes it's very difficult to to follow and obey God in all things especially if you don't feel like obeying. Today I still meditate day and night on the word of God, it is like breathing to me, I can't stop, the blessings are just too many to throw away. Yet I function with my daily things, meditating all day and night because I believe God empowered me, doing it for over 20 years now and seeing the truth in God's word come alive in my life.   

Listen to your heavenly counselor.

The first Bible believing Church I ever attended was a Spanish church. Which was the first church I attended when I committed my walk with Christ. I was attracted to that church because they had jam sessions for musicians. So I went one night and I saw something special there which was Jesus. That night I went and never stopped going to church. That night, there were four brothers there playing music. As I kept going I became good friends with them, and for some reason they were very interested in my life, and there started a journey for five years while I was in that church, that I was to be there disciple. I learned so much from these mature Christian brothers, that still, until today, I hold and practice many of the Biblical principles they taught me. There I learned also and practice until this day, this verse. Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Oh how important this is and was for me. Pride is a killer. If you are prideful and think you have it all together, are better than the person next to you and even Jesus. Then you probably will not experience the many extreme blessings from practicing this proverb. Of course the counsel you will want to receive will be, from mature Bible believing Christians. And if you are a man, it will be best to get this counsel from another man and the same holds true for a woman to get counsel from another woman. Need I say more. Now when getting counsel, you don't have to do what the counsel says, what you have to do is what Jesus says, what the Bible says. If the counsel is maybe ones opinion or hunch that is not Biblical, that is not the best counsel to hear and do. But if it's Biblical, you can be sure it will work. I think this holds true for everyone especially for Christians and the mentally ill. From my experience some of us, and I am not saying all of us, can maybe fall into depression, manias, delusions, and many other types of emotional ups and downs to say the least.. where our thinking is impaired. We must have multiple mature Christian counselors to help us. Remember God created the world and the universe, He created us too, So we must trust Him in guiding, counseling, teaching, even healing us, with our doctors guidance in taking your medicine. Jesus Lives !