Diminishing The Darkness
ByLifting Up the Marvelous
Light Of Jesus Christ
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From
The
Editor ...
by Tim Greenwood - For March
2007
Greetings
partners and friends,
Why Worry? Worry, is like
sitting in a rocking chair. It will give you
something to do, but it won't get you anywhere. Worry is the
advance interest
you pay on troubles that seldom come. Worry is a fast getaway on
a wooden
horse. It is like being on a vicious treadmill.
Nine times out of ten, the worrying about something
does more damage to the one who worries than the thing he or she is
worrying
about.
Modern medical research has proved that worry breaks
down resistance to disease. But, more than that, it harms the nervous
system,
particularly that of the digestive organs and of the heart. Concern is
needed
to keep us on track with our responsibilities, but worry, like stress,
is a
killer.
An examination of 500 patients in a British clinic
showed that more than one-third of their visual problems were caused by
emotional tension. And a survey of 5000 university students showed that
worriers get the lowest grades.
The word "worry" comes from an old Anglo-Saxon
word meaning to strangle or to choke. While we need to be attentive to
life's
concerns, worrying about them "chokes" the joy out of life. Worrying
is like driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and the other
foot on
the brake.
One antidote for worry is trust and trust is a
choice. When things aren't going well and you are prone to worry, keep
praying
until the storm passes, "Dear God, I choose to trust you in this
situation
no matter how I feel." In time your feelings will catch up with your
choice and the worry gives way to calm.
Meaningful worship, supportive relationships,
sharing your feelings with a trusted friend, physical exercise, proper
diet, deep
breathing relaxation exercises and sufficient rest all help - PLUS
learning to
pray about the causes of your worry and not just the symptoms is a
major key in
learning to win over worry.
All the water in the world, however hard it tried,
could never, never sink a ship, unless it got inside.
All the hardships of this world, might wear you
pretty thin, but they won't hurt you, one least bit, unless you let
them in. |
Window
On The Word
... by Marcia Greenwood
Is
Your Conduct Worthy Of The Gospel? |
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Whatever
is happening in our lives – whatever –
the Bible admonishes us to conduct ourselves worthy of the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
It’s fairly easy
to do this when things are going well for us, but what happens when
some trials
or obstacles come our way. Do we step
out of the love, pushing it on a “backburner” for a while?
Do we act on our
flesh or emotions instead of our spirit man inside of us? Oh yes,
it can be so very easy when someone
is coming against us in an ungodly manner, to instantly react and
respond in
the same way.
God expects us to give a
kind answer, one that will calm a stormy situation, not give an answer
that
will stoke a fire.
Our command in the New
Testament is Love. Mat. 22:37-39 -
Love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, soul and mind and love
your
neighbor as yourself. Our neighbor
is anyone who comes across our path.
How can I do this, you may
ask? So many things happen
unexpectedly! Yes, that’s just how
Satan wants to trip us up. But we can
be ready and prepared at all times. We can keep him under our feet,
where he
belongs. Resist the temptation to act
out of love. The Bible says in James 4:7 to “Submit yourselves to
God. Resist the
devil and “he will flee.”
If reacting from
your flesh or emotions is an area in your life that you are “working
on”, then
be sure to put on the armor of God and learn how to use it (Eph.
6:10-18). This way you can be
strong in the Lord and the power of His might. (We have a product
catalog on our web site. You may order the CD sets - The Whole
Armor of God
and Care And Feeding of he Mind, these will help teach you.)
2 Cor. 10:4 - says,
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On
the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds.”
If walking outside of the
love walk has been a stronghold or even a minor roadblock in your life,
then
you can get rid of it – forever.
We have the power of the
Holy Spirit in us. We have the fruit of
the Spirit in us, all encased in love.
Joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faith, meekness and
temperance come forth from this fruit of love.
The Bible, in Phil. 4:13 says, “I can do ALL things though
Christ Jesus which strengthens me.” The
anointing and power inside of us enables us to do all things.
This month I want to
encourage every one who reads this newsletter to take each one of the
fruit of
the Spirit and work to develop it fully in our lives.
For
instance: Take the fruit of joy or
begin with one that you need to work on the most in your own life.
Take a week or month, if
need be and work to develop that particular fruit on a day-to-day,
hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute basis.
In the morning,
right after waking up begin speaking to your self. Command your
body to come under
your soul (mind, will and emotions) and command your soul to come under
your
spirit. Then command your spirit to
listen only to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who will guide you.
Do
this as many times throughout the day as needed.
Purpose in your heart to
act in joy (or the fruit you are currently working on), no matter what
situation presents itself during that week or month.
Read the Word daily. Look up the particular fruit you are working
on to perfect and see what the Bible says to do. Read books or
listen to CD’s that will help you develop the fruit
of the Spirit in your life.
(TGM web
site has an article entitled “Walking In The Fruit of the Spirit” that
will be
of help.)
Prov. 4:20-22 tells
us to attend to My Word. Let it not
depart from your eyes; keep them (the Word) in the midst (middle) of
your
heart. For they (the Word) are Life to
all who find them and Health to all your flesh. Keep your
heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.
Out of the abundance
of the heart, our mouths will speak. So
if the Word is in our hearts then we will respond in a godly way, with
the
fruit of the Spirit evident in our lives, all in a conduct worthy of
the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
(Read the entire article on our web site – www.tgm.org)
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Care & Feeding
Of The Mind
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Only $10.00
(through 4/30/2007)
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PO Box
1904 (626) 574-5016
Arcadia, CA 91077 www.tgm.org staff@tgm.org
Co-Editors
Tim Greenwood
Marcia Greenwood
Windows on the Word is published monthly for
the edification and
pleasure of the partners and friends of
Tim Greenwood Ministries (TGM).
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Every gift large or small is deeply appreciated and is vitally
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Tim Greenwood Ministries is a 501(c)(3), tax
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Religious Organization.
All contributions, less the value of any products received, are
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(Upon receipt of sufficient funds for a specific project, support
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reserved. Used by permission.
This article may be reproduced for
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The Windows On The Word - PO Box 1904,
Arcadia, CA 91077 USA
An outreach of Tim Greenwood Ministries
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