Comments on: Setting Your Goals - Easier Said, Easily Done http://www.christianlivingministry.com/2008/03/02/setting-your-goals-easier-said-easily-done/ Serving Him By Serving You Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:43:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Karen Luce http://www.christianlivingministry.com/2008/03/02/setting-your-goals-easier-said-easily-done/#comment-474 Karen Luce Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:10:37 +0000 http://www.christianlivingministry.com/2008/03/02/setting-your-goals-easier-said-easily-done/#comment-474 SO, Linda, how do you deal with your fibromyalgia now? Are you saying it just disappeared? SO, Linda, how do you deal with your fibromyalgia now? Are you saying it just disappeared?

]]> By: Linda Thomas http://www.christianlivingministry.com/2008/03/02/setting-your-goals-easier-said-easily-done/#comment-299 Linda Thomas Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:12:14 +0000 http://www.christianlivingministry.com/2008/03/02/setting-your-goals-easier-said-easily-done/#comment-299 God is soooooooooo AWESOME!!! I've just been born-again since 2004. I could fill a thimble with what I knew (though I thought I knew more) and an ocean with what I didn't know!!! It would take me days to tell you the sins I had committed in my past, but know that there is not a living soul out there that has done anything worse that what I did. I did not love evil, I was just doing wrong things, sometimes for the 'right' reasons. I went to church with my parents (as they went off-and-on) at a Church of Christ until I left home at age 16. The "church" told me about the God of Judgment only; "if I do this...I'm going to hell" and "if I don't do this...I'm going to hell"; it was my mother who told me when they adopted us around age 5 or 6 that Jesus loves me - always. Since giving my heart back to Jesus and being born-again, everytime I have a question and ask Him to show me (and believe me that is everyday and sometimes many times a day) He leads me to the scripture or to a pastor and a station teaching that very subject in a way that I can understand it. I was in bed for 10 years (3 hrs up was a 'good day') and on 40-45 pills per day. Diagnosed with severe depression (oppression, too), severe fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, bulging disc, scoleosis, degenerative disc, arthritis, bursitis, carpal tunnel, cupital (at the funny bone - but not funny at all) tunnel syndrome, migraines (severe enough to give myself shots), muscle spasms - my peace and joy were GONE - I thought permanently. Many doctors said I would be on these medications (Many pain meds, in addition to Oxycontin-40mg, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants, celebrex, and many-many-many others and they were also switched as my body adjusted and they no longer worked - except for Oxycontin, thru the years. - He healed me and delivered me from them all and filled me with the Holy Spirit and now my joy overflows in constant song, humming, laughter (until others catch it), peace - I sleep wonderfully. Also during that 10 yrs my 3-teenage daughters and ex-husband accused me (falsely) of neglect and abuse and they went to live with him and had nothing to do with me (this was all after work-related accidents and I became 'permanently' disabled - fighting worker's comp and for social security disability and long-term disability benefits thru my employer of 10 years - I had worked from age 14 and this all happened at age 34); plus I was scammed by a mortgage company and contractors (my house still isn't fixed from what they messed up). In 2006 I was diagnosed with lung cancer and other ailments after 10 days in hospital, but I knew God had not healed me to let me die from something else and that I was healed by those things too...I knew I was there for a reason; when the specialist coldly told me "you have cancer and I am going to biopsy it now so they will know what treatments are needed" and then went into the room w/him for one final x-ray to pinpoint the spot they had found on my lung - it had disappeared!!! That specialist did too!!! HA!! The devil also tried to kill me after I had a hysterectomy - my husband was going to go in to work but (he's not YET born again or attending church) but changed his mind and told the doctors something was "wrong" as I did not complain unless something was really, really, really, hurting - finally, someone got the hospital surgeon - sure enough (now I was 'out of it' and don't remember any of this) and was taken in for immediate surgery and the surgeon told my husband I was within 15 minutes of completely internally bleeding to death. Though we may not understand the "why"...God ALWAYS has a reason. One more example...I fell flat on my back in our driveway 2 weeks ago (I live in MO and didn't realize we had had an ice storm and walked out not paying attention) and didn't even have a bruise, but when I was getting ready for church my right leg kept giving out on me and I couldn't walk. I kept 'binding the spirit of infirmity' and 'claiming my healing', but still I could not walk so I had to stay home from church - I usually get home around 1-1:30. That morning at 11:30am I rec'd a call from a childhood friend whom I have not seen in 31 yrs (we've spoken on phone a couple of times thru the years). She had had 3 neck surgeries; her husband had lost one arm in a work accident and lost use of his other arm and one leg due to a brain anurism (sp?), and her family is torn apart and going thru 'hell on earth' and she was depressed to the point of wanting to die and had been trying to find my phone number. She came and spent a few days with me and I told her about Jesus and poured out and fed her as much as I could in the time we had - I am "new" at this, but she wanted to know if she could ask me questions and I told her of course and that I would do my best to answer them and if I didn't know the answer I knew where to find them - but the Holy Spirit not only gave me the answers but He gave me the scripture to go along with it. I know this isn't about finances - but that is the "lack" I'm expecting to be met this year - actually I'm expecting everyday as I live to give, I love to give and I am a cheerful giver. I and my family were literally being destroyed spiritually, physically, mentally and physically because of my 'lack of knowledge' - and now, though I love every single letter of God's Word - my two tops are "...and it came to pass" and "Beloved, above all things I desire that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." For now I have NO LACK, I still go thru 'storms', tests and trials, but now I keep my focus on Jesus and know that I'm coming out of 'this situation' (whatever it may be) better than before I went into it! It really was never very hard for me to love others - the hardest part was learning to love "me". Thank you for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation - He is coming back soon - and NOT for a 'broke, disgusted church', but for an 'exceedingly, abundantly, above ALL we can ask or even imagine church, filled with HIS GLORY'. I now know that I am blessed to BE a blessing. So, please, share my testimony with others - to testify - to increase their faith - to give them hope - to show them how good our God really is!!! Your sister-in-Christ linda Thomas God is soooooooooo AWESOME!!! I’ve just been born-again since 2004. I could fill a thimble with what I knew (though I thought I knew more) and an ocean with what I didn’t know!!! It would take me days to tell you the sins I had committed in my past, but know that there is not a living soul out there that has done anything worse that what I did. I did not love evil, I was just doing wrong things, sometimes for the ‘right’ reasons. I went to church with my parents (as they went off-and-on) at a Church of Christ until I left home at age 16. The “church” told me about the God of Judgment only; “if I do this…I’m going to hell” and “if I don’t do this…I’m going to hell”; it was my mother who told me when they adopted us around age 5 or 6 that Jesus loves me - always.
Since giving my heart back to Jesus and being born-again, everytime I have a question and ask Him to show me (and believe me that is everyday and sometimes many times a day) He leads me to the scripture or to a pastor and a station teaching that very subject in a way that I can understand it. I was in bed for 10 years (3 hrs up was a ‘good day’) and on 40-45 pills per day. Diagnosed with severe depression (oppression, too), severe fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, bulging disc, scoleosis, degenerative disc, arthritis, bursitis, carpal tunnel, cupital (at the funny bone - but not funny at all) tunnel syndrome, migraines (severe enough to give myself shots), muscle spasms - my peace and joy were GONE - I thought permanently. Many doctors said I would be on these medications (Many pain meds, in addition to Oxycontin-40mg, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants, celebrex, and many-many-many others and they were also switched as my body adjusted and they no longer worked - except for Oxycontin, thru the years. - He healed me and delivered me from them all and filled me with the Holy Spirit and now my joy overflows in constant song, humming, laughter (until others catch it), peace - I sleep wonderfully. Also during that 10 yrs my 3-teenage daughters and ex-husband accused me (falsely) of neglect and abuse and they went to live with him and had nothing to do with me (this was all after work-related accidents and I became ‘permanently’ disabled - fighting worker’s comp and for social security disability and long-term disability benefits thru my employer of 10 years - I had worked from age 14 and this all happened at age 34); plus I was scammed by a mortgage company and contractors (my house still isn’t fixed from what they messed up). In 2006 I was diagnosed with lung cancer and other ailments after 10 days in hospital, but I knew God had not healed me to let me die from something else and that I was healed by those things too…I knew I was there for a reason; when the specialist coldly told me “you have cancer and I am going to biopsy it now so they will know what treatments are needed” and then went into the room w/him for one final x-ray to pinpoint the spot they had found on my lung - it had disappeared!!! That specialist did too!!! HA!! The devil also tried to kill me after I had a hysterectomy - my husband was going to go in to work but (he’s not YET born again or attending church) but changed his mind and told the doctors something was “wrong” as I did not complain unless something was really, really, really, hurting - finally, someone got the hospital surgeon - sure enough (now I was ‘out of it’ and don’t remember any of this) and was taken in for immediate surgery and the surgeon told my husband I was within 15 minutes of completely internally bleeding to death.
Though we may not understand the “why”…God ALWAYS has a reason. One more example…I fell flat on my back in our driveway 2 weeks ago (I live in MO and didn’t realize we had had an ice storm and walked out not paying attention) and didn’t even have a bruise, but when I was getting ready for church my right leg kept giving out on me and I couldn’t walk. I kept ‘binding the spirit of infirmity’ and ‘claiming my healing’, but still I could not walk so I had to stay home from church - I usually get home around 1-1:30. That morning at 11:30am I rec’d a call from a childhood friend whom I have not seen in 31 yrs (we’ve spoken on phone a couple of times thru the years). She had had 3 neck surgeries; her husband had lost one arm in a work accident and lost use of his other arm and one leg due to a brain anurism (sp?), and her family is torn apart and going thru ‘hell on earth’ and she was depressed to the point of wanting to die and had been trying to find my phone number. She came and spent a few days with me and I told her about Jesus and poured out and fed her as much as I could in the time we had - I am “new” at this, but she wanted to know if she could ask me questions and I told her of course and that I would do my best to answer them and if I didn’t know the answer I knew where to find them - but the Holy Spirit not only gave me the answers but He gave me the scripture to go along with it.

I know this isn’t about finances - but that is the “lack” I’m expecting to be met this year - actually I’m expecting everyday as I live to give, I love to give and I am a cheerful giver.

I and my family were literally being destroyed spiritually, physically, mentally and physically because of my ‘lack of knowledge’ - and now, though I love every single letter of God’s Word - my two tops are “…and it came to pass” and “Beloved, above all things I desire that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.” For now I have NO LACK, I still go thru ’storms’, tests and trials, but now I keep my focus on Jesus and know that I’m coming out of ‘this situation’ (whatever it may be) better than before I went into it! It really was never very hard for me to love others - the hardest part was learning to love “me”.

Thank you for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation - He is coming back soon - and NOT for a ‘broke, disgusted church’, but for an ‘exceedingly, abundantly, above ALL we can ask or even imagine church, filled with HIS GLORY’. I now know that I am blessed to BE a blessing. So, please, share my testimony with others - to testify - to increase their faith - to give them hope - to show them how good our God really is!!!
Your sister-in-Christ
linda Thomas

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