3 Keys That Unlock the Prison of Guilt and Shame

 

by Barbara Latta

 Why would anyone want to know evil?

Conquering Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome

 

by Barbara Latta

This month marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

At lot of attention will be focused on abortion and the results. Statistics will be broadcast of how many babies have died due to this Supreme Court ruling.

Yes, the babies are the victims.

But so are the parents. While many will say they are fine, the truth is post-abortion stress syndrome lies deep within the soul. 

What to do if You've been Hurt by the Church

 by Barbara Latta

It’s a sad fact, but church splits happen. Congregations with differing opinions go their separate ways
and form new churches.

And in other cases, offenses happen in the assembly and members are hurt by each other. 

But this is not the way God intended our worship to be.

He is the God of unity. The problem is our flesh gets in the way.

There are solutions and God’s Word is the remedy. Jesus formed the church to be His body on the earth. But He knew He was leaving the administration of worship in the hands of people who would fail from time to time.

What can you do if you’ve been hurt by the church?

Prodigal son or older brother: Which one am I?

by Barbara Latta

The story of the Prodigal son is widely used in Christian and secular circles. Children who stray from

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home are often referred to as prodigals. But in our spiritual life, many of us can probably say we have been each of these brothers at one time or another.

Which son am I?

Don't Let Your Life Wallow in Regret

by Barbara Latta

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).

Don't wallow in regret from wrong choices

I have never met anyone who is perfectly satisfied with the choices they have made in life. Most of us are wandering through life wallowing in regret because we didn’t set goals, follow ideas, help more people, or try to remedy hurts. One thing I struggle with is wishing a writing career would have started earlier for me. 

While I rejoice at the success of my fellow writers, the fangs of regret try to sink into my soul with accusations of “Look at where you could be now,” “I’ll never get anything published,” or “I’m too old to start now.” But time is too precious to waste looking behind and wanting things to be different. I had to start somewhere or not start at all. Instead of looking at what I could have done, I have to look ahead to what I can do now.

7 Keys to Emotional Health

by Barbara Latta

Why are pharmaceutical companies bombarding the airwaves with new drugs promising to elevate mood and make your day better? Because the majority of the population wants quick fixes for their problems with little or no effort to solve the cause. I have heard some

Pills can't solve problems

advertisements for weight loss pills which promise to drop weight like a deflating balloon while the consumer continues to eat whatever they desire.  Others promise instant relief from depression by asking the doctor for their product. Medication may affect body chemicals, but a pill cannot make someone happy.

Lifestyle alterations are necessary for any productive changes in our lives. These 7 keys can implement better emotional health and peaceful lives.

1.Forgive – Harboring unforgiveness can cause physical symptoms in our bodies such as ulcers, headaches, and high blood pressure. Many examples are recorded of people who have been healed of diseases after truly forgiving another. “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:13).

2.Reduce stress – Examine your schedule and cut out any unnecessary activities. We all have job responsibilities and family issues, but children do not have to participate in every event the school or community offers. Limit clutter on your calendar. “And whatever you do,

Cut activities

do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).

3.Examine thoughts – Dwelling on negative issues and problems brings more depression. You will keep him in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on you” (Isaiah 26:3).

4.Stop the comparison trap – Media thrives on the human desire to look or perform better than someone else. We all have our good and bad points, but comparison results in never being satisfied with who we are. This doesn’t mean we never try to improve, but if we have to be better than someone else before we can be happy we need to re-examine our motives.  We don’t have to own more than someone else, either. Our life’s value is not in our possessions. We don’t need a TV in every room or a new car each year. Is the stuff that will someday be in a rust pile worth fretting over? “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

5.Have fun – Learn to relax by unplugging from electronics or anything that is a time stealer and give the mind a vacation for a set time each day. Having fun doesn’t have to be an expensive vacation. Laughing together and playing games with the family instead of watching TV can bring amazing results. “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a

Make time for fun

broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).

6.Get enough rest and eat healthy – While all sickness is not caused from eating habits, consuming junk food or too much sugar brings unhealthy results. Physical ailments can result in emotional down turns. “And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

7.Put God first – This is the most important. If our lives are

Put God first

prioritized to listen to God and follow His Word, we will be receiving instructions to keep ourselves from falling into pits of depression and despair. Making time in prayer and Bible study will set us up for success during the remaining hours of the day. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:34).

What are some other keys you can add to this list? Share your thoughts.

Bitterness and Unforgiveness Steal From Life

by Barbara Latta

Last week we talked about the difference between our spirit and our soul. We found out our soul contains our emotions and decision-making abilities. Today we will further examine the consequences of letting our feelings control our actions by delving into bitterness and unforgiveness.

Summer in Georgia means lots and lots of peaches. One of the favorite things Ken and I

Ken enjoying peach ice cream

love to do is ride our motorcycle to the peach orchards and enjoy peach ice cream. We always bring home a bag of fruit as big as our tour pack will hold. Most of the time the fruit is perfect, juicy, and sweet, but on one occasion I bit into the blushing flesh and received a painful surprise.

The fruit I ate left a bitter taste in my mouth and made me long for the sweetness of relief. What looked good on the outside was deceiving because the first bite revealed what was on the inside. The taste lingered long after I spit it out. 

Bitterness can build up from hurts and rejection over time. We may look good on the outside but the inside is as bitter as the fruit I ate. We think we are protecting ourselves from further hurt, but all it does is damage us and those we love.

When I was a child, I harbored bitter feelings toward a teacher I had in school because of the strictness of her methods. My grades fell and my opinion of myself fell even further. Years later, after I was an adult, I was still harboring these feelings because the cost from this experience during my school years was great and had lasting implications. It took a long time before I realized my emotions were actually bitterness and blame, and my way of dealing with the hurt was to talk negatively about the teacher. When I finally realized what was growing within me, I turned to the Word and knew I had to forgive in my heart.

What is the difference in bitterness and unforgiveness?

Unforgiveness causes pain to everyone

Bitterness leaves rottenness in our emotions which result in sarcastic comments, mood swings, withdrawal, self-pity, and physical maladies. Diseases such as ulcers, increased blood pressure, and admission to mental hospitals have been related to harboring bitterness in a person’s soul.

Unforgiveness means a person is out for revenge. They are seeking to harm or pay back someone who has hurt them. They feel the offender is getting away with something and life isn’t fair. But God says in Hebrews 10:30, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Forgiveness is obedience to God by releasing our right to punish someone for the wrong done to us. To put it simply, unforgiveness is the action, bitterness is the feeling.

We can hold bitterness and unforgiveness in our souls in different ways.

• Against others—when people hurt us we want revenge so we simmer in the bitter soup of pain.
• Against God—while God never does anything against us, He is often blamed for circumstances that are caused by our disobedience or by things others do. We blame Him for not stopping what was happening. Even though He is not guilty, we are angry with Him.
• Against ourselves—we can punish ourselves for something we regret until we have internally flagellated ourselves. Somehow our mind reasons we deserve punishment so we will inflict it. How can God possibly forgive such a wrong? By doing this we are saying our sin is greater than God’s power to forgive or Christ’s blood to cleanse. Romans 5:20b says, “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”

We hurt others and they hurt us. We all are guilty of committing acts that need to be forgiven.

But we don’t see the need of others when we are the ones who have been offended. If Jesus forgave when He had never done a wrong to anyone, how much more should we? He

Christ forgave us at the cross

didn’t ask for punishment for the ones who beat Him, stripped Him, and nailed Him to a cross even though He wasn’t guilty of anything. He has forgiven our sin. Who are we to hold a sin against another? “Even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:13).

Our feelings will come and go. Releasing hurts to God may have to be a daily occurrence until we are totally free. Bitterness needs to be spit out like the bad fruit I ate had to be discarded. I had to taste sweet fruit to remove the bitter taste. Eating the sweet fruit of God's word will remove the bitterness from your soul.

Every experience that has left a painful thorn in your life was healed at the cross of Christ.  “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalm 147:3).

Feel free to share your thoughts.