Let Your Light Shine

This time of year it seems like there's more activity of darkness than usual. My mom and I often feel an increase of spiritual oppression and attack during October. I'm always grateful when November 1st comes and the focus turns to being thankful instead of 'celebrating' evil. 

The fact is that Satan will not stop his agenda of stealing and destroying as long as the earth endures. While it's tempting to want to ignore him, I think the Bible is clear that we are both commissioned and equipped to overcome his evil tactics.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. -Romans 12:21

Those of us who believe in Jesus now live in God's light. 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12

We never again have to wander through spiritual darkness. And we have all we need to let God's glorious light shine through us. 

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. -2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Jesus lives in us. His light can shine through us to a world wandering in darkness. 

I know sometimes dealing with chronic illness can feel so limiting, so frustrating, like we've been robbed of so many things that 'normal' people take for granted. But Satan can never rob us of the light of Jesus living in us!! 

So I pray that whatever you're going through this week, you'll take some time today to focus on Jesus and to ask Him to shine His light through you. It doesn't have to be something big or difficult. 

*You can sing a praise song softly in your room. Other people may not hear it, but the spiritual forces of good and evil will hear it and Jesus will shine. 

*You can spend a few minutes praying for those still lost in darkness, or for those fighting hard to overcome evil in dark places around the world.

*You can quietly speak a blessing over people you pass in the store or parking lot.

*You can send a card or email to let someone know they are loved. 

*You can put a sign on your front door that says "Jesus loves you!" =)

There are so many ways that Jesus can shine His light through us. And as we each hold up our little candle flame, the light of Christ will shine brighter and brighter! 

My friend, you are irreplaceable in this world! Don't listen to Satan's lies. Remember who God says you are and bravely let your light shine!

Updates, Praises and Prayer Requests

I think it's been about six months since I shared prayer requests on here. I thought it would be good to update you on some of the people you've prayed for in the past, with some praises and some new requests. 

Praises - 

*D & G - one of my friends with EI and his mom who was taking care of him.

 Praise God that D is now MUCH improved! He's been able to be out and about and has joy and hope in his ongoing recovery. Hooray! =) 

*KT - a friend with various health challenges.

 Praise God that her husband was miraculously healed of two years of depression! We are SO happy and rejoicing with her! 

*W - EI friend who didn't have a safe place to live and was barely surviving.

 She found answers at last and with some oxygen therapy she is almost completely recovered! 

Praise God that He is still at work and still powerful to heal! 

Prayer Requests - 

*S & N - twin brothers who've had EI since high school. 

 Next week is their 40th birthday. They're still in essentially the same situation as when I met them 5 years ago. 

 Please pray for much grace and encouragement for them as they face this milestone of turning 40 with little visible hope for the future. I KNOW God has good plans for them, though it's hard to see right now. 

*A - my dear friend who has fought the long battle of lyme and all its repercussions.

 She's nearing the finish line of her journey. I rejoice that she will soon be with Jesus and be completely healed and full of life! Yet those of us blessed to know her will miss her dearly.

 Please pray for endurance through her final days, and for comfort for her loved ones as they say goodbye for now. 

*S & T - my friend who's been taking care of her son with severe chronic pain. 

 S's husband had serious heart trouble and spent three weeks in the hospital. He's now on a transplant list. T is still very ill with the chronic pain. As you can imagine, S is overwhelmed with the needs and concern for her husband and son. 

 Please pray for supernatural strength and peace for S, and for healing for her husband and son. 

*KM - friend with chronic fatigue and other ongoing health challenges.

 She has an appointment scheduled with Dr. Smith in November. 

 Please pray she'll have strength to make the trip to Idaho for the appointment. Also that Dr. Smith will have wisdom and his treatments will be very helpful!

Thank you for praying for these dear ones. As always, if you have a prayer request, please feel free to leave it in the comments or send me an email. 

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer (1 Peter 3:12).  

Improving Eyesight Naturally

I came across this video by Dr. Mercola about improving your eyesight naturally, and I found it very interesting. 

I actually quit using my glasses a few years ago for various reasons. Surprisingly, I haven't needed them as much since I stopped wearing them. 

I think this video has some helpful tips, and it made me curious about what other things I can do to improve my eyesight naturally. As I discover more information, I'll share it with you. 

Enjoy the video and let me know your thoughts as well. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itfuva1xgEg

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

I remember eating banana bread a lot as a teenager. It was one of my favorite snacks. Then I had to give it up for many years because of my health challenges and diet changes. Thankfully I can now eat it again! 

So I thought I'd share the recipe I use now, which you can make with either gluten free flour or whole wheat flour. I still prefer the taste of the whole wheat, but the gluten free version is also pretty good. =) 

Healthy Banana Bread

scant 2 cups (not quite 2 full cups) flour

      Option 1- Bob's Red Mill gluten free baking flour

      Option 2 - Organic stone ground whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand, but there are other brands available as well.)

1 & 1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

2 organic eggs 

2-3 organic bananas (with the gluten free flour I use 3 bananas, with the whole wheat flour I prefer to use 2 bananas if they're large or 3 if they're small)

1 Tablespoon honey (If you like your bread sweeter, you can use more honey. This is plenty for my tastes.)

1/3 cup organic coconut oil

3/4--1 cup organic sour milk (Depending on which flour and how many bananas you use, you might want a little less or a little more liquid, so that's why it's 3/4--1 cup. Also, I make my own "sour milk" using organic raw milk from the farmer's market. Put the milk and about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a glass measuring cup. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and it becomes "sour milk".) 

Combine dry ingredients. 

Add liquid ingredients. 

Stir and pour into glass baking dish greased with organic coconut oil. 

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. (If you use the gluten free baking flour, it's a little harder to tell if it's done. But it usually takes closer to 30 minutes.)

Serve it hot with a bit of organic raw butter. Yum! =)

Note: It also freezes well. I slice mine and put it in the freezer for when I need a quick snack. 

Ok, I think that's all. Any questions? Let me know. Enjoy! 

The Most Important Question

I hear and read so many stories of people facing health challenges these days. For most, it seems to come as a shock. They often ask questions like - 

What do I do now? 

How can I fix this? 

Will it ever go away? 

etc.

However, the most important question to ask when facing health challenges is simply this - 

Why?

Why is the thyroid not functioning properly?

Why is the stomach always upset?

Why is the blood pressure too high?

Why are the allergies getting worse?

etc. 

Very few doctors ever ask this question. Most of them simply give a name to your "condition" and start treating symptoms. 

We've seen this with my mom's recent health challenges. She had a rapid heartbeat, along with atrial fibrillation. The doctor immediately put her on medication, then he scheduled a heart shock procedure to supposedly get the heart back in rhythm. I will say that I'm grateful the doctor was able to help mom through the symptoms, which were pretty scary. (The shock procedure didn't work though). However, the doctor never asked, "Why is your heart beating rapidly? Why did it get out of rhythm in the first place?" 

These are questions my mom and I have been working to answer. So far we've discovered several contributing factors to her years of a-fib, including - arsenic in her thyroid, artificial sweetener in several organs, vit. A deficiency, and more.

Once you find some answers to the "Why...?" question, then you are able to figure out what to do, how to help your body heal, and to have hope of recovery.

Usually the answers to "Why...?" fall into a few basic categories, such as -

-toxins stored somewhere (this can be anything from pesticide to mercury to past medications and more)

-chronic infection somewhere (virus, bacteria, fungus, parasites, etc.)

-deficiency of something (vitamins, minerals, enzymes)

Also, by the time your body exhibits symptoms, there are usually several problems going on at once. So all of the above issues could be happening.

The important thing to remember when something in your body is not functioning as it should, is that there is ALWAYS a reason. If you start asking "Why...?" and do a little detective work, then you'll be ready to make a plan of what to do. And you'll be able to help the body heal and return to optimal function.

So what's your most important question today?