Many of you are destroying those you love - and not even knowing it.
Or maybe you're just destroying yourself.
We're doing the exact opposite of what they need.
Your children will, normally, want all the marvelous things technology can provide. Computer games, now, make the toys you used to play with look like ridiculous stone age relics. With all the stimulating media, you're lucky to get your kids to enjoy reading, much less doing their homework.
Bible reading???
Forget about it! You may as well try to get the opposing ends of two magnets to stick to each other.
It can become a genuine addiction. I've seen symptoms of painful mental - and even physical - withdrawals. I've EXPERIENCED physical withdrawals. When you pull your children, or yourself, from whatever they use to pass time - everything from wasting their time with their friends, to playing computer games - they will do anything and everything to break your resolve.
As we entertain ourselves, we lose the capacity to function without it. We become very weak. We lose the ability to focus and concentrate. We also lose the ability to function socially.
Many Christians no longer fellowship, not because they don't want to, but because they've completely lost the ability to do so. They literally can not do it - not in their current state.
This is the most prevelant disease in America today. One can trace every evil to this one thing - a lack of inner peace.
People have begun to medicate their children and themselves - with drugs - once movies, games and other distractions, cease to be effective.
There's an epidemic of bipolar and psychotic behavior - even among Christians.
Don't believe what psychologists tell you about a 'chemical imbalance'. All addictions manifest as 'chemical imbalances". It's called "withdrawals".
Consider bipolar behavior. I've seen it end virtually overnight. We'll discuss how in a few moments.
But many "bipolar" persons swing wildly from the "buzz" they get from the stimulation they get when you take them out, or let them chat on the computer, or watch a movie. Since they have become shallow there is nothing there to moderate the swing upward. There's no "resting place". Then, coming down, there is that same lack of a resting place - so they plummet into the depths of dispair.
Chemically, with the high, a large dose of seratonin (a feel good hormone) is released into the brain. I have seen their seratonin virtually zero out on the down swing. I learned alot about this, since my wife's relatives were genetically prone to very low levels of seratonin in their brains. I had a case where one was in absolute anguish. It was made far worse by a low carb diet. This Christian was a sweet, trusting lady. But she got to where her nerves were screaming - as her seratonin went so low that it left her in anguish. They doctors gave her some drugs that barely touched the symptoms. I, famed doctor that I am, prescribed a HUGE pill.
A baked potato.
It worked.
The carbs triggered a release of seratonin and she was completely healed.
But the best prescription, for long term success - BY FAR - is worship and praise. Read through the other posts about how brokenness releases the tyranny of the mind and sets one's heart free. Tremendous healing takes place from that process.
Here's how one adolescent was cured, virtually overnight.
The teen complained of extreme boredom. This teen misdiagnosed his own problem. He thought he needed more social interaction, more fun things to do, less rules and restrictions, and lots and lots of computer time.
He thought boredom was the lack of activity.
I explained to him how I walked in the woods, totally alone, much of my spare time in my youth. I explained that I did not feel lonely or bored. I genuinely pitied my peers who desperately needed to be around others.
One thing I hated, at the time, was that my father was very unpredictable about when he could pick me up after my training as a cross country runner. I would sit for 4 hours, sometimes. I'd sit and watch the sun go from high in the sky until long after sunset. At first, my mind would scream, in boredom, at the slow passage of time. Then my mind sort of 'gave up' - and I experienced peace.
Now I know that brokenness, in the Love of Jesus, can provide me mystical union with Jesus. Then, since I am dead to the agitation which causes boredom, I can experience peace.
One gets addicted to JESUS. Times of prayer and meditation no longer seem long or time consuming. It ends way too soon!
So the teen got up early with his father and half slept through his father's "hour of prayer". He understood that his lack of "inner peace" was his problem - not a lack of social interaction or things to do.
The kids had been in horrible crisis after crisis. That all ended virtually overnight. I realize that is kind of rare. But the effect of TWO THINGS, learning to be still, and learning to enjoy praying in the Spirit, with beautiful worship music, has a powerful impact.
Then, too, you begin to feel things again. You smell scents you never noticed. The sky looks more blue - or storm clouds more strangely ominous and impressive.
Suddenly, you're on a VIRTUOUS CYCLE UP, rather than a VISCIOUS CYCLE DOWN.
I've been through this, too.
So one day it hit me . . .
Why do the birds sing so sweetly?
Why is the sky so blue?
Why do the flowers smell like paradise?
I'm in LOVE!
I'm in LOVE with the source of all life! The Holy Spirit becomes a marvelous comforter. No woman on earth could provide such comfort - though the Spirit works through my friends and family in many ways. I adore my Lord! My heart leaps like John the Baptist at any mention of Him. When we have Communion, I begin to tremble involuntarily and hot tears begin pouring across my cheeks.
My point?
Before I had a PASSION for my Lord. But it could only go just SO DEEP.
After he brought me to a place of greater PEACE, in his dying to the flesh - which I obtain via MYSTICAL UNION WITH HIM - not in THEORY but in reality . . .
Well . . .
Then I felt the Passion of his Love much more strongly.
You get all the depth.
You get all the shades of the rainbow.
Time slows down.
You begin to live.
PEACE is a beatiful thing!
I have to say something kind of jolting at this point.
Running to any and everything else - rather than mystical union with HIM -
even BIBLE READING
can be idolatrous
even Spiritual Adultery.
FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
Go to HIM!!
His words to you:
"What fault did you find in me that you turned to all your other lovers?"
You worship a block of wood and become like it. You cannot see. You cannot feel. You cannot save yourself or anyone else.
So let Him LOVE you!
Let Him HEAL you.
Quit running!
You may experience withdrawals at first.
My body was in anguish all night long a couple of times.
But I just rested in his death and let the waves of nervous tension wash over me until they were spent.
And all the while I worshipped HIM - sleeping with quiet worship music playing in the background.
That's a great idea.
One last thing.
The suffering teen sort of scorned the worship music at first. He didn't want to. But you remember when you were a kid. Your brain sort of mocked whatever your parents were into - no matter how much you loved them.
That passes.
I explained brokenness.
I explained how being broken would open his heart and let the worship music wash through his soul. In the broken state he would stop resisting.
It worked.
And when worship music washes through the human soul, it enlives your heart and soul.
So stop thinking it's love to help our kids avoid facing "boredom".
They'll need your help.
But it's the exact opposite of what they think.
If we lived in the Mystery Of Christ - as spiritual people - rather than keeping busy night and day - we would live in a world of DELIGHT - and save our kids immeasurable harm.
Do you ever yell at your kid?
Uh oh!
You caused the problem.
Now you yell at the kid??? Not good.
Stop!
Get off the world's evil treadmill!
In Jesus, you will begin to TRULY LIVE!
You will have inner peace.
Then, in HIS Resurrection Life, with a peace that surpasses all understanding ruling your heart and mind, you will find yourself in a NEW DAY of freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment