Volume 4
January 2008
Enabled Righteousness: God's Plan to Establish Us in Health
Microsoft Word has a spelling and grammar feature that weighs my formation of words and sentence structure against a standard. The feature argues with my tendency to sometimes use split infinitives and insists that my passive voice expressions should be reconsidered. When my writing is below standard, the program has a way to quietly identify the failure and to alert me. It also gives me the option to research the rule, ignore it, or change my wording to comply, but not to change the rule.
This weighing of my writing by Word helps illustrate the meaning of the Bible word "worthy" which was used in the Greek marketplace to reference the weight (value) of a product in relationship to a standard. The call of Scripture (the work of the Holy Spirit) for us to be worthy of Christ carries this meaning - that is, for our lives to be increased to the measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13). Legalists use the concept to motivate religious performance (WWJD, for example). They miss understanding, however, that God is at work in us to make us worthy - that is, to enable our Christlikeness.
The term "glorify" (as in to glorify God) means to reflect light and references our radiating the Light of who Christ is within us into the darkness of a fallen world so that the lost can have a glimpse of the ways and character of God. At the core of legalism is the notion that this Light is reflected back to God. The reasoning doesn't make sense since God is the Source of Light and is not himself in darkness. The notion, however, does nicely support the religious concept that God is weighing our performance (attitudes and behavior) in order to test our worthiness of his benevolence to us.
We could understand performance to win God's favor if he had a bag of handouts waiting to be won. But the flow of God's provisions for our redemption to establish us in health (spiritually, psychologically, and physically) began immediately following his judgment upon the human race in the Garden of Eden and is free to all who connect (Romans 5:15-17) .
Also, God's righteous judgment against mankind followed immediately after Adam's disobedience in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:16) and is experienced as the cause and effect of our living in a fallen world disconnected from his provisions for our salvation.
Of course we take care to obey the rules because they lead to health and happiness (Romans 6:12-23; 8:13), but grace theology separates between pious performance in order to make God smile and enabled obedience in response to God's plan to establish us in health (Philippians 2:12-13; 3:7-16).
"...that I may grow in Christ and be rooted in him, not having a righteousness of my own which is through self effort to comply to the rules, but is through faith in Christ - a righteousness from God which is by faith." - Philippians 3:9 (GracePoint paraphrase)
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #801
February 2008
Faith: Grace to Enable During Times of Adversity and Brokenness
There is no reason to believe we will never experience the sufferings of adversity or the pains of brokenness and loss. That's because we are fallen and imperfect, living with a broken body in a broken world filled with broken people. (We also live in a world system controlled by the spirit of antichrist and the powers of darkness.)
But we can trust that God's grace (his provisions to enable and sustain) is sufficient for every circumstance and demand of our lives and service to others. His provisions are manifested in creation (in the soil and atmosphere) to provide us fully with the nutritional supports we need to sustain us in physical and biological health. He has also made provisions through community (home and church relationships) to support us psychologically during difficult times to meet our inborn temperament needs (for information, decisions-making, and affection). But the most essential of these grace provisions during adversity and brokenness is provided through Christ who is our comfort and support.
By definition, faith (Gr. "pistis") is the confidence and assurance, birthed and nurtured in our hearts supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, which enables us to trust the information God has communicated/revealed in the Scripture concerning who he is, who we are, and his relationship to us, namely that:
1. God is sovereign;
2. We are fallen, broken, and sinful, separated from God because of his judgment on Adam's disobedience;
3. His love for us is unconditional, not based on who we are but on who he is;
4. He has made provisions through Christ (his death on the cross and resurrection) for our reconcilation to him and redemption (healing and renewal);
5. His interest in every detail of our lives is intense and passionate; and
6. His commitment to our health and happiness is unfailing.
Faith is more than textbook information. Information is intellectual and enables us to pass a test, but faith is a grace provision which, as we grow in this provision, increases our enablement to trust (believe) God. Trust, in turn, then enables us to obey God, that is, to include in our lives the provisions he has given in creation, community, and Christ to establish us in health. So, while we rejoice in God's provisions of grace in creation and community to support and sustain us during our experiences of suffering, we rejoice mostly in his provision of Christ and the faith he gives to enables us for making wise choices (obedience).
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #802
February 2008
Faith: Grace to Enable During Times of Adversity and Brokenness
There is no reason to believe we will never experience the sufferings of adversity or the pains of brokenness and loss. That's because we are fallen and imperfect, living with a broken body in a broken world filled with broken people. (We also live in a world system controlled by the spirit of antichrist and the powers of darkness.)
But we can trust that God's grace (his provisions to enable and sustain) is sufficient for every circumstance and demand of our lives and service to others. His provisions are manifested in creation (in the soil and atmosphere) to provide us fully with the nutritional supports we need to sustain us in physical and biological health. He has also made provisions through community (home and church relationships) to support us psychologically during difficult times to meet our inborn temperament needs (for information, decisions-making, and affection). But the most essential of these grace provisions during adversity and brokenness is provided through Christ who is our comfort and support.
By definition, faith (Gr. "pistis") is the confidence and assurance, birthed and nurtured in our hearts supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, which enables us to trust the information God has communicated/revealed in the Scripture concerning who he is, who we are, and his relationship to us, namely that:
1. God is sovereign;
2. We are fallen, broken, and sinful, separated from God because of his judgment on Adam's disobedience;
3. His love for us is unconditional, not based on who we are but on who he is;
4. He has made provisions through Christ (his death on the cross and resurrection) for our reconcilation to him and redemption (healing and renewal);
5. His interest in every detail of our lives is intense and passionate; and
6. His commitment to our health and happiness is unfailing.
Faith is more than textbook information. Information is intellectual and enables us to pass a test, but faith is a grace provision which, as we grow in this provision, increases our enablement to trust (believe) God. Trust, in turn, then enables us to obey God, that is, to include in our lives the provisions he has given in creation, community, and Christ to establish us in health. So, while we rejoice in God's provisions of grace in creation and community to support and sustain us during our experiences of suffering, we rejoice mostly in his provision of Christ and the faith he gives to enables us for making wise choices (obedience).
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #802
March 2008
Life's Most Important Question: How can I go to Heaven?
How can I go to Heaven? This is life's most important question. We can get lost going to other places, but if we get the directions wrong about going to Heaven, we will be lost forever.
The Bible says (Romans 5:12-19);
- Mankind is under God's judgment (separation from him) because of the wrong choice Adam made in the Garden of Eden;
- We are reconciled to God by trusting in the Blood of Christ (his death on the cross) as the only payment he will accept to satisfy that judgment.
In the courtroom of God's Justice, God the Righteous Judge, passed a judgment on the human race that no one could pay, then himself made the payment that satisfied the judgment. Our choice is to trust in his payment as Abel did which was effectual for eternal salvation, or to attempt a payment of our own as Cain did which had no value.
Trusting in the Blood of Christ for going to Heaven can also be illustrated by getting into a boat that has been provided as the only way across the water to the other side. It begins with intellectually agreeing that the boat is indeed trustworthy (the same as to say that Christ's provision of his death on the cross is exactly what the Bible says it is - sufficient to satisfy God's judgment against us). But it also includes choosing to turn away from prideful or fearful self-effort (for example, to swim across to the other side) to, instead, getting in the Boat and surrendering the destination and well-being of our soul for eternity to God's care and provision for us.
The terms used in the Bible are faith (the conviction produced in our heart by the Holy Spirit that God's Word is true), repentance (a change of mind which the Holy Spirit also produces in our heart), confession (to intellectually agree with God's Word concerning all that the Holy Spirit convinces us to be true), conversion (to turn away from choosing one provision or solution to choosing another), and calling (to call out for help with willingness to receive).
"To as many as received him, to those who believed (trusted) in his name (in who he is and what he has done for us), he gave the right (authority, freedom, privilege) to become children of God (with citizenship in Heaven)." - John 1:12 (Romans 8:17)
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #803
April 2008
Can a saved person be lost again?
Here are some thoughts for you to consider:
1. Most important to understand is that salvation is a work of God; we do not save ourselves. This is the meaning of Ephesians 2:8, "For it is by grace you have been saved..." (See also Titus 2:11.) We are not saved by anything we do, but by what Christ has already done for us by his death on the cross.
2. Salvation is past, present, and future. We are saved from the penalty of sin (past), the power of sin (present), and one day in Heaven we will be saved from the presence of sin (future).
God has made provisions in Christ for all three aspects of our salvation.
- Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin (which is separation from God for eternity). In soteriology (the study or doctrine of salvation), this includes the doctrines of regeneration, reconciliation, and justification. (See Romans 5:10a.
- Christ rose from the dead so that by his resurrected life in us we could be saved in this present life from the power (control) of our sinful nature. In soteriology this includes the doctrine of sanctification. (See Romans 5:10b.)
- And, Christ is coming back again to save us from the presence of sin by transforming our bodies to be like his and taking us to Heaven. In soteriology this is called glorification. (See 1 Corinthians 15:49-57.)
It is important to view these three aspects of salvation separately because we are saved from the penalty of sin the moment we trust Christ's death on the cross as our only hope for going to Heaven, but salvation from the power or control of the sin nature is a process. Sanctification is the only aspect of salvation that is experienced in measure and can be lost in measure. Remember, though, that sanctification is not a condition for going to Heaven. It has only to do with this present life.
3. The Christian life is not a life that we live, but a life that is lived in and through us. Only one person ever lived the Christian life. WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) is an impossible standard for us to try to live by. No human being can live like Jesus did. He had a sinless nature; we do not. Our only hope for any measure of holiness is for Christ to live his life in and through us.
4. The belief some have that a saved person can be lost is partially based in the idea that we must turn from sinful behavior in order to be saved, and that if we turn back, we will be lost again. But we are not saved by turning from the "sins" we think will send us to Hell; rather, we are saved by turning from trusting in the "good works" and religious rule-keeping that we think will get us into Heaven. There's a difference.
5. Also, if we can lose our salvation by turning back to sinful behavior, where is the line? How do we determine which sins or how many sins will result in losing our salvation? Does it make sense that a reasonable, fair God would set a boundary, but not tell us very clearly where it is?
6. Also, understanding the purpose of God's laws is important. God did not give the Law as a set of rules for us to follow so that we could go to Heaven. That was exactly the teaching of the Pharisees. Rather, God gave the Law in order to teach his people how to be healthy and happy. Obedience to God's laws is essential to health and happiness - just like driving on the right side of the street or observing any other law that increases health or protects us from harm.
7. The definition of "sins" is also important to understand. Sin, by its simplest definition, is disobedience to God's health plan for us. Sin is not behavior that makes you bad, but behavior that makes you sick. If sinful behavior can result in losing eternal salvation, than all sick people are at risk of being lost.
8. We are kept by the power of God, not by our own power. We have eternal security because God holds to our hand, not because we hold to his. (See 1 Peter 1:5.)
I hope this helps.
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #804
May 2008
Sin, Judgment, and Forgiveness
We cannot understand the meaning of forgiveness until we understand the meaning of the words sin and judgment.
SIN
By definition, sin (Gr. harmartano) is an act or behavior and references the choices we make to meet our needs with disregard (in disobedience) to God's provisions to meet those needs. It is not behavior that makes God mad or us bad, but that makes us sick.
This is exactly what Adam did in the Garden of Eden which resulted in God's judgment upon the human race (Genesis 3 and Romans 5).
[Note: Sin (Gr. hamartia) is also understood as the condition of sinfulness, an inward element, governing principle, or organized power which produces an action or behavior." This is our fallen human nature.]
JUDGMENT
God the Righteous Judge could have imposed any judgment he wanted on Adam's disobedience, including a $100K fine (to be silly) or actually whatever else we might want to imagine. But the judgment God imposed was the departure of his Light (who he is) from man's spirit, the inmost chamber of his being. The result of the judgment was spiritual, psychological, and physical death and darkness, and ultimately, eternal death.
The word death in any language means separation. It does not mean annihilation. Man had a beginning, but he will not have an end. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul and spirit from God with the "cause and effect" result of darkness. This means, we can be physically alive but separated from God - that is, we can be spiritually dead and in psychological (mental and emotional) darkness while we live (Colossians 2:13; 1 Timothy 5:6). This is the judgment of sin we experience in this life that is manifested by broken health and unhappiness.
(Note: Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. We may also say that psychological death is the disconnect of the body and soul from the born again spirit where the Holy Spirit or Life of Christ is resident. This is the aspect of redemption addressed by Christ in John 15:1-8. Eternal death is the separation of the soul and spirit from God for eternity.)
FORGIVENESS
The best definition for the word forgiveness is removal. It begins with God's removal of our spiritual separation from him (this is reconciliation) by our faith to trust Christ's Blood as the only payment he will accept to satisfy his judgment against the human race because of Adam's disobedience (Romans 5:10).
Forgiveness is also the removal of the physical and psychological contamination and brokenness - which are the "cause and effect, sowing and reaping" lifetime consequences of the choices we make in the darkness - when we trust in Christ's Resurrected Life, imparted to us (our spirit) in the new birth experience.
PRAYER AND FORGIVENESS
Prayer for the forgiveness (removal) of the eternal consequence (judgment) of sin is based upon our faith to trust God's provision of Christ Blood as explained above.
Prayer for the forgiveness (removal) of the "cause and effect, sowing and reaping" lifetime consequences or judgment of sin is based on our faith to receive (connect to, abide in) God's provision of the Resurrected Life of Christ (mentioned above) which enables us to make redemptive choices that result in our healing, (the removal of our brokenness).
This means, God is not arbitrarily, selectively, or even mystically forgiving (removing) the consequences of one particular sin or another based on our good works, penitent behavior, tearful pleading and begging, or anything else short of receiving (connecting to) his provisions which are the dynamic for their removal (Romans 1:16-17).
FORGIVING OTHERS
Our forgiveness of others is two-fold and is possible only as the Life of Christ within us enables it. Forgiving others begins with withholding (removing) our judgment to punish their offensive behavior toward us. It is completed as Christ lives his life through us to impact their lives for the healing (removal) of the hurt and pain which motivated their offensive actions.
This is the meaning of "forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:13).
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #805
June 2008
God's Provisions: Faithful and Free, Not Forced or Based on Behavior
One prevalent view of God is that he is sort of a self-absorbed omnipotence in the universe manufacturing circumstances and manipulating people for whatever might be his self-serving purpose. But we are not pawns for God's amusement.
God lives for us
God created us and is in relationship to us, not for what we can do for him, but for what we will allow him to do for us. He lives for us, not we for him.
He prepares the table
We do not feed God; he feeds us. It is he who prepares the meal. He also who sets the table.
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." - Psalm 23:5
The effectual call
Not only so, but he also comes to where we are to bring us back to the table. This is the effectual call. It is more than an invitation to come, but a drawing - like the sun calling up vapors from the earth.
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." - John 6:44
"When I am lifted up (in death) from the earth, I will draw all men to myself." - John 12:32
"...God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14b
Not based on merit
This calling to the table is without regard to anything that is true about us - not even how valuable or deserving we are (which we are not).
This means we do not need to strive to make ourselves worthy - to superficially posture ourselves to turn this way or the other, bow east or west, crawl on our knees, or have one particular religious thought or worthy disposition of the heart or another.
Provided but not imposed
God's provisions to sustain life flow faithfully and fully to all, but they are not imposed. The effectual call of the Holy Spirit is powerful to draw us to the table, but he does not force us to receive the meal he has prepared.
"Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." Revelation 22:17
"Ho! Everyone in need, come to the waters, and he who has no strength, let him get food: come, get bread without money; wine and milk without cost." - Isaiah 55:1 (Bible in Basic English)
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #806
July 2008
Set Free From Dark Secrets
Short version of a favorite old story: A well-meaning dad told his son not to say anything at school so that his teacher wouldn't know he was a bit slow. But when the son never answered questions in class, the teacher asked if he had a problem. The son reported to his dad that he tried to keep his secret, but that his teacher found it out anyway.
I recall a manager years ago whose usual greeting to his staff was "What you guys up to." He was later caught stealing from his company. In contrast, I remember another manager who always said, "You guys doing okay?"
I recall also from years ago, a pastor who suddenly became energized to talk repeatedly about the struggles of the Christian life, the dangers of sin, and our need to have a serious strategy for winning the war against Satan. Me thought (to borrow from Ben Franklin) he was too preoccupied with troubling behavior, maybe his own. He is now out of the ministry.
In our counseling, we are interested in our counselees' choice of words, subject matter, and tone of voice to learn information about their health and happiness status relative to their essential needs. This is sometimes called "reading the meaning between the lines"
We are also interested in body language (I call it "reading the movement behind the words") because we know that body posture, movement of arms and hands, facial expressions, etc. communicate information which is sometimes useful to help resolves counseling issues.
For a simple, quick-to-mind example, I suspect play talk (baby talk) reveals unmet needs from childhood. That's because the pain of our unmet needs typically keeps us stuck in the past and unable to move forward in health. Also, extreme expressions like, "I don't care what anyone says about me" screams out that "I am dying inside."
Whatever may be verbally or non-verbally known about us, our daily experience to be renewed by "who Christ is" within us enables us in health to be in full confession of who we are, to be at peace within ourselves, and to be refreshingly transparent when we show up in the lives of others, rather than having to labor to create an image that denies the reality, or to be worried about what dark secret might leak out.
"In him we are enriched in every way, in all our speaking and in all our knowledge." - 1 Corinthians 1:5
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #807
August 2008
Our Need to Make God Smile: A Silly Notion
Central to grace counseling is our faith (conviction), understanding (theology), and experience of God that
- his love for us is unconditional,
- his interest in every detail of our lives is intense and passionate, and
- his commitment to our health and happiness is unfailing.
If, however, our understanding of God's relationship to us is that it is essentially about him, i.e., that he created us to serve his needs, to make him smile, or to glorify him (a distorted view of it), then we become targets for the condemnation of Satan (also religious legalists), because of our inevitable failure. It is these feelings of fear, condemnation, and judgment that are at the core of our pain, unwise choices, and broken health.
To glorify God (Gr. "doxazo") means "to manifest or reflect the character and ways of God." This is the meaning of Paul's confession in Philippians 1:20: "It is my deepest and most earnest hope and desire that I will not be paled (dimwatted) by fear or failure, but that with all boldness (like a beacon), I will manifest/exhibit through my body the Light of who Christ is (into a dark world), whether in my sufferings or support, or by my life or death" (GracePoint paraphrase). This is also the context for understanding John 15:8, that God is revealed (glorified) by out manifesting who he is into the world.
Somehow religious legalists have turned this to mean that God has a need for his Light to manifest, not into a dark world in order to radiate who he is to the lost and hurting, but back to him as if he is sustained by it (or maybe as the precondition for staying out of trouble with him, or even to earn a handout which they call "blessings").
I recall the troubled teenage girl who confessed she dressed to seduce and acted out because her sense of self worth came from others (the worst of psychological bondage). I recall my own time of legalistic ministry, motivated and compromised by my unhealthy need to be a hit, performing for God and others in hope to establish a sense of self-worth.
So while we can understand the unfortunate need we broken humans have to find our sense of value and significance as it is reflected back to us from the response of others with whom we interact, it is a silly notion that God has that need also.
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #808
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #808
September 2008
Living to 120: Our Potential for Optimal Health and Longevity
Apparently there are a number of variables which support health and longevity. Heredity (as much as a 30% factor some say), occupation, education, culture, environment (where we live), relationships, and, perhaps, economics are strong factors. Reports from the science community seem to indicate that, with all things favorable, we have the potential to live in health for 120 years.
DELS
The basic factor, however, is the choices we make, We use the acrostic DELS (diet, exercise, lifestyle, and supplementation) to help guide the essential choices that support health. These choices are daily and include to
- go to bed early same time at night in order to get up early same time each morning,
- immediately take quiet time to be renewed by the Holy Spirit through Scripture reading, confession of need, prayer, and worship,
- exercise to get the heart rate up for a sustained 20 minutes (at least),
- eat to live, including a high protein breakfast, 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts for snacking, and whole grains,
- drink 64 to 100 ounces of water, and
- supplement (as a basic regimen) a quality multi-vitamin/mineral, at least 2000 mgs Vitamin C, and a complex Vitamin B.
Optimal Health Begins with Christ
But at the very foundation of our hope for health and long life is our relationship to Christ. His Life flowing into us each day renews in us a passion for making right choices (motivation for movement) and for making the same right choices again the next day (motivation for maintenance of the movement) which increase support (momentum) for making the right choices every day leading to optimal health and longevity.
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #809
October 2008
How to Go to Heaven: Making Clear the Message
The lost miss hearing a clear message of salvation when we do not separate in our understanding
- God's way for us to go to Heaven,
- his way for us to be made holy (Christlike), and
- his way for us to be established in health and happiness.
Although each are received by faith and are intimately related, still they are different, especially in the narrow particulars of how they are appropriated.
The clarity begins with understanding that our salvation is past and present: We have been saved from the penalty or judgment of sin (justified), but are now being saved from the power or contamination of sin (sanctified). The one has been accomplished, the other is in progress.
Note: Our salvation is also future. One day in Heaven, we will be saved from the presence of sin (glorification).
Justification for Heaven
We are saved from the penalty of sin (justified) by turning away from trusting in other payments (e.g., the accummulation of good works to achieve a good report) to trusting instead wholly and alone in the Blood of Christ as the only payment God will accept to satisfy his judgment against the human race because of Adam's transgression.
Sanctification for Holiness
We are being saved (sanctified) from the power of our sin nature (sinfulness) by turning away from self enabled performance to be like Christ to trusting instead wholly and alone in the Life of Christ birthed and nurtured in us by the Holy Spirit through his Word.
Enabled Choices for Health
We are saved from broken health and unhappiness by turning away from the world's provisions for inappropriate pain relief to connecting instead to God's provisions in creation (nutrition) and community (relationships in the home and church).
To summarize:
- We have certainty of Heaven because we are in Christ - placed there by the Holy Spirit when we trusted God's provision of Christ's Blood for our salvation.
- We have certainty of increasing holiness because Christ is in us and is progressively possessing us to fuller measure in our quiet time through our worship.
- We have certainty of health and happiness because of the choices Christ (who he is in us) enables us to make.
November 2008
Learned Lifestyle Choices: The Leading Cause of Lost Health
In a recent presentation which I attended, a state licensed (world system) mental health professional linked depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc., with mental disease and insisted most of it is inherited and therefore likely inevitable. The solutions she offered were professional therapy and, of course, medications in order to cope.
But disease is not inevitable
Central to the concepts of grace counseling, however, is our understanding that disorders of the body and soul are not inevitable, but
- generally the result of our unmet support needs (nutritionally, relationally, and, most deeply, spiritually) and
- are made worse by the inappropriate choices we make for pain relief which backfire to intensify the pain because the essential needs for health are left unattended.
Using thirst as an example
For example, we have an inherited predisposition to thirst, a metaphor used in the Scripture for the brokenness of unmet needs. But thirst is not inevitable - because God has made provision of water, also the Living Water, to satisfy our need for hydration. That is why Christ called out "He that is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37) and also why the Spirit calls, "Let those who are thirsty come to the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).
A simple illustration
Carbonated colas and coffees are simple examples of inappropriate solutions for the symptom or pain of thirst. They could extend life temporarily in an emergency, but longterm, could also increase risk for disease, not just because of their presence in our food choices, but because of the absence of a sufficient amount of water, the drink of life.
Temperament needs
Psychologically, each of us has inborn temperament (relationship) needs. Either they are met or we suffer - first, mentally and emotionally, then physically (90% of sickness and disease are rooted, according to medical reports, in mental and emotional disorders).
Learned lifestyle choices
Indeed, physiological and psychological predispositions are inherited. But disease is mostly the result of learned lifestyle choices. Studies report that only as much as 30% of inherited health predispositions is a factor. But learned lifestyle choices can be 100% terminal.
We do not at all discourage emergency, Plan B use of professional therapy and medications. But we are most passionate to hold up God's provisions for our health as faithful and true so that Plan B is not necessary.
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #811
December 2008
Choosing to Survive: When Sometimes a Wife Rejects Her Freedom
We husbands, by human nature, don't care at all for the concepts of investment (grace) leadership. If we can find a wife who will tolerate our self-serving, why should we invest? Only the Life of Christ birthed in us by the Holy Spirit can transform us to invest in the health and happiness needs of our wives instead of to use them.
Wives, on the other hand, usually welcome with tears the grace message of God's plan to support her health and happiness needs through the investment leadership of her husband.
But not always.
Sometimes, the hurting wife has her convenient motivation to reject this particular grace provision. At the outset, she did not serve herself well in marriage when she abandoned the ownership of her own growth and well-being to the care of her husband, not because he had proved himself to be an investor, but because of tradition and religious rules. She now considers the passing years and whether she has denied her own health and happiness in order to please her husband, also that, by her tolerance of his neglect, she has unwittingly taught him how to treat her, which has been with increasing disrespect (predictably as non-investors do). She also reckons that, if, indeed, it is her husband's role to invest in her health and happiness needs, and not her role primarily to be his support person, she puts her vulnerable security at risk, maybe even her safety, if she dares to make a fuss or serve notice on him midstream (so to speak) that she no longer intends to be used by him or to live without her own support needs met. So she chooses to survive rather than to thrive - which has reduced her status to that of a slave.
But wives are free persons, made so especially by grace.
"But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:25-29 (See also 4:1-7)
"Having been released from what once bound us, we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." - Romans 7:6 (See also 7:1-6)
Don Loy Whisnant, DCC, LCPC/The Grace Perspective #812
