LAM Newsletter, August 2001

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN LIFE APPLICATION MINISTRIES NOW?

It’s so thrilling to be a part of a growing ministry. And the growth comes from readers like you. Your comments, ideas, and support in attendance and finances have been very instrumental in the "new" things taking place in LAM.

If you live in the Placerville area, you may want to visit the Signature Theatres! We have placed a "larger than life" ad on the screens there. I believe there are 8 movie theatres and the ad will play over and over all day long to reach hundreds of viewers. This ad will begin running in September so if you get a chance, check us out.

Another fantastic thing is happening around our community. For the last couple of years I have been trying to decide on a church to attend faithfully. I’ve gone to many in our area but something just hasn’t clicked – if you know what I mean. So I began having church at home with my husband. The bible does say where 2 or more are gathered He is in the midst of them. My husband commented a couple of years ago to start a church up here. I thought about it for a second and said, "No, I don’t think so, who would come?" So as the years went by, it just wouldn’t shake my mind. I had all kinds of reasons NOT to do this. First of all I’m a woman. 2ndly, I’m not a "man ordained" minister, even though I knew I was God ordained.

So after a couple of years of toiling with that "junk", God came through. It has been decided to begin holding services beginning October 21st in the River Pines Town Hall in River Pines California. River Pines is located in the foothills of Placerville, outside of Sacramento. As I began sharing this with a few close friends they were jazzed. One individual in particular told me she had just talked about this very thing with her husband the night before and actually saw Tom and I doing this.

Others I shared this with didn’t think it impossible at all, but were ready to aid in my need to make it happen.

This first meeting will start at 9:30. We are calling it "The Meeting Place". The reason for this name is that we don’t want to turn people off who have had bad experiences with churches. You may know a few. I hope to give these individuals a chance to come and experience relationship with God – not religion. I’m not sure how God is going to format the meetings, but I know these services will impact every life that attends. Based on the meetings I hold regularly in homes and other churches and the results from them, I know we will see the same result here.

The vision for this ministry is to reach the community and help these individuals to find righteousness, peace and joy in Jesus. Then go out into the masses to minister to others what they have learned. But there has to be a core – a starting point – a rock. To know that when individuals need help, they can come to this ministry. I realized that if this ministry "took to the road" it wouldn’t be doing what God wanted from it. A lighthouse gives light to all those who approach it, but never leaves it’s position. I believe that’s what God is doing in this ministry.

I will continue holding meetings as requested in homes and other churches and retreats as before, but this is a great opportunity to build a healthy community and a point of origin.

Please pray for this to take root and become a solid place and a firm foundation – a lighthouse to a lost, sick and dying world.

WEBsite

We have some great news! The Website has been updated and upgraded to be even more enjoyable and easy to get around. All the seminar information and other events are updated monthly! This newsletter is also posted – under "Newsletters". The URL address is: mindsync.com/lam then select NEWSLETTER at the top of the screen – it’s that easy! If you would like to access the newsletter on your own each month through the Website, then let me know and I won’t send them via email to you.

TOM’s TIDBITS

COULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, WOULD HAVE?

Have any of you ever said to yourself, I should have done this or that? Could have done it differently? Would have done it differently? We need to stop "should-ing, could-ing and would-ing" on ourselves! What we are doing is living in past regrets.

One day I was hemming a shirt for Tom that he said was too long. After I finished, he tried it on and said, "it’s perfect". Well, I didn’t think so; it was too short and looked silly. He said, "no it’s not, it’s perfect".

As I thought on that I discovered something that I had been doing all my life. I had been "shoulding" on myself. In this case I said to myself, "I should have not made it so short". I was getting mad at myself. Well, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, the material was cut and sewn and that was that! Crying over it wasn’t going to change anything but get me upset and mad at myself.

Then I realized something else about Tom. He didn’t even say to me, "You should have made it longer than this". As I thought about that, I discovered that he has never told me in our whole 12 years of married life, "you should have done this or that", or "you could have done it differently". He never goes backwards and complains or points out my mistakes, he just goes forward. He accepts what I do for him. He told me, "You took the time out to do this for me, I’m not going to complain but appreciate what you did."

I see this as how God looks at us. The past, even just 5 minutes ago, is long gone and can never be replaced! We have to stop thinking about our regrets of what we could or should have done – and accept the choices we have made and go on and hopefully prepared to make the correct choices the next time.

Well, in the matter of this shirt, I had two to hem, so, as you probably guessed I hemmed the next one longer! I got a second chance.

Even though Tom didn’t come out and say something profound, his actions and how he responded to my fixing his shirt said enough for me. His actions expressed his love and gratefulness for me and believe me, that is far better than words!

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As I pondered on this article, I began to see clearly the difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction is from God, condemnation is from the devil – we all know that – so what’s the big deal? The big deal is how do we know which is which? Here’s how. When you go to do something and you hear, "you shouldn’t do that", that is conviction. You now have a choice to make. I believe in the middle of "doing" that thing, you may even hear, "You shouldn’t be doing that". But you still do it anyway. Once you have completed the "thing" you really weren’t supposed to do, you then say to yourself, "Why did I do that, I knew I shouldn’t have". At that moment, you have sinned against your own conscience – because you did what you knew not to do. Now all God asks is you confess your sin, and receive forgiveness and go on. What happens to most is that they think about what they did, they start saying things like, "I’ll never change, I’m so stupid, Why can’t I hear God" and so on. This is condemnation. The devil then starts reminding you of all the other times you failed, this compounds the original problem and brings guilt. That’s why guilt and condemnation go hand in hand.

We’ll not always hear God perfectly every time, but the more we listen to our conscience before doing something we are well on our way to keeping us from having to repent later! But, this is a process – and that’s why we have a Savior – to forgive us when we sin.

Let me tell a parable. There was a man driving his motorcycle down the road to work. However, before He got on the bike he had a very strong urging to take the car that day. He said, "no" to himself and said "I’m taking the bike". Perhaps it was new and he wanted to show it off – pride – only God knows.

Perhaps along the way he was prompted to stop at the gas station, or a friends house, or just slow down, but he didn’t, he plowed on through, and HIT another car killing him. I believe God always always always prompts us and convicts us BEFORE something happens… This man’s life could have been saved if he would have heeded that still small voice. This is a drastic example, but it’s truth. The next time you eat a piece of cake see if you "should" on yourself! If you eat the cake, eat it with a clear conscience. If you eat it KNOWING you aren’t supposed to, then spit it out and repent. (I have done this on numerous occasions – I can’t tell you what freedom there is when I do that!) You can eat the cake IF your conscience is at peace with it. Then you aren’t sinning…

I recall saying to God after I did something I shouldn’t have; "I do recall you prompting me not to do it." But as like others, I ignored it. We walk after the Spirit by listening to His voice and submitting to it. I believe we all desire to walk after the spirit, then BEFORE you make a choice listen to that still small voice so you can avoid having to live through the consequences later. But no matter what choices you make, always remember there is Hope! Even if it looks like you keep making the same mistakes, don’t give up cause God isn’t giving up on you. Nothing you do will keep His love from you! Remember, Jesus died for your sins so you can stay in peace and constant fellowship with your father God.

Personal Revelation
By Linda Lange

Embrace What Ails You!

So what do I mean by "embrace what ails you?" I don’t mean we are to accept our condition as "our lot in life" to live with forever – but what I am saying is to embrace it for "right now". The scripture that backs this up is found in Matthew 5:25. "Agree with your adversary quickly while you are in the way with him, lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and you be cast into prison."

Let me share this revelation with a personal story. A friend of mine told me she is in a bad state, financially, emotionally, feels lost and has no idea what she’s going to do. See, she just separated from her husband who has asked her for a divorce, and in that divorce is going through bankruptcy and losing her home. So she has a lot of choices and decisions to make for her life. She told me it was her husbands fault that she’s losing the house, that he was supposed to pay the house payment and didn’t. This is what I said to her. "Stop fighting with what is going on in your life – and stop blaming your husband. You made the choice to let him do what he did in your life out of your own need. So accept where you are right now. Confess to God the truth about your condition, He already knows it anyway but wants to be sure you do. Tell him, "Lord, I made a mess of my life. I made these choices and take full responsibility of the condition of my life." She discovered that when she stopped blaming her husband for her dilemma and began to "agree" or "embrace" the truth that is going on in her life instead of fighting with it, she regained clarity of mind and peace. She can now move forward – she’s not ‘stuck’ in that junk. Yes, the situation is still there and has to be dealt with, but she has peace and whenever her situation tries to upset her, she isn’t. Because of that peace in her, she’s hearing the clear direction of the Lord to help get her out of her mess! Stand ON TOP of your mess – get out from under it. There’s a song I like to sing called "I choose joy". One of the lyrics says, "When I’m under circumstance and care, God want’s to know what I’m doing under there?" We can’t have joy and be under our junk! We are the head not the tail, above not beneath. We sit in the heavenlies with Jesus as the bible says. The heavenlies is far above all our junk!

When we accept our condition for what it is right now and take responsibility for where we are, confessing the junk that got us there, we will see a change begin taking place in our heart, then out to our circumstances.

Our illnesses are the same way. We know God wants to heal us so we try to believe He is, yet we aren’t getting better. Stop fighting the illness and embrace it. That makes the enemy powerless in your illness – the more you fight the stronger he gets. Do you remember that toy called "Chinese handcuffs?" Where you put your first fingers in each side and as you pull the device gets tighter and you can’t get out, but if you push forward, it releases the grip so you can escape? Well, this is what it’s like. The more we pull the tighter the grip, but when we say, "OK, this is my life, this is where I am, this is my illness, I take responsibility for my life right now and will stop blaming my spouse, doctors, friends, relatives, and even you God. I confess my sin of fear, fear of not ever getting well, fear of the future, doubt and unbelief, control and manipulation (and any other sins you identify to confess) and receive total healing in my heart because I know that’s where all these problems began, in Jesus Name, Amen."

This is not a formula but a truth! If you are honest with God about your condition THEN He can begin to heal you. Don’t be afraid of knowing the truth.

If the enemy accuses you of something, it is to your advantage to agree with him about your unrighteousness. Remember to be humble and submit yourself to God then when you resist the devil he will flee. The Lord allows the enemy to accuse you because the enemy cannot accuse you of anything that you don’t have in you! Let me say that again, the enemy cannot accuse or attack you in areas that you don’t already have within you! See he can only dwell in darkness, and if there is ANY darkness in you, he can dwell there. He cannot dwell in the light. If your heart were full of light, you wouldn’t be attacked.

Let me share a story about Peter in the bible. He was a person that was strong and capable – he even told Jesus he would die for Him. But as you know, Peter failed miserably and denied ever-knowing Jesus when persecution set in. What happened is this. Right before this happened, Jesus told Peter that Satan asked Him if he could sift his disciples like wheat. Jesus gave permission and said to Peter especially, "For you Peter I especially pray that you will not fall from this sifting." What Jesus knew was that Peter had darkness in him that the enemy could dwell, in the area of pride, arrogance and self-confidence. The enemy attacked those areas in Peter because the enemy can dwell in darkness. Whatever is in us CAN and WILL be attacked.

I have read scriptures that say that the righteous will be persecuted and without cause, but then goes onto say, "The Lord will deliver them out of them all". Yes, the righteous will get persecuted, and it appears there is no cause after all, this righteous person is doing a "good deed". But I believe that people can only be attacked in the dark areas of their lives - it’s because there is "junk" in their hearts! I just gave an example about Peter. Let’s look at Job.

Recall he was persecuted, physically made sick from the devil, abandoned by his friends, lost all his family and possessions? Yet Job was a righteous man. But if you look closely at those scriptures, you will also see that Job was full of fear – everything he feared DID come upon him. He made sin sacrifices for his kids continually for fear they wouldn’t be forgiven. Who knows what other fears he had – so in order for God to cleanse Job, he allowed Satan to attack – because he has the right to traffic in darkness!

Being righteous doesn’t mean we are doing everything right, it means we are God’s chosen, we are made righteous through Jesus Christ. And we are perfected through every trial that comes, exposing the "junk" in us so God can cleanse us.

I believe that when we are clean from all ‘spots and blemishes’ from our heart the enemy’s attacks grow less and less. He can only DWELL IN DARKNESS! He has been given free reign in the areas of our lives we have not confessed to God. So, if you are experiencing attacks, stop and ask God if there is any darkness in your heart – and as He reveals it, confess it and receive forgiveness. The next time, if any, you are attacked in that area, it will be less and less. The enemy is a tool used by God to help reveal the junk that is in us so He (God) can purge it.

If the enemy says to you, "You talked real rude to that person". Don’t say, "No I didn’t, I was very nice to them." Better think again, because the enemy does one thing well, identifies our sins for us! I like to ask people in my meetings to pick a partner and look into their eyes and say; "I don’t care what the devil says to you about me, it’s probably true."

Agree with your adversary quickly (Matthew 5:25). Even if there is a slim chance he is right, just accept it, confess your sin and get over it. Quit fighting with the "junk" all the time. Take responsibility and confess what is in your heart, otherwise you’ll continue living and justifying your actions and defending YOUR righteousness. Well, you and I both know our righteousness is as filthy rags. We don’t need to defend Jesus’ righteousness, so when we defend righteousness, we are really defending our own. We don’t want to be in the wrong – ever! Well, we are in the wrong many of the times. Identify it, confess it, receive forgiveness and go on! Yes, it is that easy, but the hard part is seeing the truth that lives within our hearts!

Feature Article

Recently I have had opportunity to minister to a lady I work with. She is a Christian and has been for about 6 or 7 years – long enough to be well on her way to living that full and abundant life, right? Well, not exactly. As I talked with her she said she’s farther away than ever before. She’s not hearing God talk. She doesn’t even know if He hears her prayers. She said, "I remember you telling me about receiving God’s love, but I don’t know how – I just don’t know if He loves me." Then she said through puckered lips and tears (not wanting to say it, but pushed it out), "I don’t believe God exists – what if ‘this’ is all there is?" She was embarrassed to say it, but that was the truth for her. I said, "Good – now that you have gotten that out of the way, God can begin working. The bible says that we must FIRST believe that He exists…." So even though she’s been at this Christian thing for 7 years or so, she hasn’t gotten first things first. To believe God exists without a doubt.

Some of you may be saying, "I believe God exists". But do you. Let’s take a little test. Do you doubt at any time? If you doubt God hears you, or will answer you, or doubt you will get free, or doubt your finances will get better, or doubt your healing, or doubt anything – in reality you are doubting God’s existence. Because if you truly believe He existed (as you know His character from the word of God) you wouldn’t doubt at all. Doubt is a form of fear – and anytime we fear we are not made perfect in Love. Perfect Love casts out fear – the bible says. As long as there is doubt, we cannot receive the unconditional Love of God – because if we doubt Him in the bad times, how can we believe Him for the good? Anytime we are in fear; we cannot receive the unconditional love of God. But when we DO find that love and allow it to penetrate into our lives, watch the fear and doubt leave!

I have been asked from time to time – "How do I let God love me?" So I went to God and said, "God, I know personally how to receive your love but how do I put it into words?" He responded so lovely by saying, "How does your husband Tom love you". I said, "By letting Him do things for me, provide for me, care for me." God said, "That’s how I love you. Then recently he showed me another part of that. When I again asked Him the same question, He said, "There’s no room for my love as long as there’s junk in there." I realized that as God began purging my heart, it made room for Him! Then pretty soon, the other junk couldn’t stand being in there and had to flee. It’s so refreshing! But that "pretty soon" took 4 years in my case.

So as my friend and I continued our conversation, I prayed that the spirit of legalism, fear, bondage and control leave her. She did get her breakthrough just by confessing the "junk" in her heart! Even if it’s embarrassing, even if it’s something a Christian shouldn’t have been thinking, even if it’s ugly, by confessing it to God will only open avenues from Him to begin working in our lives more than we’ll ever know! Eye has not seen nor ear heard all the things God has in store for us! (I Corinthians 2:9)

The Pumpkin
Author Unknown

A co-worker asked a lady recently being baptized what it was like to be a Christian. She replied, "It’s like being a pumpkin: God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes the dirt off you that you may have gotten from the other pumpkins. Then he cuts the top off (ouch) and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, fear, rejection, jealousy, anger, etc. Then he carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

INSIGHT ON DISEASE

Diseases that are incurable, etiology unknown (don’t know the origin), is most likely a spiritually rooted disease and no amount of diet change, drugs, operations, or in some cases "laying on of hands" will heal that ailment. The antidote is "truth".

This issue we will focus on Candida.

Candida is known as the ‘slow killer’. Here are a few symptoms to consider.

Candida is caused by a weakened immune system. Many say that the following things weaken the immune system: Antibiotics, birth control pills, steroids, cortisone, prescription and non prescription drugs, trauma, poor digestion and stress. However, these things mentioned are NOT the cause. These may irritate the condition, may even be a result of the real condition, but are NOT the cause. There are foods that irritate the condition too but again, are NOT the reason for the condition and they are: sugars, refined flour, hormone-injected meats, preservatives, coffee, chocolate, tobacco and alcohol.

Yes, it is true that many foods have chemicals and harmful agents in them and we do need to be wise in what we put in our mouths, but our bodies (if healthy) has the ability to cleanse out any toxins, and any harmful agents automatically. But, in the real world, our bodies are so sick that we have to ‘do’ what the nutritionists and doctors say just to feel well enough to live our lives. But that’s not where we should stop.

How did our immune system get depleted? Through a broken spirit that opened the door to anxiety and fear. The bible says in Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." It is medically proven that our immune system is depleted when the liquid in the bones dries up, literally! So if we take this scripture "literally" we see our problem.

The question is then; how did we get a broken spirit? One day while I was reviewing the list of symptoms, I discovered I had Candida. I then said to God, "God, where was I broken in my spirit?" Almost immediately God revealed to me a deep hurt that I had lived with for a long time that almost devastated me to unrepair but had forgotten about.

He brought a name to me from my past that I had so long ago forgotten but also realized when the name was brought up I began experiencing the pain in my gut because of what this person did to me. As I began recalling the incidents and naming them to God, I realized I had a hard heart and unforgiveness toward this person – which broke me, physically affecting my bones – without me knowing it! As I began confessing this "junk" I started feeling something happening inside of me. I was no longer crying and within a few minutes I shouted out, "I forgive you Dennis". I was now "free" to forgive this guy. I had not forgiven him from my heart and this was the very thing keeping me sick!

The bible is also clear that when we have a broken relationship with someone, or if someone breaks us and we don’t forgive, it also puts a brokenness between God and us! The bible says, "Whatever you do to the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me." So when we don’t forgive others, we aren’t in relationship with God. The bible says in Matthew in the Lord’s prayer, "Forgive those who trespass against us." And again He says, "If you do not forgive others, neither will I forgive you." Let’s begin taking God at His word. In Matthew, Jesus said, "I come not to take away the law but to fulfill". He came as the Word of God to fulfill all that was spoken – seasoned with grace and mercy of course.

Like I said earlier, "Agree with thine adversary quickly." When you are being attacked in an area – attitude, physical, circumstances, etc., don’t be afraid to ask God to help you identify any darkness in your heart, no matter how much pain you may feel. It’s that PAIN that is keeping you sick! It’s not the memory, it’s the pain associated with that memory. I can think of things that in times past would cause me to tear up and feel pain all over as it just happened, but not any longer. I can talk freely of them to help other people without the pain! The pain is what keeps us sick!

So after I forgave him, I began experiencing a change in my body. I still have some of the symptoms of Candida – this only tells me I have more brokenness to be healed from. But I am on my way to complete healing. I believe there are others in my life that hurt me that I have yet to discover to be free from and looking forward to the day I’ll be completely well. I am enjoying my life; I am healthier than I’ve ever been! But again, I know I can be even more healthier – and as God leads me to face past foes, the freer and healthier I’ll become. This will work for you too! Seek Him out and find out for yourself.

For those of you who are saying, "But God says to leave those things behind and only look forward". Yes, that is true if the offense happened at that moment. But there are hundreds of offenses that were never dealt with so no matter how hard you look forward these past pains are dragging behind you! Have you noticed how old people walk? They walk very slowly, they are very fragile, they are humped over, some walk with walkers. I believe if we could see in the spirit what God sees, they are dragging hundreds of pounds of "junk" from the past pains and hurts from people!

Wanna be free? Know someone who needs to be set free in this area? Then contact the LAM office. All ministry is free and confidential.

BOOKS and other materials:

We offer a number of books, please see price list below:

If you are unable to pay full price, any donation amount is acceptable. If you are unable to pay at all, we may offer them free of charge.

For more information on these books, please call the Life Application Ministries’ Office at (530) 620-2712. or email TruthFrees@Mindsync.com.

Events Update

We are getting ready for the Help for the Holiday’s event where we share goods and items with those in need in our communities. Our basement is FULL already with the outpouring of individuals who have donated items for this event. One lady in particular has already given 4 truckloads (and more to come) of brand new Christmas decorations! She has been a tremendous giver and will truly bless those who come and receive. Many are bringing clothing items. We are being very careful to take only new or nearly new, recently cleaned items. We are making sure to have wonderful items available.

If you would like to help in this event, it’s scheduled for Dec. 8-9 in River Pines, CA at the Town Hall. We need helpers the day of the event AND the week prior setting up the display. You can also begin cleaning out those closets! We are taking all miscellaneous household items, clothing, toys, shoes, books, you name it, and we’ll take it. Please call the LAM office for more information at (530) 620-2712.

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UPCOMING Events

Seminar - Public Welcome
Date: September 15th
Time: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Home Residence in Sacramento
(530) 620-2712 (call for reservations and directions)

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Seminar – Public Welcome
Home Meeting
Date: October 13th
Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: 2764 9th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 454-4273
Thompson’s Residence

Seminars and home meetings can be scheduled at any time by contacting the LAM office at (530) 620-2712.

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Christ’s Christian Riders
Motorcycle Run – September 29th
Check in 8-10 – Stylens Motorcycle Shop on Folsom Blvd. In Sacramento.
Ending at the BIG TENT in Amador County, with free BBQ and live music. Bike games, door prizes, and awards. Veterans presentation too!
Call LAM for more information.

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Help for the Holidays – free giveaway event.
Date: Dec. 8-9th
Time: 11: 00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: River Pines Town Hall in River Pines California.
Call LAM for info.

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Scripture of the Month
Psalm 23

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…."

I’ll stop right there because I don’t believe we have all "got" this part yet. If we have, our lives would be a whole lot better! One day while driving to work I was hungry for the word. So I began recalling memorized scripture, and this one popped up in my mind. I said, "Oh, not that one" and tried finding another. But God kept bringing it to mind. So I said, "OK". I began saying, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Well, I realized I had a lot of wants, do you? Then I said, "The Lord is My Shepherd". Well, if I had wants, then He must not be the Shepherd in my life – because a shepherd meets the needs of his sheep! So I realized I have a long way to go in receiving Jesus as my Shepherd. Then I cut that scripture down even further and said, "The Lord is". There’s the problem in our lives; we cannot live free from want, until the Lord is our Shepherd, but the Lord cannot be our Shepherd until we believe that HE IS. If we have any doubts or worries, then the truth is we doubt God’s existence! The bible says, "We must believe that he IS." (Hebrews 11:6) Begin thinking about your own condition of your own heart – and ask yourself if you have any doubt at all in any area of your life – and then tell them to God – He knows anyway, He just wants to know if you know. See He cannot change and heal an area in your life if you don’t know a problem is there.

Recipe of the month

Amazing Peanut Butter cookies

This recipe is one I use all the time. It may not be the healthiest, but it’s OK to eat every once in a while.