When our world is turned upside down




When one is first diagnosed with an illness, it is quite common to be in disbelief or even denial. After all, some illnesses come as a shock and have the potential to change our life forever. This requires us to rethink how we will cope with the illness, its treatment and life in general.

Sometimes we struggle to get a grip of the ramifications that illness makes in our life, but sooner or later, we are going to have to get our head around the fact that things will change. To function, they have to.

If diagnosis of an illness has caused a depression which lingers for more than a few weeks or causes panic attacks, I suggest that a doctor is seen for antidepressants. These may be needed only short term until the illness is accepted. And it must be accepted sooner or later.

Only in coming to terms with being chronically ill, can we make plans to handle the changes that being ill will bring. We will need to plan our days as wives, mothers and homemakers. (See Lists)
We must cling to Jesus and allow Him to minimise the shock and help us regain our focus. We must also plan our treatments and care.

Scary as it is, chronic illness must be addressed as soon as we are able... our future and our family's future depend on us accepting our illness so that we can move on. Easier said than done when your world has been turned upside down.


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


"So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom" Psalm 90:12

Kingdom Words

                        


When I was young growing up in a house of alcoholics  I often heard profanities and swearing. Even at a young age, I hated it and grew up to be anxious hearing it.

With their sobriety, however temporary, came a respite from words of filth and it was a welcome time of reasonable peace.

Later on in my first marriage, I was the target of abusive filthy comments punctuated by blasphemies. It was soul destroying. I longed for the peace that wholesome words brought.

The words of the world, especially of the base world where God is not a holy word, but a blasphemed expletive, and people are described in terms that would make a sailor blush- do not edify, but bring the hearers  down. 

Words are so powerful and can be used for good or evil. They can be as sharp as a sword, piercing through one's heart, remembered for all time. Or they can be a soothing balm.

The scriptures tell us the power of words are so effective that we are to choose our words wisely, edifying and building up only. We are to have kindness on our tongue at all times.

The words we speak will show what is in our heart and soul. We will be judged for every idle word we have ever spoken.

Words that uplift us and that calm us and give us peace are what I term "Kingdom Words"...

Let's think of that peace by reading some Kingdom Words in the Bible, of which there are thousands. I have selected a few for illustration...
 
grace, forgiveness, mercy, love, justice, righteousness, holiness, kindness, honesty, peace, hope, joy, faithfulness, gentleness, humility...

 

Let us cultivate our speech to be a blessing to the hearers and let us train ourselves to reject the use of questionable and hateful language.. Let "Kingdom Words" have dominion in our vocabulary and bless others with them.


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21

For such a time as this!


 

In my distress I called upon the LORDand cried out to my God...

The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him, to all who call out to him sincerely. The Lord will rescue me from every evil action and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you — in God, whose word I praise. 

I trust in God; I won’t be afraid. What can mere flesh do to me? God is indeed my salvation; I will trust and won't be afraid. It’s far better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust any human.  And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.  

God didn't give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me?

Those who know your name trust you because you have not abandoned any who seek you, Lord.  In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul...  

He heard my voice from His temple and my cry came before Him even to His ears
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" 

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

 "Don't fear, because I am with you; don't be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand"

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth."  

The  LORD  is  my strength and my  shield;  My  heart trusted in Him,  and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. Psalm 28:7 

A compilation of scriptures for such a time as this by Glenys 

Micah says it all!



Recently during one of my quiet times, I read one of my favourite verses from Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Being a  Christian isn't  really that difficult. Once one has  surrendered his or her life to Christ, the Holy Spirit guides us into that which pleases God. 

Our walk with Him is continuous and should lead us to becoming better people than we were yesterday, emulating the Master, Jesus Christ.

As a sufferer of many ailments which cause chronic pain and fatigue, fibromyalgia being the worst culprit, I used to worry about not being able to serve God as well as I did in my younger Christian walk before illnessdep. 

Depression would hang around my shoulders like a cloak because I felt unable to do much for Jesus, in fact unable to do much at all for even my family.

Then I had an epiphany! I realised that God can be served mostly by having a loving heart. Besides, His love for us is not dependant on what we do, but on what He has done for us! 

God only requires that I love Him with my whole heart, mind and soul, that I love justice and mercy and that I walk humbly with Him. It's nothing to do with limitations brought on by illness or disability or our lack of energy or spoons to do things. Grace is wonderful and my favourite verse in Micah says it all!


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

A prayer for unsaved husbands



Father, You said it is not good that man be alone, and in Your love, You created a help meet just for him.

You ordained the first marriage in the Garden of Eden.

And You said it was good! LORD, we who love you and marriage have found ourselves tasting of the beauty in marriage and we agree with You: it is good. 

But he who we have covenanted to love forever is not yet in Your Kingdom- we are together but still lonely... our spirits long for soul intimacy with our husband. 

What we know is good could be much better!  We ask that You bring our husbands into Your Kingdom.  A threefold cord isn't easily broken. 

Please grant us our hearts' desire LORD, for being equally yoked is in Your Will..We  pray for strength,

Patience and love to endure this lonely path known only to a Christian wife Who wants a truly godly marriage.

In Jesus' Name we pray.  Amen.


 © Glenys Robyn Hicks


For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save [thy] husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save [thy] wife?  1 Corinthians 7:16

Don't feel guilty for being a woman



As a  friend of mine  said, women are  made to feel so guilty for being women- wanting  to marry,  stay  home  and  keep  house  and  mother  our children! We  have  nothing to  thank  the  feminist movement for. .. our identity as women  has  been  trampled  on  and  we who  wish to stay at  home  have had  that dream sullied by strident women who have penis envy!

We women are created to nurture. It is in our nature to pick up a dolly and embrace her from the time we can grasp her and bring her to our chest and lips... it is entirely natural for us to offer that dolly sustenance from a toy bottle or even our breast, in imitation of our mothers feeding younger siblings...

How many of us have received a cup of tea from tiny teacups, sipping it slowly to delight our little hostesses who are still too young to be entrusted with real teapots and teacups?  Or watched the toddler girl trying to tuck her baby into her tiny dolly's pram, covering its head completely and far too young to really tuck her in? -yet her tenderness and concern is charming to watch...

Now the feminists try to tell us that we are responsible for training our daughters to become servile, and meek and weak, forcing them into a life of subservience that thwarts their potential both personally and financially.  It is easy to see that the majority of these feminists have not mothered sons who will toddle up to a dolly and proceed to poke at her eyes and twist her joints and disrobe her in an attempt to see how she works... his interest is one of inquisitiveness.... he too is doing what comes naturally to him. Working things out in a practical way...

Feminists have been instrumental in promoting contraception and abortion on demand.  They have stolen a lot of women's dreams of being mothers and have often lied to them about consequences that they say are  detrimental to them- mostly career achievements that in the end leave them with empty arms and ashes in their mouth. 

Even the married woman is convinced that her desire to be a mother is misplaced, especially if her desire is for a large family, and sadly even in some churches, this is seen to be an ambition that is frowned upon.  Yet God Himself has placed the desire to bear children and to bring children up, in our hearts.  Yet many feel guilty that they have these desires.... desires which are God given and good.

What God considers of great importance, creating a happy home for the raising of children unto Him, with the blessing of marriage and a committed father, is being destroyed by feminists who are often self-proclaimed lesbian man-haters... women who see marriage as a male invention of tyranny and control, and pregnancy as the undesirable biological entrapment of their gender...

From an early age a little girl will often be fascinated by brides and all the trimmings of a wedding, and again this is natural.  Yet feminists have now managed to influence girls to delay getting married or to cohabit without expecting or even wanting to be married, and again we find the women of today who secretly long to be married feeling guilty for desiring something that really is their birthright as women.  Feminism has taken away that which is precious to our identity as women- being a wife and enjoying the security and esteem that being married brings to a woman who loves her man...

Whilst some feminists did marry and have children, most divorced as their feminist ways weren't conducive to a happy marriage.  Still others cohabited but remained voluntarily childless... many took lesbian lovers.. 

Now not everyone is called to be married and mothers, but these feminist women have so trampled on our natural identity as women that young women and girls are feeling guilty for being women!  They are so confused with what they want in life that they are not only guilty that they want marriage, home and children  but that they are also afraid.  They are often forced to excel at school and university in order to provide for themselves, and are often in the position of finding out that even though they do now want marriage and motherhood, that they have left their run too late.  

Thanks to feminism making women guilty and afraid of their womanhood, many women who in the natural scheme of things, should already be wives and mothers, are doomed to remain single.  Or, hearing the biological clock  ticking, they find their only option to at least become mothers limited to a one night stand or artificial insemination.... hardly ideal for the foundation of a new family...

I know this is true because I have an acquaintance who has fallen for the feminists' lies and who now has found herself in exactly that position.... we are waiting to see how she approaches being childless, which incidentally happened to Germaine Greer after she discovered she did in fact want a child but was unable to have one....

All this feminist clap-trap has done nothing for womankind but heap coals of fire on young women's heads. What should be a natural God-given course of life for a woman has been thwarted and defiled... Countless women have actually become victims of feminists' lies and are destined to live out lonely sad lives... lives rich in worldly possessions but poor in those things of eternal value.

I am sorry for the young women today who feel guilty for being a woman.... I pray that they will come to realise that they are victims of feminist women who tried to liberate them from the good things God had for them, but who instead bound them up in chains of regret and longings that they will have to endure for the rest of their lonely lives...

Please ladies, don't let feminists make you feel guilty for being a woman...


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


He maketh the barren woman to keep house, [and to be] a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 113:9

I'm no longer a bunny!


 
So Easter has come and gone and so have all my spoons! I have been under the weather all over Easter and have a constant fibromyalgia flare, coupled with spinal pain.

With moving the homemaking help for the elderly stopped and it would take a long time to get it all arranged. We have decided to enlist a woman to clean for us fortnightly again.

This lady is very efficient and friendly as well and although we enlisted her for once a month cleaning, the truth is I need her fortnightly. I can maintain our home in between her visits, but with once a month, the house is needing a more thorough clean and therefore took more than the two hours I hired her to clean.

As always, I hate needing to have help these days, and Chris is too unwell to help me. It is what it is..

You would think that with having back pain for forty years and fibromyaglia and angina for twenty, that I would be more gracious to myself. I should be accepting my lot, but being a woman, I still find my perceived worth as a homemaker is dictated by how fast I spin my wheel without help.

So with my 70th birthday here in a few weeks, I am just going to have to accept my handicaps and be merciful to myself.

I should be glad that I have a husband who agrees to hiring help. A lot of women don't. So I will just stop the pity party and enjoy this season where we can afford her...

And also, when she comes, I am not going to clean the house before she comes... I am a  perfectionist, but no longer... where housework is concerned, I will get the help I need. I'm no longer a bunny!


© Glenys Robyn Hicks



God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33

Prince of Peace


 
So many years ago, the earth saw a miracle that blessed humanity for all time...


The earth that saw Jesus'  birth 33 years before, drank in the Blood that flowed freely.... freely running, freely given, freely pardoning, freely saving unto eternal life anyone who would only believe in Him.

The same earth that is Gods' footstool, trembled at the cross alongside the centurions and soldiers and those few of Christs' followers who remained or who watched from a distance....

Unable to withstand the magnitude of atonement and celestial grief, it swayed in its power, reeling as someone in shock...

And utter darkness covered the earth as it shook, highlighting the terror as God turned His Face away from His Son, unable to look upon the sin of mankind that His Son had taken upon Himself...

It violently heaved in the aftermath of a crucifixion that saw the greatest gift of redemption the earth would ever know, releasing resurrection power to many who had died and tore the Temple veil in two.

Then hastily the earth swallowed the body of Christ into its maw of hewn rock, as it had done to men since Abels' untimely death until this day.... yet no ashes to ashes or dust to dust: no decomposition...

And another Sabbath passed, not shrouded in joy and welcomed since the birth of the Jewish people, but bringing with it a desolate cloak of disbelief, shock and despair that threatened to engulf the little band of believers who had trembled at Christs' words... unaware that triumph was already His. And theirs.

Beneath, the earth reeled as Christ stripped Lucifers' hopes of victory against a God Who now presented Himself King of Kings and Everlasting God.- Light of Light, Holder of the Keys of the Kingdom, destroyer of death and sin.... and Lucifer and his minions  trembled.

The earth marvelled at the intensity of the Power of Resurrection... molecules and atoms infused with Life,  vibrant in a way it vaguely remembered at its birth so many aeons ago.... magnificent creative force, God breathed life and Power.... Pulse of God.

Was ever there a time like this as Creation remembered Diety's Touch, revelling in His Footprints as His pierced Feet swung from the burial ledge, and His Hands that held the weight of the world folded the shroud so hastily bound around His lifeless Body 3 days ago?...

An almost forgotten thrill caused the earth to shudder as the Power of Gods' angels rolled away the enormous stone that blocked the burial chamber....

And it sang in ecstasy as the Feet of its' Creator once again walked amongst men.... victorious King, conquering Saviour, merciful God, everlasting to everlasting Prince of Peace.....


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


"He is not here; he has risen!" Luke 24:6-7

Like a vapour!



It's been a rough morning. Firstly I woke up feeling the worst fibromyalgia pain I have ever felt. Not a cryer, I cried this morning. 

Then I took my morning pills- 11 of them. And they got stuck and melted... so I grabbed my cup of tea to push them down and it was boiling and I choked. 

Chris had to pump my back to try and dislodge them. I couldn't breathe and I thought I was going to Jesus right then and there.  

As I type, my throat and lungs are burning and closing over... I have lost my voice.

Please pray urgently that I don't get aspiration pneumonia again. I have had it 3 times and am prone to it... I only have one functioning lung.. 

Only good thing about today is that I can breathe and that the Rapture is so close. Maranatha. I am ready, Father! Life is so short, and it can end so suddenly... like a vapour

If you don't know Jesus as saviour why not ask Him into your life today? There's not much time left and tomorrow isn't promised... Click here for more information...  


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. -James 4:14

To eat the meat!



With Good Friday being on us, often the question of whether or not to serve red meat comes up. Basically the tradition is something the Catholic church adopted and the protestant churches followed... 

Because I have found nothing in scripture forbidding us to eat red meat on Good Friday- or even on Fridays for Christians, I have no problem whatsoever eating it. In fact, when I was worshiping at a Pentecostal church, they held a BBQ after the Good Friday service. 

The  answer  for our house is yes we eat it on Good Friday-  however,  if someone is with us who has a problem with that, we abstain for their sake. Scriptures don't tell us not to eat red meat on Good Friday, but  they  do tell  us  to  respect  the conscience and belief  of  those  who don't wish to.    believe like everything in the Christian life, it comes down to loving your neighbour and fellow man. 

This year because my son is living with us and because he upholds the traditions of his childhood when his  (non-practicing)  Catholic Italian  father  didn't eat it,  we will be having fish for lunch.  

If  my  fibromyalgia  flare goes,  our family  evening  BBQ for  Easter is  going to be at  my daughters'  home and eating fish,   because her husband upholds the traditions of the Catholic church. They do not eat red meats on Good Friday. 

I believe we are to respect other peoples' conscience in our decision whether we serve red meats to them. It is the loving thing to do.. Have a blessed Easter!  


 


If any of them that believe not bid you [to a feast], and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth [is] the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another [man's] conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 10: 27-31

God is gracious

 

We know that God is described as "gracious" many times in the Bible, but what exactly does it mean?

To be gracious means 'to favour,' to show kindnesses to an inferior, and to be compassionate. In the Old Testament of the Bible, this adjective applies to God, indicative of His favour and mercy, His long-suffering and general inclination of favour and kindness. This was originally written by Erickson and Millard. from a publication called Christian Theology, pages 320-321.

God's favour towards us is the epitome of Grace. Salvation is by Grace alone. God's abounding Grace is deeper than the largest sin. 

This Easter Saturday, may we reflect on the Grace of God that has saved us. Without salvation, no one can stand.

What a wonderful God we serve.. Gracious. Kind. Just. Loving. Righteous. Holy. Merciful. Fair.


© Glenys Robyn Hicks


Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18

God sent an angel



  I often go to Gethsemane
To watch with You awhile
And I try to bring some comfort,
That is soothing for Your soul...

The horror of what You’ll go through 
 Sends shivers down my spine- 
So I retreat to the land of reality, 
In my own space and time… 

 For the terror is so real to me, 
The anguish, pain and dread 
Of betrayal and crucifixion 
 With thorns rammed on Your head...
 
 To think You knew it all along 
From words of prophecy-
 The wonder of Your saving love 
Is the greatest miracle to me…
 
 Each time I’m in that garden, 
I’m too afraid to stay- 
No wonder God sent an angel, 
To strengthen You that day.


  © Glenys Robyn Hicks 


‘Then an angel appeared to Him from Heaven strengthening Him’ Luke 22:43