Spiritual Fitness & Living With Chronic Pain

Do you ever wonder if God really hears and responds to your prayers – especially in time of desperate need? Of course you have, it is part of your human nature.

I have found that whenever I have taken a breather from prayer, usually because of some doubt about its effectiveness, then this is when my own selfish pride inadvertently  blocks the communication between the infinite God of love and the finite mind of Gordon Selley.  Have you ever felt similarly as me about this?

Prayer does not consist as an eloquent monologue between God and yourself, whereby you’re doing all of the religious talking about your own self-interests.  It’s much more than that.  Prayer with God consists of dialogue, in which you need to develop the spiritual ears to sense the voice of God as He clearly speaks His divine will into your life.  This is very hard to interpret when you are preoccupied with your own problems or experience painful hardships.

These verses offer pearls of wisdom about prayer and God’s response to your needs.

“Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place…’” (2 Chronicles 7:12-15, ESV).

Let’s see what we can glean from this scripture…One of the keys to healing is to manifest a true heart for God.  Simply, this process gets accomplished through repentance and restoration.  Essentially, when you do your part through repentance, then God does His part by restoring your life. 

After having experienced spiritual healing personally, I’ve actually heard from God during my most horrendous times of pain, in which the personal and professional landscape of opportunity seemed quite barren.  Regardless, sin and brokenness did not deter God from being connected with me. 

As this relates to you, when you honestly call upon Him, this is when God really shows up to offer an answer.  The answer might not be wrapped in a box and delivered to you on the basis of your terms.  But I can promise you this…God does respond to your needs, especially when times prove most arduous.

I encourage you not to despair if it feels like God does not respond to your prayer requests immediately.  You’re not bypassed for something better nor for something that appears more righteously aligned than how you are living.  Needless to say, it’s during these times when God remains active, albeit you might not recognize His participation. 

When you literally die to your own ambitions and really seek His presence, then wonderful connections begin to develop.  Usually this requires time to manifest.  But as this spiritual germination process unfolds, then you’ll soon recognize that just the reality of God’s presence seems to calm the most turbulent soul into a peaceful quiet.  Answers to everything are expressed beyond human comprehension, foregoing the typical means of communication through human words.  God becomes real when you finally discover that He is real.

Experience newness in your prayer life by boldly and honestly confessing all that is within you to God, and be willing, by faith, to grab onto His way of grace.  It’s new.  It’s fresh.  It’s the kingdom of God.  Believe in Him and He will become the dialogue of your prayer life.  It’s fantabulous…

Keep me on your favorites.  For more about living with chronic pain and spiritual healing visit me at www.gordonselley.com.

Perfection…Humanly speaking today within our culture, do we really try to attain something that appears unattainable?  Additionally, when experiencing brokenness within some part of our being, do we even care about perfection against obstacles like pain, fatigue, weakness, apathy, busyness and religious complacency, as examples?

During the unfolding of this 21st century, some might summarize that the closest thing to fulfilling the requirements of perfection can be found in area of computer technology.  I mention this option first because it’s inorganic.  Even though the hardware package might appear flawless, and the software might continually upgrade with performance, the truth of the matter is that the inventors of the computer are human.  And when speaking in human terms, imperfection defines even the brightest among the population.

So where do we find perfection?  And at what level is it measured to be determined as perfect?  This is where theology comes into play, interconnecting the organic man with an infinite God.

I once had difficulty with Paul’s use of the word “perfection” in his letter to the Corinthians. “…our prayer is for your perfection” (2 Corinthians 13:9, NIV).  Knowing that we cannot attain perfection while on this earth, then why would Paul tell us to aim for an ideal that appears unattainable?

Practically speaking, we observe this quite often in regards to religious faith.  Needless to say, when the bar is set too high by religious expectation, then we have or will witness several who fail in their attempts to clear it.  Basically, failure becomes inevitable by use of mere human effort, regardless of excellence, and given the fallen conditions of our present world.

So what do we do about this notion about perfection, even as it relates to God?

After studying Paul’s use of the word “perfection,” more appropriate terms, such as “restoration” or “made complete” should be considered in the translation.  Remember this…Nothing can be considered perfect without having been created by a perfect Creator. 

And here’s what’s so beautiful to observe.  The reality about faith supports perfection exactly. When we stumble, when we fall short, when we require the gaps of our human inadequacies to be filled, God does so by His redemptive grace.  As a result, He brings us into a state of perfection.  It’s God pleasure to make us perfect before Him to partake in a perfect, eternal paradise. In terms of perfection, nothing else satisfies its requirement. 

Keep me on your favorites.  For more about living with chronic pain and spiritual healing visit me at www.gordonselley.com.

Suicide is very individualistic and complex and seemingly unpredictable.  That’s why formalized therapy doesn’t necessarily prevent it from happening within the intricacies of our social networks today.  The paradigm of suicide carries as many reasons as to its occurrence as it does regarding the untold stories of its destructive nature.

While many might attribute its etiological disorder to either mental or emotional origin, the fact remains that other variables must be considered.  Sometimes suicide does not happen because of hopelessness derived from mental illness or emotional despondency.  Sometimes other things spark the downward spiral from reasonableness into extreme behaviors.  And with that being said, this is the context in which I write this blog.  Sometimes suicide is about the decision-making process as it applies to one’s logical features to attain the ideal.

In other words, it requires enormous problem-solving skills to attain the best results against overwhelming odds, like having precise focus without consideration of alternative reason.  And in terms of some suicidal cases, I think wrongful decision-making might actually influence this final arrangement about mortality as equally as does mental or emotional fragility. 

One of the disturbing realities about suicide is the fact that there are rarely any psychological autopsies performed after this tragic conclusion has occurred.  In effect, we never really know why suicide occurs, therefore, it’s extremely difficult to prevent such a deeply penetrating act to happen in the first place.

Because suicide remains extremely complex and highly individualized, we, collectively as a society and among professional specialists, are still light years away from coming up with all the necessary answers to this mysterious loss of life.

Nonetheless, the statistical data provides valuable insight for those who are left behind.  And frankly, the results are unpleasant, showing how the failure of life-coping mechanisms predisposes other family members to suicide as well.  Intergenerational suicide occurs more frequently than many might think.  The numbers are baffling.  The consequences sober the uninformed about its eventual devastation on the family unit.

Without doubt, those left behind carry a heavy millstone around their neck.  If you’re personally traumatized because of suicide, I believe formal counseling of some type is mandatory, sooner the better.  And also of importance is to become connected with those who you really trust.  The steps of recovery are often slow.  But various modes of treatment have proven to be effective for varying cases.

In closing, don’t give into the wrongful decision-making model about how to handle the seemingly insurmountable problems of your life.  Nothing solves the real issues when the option includes the finality against life.   My condolences to anyone who sojourns through this valley of darkness and loss.

Keep me on your favorites.  For more about living with chronic pain and spiritual healing, visit me at www.gordonselley.com.

If you’re living with chronic pain and feeling substandard and don’t feel like you deserve anything better than the ground where the dead branches lay, consider this…You’re more than a fallen branch – weakened, unnourished, decaying and waiting to die.

I boldly make this claim in reference to those who profess having faith in Jesus Christ, whether being Gentile or Jewish or of significant standing.  Neither race nor station plays any role when being rejuvenated and restored into life.  Only belief does.

So what does this really mean?  It means this…With all the painful messiness of your life; you’re still a branch grafted into the olive tree of life.  And more importantly, it is the root that supports you.  You’re not responsible to do something you can’t, like support the root.  And more precisely, I might add that the roots actually derive healthy nourishment from God Himself, just as you can.

The broken branches on the ground are those of unbelief.  And as this relates to you, I encourage you to press through your trials maintaining a consistency of faith.  Stay connected with the root.  He’ll personally nourish you back to health.

Keep me on your favorites.  Click daily for updates about living with chronic pain and spiritual healing at www.gordonselley.com.

Q: I’ve lost everything, my health, my job, my husband and my dignity. So…how can you find hope when everything feels destroyed?

A: Thank you for your question. Consider two poignant thoughts…

First, no matter how much devastation has happened in your life, the fact remains that you are not totally destroyed, or else you would not be inquiring about finding hope. Although your life might seem pitifully small, like a single flower left in bloom from an entire bouquet, hope still remains. You can see this from the evidence of your willingness to live onward in which to build upon…

And second, just because this season seems to represent the dead of winter, it certainly will not continue this way indefinitely. Life cycles are ebb and flow between life and death. Most likely, your ghastly circumstances are not your last expressions of life.

Given these two factors alone, there exists a real opportunity to be freed from the chains of physical and emotional destruction, as well as having your heart renewed by the compassionate love of God.

You might have asked yourself, “Do not these miserable failings mark me as one rejected by God?” This is the typical reaction of those who suffer from overwhelming pain and hardship. Nevertheless, the cruelties of this world do not adequately supply the healthy nourishment required for your soul.

Back to your original question. The key to finding hope is to find out who God is. And afterwards, when you can trust in Him completely with everything…just as you are honestly, with the messiness of everything…then you’ll discover that He’s the real hope for living to begin with…

I encourage you to reconstruct your life on this very foundation. Your wintery experience will soon give way to the spring blossoms of new life.

Keep me on your favorites. For more about living with chronic pain and spiritual healing, visit me at www.gordonselley.com

To your health, Gordon Selley

Just because you might be experiencing pain or undergoing horrific trials does not mean that you’re being punished by God nor does it mean that He has overlooked your bleak circumstances.

To begin to trust in God is to realize how much He really loves you. And when you fully grasp this point you’ll begin to see yourself as God sees you, precious in His sight. Followed by the fact, you’ll then begin to receive His forgiving grace which will empower you to forgive others, leading you to the epitome of transformation – to love God and to love others.

Sometimes it feels like pain functions solely as a weapon of punishment. From personal experience, I certainly relate to this emotional assertion. But once you get passed this temporary stage, even if it takes years, you’ll have the opportunity to witness the redemptive love of God. It’s remarkably beautiful.

God’s love has been compared to peace beyond our understanding. I think we need to remember this in its entirety. Oftentimes when undergoing painful adversity, we search for the peace that we can comprehend or that which makes perfect sense to us. God’s redemptive love is much more than that and even more so given the construct of suffering.

To think that you can fight through painful situations indefinitely breeds contempt within your own heart. Although our society applauds the courageous efforts of self-determination, this destructive path leads to a life marked by bitterness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, you’ll see this quite often among the chronic pain population who lacks appropriate support or spiritual enrichment.

In essence, to learn how to live through anything is to see yourself as God views you. When you catch a glimpse of this resurrection miracle, you’re life will take a different course, victorious and free from the spiritual graveyards of this world.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

To really understand how to get rid of fear baffles even the experts. Fear is not something you can catch and put into a glass jar like a lightening-bug. Rather, it’s elusive to our senses most of the time. Actually, fear is quite deceptive, slivering its way into our lives without our permission or awareness. And when you recognize your life is enveloped with fear, it’s usually after it has taken hold of your circumstances with a tight grip.

For one to simply recommend to get rid of fear as if it were easily disposable lacks understanding about the psychology and spirituality of your humanness. You can’t get rid of fear within the snap of your fingertips. It takes much more than that.

Frankly, to get rid of fear is sometimes a long and tedious process.

Fear latches itself onto the brokenhearted person, causing convoluted thinking and twisted emotional reactions. Fear does everything possible to mar your spiritual nature, to prevent you from being free from sin, and to deter you from achieving your ultimate purpose in life. Fear stands in direct opposition to love. Its function directly contradicts the process of transformation.

To summarize what to do to get rid of fear… is first to deal with your brokenness through love and forgiveness. Once you deal with your brokenness, then you’ll understand the construct of your fear and how to overcome it head-on. The entire process hinges on becoming whole by discovering who you are and then living out your purpose fully.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Let me save you some time about how to have faith when making changes. Here’s what typically happens. When people discover faith for the first time, they’re super enthused about really changing for the better, no matter the sacrifice involved. And then as time passes, commonly, the results of making these purposed changes happens very slowly and minimally, and then when discouragement sets it, well…we know the final outcome. Most people abruptly give up on the process altogether.

Nonetheless, when things get even worse, people somehow navigate towards what they believe as truth and begin the process about making positive change all over again. This pattern of starting over by having faith in change, then giving up when the results are not quickly obtained repeats itself until hopelessness eventually prevails.

This vicious cycle is clearly seen when referring to those who live in chronic pain or for those who struggle with being overweight.

Many confuse this failure to succeed in making changes as a direct result of not having enough faith, which brings me to the point regarding this blog.

Simply, we’re not asked to have faith in the ability to change for the better. And secondly, we can’t define or specify how faith works itself out completely. Or if we could, this is certainly not faith.

Faith is peculiar, meaning it comes from one source. And when we place our faith in God, we’re inwardly believing what God says to us is absolutely true. His ways are far greater than ours; causing us to relinquish our brokenness to Him so that He can ultimately change us from the inside out.

In summary, when we put our faith in God, He’ll help us to make the right changes for the better, as opposed to us trying to determine the exact changes to make, and then calling this faith. We really don’t have faith in others or in money or in opportunities or in anything else. Again, this is not faith when we count on something other than our one true source.

Here’s what faith is. Faith comes from receiving the testimony of God through Jesus Christ. Let this truth sink deeply into your being to understand real faith and its miracle-producing change available for you…

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.

Because our country celebrates Martin Luther King today, it’s also fitting to remember the realities of this historic occasion.

As with most monumental achievements when the odds seem nearly impossible, acting upon divine inspiration to accomplish something greater than what man can do on his own defined the embodiment of Dr. King.

Unity doesn’t happen on its own. Breaking down the graveyard mentality of racism took tremendous courage; but more importantly, it took an immeasurable amount of faith in God. And in the case of this civil rights leader, this is exactly the valuable lesson he left behind for this multi-cultural nation to learn.

In order to cope with overwhelming battles, like the ones we face presently, we can certainly learn from the example of Dr. King. In a nutshell, he exhibited the ability to really live, to really believe in the right arm of God that reaches deep down into the soul of man, giving him a renewed spirit of love and goodness. It was from this pool of hope that Dr. King encouraged others to draw from…for the alternative purported hatred and death.

We cannot solve all of our problems from multi-tiered strategies or from the mere efforts of our newly elected President. Like Dr. King, we must all do our part, laying aside prejudices for the common good of man, person to person, community to community, state to state, country to country… From the depths of unity, we can expand our borders of transformation and go further than ever imagined. This is what Dr. King left us as his legacy – an opportunity to live out dreams bigger than ourselves which would benefit the whole instead of the one.

There are times when I simply do not feel as if I can go one step further – literally. And when the barometric pressure goes ballistic, then everything seems to run down hill, as far as my health is concerned. For those who experience some level of chronic pain, I know that you fully understand about this phenomena very well. From arthritis, the aches and pains throb deeper, being able to alert you of further weather changes. And from searing nerve pain, the hot, burning and electrical signals simply weaken the legs, giving the rest of your body a full dose of fatigue and weariness.

So then, what can really be done when the physical part of man is totally maxed?

Besides rest, and perhaps other physician-recommended therapies, I would encourage you to give yourself to God. Just give your entire being to Him. What do you have to lose in the midst of agony? How long do you think you can try to cope with pain on your own? Get into a private place, close your eyes and, at least momentarily, let your soul escape the clutches of pain and fall into the arms of your Creator. If you need to cry, then tearfully let it go. If you’re discouraged and frightened, then approach God in the way you really are and with how you really think and feel. Speak to Him, He’ll listen. God wants you as you are…Be honest about yourself and your life and your sense about who He is. This place of honesty is where relief really happens.

In the scheme of eternity, our life here on Earth is but a breath. No matter how grueling things appear, you will not live with your current pain forever. Think of it. Our life is but two seconds in the design of infinite. And this time frame shrinks even smaller as time passes.

So what can we really look forward to if we give our lives to Christ fully in faith?

“He will wipe away every tear…and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain…” (Revelation 21:4a, NASB). This path of life renders healing and rest to your body forever. All things are made new, including you. Knowing this truth will absolutely enable you to take one more step further each day, even if your current pain tries to block your courageous efforts in doing so.

Keep me on your favorites.  Please click onto www.gordonselley.com for more information about living with chronic pain, as well as spiritual healing.