Uses of Honey and Cinnamon for Home cures

This is intended as a support document for the Home Cure article on Cinnamon and Honey.
Honey as antibacterial
Most micro-organisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity of 0.6.

(1)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey#cite_note-Prescott_1999-3
One precaution:
However, honey sometimes contains dormant endospores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in the infant’s immature intestinal tract, leading to illness and even death

Honey is mostly sugars and is not a significant source of vitamins or minerals.
Honey also contains tiny amounts of several compounds thought to function as antioxidants, including chrysin, pinobanksin, vitamin C, catalase, and pinocembrin.
Honey intoxication is more likely when using “natural” unprocessed honey and honey from farmers who may have a small number of hives.
Commercial processing, with pooling of honey from numerous sources generally dilutes any toxins.

When used topically (as, for example, a wound dressing), hydrogen peroxide is produced by dilution with body fluids. As a result, hydrogen peroxide is released slowly and acts as an antiseptic.

Hydrogen peroxide in honey is activated by dilution. However, unlike medical hydrogen peroxide, commonly 3% by volume, it is present in a concentration of only 1 mmol/L in honey.

Honey chelates and deactivates the free ion, which starts the formation of oxygen free radicals produced by hydrogen peroxide and the antioxidant constituents in honey help clean up oxygen free radicals present.

(2)

http://www.worldwidewounds.com/2001/november/Molan/honey-as-topical-agent.html

Diabetic ulcers

Topical honey has been used successfully in a comprehensive treatment of diabetic ulcers when the patient cannot use other topical antibiotics.

Acidity

The pH of honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5. This relatively acidic pH level prevents the growth of many bacteria.

(3)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297205/

J R Soc Med. 1999 June; 92(6): 283–285.

Antibacterial activity of honey against strains of Staphylococcus aureus from infected wounds.

R A Cooper, P C Molan, and K G Harding

School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, UK.

See letter “Manuka honey against Helicobacter pylori.”

See letter “Honey: is it worth rubbing it in?”

Abstract

The antibacterial action of honey in infected wounds does not depend wholly on its high osmolarity.

We tested the sensitivity of 58 strains of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from infected wounds, to a pasture honey and a manuka honey.

There was little variation between the isolates in their sensitivity to honey: minimum inhibitory concentrations were all between 2 and 3% (v/v) for the manuka honey and between 3 and 4% for the pasture honey.

Thus, these honeys would prevent growth of S. aureus if diluted by body fluids a further seven-fold to fourteen-fold beyond the point where their osmolarity ceased to be completely inhibitory.

The antibacterial action of the pasture honey relied on release of hydrogen peroxide, which in vivo might be reduced by catalase activity in tissues or blood.

The action of manuka honey stems partly from a phytochemical component, so this type of honey might be more effective in vivo. Comparative clinical trials with standardized honeys are needed.

(4)

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/565016

The clinical use of honey has received increasing interest in recent years, particularly its use as a topical antibacterial dressing.

Results thus far are extremely encouraging, and demonstrate that honey is effective against a broad range of microorganisms, including multiresistant strains.

This in-vitro study complements the work of others and focuses on the impact that a standardized honey can have on multiresistant bacteria that are regularly found in wounds and are responsible for increased morbidity.
Medihoney™ Antibacterial Honey (Medihoney™ Pty LTD, Richlands, Australia) is a standardized medical honey that is available in many countries including Australia, United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Austria, and Turkey.

It is selected for its antibacterial activity and predominantly sourced from Leptospermum species.

Sterility of products is validated against international standards and products are manufactured to meet international quality system requirements.

The antibacterial activity of Medihoney is validated for the shelf life of the product, complying with the European Medical Device Directive.

The Maori (Polynesian settlers of New Zealand) vernacular name for Leptospermum honey is manuka, the name by which it is more popularly known.

Cinnamon: antibacterial

http://www.herbalsafety.utep.edu/herbs-pdfs/cinnamon.pdf

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/39

Cinnamon, clove and lime oils were found to be inhibiting both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Cinnamon oil can be a good source of antibacterial agents.

Cinnamon – anti-inflammatory

(1)

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/41026.php

Two studies presented at Experimental Biology 2006 provide new evidence for the beneficial effects (and biochemical actions) of cinnamon as an anti-inflammatory agent, and support earlier findings of its power as an anti-oxidant agent and an agent able to lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose, and improve how well insulin functions.
In a related study, extracts of cloves also were found to improve the function of insulin and to lower glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.
Earlier studies had shown these positive effects in laboratory studies; the study presented at Experimental Biology provides the first evidence of these beneficial effects in humans taking the equivalent of one to two cloves per day.
Earlier studies in the laboratory of one of the co-authors of all these papers, Dr. Richard A. Anderson, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, had shown that the equivalent of a quarter to half a teaspoon of cinnamon given to humans twice a day decreased risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, including glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides, by 10 to 30 percent.
These new studies showing cinnamon’s ability to block inflammation extend our understanding of the potential for the spice, says Dr. Anderson.
As an anti-inflammatory agent, cinnamon may be useful in preventing or mitigating arthritis as well as cardiovascular disease.
And as scientists increasingly understand the relationship between inflammation and insulin function in Alzheimer’s (causing some to refer to the neurodegenerative disease as “type 3 diabetes”), cinnamon’s ability to block inflammation and enhance insulin function may make it useful in combating that disease as well.

(2) Cinnamon

http://www.uspharmacist.com/content/t/complementary_and_alternative_medicine/c/10188/

Uses and Pharmacological Effects

Antimicrobial: Historically, cinnamon had been used to combat gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, dyspepsia, and Helicobacter pylori (H pylori).
The antimicrobial effect of cinnamon was identified in a laboratory experiment in which pure Cinnamomum cassia extract, mainly composed of the active ingredient cinnamaldehyde, was tested on isolated strains of bacteria, including gram-positive Staphylococcus aurus, gram-negative Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticuas , and Samonella typhymurium.

The antimicrobial effect resulted in a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of cinnamomum cassia extract ranging from 75 mcg/mL to 600 mcg/mL on these various bacteria.
However, conflicting data was obtained in a randomized, controlled pilot clinical trial of 15 patients ages 16 to 79 who had a positive Campylobacter urease test for H pylori.
Each patient in the control group received 40 mg of ethanol extract of cinnamon twice daily for four weeks; the control group received plain 95% ethanol.

With urea breath tests as the measurement of efficacy, the mean urea breath test before and after the study for the treated group were 22.1 and 24.4, respectively; the mean urea breath test before and after the study for the controlled group were 23.9 and 25.9, respectively.
This conclusive study found that 40 mg of cinnamon extract given twice daily was ineffective in eradicating H pylori.
Anti-inflammatory:
Although cinnamon historically had not been used to treat inflammatory disorders, its anti-inflammatory effect was demonstrated experimentally.
Specifically, Cinnamomum cassia was used to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect on nitric oxide (NO) and Nuclear factor kappa-b (NF-kB).

Both substances have been implicated in inflammation.
In acute and chronic inflammation, there is an increased production of NO, which promotes vasodilatation and results in increased vascular permeability and edema.

Nitric oxide also activates COX-2 enzyme involving in the biosynthetic pathway of inflammatory prostaglandins.2,6 NF-kB contributes to inflammation through induction of transcription of genes coding for inflammatory mediators.
It was found that cinnamaldehyde, specifically 2′-hydroxycinnamaldehyde found in Cinnamomum cassia extract, exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on NO production and transcriptional activity of NF-kB, thereby contributing to its anti-inflammatory qualities.
Antifungal:
Cinnamon oil has been reported as an antifungal agent, although current efficacy of cinnamon oil’s fungicidal effect has not been tested in clinical trials.
Experimentally, promising results on its antifungal activity were reported in two in vitro studies of cinnamon oil on Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus niger.
Crytococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen affecting the lungs or meninges of immunocompromised or AIDS patients, causing pulmonary cryptococcosis or cryptococcocal meningitis.
It was found that the phenolic compound in cinnamon oil identified as eugenol is responsible for its fungitoxic activity.
Cinnamon oil’s antifungal property was again demonstrated in a more recent in vitro study on Aspergillus niger (A. niger), an opportunistic fungal pathogen residing in the air and, through inhalation of Aspergillus sp. spores, entering the respiratory tract of patients with AIDS or with immunocrompromised conditions to cause Aspergillosis.

Seventy-five botanical essential oils, including Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cinnamomum cassia, were tested for the inhibition of hyphal growth and spore formation on inoculated agar with A. niger incubated at 28C for 48 hours.

Among the 75 botanical essential oils used, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cinnamomum cassia demonstrated maximal and superior results; the zone of hyphal growth inhibition and zone of spore formation were 43 and 40 versus 50 and 45 for Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cinnamomum cassia, respectively.
Antioxidant:
There is more to cinnamon besides the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal effects attributed to cinnamaldehyde found in Cinnamomum cassia powder and oil.
The presence of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC), a class of bioflavonoid, opened a new area of research on its antioxidative effect. Through agriculture research, type A and type B oligomeric proanthocyanidins were identified in cinnamon spice via mass spectrometer analysis.
Additionally, it was found that over 84% to 90% of OPC found in cinnamon spice were type A OPC.
However, there has not been a specific study on the antioxidative effect of cinnamon alone.
Antioxidants are essential to the human body to neutralize free-reactive oxygen species, also known as free radicals, to maintain functional cellular membrane and structure.
Furthermore, free radicals associated with impaired glucose metabolism and antioxidants have been implicated in the regression of diabetes mellitus.

Honey

Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot.
It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always honey.
However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call “crystallizing”.
When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, off the heat and let it liquefy It is then as good as it ever was.
Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey.

Honey and Cinnamon:

It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases.
Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world.
Scientists of today also accept honey as a ‘Ram Ban’ (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases.

Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.Today’s science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.
Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast.
It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack.
Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack.
Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat.

In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.
ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured.

**if it is osteoarthritis, it cannot be cured, because the bone is gone. However, it may help with inflammation.

In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University , it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder…

CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours.
As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days.
This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root…

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts.
Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ‘ Ingredient’ which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age.
Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon
powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea.
Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age.
Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste.
Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root

SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water.
If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully.
Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body.
Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible.
Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:
People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS:
Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing.

Words "Justice" and "Holy"

There are a few words that I have been made aware of that thought I knew what they meant, but now I have found that I have been wrong about . The words 'Justice' and 'Holy'. Many of us think we know what these words means as it pertains to God and us. Well maybe we need to reconsider these words in light of how the Bible explains them.This is from the teachings of Steve McVey at: http://gracewalkministries.blogspot.com/
Justice- http://gracewalkministries.blogspot.com/2010/11/divine-justice-and-grace.html

God-as-Judge viewpoint does not present a biblical picture of what divine justice is about at all, but is a legalistic perspective that comes from human culture. Biblically, to "bring justice" does not mean to bring punishment, but to bring healing and reconciliation. Justice means to make things right. Throughout the Prophets justice is associated with caring for others, as something that is not in conflict with mercy, but rather an expression of it. Divine justice is God's saving action at work for all that are oppressed, as the following verses demonstrate:

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:17). Note what happens when one does right by seeking justice. The oppressed are encouraged and the helpless are helped.

This is what the LORD says: "`Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed (Jeremiah 21:12). Justice is done when the oppressed is rescued.

This is what the LORD Almighty says: `Administer true justice: show mercy and compassion to one another (Zechariah 7:9). How does one administer true justice? By showing mercy and compassion to everybody involved.

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice( Isaiah 30:18). What is the reason our Lord wants to be gracious to us? Because He is just.

If we want to understand the concept of justice as the writers of the Old Testament did, then we must see it as a "setting things right again." There is no conflict between God's justice and His mercy. They both flow from His love.

The justice that Jesus ushers in, the righteousness he brings, have to do with God pouring his love out on us, with God showing his compassion toward us. They have to do with God meeting us in our need and liberating us from sin and oppression. With "setting things right" - that is what biblical justice is about. There is no dichotomy between a "God of justice" in the Old Testament and a "God of mercy" in the New. There is no split in God's character. God has always been a compassionate God, a God of love. Jesus reveals who God is and who God has always been. Justice is about mercy. Justice comes through mercy and always has.

Our God is just in forgiving your sins and giving you His nature because He has righted the wrong done by Adam. They key issue in the Father's justice wasn't somebody being paid back for sin. His justice was in the fact that He gave back what had been lost by Adam's fall. Justice is God's grace at work in love.

So where did this idea that God's justice was some retribution or payback that caused us harm and not good come from? Religion and doctrines of men. God's justice is nothing like what many in religion would have us believe it is. I am thankful that God has set me straight on the true mean of God's Divine Justice. Aren't you?

Now on to another word that we get all screwed up with, HOLY what does this word really mean Biblically? I know what I have been told it  means, that I have to act and behave in a certain manner, and that manner is based upon exactly what church you might be going to. Some would say that women need to have long hair, but that it must be put up in some sort of bun and then covered up, that women must not wear makeup or wear jewelry, or that one should not drink , cuss, or play cards or gamble, a whole list of don'ts that some how  will make a person holy if they do them, at least so that they may appear to look holier than thou . But thankfully that is not what Holy means, and thank God and Yeshua for that!
http://gracewalkministries.blogspot.com/2010/11/exactly-who-is-holy.html

Just who is holy and who isn't. God has shown me that I shouldn't call any person unholy. That's right. Nobody. I am actually quoting a Bible verse. When speaking in the house of Cornelius, the Apostle Peter said this: "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean" (Acts 10:28,emphasis added). Peter was referring to Cornelius, a man who was not a believer at the time Peter said those words. In essence he said, "God told me not to call Cornelius unholy." Let's back up and look at the context of his statement.In Acts 10:9-16, God gave Peter a vision of a blanket descending from heaven with all kinds of animals in it, both clean and unclean. The Lord spoke to Peter and told him to kill and eat the animals. Seeing the unclean animals there and being a devout Jew who would never eat any kind of unclean animal, Peter protested. "There's no way, Lord! I've never eaten anything unholy or unclean!" The key to us understanding this vision is to recognize that God wasn't trying to teach Peter something about animals. He was teaching him something about people. He was about to direct Peter to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. That commission was going to take some advance preparation if Peter was to go there. As he pointed out to them when he got to Cornelius' house, it was unlawful for a man who was a Jew "to associate with a foreigner (Gentile) or visit him" (Acts 10:28). Gentiles were considered to be unholy and unclean and no respectable Jew would go into a Gentile's home. But Peter had something to learn about how far reaching God's grace is. His response to being told to eat the animals was in perfect alignment with his religious training. Jews don't eat pork. It's that simple. But God is more interested in people than pork, so He didn't mince words when He told Peter not to call unholy what He had made holy.Peter got the message and about that time there was a knock at the door. "Go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself," God told Peter. (Acts 10:20) So off this Jewish evangelist went to a Gentile's house. With a new mindset and a message Cornelius needed to hear. Cornelius was what we often call today "a seeker." He wasn't a believer when Peter got there. In fact, when he came to the door and saw Peter he fell down and started to worship him until Peter made him get up. (See Acts 10:25-26) It's important to understand what I just wrote: Cornelius was not a believer when Peter arrived at his house. Later, when Peter was explaining why He went to there and what happened, he described what Cornelius had said to him about how an angel appeared to him and told him that Peter "will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household" (Acts 11:14). Again, once more for emphasis, I encourage you to take note that Cornelius was not a believer when Peter came to his house. Peter walked into his house and once inside, the first thing he said to the group was, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean." In other words, "I know you're all wondering why I'm breaking the rules about coming into the house of an unholy and unclean man. Well, here's why: God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean."Was Cornelius a believer at the time Peter said that? No, he was not. Was he holy when Peter spoke those words? I think the Lord had made that quite clear to Peter already, don't you? The man was already holy, before he believed.Let's go back to the statement I made at the beginning of this blog: God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy. If it bothers you for me to suggest such a thing, what are you going to do with the fact that He showed Peter the same thing? The vocabulary we use in regard to faith and how we need to make sure we are using the right definition when we use words to define and describe our faith. "Holy" is a word that is widely misunderstood in the church world. Many think it refers strictly to the way a person lives. It is generally associated with a squeaky-clean lifestyle like one might imagine a monk or a nun or maybe a really great pastor to live. (I won't take the time to ruin your illusion about that opinion right now.) The word "holy" isn't a word that refers to a lifestyle as much as it denotes something else. For instance, we refer to the "Holy Bible" but realize that a Bible isn't holy because it behaves a particular way. It doesn't behave any way. It's a book.Holy is the Greek word, hagios and means "to be set apart; to dedicate or consecrate." It is the same word that is often translated as "saint" in the New Testament. The word has to do with God's choice of a person, not how a person behaves.So Cornelius was a holy man because God had set His heart on Him to have him for Himself. That's what make anybody holy. If God has chosen to love us, we are holy. If He has set us apart as somebody He wants, we are holy. Many believe (as I did for years) that God only loves the elect and does not love those who are not the elect, but the good news of the gospel is this: In Jesus Christ you are elect! Your God wants you! He has dealt with the sin of those He has chosen and that makes them holy, regardless of whether they know it, believe it, feel it or act like it. We don't make ourselves holy. He does. If Christ came to save you, then you are holy. Who did Jesus Christ come to save? He came to seek and to save those who are lost. (See Luke 19:10) He gathered up Adam's race into Himself and dealt with our sin, once for all. That makes us holy. "He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy . . ." (Colossians 1:22). This verse suggests that anybody who has been reconciled has been made holy and "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19).We must reject the idea that holiness is contingent upon how a person behaves or even believes. That view is legalism in its most raw form. Holiness comes from what Christ has done for us. If He died for somebody, He has chosen that person and if He has chosen them, they are holy. After all, did Jesus die for anybody He doesn't really want? Of course not! Hebrews 10:10 says, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (NIV). Who has been made holy? We have. Who are the "we" in this verse? Those for whom Jesus sacrificed His body. And who is that? Once for all.

I am not saying that everybody is a Christian. A Christian is one who expresses faith in Christ. I am saying that everybody is included in the work of Jesus at the cross and has been made holy by God but for that reality to have personal meaning to us, we must believe it. But we are holy whether we believe it or not. God's truth is not nullified by our unbelief. The Apostle Paul asked, "What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?" (Romans 3:3) What Jesus did, He did, whether we believe it or not.

What difference does it make whether we see every person as holy or not? The difference is that we will either see people the way our Father sees them - included in the work of the cross, loved, having great value, and being chosen by Him (made holy), as evidenced by the fact that Christ died for them - or we will see them as standing on the other side of a line we have imagined in our minds. It's an imaginary line that divides the "haves" from the "have-nots." The truth is that there are no haves and have-nots in God's economy. We are all included in the finished work of Jesus at the cross. It wasn't just for those who have believed it. He tasted death for everybody. (See Hebrews 2:9) Our joy is to declare to every person that their Creator loves them and has chosen them for His own. As we proclaim that good news (the gospel), we will draw people in as opposed to repelling them, which is what religion does.

As we proclaim to them what Jesus has already accomplished for them and they believe it, those who are lost will discover they have been found and those who are blind will begin to see. Those who are dead to what He has done will come alive to the truth of being in Christ. In discovering and seeing and coming alive to what Jesus has done for them, they will be "born again" and begin to enjoy the Life that is ours in Christ. They will delight in knowing that they were holy before the messenger ever got to their door. They will thrill in knowing that God demonstrated His love toward humanity in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (See Romans 5:8) And when He did that, everything changed for everybody. The work of the cross is so much bigger than we have known!

So as you can see from this small study that what we thought we knew about the word Justice and Holy, were only what religion has taught us and not what Yeshua/Jesus has make known to us.
May God open your hearts and minds to His truths this day, and may God bless you in Yeshua our Lord
Blessings in Yeshua

A NEEDED PERSPECTIVE WAKEUP

REMEMBER MY SONG IN THE NIGHT

Remember My Song in the Night
STREAMS IN THE DESERT DEVOTIONAL by Mrs. Charles Cowman
"I call to remembrance my song in the night" (Psalm 77:6).

I have read somewhere of a little bird that will never sing the melody his master wishes while his cage is full of light. He learns a snatch of this, a bar of that, but never an entire song of its own until the cage is covered and the morning beams shut out.
A good many people never learn to sing until the darkling shadows fall. The fabled nightingale carols with his breast against a thorn. It was in the night that the song of the angels was heard. It was at midnight that the cry came, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him."
Indeed it is extremely doubtful if a soul can really know the love of God in its richness and in its comforting, satisfying completeness until the skies are black and lowering.
Light comes out of darkness, morning out of the womb of the night.
James Creelman, in one of his letters, describes his trip through the Balkan States in search of Natalie, the exiled Queen of Serbia.

"In that memorable journey," he says, "I learned for the first time that the world's supply of attar of roses comes from the Balkan Mountains. And the thing that interested me most," he goes on, "is that the roses must be gathered in the darkest hours. The pickers start out at one o'clock and finish picking them at two."At first it seemed to me a relic of superstition; but I investigated the picturesque mystery, and learned that actual scientific tests had proven that fully forty per cent of the fragrance of roses disappeared in the light of day."And in human life and human culture that is not a playful, fanciful conceit; it is a real veritable fact. -Malcolm J. McLeod

AN EAGLE'S PERSPECTIVE

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional



November 17, 2010
Perspective
"They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
-Isaiah 40:31

Birds overcome the lower law of gravity by the higher law of flight. And what is true for birds is true for the soul. Souls that soar on wings like eagles overcome the lower law of sin and death. Hannah Whitall Smith writes, "The 'law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' must necessarily be a higher and more dominant law than the law of sin and death; therefore, the soul that has mounted into this upper region of the life in Christ cannot fail to conquer and triumph." *[1]
Why is it then that so many Christians fail to conquer? Perhaps it's because we fail to mount up and soar with wings and choose instead to live on the same low level as our trials. Little wonder we blunder when the battleground we choose is on an earthly plane. Christians are powerless there; that is, unless they shift to a higher battleground and choose weapons of warfare that are spiritual.
What we need is perspective. We need to see what birds see. When, like eagles, we soar on wings, trials look extraordinarily different. When viewed from their own level, trials look like impassable walls, but when viewed from above, the wall appears as a thin line, something easily overcome.
You have wings. You don't need stronger, better ones. You don't need more wings, or larger ones. You possess all that you need to gain a heavenly perspective on your trials and thereby overcome. A passive or inactive trust in the Lord won't do. To use your wings is to actively trust in God.
Lord, I don't want to trust You in theory or in word only. I want my trust in You to be as active and as strenuous as "mounting up with wings." As I do, thank You for the higher, heavenly perspective You give me over my trials.



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[1]* Smith, Hannah Whitall, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1976, p.169.

Taken from Diamonds in the Dust. Copyright © 1993 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530


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I love reading articles from Joni Eareckson Tada, because she knows about faith even if the road ahead for her does not bode well or promise an outcome she may desire, she still keeps on keeping on.She has been gifted a Godly perspective on this physical life that many of us do not have, but should. When a person can live a life of faith and trust and maintain a  love for God as she does I take notice, and want to hear how she has kept the faith in the face of such a terrible loss of physical abilities and trauma that she has gone through.
How do people do it, in the face of so much pain and grief and loss how do they continue to have faith in God, how do they maintain a love for God under the trying circumstances that people like this have and are going through? I want to know, I want to know their secret , these are the people I study, these are the people worthy of my respect. These are the people like Joesph and Daniel of the Tanakh who through many many years of trial , pain, imprisonment, continued to love and respect and honor God with their lives. These are the folks that are heroes in my book and who we need to listen to.
Blessings in Christ
Endura/ PATC

THE EIGHT POINTS OF TESTING

The eight points of testing

2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6

"... thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ ..." (v.14)

Some of the characteristics of faithfulness are honesty, reliability and a deep concern for truth. Another characteristic is the quality of carrying through on all God's commands to us -- keeping faith to the end.

To help us come through the times of testing everyone has to face at some time, the Holy Spirit builds into us the ability to see things through to the end. One writer has listed the eight fiercest tests a Christian faces in this world in this order:
 (1) Humiliation -- a savage and plausible attack on our reputation. (2) Suffering -- physical, mental or spiritual.
(3) Bereavement -- especially in relation to a loved one whose death was "untimely."
(4) Estrangement or treachery from one's family and friends.
 (5) Doubt -- deep, dark and awful.
 (6) Failure -- the breaking up of one's life work.
(7) Dereliction -- the sense of being forsaken by God.
(8) A slow, painful and unillumined death.

Not all of us have all of them to meet, but meeting any one of them can be a strong and severe test. How does a Christian triumph in the midst of such fierce testings as are listed above? Any triumph we experience at such times is the triumph of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us, not just for the pleasure of inhabiting our beings, but to lead us to victory over all our problems. Perhaps you are being called to face one or more of these eight points of testing this very moment. Then take courage -- the Holy Spirit is with you and in you to take you through the fire and bring you out triumphant.

Prayer: Father, I am grateful that Your Spirit dwells within me to lead me through to victory. Even in my darkest trials You are there, inspiring me and causing me to triumph in all things. Thank You, Father. Amen.
For Further Study
Luke 10:19; Psa. 44:5; Rom. 8:35-37;1 John 5:4
1. What was Jesus' promise to His disciples?
2. What was Paul's gripping conviction? Steadfastness
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Looking over this list it is apparent to me that every one of us goes through at least 2 of these  test or trials, if not all of them in our life time. It does not matter whether we are saved or not we all face these trials. I know that when I am going through one of these trials I look around and see that  many people 'seem' to be living a better life than I am because many  people are better at showing a good face in public. But I know for sure that no matter the mask we show in public, ALL  of us are going through one of these trials and that ,you can take to the bank. No one is exempt all of us must grow up. Those not saved are being led to the Lord, those saved are being brought through the fire and enabled to get through these trials with the aid of God's Holy Spirit.

Life is no picnic that is for sure, I struggle daily with pain, and the inability to walk without a walker or crutches, every step I take is very painful for me in my knees,hip and back, and when I use my crutches the pain in my shoulders and wrist get aggravated because of the pressure from added weight put on them while using my crutches. Each night is a battle trying to get the sleep I know I need but unable to because of pain, and now battling a cold that keeps me coughing and blowing my nose all day and night, just compounds the problem.
I am only telling you this not to seek sympathy, but,  so you know that I am a fellow traveler here on earth and I am living in and through these test daily and not someone who is always portraying perfection and constant victory in all areas of their life , I am not . The words I write here is for the most part for me to remind me of who I am and who lives in me . God is within me ,for the purpose of seeing me through these trials so that I can mature in Him ,so that I will be the person I need to be when the next age comes.
Maybe I just need more trials in my life because I need to grow up in the Lord more than I have been in the past, which probably would not be to far from the truth. But what ever the reason we are going through these test or trials, we need to stop hitting ourselves in the head over them  with fear, blame, guilt, worry or whatever the negative theme we use on ourselves and just start viewing these trials as stepping stones to the kingdom of God and rest in God's mercy to carry us up the steps.
Blessings in Christ
Endura/PATC

THE VICTORY IS IN A MAN/GOD

Bible in Basic English, Ephesians 1:17-23
17 That the God of our(my) Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you (Me) a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 18 And that having the eyes of your (My) heart full of light, you (I) may have knowledge of what is the hope of his purpose, what is the wealth of the glory of his heritage in the saints, 19 And how unlimited is his power to us (Me)who have faith, as is seen in the working of the strength of his power, 20 By which he made Christ come back from the dead, and gave him a place at his right hand in heaven, 21 Far over all rule and authority and power and every name which is named, not only in the present order, but in that which is to come: 22 And he has put all things under his feet, and has made him to be head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the full measure of him in whom all things are made complete.


Bible in Basic English- Ephesians 2:1-
1 And to you (me) did he give life, when you (I) were/was dead through your(my) wrongdoing and sins, 2 In which you (I) were/was living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God; 3 Among whom we (I) all at one time were/was living in the pleasures of our(my) flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us (me) even as for the rest. 4 But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us (me), 5 Even when we (I) were/was dead through our(my) sins, gave us (me) life together with Christ (by grace you (I) have salvation), 6 So that we (I) came back from death with him, and are seated with him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus; 7 That in the time to come he might make clear the full wealth of his grace in his mercy to us (me) in Christ Jesus: 8 Because by grace you (I) have salvation through faith; and that not of yourselves (myself): it is given by God: 9 Not by works, so that no man may take glory to himself. 10 For by his act we(I) were/was given existence in Christ Jesus to do those good works which God before made ready for us(me) so that we(I) might do them."

When reading a scriptures like this it is best to make it as personal as you can so you get the message straight, it is not about them or they or us it is about YOU.We struggle it seems all the time with the idea that some how we must fight the battle, why is that ? When the battle has been won? We go looking for the enemy , why? When the enemy is already conquered ! The job is done, our duty is to rest in Christ . Our duty is to Stand  in faith when the so called enemy comes calling, he is nothing, he is nothing but hot air and no substance. Believe the scriptures and the victory is ours.
blessings in Christ
PATC

There is no higher place in the universe than to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Indeed, since Christ is larger than the universe, then to be seated with Christ is to be above and beyond all time and space and dimension as we know it. To be seated with Christ is to overcome as He has overcome. It is entering into His victory. It is not a fight to obtain victory, but a sitting down having already been made victorious. It is rest, but it is not “rest” in the sense that we do nothing. It means we have rested from our labors and now we work according to His power which works in us and through us.

God does not give us victory, God places us into Christ as our Victory. Since we are one with Him, it is nevermore a question of our ability, gifts, talents, or power. Everything we ARE is swallowed up and eclipsed and surpassed by everything HE IS. Today, in Christ, I overcome: but not because I am anything. On the contrary I am nothing. But since I am in Christ, Who is God’s Everything, His overcoming is my overcoming. If the Head overcomes, so does the Body which is joined to the Head. If the Vine overcomes, so do the branches which are joined to the Vine. Can you see this? Take the weakest member and put it in union with the Head and they will go the way the Head goes. Take the weakest branch and put it in union with the Vine and it will go the way the Vine goes.

When we begin looking to the Son as the Sum of All Things then we are giving Christ the preeminence. We are entering into the very heart, mind, thought, intent, purpose, and plan of God – that Christ Himself would fill all things, that His glory would be reflected in all things. If our way is a method, then the method gets the attention, and the man who created the method gets the credit, and the people who put the method into practice get the glory. But if my “method” is Christ, then Christ gets all the attention, Christ gets all the credit, and Christ gets all the glory. In this way Christ is magnified, the heart of God is satisfied, and we ourselves are attuned to His Will in Christ.

This was taken from a wonderful essay, please read the whole lesson  by Chip Brogden located here: http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/victory-is-a-man.html

ANSWERED PRAYERS



 OZARKS IN NOVEMBER,by P.A.T.C

 I would like to say a big thank you , to those who prayed for me at home and on their Twitter account,  Arts&Disability especially . If you remember my "WOE IS ME' post earlier elaborating on the changes occurring in my life, and the  anxiety that produces you can see how God has worked in our lives in such a short time . So here is the ongoing answers to prayer.
My husbands back pain is improving , so much so that he canceled his appointment to the pain clinic Monday and started his new job instead working as a trucking dispatcher at his Aunt and Cousin's Trucking business. So now his back can continue to mend since he no longer has to sit bouncing constantly on the roads. I now am a stay at home wife, although it may take me most of the day to do my chores, I am blessed to be able to do so. I also am blessed to be available to care for my grandsons when they are sick from school so that my daughter doesn't have to miss work to care for them. I will be here for them, which is one of the things I missed while on the road, not being there for my family when they needed me really wore on me. With all the added work around the home , the added movement that is involved in doing the simple things, it is my hope to improve my health. Although I over done it my first day trying to clean house, I will work on learning my limitations and then trying to slowing improve my mobility issues. God has done many things in my life, and so quickly after the ball got rolling that I am amazed at it all. It is a new life for my husband and I, he had been a trucker for over 17 years and I have been on the road with him for over 13 years, so learning new habits and being able to do something other than sitting in the passenger seat is a welcomed change in my life. I have a new life to explore and I am thankful to have the opportunity to do so!!!!
God is truly good
growing in Christ
blessings to ya

BECOMING THE PERSON GOD WANTS

BECOMING THE PERSON GOD WANTS
by Neil Anderson

November 9
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all . . . are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit


When you begin to align your goals with God's goals and your desires with God's desires, you will rid your life of a lot of anger, anxiety and depression. The homemaker who wants a happy, harmonious family is expressing a godly desire, but she cannot guarantee that it will happen. So she'd better not base her identity and sense of worth on it or she will be a basket case of anger or resentment toward her sometimes less-than-harmonious family.

Instead she could decide, "I'm going to be the wife and mother God wants me to be." That's a great goal! Is it impossible or uncertain? No, because it's also God's goal for her and nothing is impossible with God. Who can block her goal? She's the only one who can. As long as she cooperates with God's goal for her, her success is assured.

"But what if my husband has a mid-life crisis or my kids rebel?" she may object. Problems like that aren't blocking her goal of being the wife and mother God wants her to be, but they will put her goal to a serious test. If her husband ever needs a godly wife, and if her children ever need a godly mother, it's in times of trouble. Family difficulties are merely new opportunities for her to fulfill her goal of being the woman God wants her to be.

The pastor whose worth is based on his goal to win his community for Christ, have the best youth ministry in town, or increase giving to missions by 50 percent is headed for a fall. These are worthwhile desires, but they are poor goals by which to determine his worth because they can be blocked by people or circumstances. Rather he could say, "I'm going to be the pastor God wants me to be." That's a great goal because nothing can block him from achieving it.

God's basic goal for your life is character development: becoming the person God wants you to be. Because it's a godly goal, no one can block it except you.

Prayer: Lord, I want to be the person You called me to be today. Thank You that by Your grace I can be that person.






This devotional really struck a chord with me this morning. How often we base our goals on people , things, our jobs, our kids, our loves, our relationship with others,our abilities and how often they do not measure up to our expectations and our goals for them and our selves. I don't know about you but I am so guilty of this,no wonder I feel defeated, and make so many excuses for never measuring up. As a Homemaker it is very easy basing my identity and self-worth on what I do for my family and my husband and when I feel like they don't help me feel like who I want to be or when I don't seem to measure up to their or other people's standards of excellence, what a blow to one's ego. Being hit hard with Arthritis and being disabled I can no longer meet my own standards as to what or how much I should do as a Homemaker, tending the home and all that ,that requires is no longer within my abilities , what use to be a simple task, it takes a whole lot more work,time and pain to get the things done that use to be easy to do. Now it is hard as hell to do and takes every bit of my energy to do just the simple tasks I use to do, to even measure up to my ideal of perfection. That has been taken from me, by arthritis and pain, and along with that my so called 'identity' is no longer within reach. It is hard to remember the truth of the matter, we will never measure up to anyone's standards and especially to God's standard, and that is why we can thank God and our Lord Jesus Christ because only Jesus measures up to God's standard and it is only through and by and for Him that we are able to as well. Who I am in Christ is a done deal. There is not even a 'becoming' in the equation, I was made perfect already in Him , it happened when I became aware of the Grace of God in Christ and for that I am truly blessed and thankful. Now if I can only remember that.

Growing in Christ

blessings to ya

wordless Wednesday