Your Spirit Mind and Body

Do You Have Spiritual Affirmations?

Mike Shanta — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:34:44 +0000

I’m a big believer in affirmations. I don’t think they are magic words that will bring us buckets of money because we say, “I am rich” over and over again. I believe affirmations help us laser focus our mind on who or what we want to be.

If we can picture the qualities we want to make a part of our lives, and repeat and look at them each day, we will train our subconscious mind to mold us into the kind of person we want to be.

There have been many experiments done on the topic of affirmations, and most of them show that the things we tend of focus on are the things we draw ourselves to or draw into our lives.

I would like to share some of my spiritual affirmations that I try to read and focus on each day. It has made a major difference in my life, and I believe it can make a difference in your life as well.

Now, you can make affirmations for anything in your life, whether it is mental, physical or spiritual. The important thing is to write and say them in the affirmative, with faith.

I have affirmations in many areas of my life, and of course as life changes, sometimes the affirmations change as well.

Please feel free to copy or adjust some of my spiritual affirmations below to fit your goals and direction in life. I hope they help.
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I am a Warrior Poet, and a Saint and Servant of the Most-High God. I dedicate my life to the service of God and to daily improvement in my spirit, mind and body!

I do at least one angel task each and every day!

I fill my mind with wholesome, good, and godly thoughts!

My top priority in life is my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my King and Savior Jesus Christ!

God gets my first and my best!

I boldly and joyfully share the Word of God whenever the opportunity arises!

I live each day in a spirit of worship, praising and loving my God?

Jesus Christ and King David are my hero’s and role models!

I live my life by a chivalrous code of conduct!

I love giving of myself, my time and my resources!

I am so excited to serve God in every aspect of my life!

I embrace God’s leadership in every aspect of my life!

I have a passion and a heart to serve God and His people!

I am a spiritual and prayer warrior!

I carry myself and treat others with a great deal of respect!

My body is a temple so I treat it and feed it as such!

I give 100% to all I put my hand to, as to the Lord!

I feed my mind daily with scriptures, motivational items and affirmations; I am a positive person!

I am a man of godly passion and faith!

I believe that God heals and answers prayer!

I am a man of God!

God 1st, others 2nd, myself 3rd!

I live a life that is worthy to be emulated!

The Word of God is precious to me!

I am faithful and unwavering in my relationship with God!

I refuse to gossip, judge others, or speak evil of others at any time to any person!
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Now, as I mentioned above, I also have affirmations on physical and mental health, creativity, relationships with family, life goals and so on.

Of course my most important affirmations have to do with my relationship with God, and striving to be a better servant of His, and a better person overall.

I hope these affirmations help spark some ideas in your life, as there is nothing more important in our lives than our relationship with our creator.

God Bless!

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“If you like what you’ve read, please share it with a friend; and recommend YourSpiritMindandBody.com to anyone you feel would benefit from it”. Please also check out my Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/XsKD1p and like me while you’re at it. Thanks!

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Where Do Our Freedoms Come From?

Mike Shanta — Tue, 28 May 2013 00:32:56 +0000

I’ve been thinking about the wonderful freedoms we have lately, and wanted to re-post this article I wrote last year for the 4th of July. Also, I just started a new job this week, and my daughter is getting married this next Sunday, June 2nd. After the dust settles, I will have some new material to post. Be blessed!

The word freedom is second nature to most of us. We take it for granted, because we were brought up in it. Most of us couldn’t imagine living in a place where we were not free to do as we pleased or go where we wanted.

There are many places around the world who can’t say the same thing. How free do you think the people of China, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and many others are?

You see, people in those countries do not have the right to speak out against their government, the right to travel anywhere they want; nor the freedom to pursue their dreams. They live under repressive governments who have total control over their lives. They can be thrown into prison by a kangaroo court and kept indefinitely if they don’t toe the line.

We, and most of the English speaking world have our freedom. We can speak out against injustice, we can pursue education, we can become who we want and go where we wish. But where did this wonderful thing called freedom come from?

The answer to that question can be found in the second chapter of the Constitution of the United States:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights. You cannot have Life, Liberty or the pursuit of Happiness without freedom.

They are not a gift of government, but guaranteed by our Constitution. You see, our freedom comes from God, but are supposed to be guaranteed by our Constitution.

Unfortunately some of those freedoms are slowly being taken away, but that is a subject for another time.

I think many young people, unless they are in the military or are raised in a military family, do not understand that freedom is not free. True freedom calls for sacrifice, sometimes that sacrifice is doing the right thing instead of the easy thing. It can call for the ultimate sacrifice which has been given by so many brave men and women of this country.

The reason there are people in prisons, is because they have shown themselves unable to function in a free environment. Instead of living responsibly within those freedoms, they broke the law and someone else had to come in and control their lives since they could or would not.

If you look through the history of the bible you will see a pattern of God’s dealing with His people. God gives people their freedom and blesses them in so many ways, but as people stop appreciating the freedom and embracing every form of evil God is forced to take their freedom away.

If you look at the countries that have no freedom, you will see they are countries where there is no God; or information about Him is controlled by the state.

Where the true God is not accepted, governments and dictators become the god of their people. I fear that is happening in the United States. As we continue to kick God out of every aspect of public life we will lose more and more of our freedoms. Without God there is no freedom.

On the bright side, if you are walking with God, there is nothing government can do to take away your relationship with God. Government can take away our unalienable rights that God has given us, but we are still God’s and He will be with us no matter what.

As God is slowly and systematically removed from society the morals and values of people will continue to worsen. People will become more selfish and self-serving, as well as, continue to feel more and more entitled.

I think you’re getting the picture of the freedom given to us by God, vs. the freedom that is controlled by a government. The one calls for responsible decision making; with the promise of wonderful national and personal blessings, the other calls for blind obedience to the government and the promise they provide what they think we need.

As you celebrate our freedoms coming up in July, please spend some time thanking God for the wonderful blessings and freedoms that He has bestowed upon us and this country. Walk in the light and you will always be free.

I wonder how much longer we will be able to hold on to our current freedoms?

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Do You Judge Others?

Mike Shanta — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:26:19 +0000

Photo by EngelFish

Matthew 7:1-5 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

We all know that scripture, but we all tend to judge others to one degree or another anyway. Why is that?

We often judge people by their speech, such as vocabulary and slang. We judge them by how they dress; her skirt is too short, his pants are hanging down, he’s wearing high waters, someone that size shouldn’t be wearing that outfit, she looks like a criminal, etc.

How many of us have not looked at the websites of Wal-creatures, and made remarks? It is very hard not to judge others especially when so many people seem so contrary to the values and standards we hold.

We just judge people on a whole array of things, and most of the time we do it without giving it a thought; at least until after the fact.

The scriptures say that one day we will judge angels. (1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?) How can God trust us to fairly judge angels if we can’t fairly judge other people?

God wants and expects us to judge actions and behaviors. We need to be making judgments on what’s right and wrong, and what’s proper and improper. We have a responsibility to judge someone’s behavior as to whether it’s right or wrong especially as it relates to us, but we do not have the right to judge that person. There is a difference.

We have no idea what some ones been through, or the things that led them to be the way they are. Only God knows those things, which is why only God has the right to judge another person.

I don’t know about any of you reading this, but in my youth I had a bad drug problem and lived a life very contrary to God. Although it took some serious hard knocks, God brought me thought it. He saw something in me worth redeeming, which is the part we don’t often see.

We see bad behavior and condemn the person and want nothing to do with them. Many Christians I have known will only hang out with other Christians. They wouldn’t think of tainting themselves by hanging out with sinners. Are we not all sinners?

Let me ask you, who did Jesus go to, and surround Himself with? Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but those who are sick.

If we spend our time judging and looking down on people, how can we help make a difference in their life? Not everyone is going to make it to your church or fellowship group, so we need to go to where people are. We cannot let our light shine if we hide it under the bushel of our churches.

My 22 year old daughter got quite a compliment the other day. She works at a place where there are a lot of, lets say, very worldly people with very salty language. A lady that works near my daughter turned to her and said, “you don’t swear, do you”? My daughter smiled and just said no, but I’m no one’s judge. The lady apologized for her language, and asked her to let her know if she ever offends her.

Now some people might have wanted to judge that lady, and give her a piece of their righteousness, but my daughter chose not to do that. By her actions she let that lady see a glimmer of light she’s not used to seeing in others. It’s a light that people can see when we let God’s light shine through. When you let your light shine in the darkness, people notice and it plants a seed.

Making judgments about what is right and good is something we should do. But judging people because we don’t agree with them or because they offend our sensibilities is wrong.

Instead of judging people, pray for them.

I know from experience that not judging others is not easy, because I regularly have to repent of it.

I’m just glad that I am becoming more and more aware of it, which puts me in a better position to work on that part of me.

What do you say we all try and do a little better at not judging others?

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You’ve Got a Friend

Mike Shanta — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:00:32 +0000

Photo by VinothChandar

What is one of the greatest desires any of us has? What is it we yearn for in the very depths of our being? What is it we crave and long for, that no amount of money or material possessions can fulfill in us? That would be the longing to belong, and the desire to be loved and wanted. It’s the need to fill a void that each one of us has within us.

We were created to need somebody special in our life; someone we know we can lean on, count on, and someone who will always be there for us. We find that to a point in very deep relationships like a marriage or in relationships with close friends. Unfortunately, those relationships can only fill us to a point, and are not meant to be the end all in our desire for love and connection

We were all created incomplete, but for a very important reason. God created us with a void to help point us in the direction we need to go. If God had not created us this way, we’d be like a ship on the sea with no compass, sail or rudder. We’d be floating around lost, directionless, with no control and no knowledge of our purpose.

Anyway, while I was thinking about all this, the song “You’ve Got a Friend” came to mind. I decided to look up the lyrics and share them with you. I don’t know the story behind Carol King writing the lyrics, but it is one of those songs that move people deeply.

I’ve also shared a link to James Taylor performing “You’ve Got a Friend” on YouTube, and would highly recommend you take the time to check it out. Watch the audience during this performance to see how much emotion is displayed in their faces. It’s not because it’s James Taylor singing it, it is the song and its promise for someone very special to fill a void in your life, and someone to be there when you really need them.

Now, read the words to “You’ve Got a Friend” below, and imagine its God sharing these words with you directly. Then watch the video, and again imagine it is God expressing His promise to be there for you when you need a helping hand.

“You’ve Got A Friend”

When you’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there
You’ve got a friend

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you’ll hear me knocking at your door

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there

Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold
They’ll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don’t you let them

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there
You’ve got a friend

Now, please take the time to watch the video of James Taylor singing “You’ve Got a Friend“.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the Grandeur, and Immensity of God that we forget something very important. God wants a deep and personal relationship with us. He doesn’t just want our worship from afar; He wants an intimacy with us that is only shared between the deepest of friends. God doesn’t want to be just our Creator; He wants to be our best friend.

Remember when you’re down and troubled, or even when things are great; in God “You’ve Got a Friend”!

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How is Your Relationship With God?

Mike Shanta — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:25:51 +0000

Photo by marlonolram

Let me start by painting a picture for you. If you’re a parent, imagine every morning your children come to the kitchen, and take a seat for breakfast. As you’re serving them their breakfast, they tell you how much they love you and how much they appreciate all you do for them. They ask you to take care of a couple of problems for them, and they never speak to you the rest of the day. The next time you hear from them will be in the morning, or maybe they say good night, if they’re not too tired before going to sleep for the night.

If you’re not a parent, imagine yourself treating your parents that way.

That is the type of relationship many Christians have with God. I know, because for many years, that’s the kind of relationship I and most every I knew had with God.

We tell God thanks, go through our list of wants and needs, we maybe pray for some other people, and then we go about our business the rest of the day without giving God a second thought. Why is that?

I think there are a couple things that come into play here. First, we live in a very busy and very distracting world. We are worried about the economy, our jobs, our bills, our future, and all the bad things happening around the world, etc. etc. etc.

What does God say about all these things?

Matthew 6:31-34 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

God tells us not to worry about these things, yet so many of us put more thought and effort into what we’re going to wear to work, or what we’re going to eat today, than our relationship with God.

Beside the business of the world that seems to distract us so much, there is that subtle attitude that slips into our relationship with God. It’s the same one that slips into most marriages; that’s the attitude of taking others for granted.

Most of us hardly give a second thought to the miracle that happens every day of our lives. That’s the miracle of breath, and food, and water, and sunshine and shelter, etc. etc. etc. We just come to expect these things rather than appreciate the miracle they are.

Anyone that has been married for a while knows a marriage, at least a good one, takes work. You have to put an effort into that relationship if you want it to be a happy one, you have to appreciate your spouse. You have to think about the other person even when you’re not together. You have to think about how special they are to you, and what you can do to be a blessing to them. You have to communicate, and spend time together.

What happens to couples who quite putting in the effort, who quit talking together, who quit being intimate with each other? They drift apart, and in many cases get divorced.

Even though God is always faithful, and He is always there for us, we often become unfaithful by neglecting our relationship with Him. Now, we may still be going to church, and dust off the bible once in a while for a chapter or two. Maybe we even spend a few minutes saying hello in the morning and good night before going to bed. But, is that a relationship? Most people spend more time with their pets and hobbies than in the development of a deeper relationship with God.

Why are so many of us exhausted, and wearied by the world when Jesus has offered to take that burden from us and give us rest?

Matthew 11:27-29 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Remember, God is faithful and He will always be there for us. If your relationship with Him is lacking, just ask, and He will help you turn that around today. Remember, He loves us beyond our human understanding, and all He asks, is for us to love Him in return. He wants to have an intimate relationship with us. Not a superficial relationship, but an intimate one.

Put God first in every area of your life, and you will live a much happier, peaceful, rewarding and content life.
Just knock and the door will be opened to you.
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“If you like what you’ve read, please share it with a friend; and recommend YourSpiritMindandBody.com to anyone you feel would benefit from it”. Please also check out my Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/XsKD1p and like me while you’re at it. Thanks!

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