Tag Archives: stress

A Mere Phantom

When you look into a mirror, what do you see? Does pain from your past come into focus? Is the stress from life visible on your face? Or does a lack of faith leave you slumping over, doubtful that you’ll achieve anything significant in the future? From my vantage point, I feel like a mere phantom, unable to capture the person I want to be.

Apparently, King David struggled with a similar dilemma in Psalm 39:6.  As he reflected on his days on earth, what he saw was disappointing.  Essentially, David described his life as a phantom, roaming to and fro, like a ghostly spirit unable to find rest for their soul.  His son Solomon echoed David’s sentiment, recognizing that laboring and toiling on this planet is meaningless, Ecclesiastes 1:1-11.

If this is true, what can one do to reclaim joy?  Perhaps, you need to have a private meeting with Jesus, John 3:1-2, to see what’s holding you back.  From here, individuals need a daily dose of the Holy Spirit, like 5 Hour Energy Drinks to move beyond this material world, John 4:13-14.  Yet, to escape the phantom inside of you, stepping out in faith is necessary to begin utilizing the gifts created inside of you, Romans 12:3-8.  Don’t let a low self-esteem paralyze your progress. Rather, begin to see your reflection through the eyes of Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Please feel free to share any words of encouragement to those who don’t like the person they see in the mirror.

by Jay Mankus

         

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Hold Yourself Together

 

Before comedy movies like Airplane used satire to elevate stress, the phrase “hold yourself together” has been a battle cry to help people overcome trying times in life.  However, when the world around you is falling apart, how can any soul pretend as if nothing is wrong?  Maybe this is why the scene below makes a mockery out of someone who has lost control of their emotions.

Modern dramas have a new message, one of hope and self-determination with a fairy tale ending unless of course their show get’s cancelled mid-season.  The opposite sex is used as a carrot at the end of a stick, motivation to hold yourself together.  Science fiction, the afterlife and an allure of the dark side have created series like the Vampire Dairies.  Tyler Ward’s song puts a new spin on the familiar expression, “Keep Yourself Together.”

From a spiritual point of you, holding yourself together is impossible.  While the world may call followers of Jesus weak, he is the crutch which props believers up, Matthew 11:28-30.  Sure, faith inspires action, James 2:26, but Jesus is the glue that ultimately holds people together.  Despite resembling cracked vases composed of clay, Jesus is the only substitute which makes people whole, 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.  If you want a permanent solution, Jesus is the answer, John 14:6.

by Jay Mankus

The First Pawn Star

Prior to 1950, pawning was the leading form of credit for consumers in the United States of America.  While chess players refer to  a pawn as the least valuable piece on their board, pawning is when someone exchanges an object or possession for cash, used as collateral in case this person can’t pay back a broker or business owner.  The History Channel’s hit show Pawn Stars, starring 3 generations of the Harrison family’s Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, has popularized this ancient practice.

As I read Genesis 47:13-26, I realized that Joseph, governor of Egypt during the great 7 year famine, became the first pawn star on earth.  When the Egyptians ran out of money after the first few years of this drought, Joseph began to barter food in exchange for cattle, donkeys, goats, horses and sheep.  Once residents had pillaged all of their possessions, land and labor were offered up for food.  Ahead of his time, this shrewd business man developed a plan, similar to a tax, pawning grain at a 20% interest rate, expecting to be repaid once their fields were restored.

Whenever you think you’ve had it tough in this economy, please read Genesis 47:13-19.  After hearing this sad story of poverty, may God help you see how blessed you truly are today.  This passage serves as a reminder to be prepared for a rocky future by saving as much as you can now.  If God didn’t give Joseph a vision for the future, Egypt would have been caught off guard.  Therefore, take this message as a wake up call, ready to bare down, living a frugal life so that when famine returns you and your family will survive.

by Jay Mankus

Snuffing Out Life

One of the largest and longest snakes known to exist on earth is the anaconda.  Native to the tropics of South America, some of these species have been discovered in the Florida Everglades over the last decade according to Animal Planet.  Similar to a reticulated python, this non-venomous snake uses its teeth to hold on before squeezing its victim to death.  The power of this beast essentially snuffs out the life of its prey through suffocation.

Lucifer or Satan is portrayed as a crafty serpent in Genesis 3:1 and Revelation 12:9.  However, the ruler of the air, Ephesians 2:2, known as the devil, only has one of his demons referenced in the New Testament.  While the term legion is used by John Mark in Mark 5:9 in context with a demon possessed man, the word actually refers to a number, commonly used by Roman military leaders.  This leaves Acts 16:16 as the only place an individual demon is named.  The King James version uses the phrase “spirit of python,” translated into most modern translations as a spirit of divination or foretelling the future.

The thought of money had blinded this girl’s owners from the internal struggle within her soul.  Upon seeing Paul in Acts 16:16-18, she cries out for help, a last ditch effort before having any chances of a spiritual life snuffed out.  Entangled by the grips of a demon, Paul saves her life while endangering his own.  The devil poisoned the minds of these greedy owners, convincing the towns people to place Paul, Silas and Luke in prison.  Immediately following one victory, Acts 16:19-24, Satan tries to squeeze out of the love of Jesus from these men.

Today, the devil is up to his usual tricks, using defeat, failure and trials to suck the life out of individuals.  John 10:10 isn’t just something written over 2,000 years ago that no longer applies.  Rather, every day is a spiritual war, a battle that won’t end until heaven and earth pass away.  Therefore, if you feel the presence of depression, stress or worry begin to wrap around your neck, use prayer to put on the full armor of God, Ephesians 6:13-18.  Fight fire with spiritual fire, 1 Timothy 6:12, to avoid having your life snuffed out prematurely.

by Jay Mankus

How Old Are You Now?

The aging process can be quite deceiving as physical appearances don’t always reveal a person’s true age.  Baldness, grey hair, stress or wrinkles can be false indicators, depending on someone’s occupation or their direct access to sunlight.  While theme parks attempt to coerce willing participants to have their ages guessed for a small fee, age can be a touchy subject, especially for women.  To be safe, its always better to under estimate an older person’s age and over estimate a younger person’s age, unless of course you work at a night club where ID’s are required.

From a biblical timeline, there are 2 different references to age: pre-flood and post flood.  According to Genesis 2:4-6, the earth’s original atmosphere following creation did not contain rain.  Instead, underground springs, water aquifers beneath the earth’s surface, sprung up to water the plants on the earth.  When you study the genealogy of Adam, you find the first 10 generations of inhabitant’s on earth had a life expectancy of 900 years.  This unique atmosphere often referred to as the Open Canopy Theory suggests the aging process was slowed down, limiting a human’s body from the sun’s radiation.

To simplify this in modern terms, 100 years of life in the original atmosphere is equivalent to 10 years under today’s conditions.  Thus, while Adam lived to be 930 years on earth, his body roughly reflected someone who is a 93 year old.  Recently, archeologists have discovered the remains of palms tree near the polar ice caps, supporting this theory.  In additional, scientists have concluded that prior to the world wide flood mentioned in Genesis 7:4-6, Pangea existed, a one land mass continent.  Following the first volcanic eruption detailed in Genesis 7:11, tectonic plates became active, forming what we now know as the 7 continents on earth.  While the flood may not have killed all the dinosaurs of the sea, the change in our atmosphere likely sealed the fate of this amazing creatures.

If you study the genealogy’s of the Bible, the post flood atmosphere began to accelerate the aging process.  However, as sin spread from the Garden of Eden throughout the world, Genesis 6:5, unexpected death became more common.  Wrongful deaths, murder and disease are normal today, a way of life, something everyone has to cope with and overcome.  Although some individuals survive to be 100 or more due to medical breakthroughs, everyone’s clock is ticking, Genesis 6:3.  Thus, as I reach half of Dale Earnhardt Junior’s Nascar Racing number in a month, I am doing my best to walk with the Lord, day by day, until He calls me home, Genesis 5:24.

by Jay Mankus