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In The face of Temptation.

As human beings we face many things every day in our lives. Many choices that will either turn out to be good choices, and then there are those choices we face that seem confusing and need some kind of direction. The question to ask when facing difficult choices in our lives can be different for most of us so it is during these times we need to really know what we believe. As a Christian I have drawn strength in the past from the wisdom of the elders, and bible teachers and my own study of the word of God and the work of Jesus. Despite my limited knowledge of the bible, I have always rested in a friend or some outside help to bring me back to a point of stability in my personal walk with God. There have been secular issues or problems that needed to be addressed by professionals who knew where to lead me to find my mental health, but when it came to religious issues I had a group of Christians who would pray and support me in a trying situation. I know that my involvement with an evangelical church in the past, has left me with a group of people that I know are still praying for me but I think in times of temptation we need the support of others who know how to address the problem we are facing.

When people fall through the cracks, it is not a consequence of their own poor choices. Life gives us opportunities everyday where we can draw on the life giving, sustaining power of the Lord to help us in our most desperate times of need. When tragedy strikes a person or a family, the feelings of hopelessness can be so powerful that it paralyzes our wills where we feel that others might be controlling our lives. As humans we need each other and in times where we feel like we are out of control, we need to exercise our will in small ways which will eventually give us a sense that what we thought we couldn't handle is something that we find we can. The reason why we feel like people and situations are out of our control is because they are unchartered waters in life, where we might not have the emotional tools to navigate through somethings that seem
to be bringing us under and making us feel helpless.

To Bully up under the pressure will just create resistance to the thing you are trying to free yourself from, to get out of your self or out of your attic is the first step towards freedom. Our emotions can make us feel like we are being manipulated, when in fact it's the unwanted pressure of the trial that is leading us to action. When we usually feel this pressure we can mistake it for the trial itself, but we in fact are fighting our desire to be free from suffering, and this counter pressure is what is bringing us to a point of hope where we can trust others, and ourselves again.

Healing from a traumatic event in our lives takes time, and every little step towards recovery is a step in the right direction. Life is made up of little choices and every choice we make with the conscious idea that we are acting for the good of our selves, our faith, our church and our community will lead us to more sanity and greater mental health. So when you are faced with something that you feel you cannot change, get outside into the community, let yourself be seen and take joy that things are not permanent and as long as you can change your thoughts, your life can change too. This is Mike.  

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