In her excellent book, When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference, author Carolyn Custis James tells a story of a woman who “couldn’t get enough theology.” According to James, much of the woman’s time was given to theological studies and discussions with friends who shared her passion for knowledge.

At the same time, the woman was experiencing terrible depression over a recent, rather chaotic turn of events in her life. Multiple changes took place all at once, leaving her feeling disoriented, rejected and alone.

Ultimately, this woman came to understand that her studies constituted more than academic exercises. She was relieved to discover an invaluable connection between what she was experiencing in her life and what she believed about God.

I will admit I have had times when my thought patterns and behaviors didn’t line up with what I knew to be God’s truth. But more and more I’ve come to see those moments as indicators that something is lacking in my knowledge of who God is.

During these seasons, I’ve prayed, “Lord, this is how I’m feeling. But this is what Your Word says is true. Now, teach me what I don’t know about You and align my heart with Your truth.”

Once I asked God for more revelation of who He is. He told me He would indeed show me more, but not until I began walking in what I already knew. With one step in that direction, I’ve seen the Lord open the heavens to me and answer my cries for a deeper knowledge of Him.

Like the woman in James’ story, “head” knowledge usually isn’t my issue, nor is it likely to be yours. The problem we must confront is that we lack intimate, experiential “heart” knowledge of God that informs our souls—minds, wills and emotions.There are holes in our understanding of how to apply what we say we believe about God.

In an article written for SpiritLed Woman magazine in 2004, author Joyce Meyer tackled this subject. She stated that when we honor our emotions over the truth of God’s Word, we consign ourselves to living in defeat and carnality.

But David wrote: “My soul clings hard to you; Your right hand upholds me” (Ps. 63:8, MEV). And herein is our help: living in constant pursuit of the knowledge of Him.

Knowing God makes a huge difference when the whole person is engaged in ongoing pursuit. When the soul follows hard after and clings to God, the mind holds tightly to His truth, the will is bent to His desires and the emotions are no longer allowed their destructive rule.

God seems to reveal Himself to us most clearly in the trenches of life’s struggles. It’s in the places in which it’s hard to fully understand we are loved, chosen, preserved, protected, anointed, gifted and more that we grow in our knowledge of Him.

However, our willingness to walk by faith in what we already know will position us for greater revelation of God’s glorious truth—about Him and about ourselves. If we are found faithfully clinging to what He’s already shown us, He will be delighted to show us more.

Prayer Power for the Week of July 20, 2015

This week ask the Lord to teach you what you don’t know about Him and to align your heart with His truth.  Ask Him for grace to walk by faith in what you already know to be true. Ask Him to send more laborers into the ripe harvest fields of the world and that doors would open for the gospel throughout the nations. Pray for the next generation to be prepared to carry the fire of God’s Spirit, salvation and miracle-working power throughout the world. Pray that God would initiate another great Great Awakening (I Thes. 5:17).

When dealing with teenage rebellion, it’s important to first understand why your teen may be rebelling. Then you can address what you can do about it.

OK, imagine you’re at a basketball game. But this is no ordinary basketball game. In this arena, there are no rules and no boundaries. The only goal for the player is to get the ball into the basket. But he can do it any way he can.

After the whistle blows, the players fight for the ball, fall to the floor and start wrestling. One guy punches the other, grabs the ball and runs into the stands. A fan gets hurt when the player falls on him, but the player keeps going toward the hoop … it is pure chaos.

I know that illustration is ludicrous, but it illustrates the importance of having rules and boundaries in the game and what happens when those rules and boundaries aren’t present. Rules and boundaries are present in just about every arena of life, including school and work. And they are there for a reason so that there is clarity in who is responsible for what, what someone can and cannot do, where someone can go and not go, and so on.

The rules and boundaries are there to protect the person and other people, keep them accountable, and to give them a framework where they can be productive and do what they need to do.

Just as the boundaries on the basketball court establish the area within which each player must play, the boundaries in parenting establish the area within which your child must play in daily life. Let’s talk about each of those boundaries that we must establish to effectively raise our children, especially our rebellious children:

1. Sideline of rules. Clear rules must be established to address attitude and behavior. Rules may include showing respect, telling the truth, curfews, grades, chores, driving, computers, television, movies, and immoral behavior, including drinking, drugs, and sexual activity. In order to clarify expectations and to ensure that your teen knows the rules, writing down the rules and consequences for breaking those rules is important.

2. Sideline of consequences. In his very good book Boundaries with Teens, Dr. John Townsend states that, “Teens need consequences, because that’s how they experience a fundamental law of life: good behavior brings good results and bad behavior brings uncomfortable results.” Townsend goes on to say that a consequence “can be either removing the desirable or adding the undesirable to your teen’s life as a result of a rule violation.” Additionally, the consequence should match the offense as closely as possible. For example, if your teen is not respectfully talking to you, they lose the privilege of talking to their friends on their cell phone.

The sidelines of rules and consequences change based on age, trust, maturity and responsibility. As our children demonstrate responsibility by staying within the boundaries consistently, grow in age and maturity, and earn our trust, the rules and consequences will become fewer and our children will have more freedom as the gap between the sidelines of rules and consequences expands. In other words, their “playing court” will become larger and larger.

3. Coaching with truth and love. It’s important to note that, as parents, we are not only the “referees” who establish the rules of the game and blow the whistle when our kids go out of bounds, we are also their “coach.” And it is absolutely critical that we coach our kids with truth and love. If we do not always speak the truth and show love to our children, the sidelines of rules and consequences will be disregarded by our children and the rebellion may even worsen.

Truth is vitally important when dealing with a strong-willed child who is overstepping the boundaries or behaving like there are no boundaries. I can only have credibility with my children if they know that I always tell them the truth and that I am a man of my word. So when I tell my children that I am creating these boundaries and rules because it really is what’s best for them, they can believe it without any doubt. Then, I can tell them that I expect them to always speak the truth as well.

Love is vitally important also. Love is all about serving and giving selflessly and sacrificially to your child. It’s doing what’s best for your child no matter what it costs you personally. Love says, “I want what’s best for you! That is why I’m talking to you about this, that is why I’m doing this, and that is why I’m making this decision.”

And when we genuinely love our children, when they know we want what’s best for them, they’ll follow us. They’ll say to themselves: “You’ve loved me. You’ve earned the right to lead me. I’ll follow you. I’ll live by the rules and take the consequences when I break them.”

So, as you establish those boundaries for your kids, please make sure that that you coach them with both truth and love.

I’d like to hear your suggestions on how you have created boundaries in your home and how you’ve handled rebellious teens. Please share them below.

Mark Merrill is the president of Family First. For the original article, visit markmerrill.com.

One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride in which a criminal named Vizzini kidnaps the princess with help from a gentle giant and a Spanish swordsman.

At one point, the giant has to rope climb up a cliff with the princess, the swordsman, and Vizzini clinging to him. Vizzini yells at the giant to hurry up because another man is climbing up after—and gaining on them.

But the giant replies, “Well, I’m carrying three people, and he’s got only himself!”

Is extra weight slowing you down? When I was obese, I used to feel like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders emotionally. Eventually, that emotional weight translated into physical weight!

If you are ready to lay aside every weight that slows you down, then this article covers three things you must have in place to lay it aside.

Take a moment to meditate upon the following Scripture:

“Therefore, since we are encompassed with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

When I read this Scripture, I realize three things are needed to help you lay aside every weight.

1. Want To (Desire)
2. Can Do (Confidence)
3. How To (Plan)

Many people fail because they jump straight to the ‘How To’ without establishing a foundation of ‘Want To’ and ‘Can Do.’

Want To

Change cannot happen to your life if you don’t have a desire for it. Think about it like this: You are in the business of selling snow cones. Where would you rather set up your stand—in a village in the frozen Alaskan tundra or in a village in the hot desert? Both places would have the same number of potential customers passing by.

I hope you agree that a snow cone business would be more successful in the desert. Why? Because in the desert, people are thirsty and more likely to want what you have. Desire is present.

The Scripture speaks of a “cloud of witness,” people of faith who were willing to leave behind what was comfortable to reach for something better in the future.

To lay aside your weight, you are called to follow their example. You must believe that what you are striving for will be better than where you are coming from.

The writer says of these faith examples in Hebrews 11:

“And certainly, if they had been thinking of the country out of which they came, they might have had the opportunity to return. But they desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them (Heb. 11:5-6).

Do you have a “heavenly country” to which you want to go? Can you picture it in your mind? Many people who are striving to lose physical weight only see a number in their minds or on the scale. But numbers do not move you for long! Mental pictures do.

So that number is going to come with a new lifestyle. Get a piece of paper and write down what a day looks like in your life with you healthy, healed, and whole. Include so much detail that this picture of your “heavenly country” is at least as real to you as your current reality.

Many people give vague descriptions, like “I’ll feel better” or “I’ll look better.” But I want you to walk me through a day of you at your ideal size. What you will be doing at that new size from the time you wake up until you go to bed at night? What would your health habits look like then?

Write about the entire day as if it is happening now—not some time in the future. Use “I am” type statements versus “I will be.” The words “I am” together are powerful!

Does this vision inspire you to want to go to that “heavenly country”? If so, then you’ve done your job right.

Once you recognize that you are in a “desert” situation, then you will be inspired to want to go someplace better! You’ll go after that snow cone.

Can Do

Henry Ford the inventor, once said: “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you are right.” If you want to make changes in your life, you have to believe that it is possible and that you are able to make the trip.

A perfect illustration of a “can do” attitude is Joshua and Caleb in Numbers 13. God charged the Israelites to go into the promised land. Out of the 12 men appointed to spy out the land, 10 of them brought back a bad report. They said they couldn’t conquer the land because the giants in it were stronger than them.

But Joshua and Caleb saw the situation differently. Instead of comparing the giants to themselves as the other 10 men did, they compared the giants to God! So they had developed God confidence. As a result, God commended them and they were the only two men from the original spies that lived to see the promised land.

In addition, many people use past failures to scare themselves away from trying again. But think about the attitude you had as a baby.

What if a baby decided not to try anymore after falling the first time when learning to walk? Or even the 100th time? Instead, the baby knows within herself that she is destined to walk and so she keeps trying—secure in the knowledge that someday she is going to walk!

So promise yourself that you will never give up. If you mess up, then you simply learn from the experience and keep trying again.

If I had to choose, I’d rather be branded a failure going after my dreams rather than be full of regret over what might have been.

How To

In the Information Age that we live in, I believe that this part is the easiest because there are thousands of plans you can choose from to help you release excess physical weight.

My personal view is that the strategy you choose should minister to the whole person. You are not just a body; you have a Spirit, mind, and emotions as well.

Think about this: What good is having the perfect body, but still feel self-hatred? What good is reaching your ideal weight if you are still dealing with unforgiveness and emotional wounds from your past? How about being in perfect health, but still having no peace in your home?

It takes God’s power to overcome issues like these and the Take Back Your Temple program shows you how to receive God’s power. I believe it is one of the best programs out there because it gives you tools to get spiritually stronger and heal emotionally as you are losing physical weight.

I hope you have taken steps today to clarify your “Want To” and your “Can Do.” With those two things in place, then I can assist you with the “How To.”

Once 240 pounds and a size 22, Kimberly Taylor can testify of God’s healing power to end binge eating. She is an author and the creator of the Christian weight loss website www.takebackyourtemple.com. Visit today for inspirational health and weight loss tips.

For the original article, visit takebackyourtemple.com.

Common items in and around your home can kill your pets. The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center gets hundreds of thousands of calls from panicked pet owners each year, and most cases are caused by common items. 

The most common cause of pet poisoning occurs when an animal ingests a medicine intended for humans. Shockingly, the medicine is often administered by the pet’s well-intentioned owner. Some animal associations say as high as 68 percent of animal poisonings are caused by human medications.

Pet’s bodies metabolize substances differently from humans, and owners are unaware that even small amounts of drugs, such as over-the-counter pain relievers, overwhelm a pet’s metabolism causing an overdose. 

Pets also poison themselves by chewing on medicine bottles and pills accidentally dropped by their owners. “You’d be surprised how interesting, and even appetizing, your household pet may find a tablet or a pill vial,” says Dr. Michelle Larsen of the Emergency Animal Clinic in Avondale, Arizona. Keep all medications beyond the reach of your pets, and be sure to find and pick up any pills you may drop.

According to ASPCA, the top five most common human medications ingested by pets are: ibuprofen, Tramadol, Alprazolam (Xanax), Adderall, and Ambien. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is particularly toxic to cats.

Other common sources of pet poisoning include:

• Antifreeze. Dogs and cats are attracted to the sweet taste of ethylene glycocol, found in antifreeze and de-icing agents. One tablespoon can cause fatal kidney failure in dogs, and as little as one teaspoon can be fatal for a cat. Keep an eye out for leaks from your car.

• Plants. Numerous common plants inside and outside are poisonous to animals, including philodendron, azalea, dieffenbachia, narcissus, oleander, rhododendrons, chrysanthemum, and mistletoe. Many types of lilies, including Tiger, Day, and Easter, are especially toxic to cats; ingesting as few as two leaves or even licking pollen from their coats can cause acute kidney failure.

• Non-stick cookware. Non-stick cookware, such as Teflon, is coated with poltetrafluoroethlyene (PTFE), which gives off toxic fumes when overheated. It’s extremely toxic to all birds. Even small doses overwhelm their lungs, causing them to fill with liquid and killing them so quickly that owners don’t have time to seek treatment. The fumes from self-cleaning ovens are also poisonous to birds.

• Rat poison. Even though you may try to hide rat poison in out-of-the-way places your pet can’t reach, accidents happen—bait can even be moved by its intended victims—and the bait appeals to dogs as well as rats. The most common rat poisons are anticoagulants that cause massive internal bleeding and death. Other rat poisons contain cholecalciferol, which causes kidney failure, and bromethalin, which causes the brain to swell. If you use rat poison, keep the package it came in, and if your pet ingests it, take the package to your vet so your pet can receive the correct treatment. 

• Batteries. Both dogs and cats can be sickened by batteries, causing ulcers in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. If you notice the remote control has been chewed on, take a close look. If a battery has been punctured, acid can leak and cause severe ulceration. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, newer “disc” shaped batteries can allow an electric current to pass through the tissues of the gastrointestinal track which can even cause perforation of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, or small intestine. Small button-shaped lithium batteries are the most dangerous. In addition, metals in the batteries can cause heavy metal toxicity. 

• Fabric softener sheets. The same chemicals that keep clothes from sticking can kill your pet, causing pulmonary edema and kidney failure. According to the ASPCA, fabric softener sheets, especially those that haven’t been used, can cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and even ulceration. While all animals can be affected, cats are particularly sensitive.

• Pesticides and herbicides. The Animal Poison Control Center says that 47 percent of pet poisonings during the months of June, July, and August are due to pesticides and herbicides. It doesn’t take much to poison a pet—even walking on a recently treated lawn and licking its paws afterwards can be enough.

For the original article, visit newsmaxhealth.com.

I love the church with a passion, but the sad reality is some churches are lukewarm instead of on fire for God. Other churches have quenched the Holy Spirit. Still other churches don’t believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today.

People often tell me their churches are dry or feel spiritually dead. There are no signs, no wonders, no miracles—no spiritual gifts or rivers of living water flowing. Yet in the book of Acts we see signs, wonders, miracles and flowing spiritual gifts as normal Christianity.

What has happened? In some cases, religion has crept in. In other cases, there is sin in church leadership, and the Holy Spirit won’t move until repentance comes. In still other churches, people just don’t know what they don’t know. In other words, they’ve just been doing church the way it was handed down to them. It’s time to pour the water of the Spirit over the dry bones!

When the Bones Are Very Dry

It’s a process—and revival hubs embrace the process. A revival hub is a base of tactical operation, organization and deployment. I operate one in Hollywood, Florida, called Awakening House of Prayer. We’ll find the process in Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel, a priest, prophet and watchman who had extraordinary visions, stood in the Valley of Dry Bones.

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“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and He caused me to pass among them all around. And there were very many in the open valley. And they were very dry” (Ezek. 37:1-3).

Imagine this scene. The bones weren’t just dry—they were “very dry.” There weren’t just a few bones lying around. The valley was full of bones. In this hour, much of the church finds itself in the valley instead of on the mountaintop; they are persecuted by antichrist agendas and unsure how to respond—or too fearful to respond at all.

As He did with Ezekiel, the Lord is asking us a question: “Can these bones live?” (Ezek. 37:3). Many are responding just like Ezekiel did, uncertain if it’s too late for their church, their city or their nation. They are answering, “O Lord God, You know” (Ezek. 37:3). Let’s listen in to what happens next:

“Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you so that you live. And I will lay sinews upon you and will grow back flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you so that you live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezek. 37:4-6).

In this hour, when so much of the church is lukewarm, dry—or even apostate—we need to rise up and prophesy God’s will instead of tapping into the doom, gloom, judgments and cursing. God is in the restoration business. He is in the resurrection business. He is in the transformation business. We need to prophesy His will over our lives, churches, cities and nations with endurance. That’s what Ezekiel did:

“So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise and a shaking. And the bones came together, bone to its bone. When I looked, the sinews and the flesh grew upon them, and the skin covered them. But there was no breath in them” (Ezek. 37:7-8).

Moving Toward the Restoration of All Things

When we’re obedient to say what God tells us to say and to do what God tells us to do, we can expect things to change. Many feel the shaking in the nations right now and are believing the worst instead of the best. They are believing that everything is falling apart when really God is bringing it back together. We’re moving rapidly toward the restoration of all things that God promised long ago through His holy prophets (Acts 3:21).

Yes, Babylon will suddenly fall and be destroyed (see Jer. 51:8). Yes, an angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, will cry mightily with a loud voice, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” (see Rev. 18:1-2). Yes, everything that can be shaken will be shaken (see Heb. 12:27). Even the church model is being shaken. Revival hubs are rising.

Ezekiel’s vision ends with this:

“Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the wind; prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain so that they live.’ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army” (Ezek. 37:9-10).

We must prophesy what He commands. We must prophesy even if it looks like the mountain is too big to remove and be cast into the sea. We must do the work of an evangelist like it depends on us and pray like it depends on God. Revival hubs will breathe new life into the body of Christ and inspire them to stand up on their feet, an “exceeding great army,” and wage war against the principalities and powers that are trying to keep souls in bondage and take over nations.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan’s Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

According to the National Center for Fathering, John Snarey of Emory University has done a unique study in which he’s been able to examine the effect of fathers and their careers.

Overall, Snarey found that fathers heavily involved in their children’s lives “may have delayed writing a paper or put off some other project but, in the long run, they went just as far in their work as comparable men did who were less involved with their kids.” In fact, fathers who were involved in two particular ways—in their children’s mental development and their adolescents’ social development—went further in their careers than dads who weren’t.

Why is that? There are myriads of reasons. But one in particular is that workaholic dads who aren’t involved in their children’s lives lose productivity due to marital conflict, trouble with their children’s education, legal issues, etc. It is so much better to make the right investment of time with your children now and reap the benefits of a great career and family later.

Here are 10 signs of a workaholic:

1. Conversation. When you’re with friends and family, what types of conversations do you have? If you’re a workaholic, chances are your input will almost surely be work-related. Whatever the latest huge account you are obsessed with will take center stage. You can manage to waddle through the small talk, but your conversations will always lead back to work. Your existence has been built to revolve around your job.

2. Who are your friends? How is your social life? Are the same people you socialize with also the same people you spend the majority of your life with at work? Friendships are made and last based on common interests. The workaholic is usually not able to connect long-term with others outside of his profession.

3. Control. Are you able to properly delegate responsibility to others on your team? Can you give up total control and trust workmates to complete an assignment? “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Do you find yourself saying that in your head, even when it’s not true? The workaholic needs total control. To them, nobody could possibly do the task as well.

4. Smartphone attachment disorder. It’s SAD. You carry it everywhere you go. The smartphone never leaves your side … even in church or on vacation. The thought of missing an important email or tidbit of information worries you to obsession. Your daughter just made an incredible sandcastle right in front of your feet. You barely look up to notice and your eyes go straight back to the phone. You need help.

5. The roll over days. Your neighbor is complaining that it’s only September and he’s out of vacation days. Every year, your wife lobbies her company for more personal days to be with family. You? Last time you checked, you had 8½ weeks of rolled-over vacation days. The last time you spent an entire week away from your job is when you didn’t have one. You always threaten coworkers: One of these days I’m going to take the whole month of July off. You never do.

6. Desk cafeteria. What is inside your bottom desk drawer? Cans of soup, crackers, and prepackaged tuna lunches? Your desk cafeteria helps rid you of that annoying human trait: hunger. Who has time for lunch? If you work through it, you might be able to justify leaving when you are supposed to leave. This way, you might catch your son’s ballgame. However, if that still isn’t enough, the ballgame goes on the cut list. The workaholic only takes lunches that are business related. Otherwise, it’s the desk cafeteria and nose to the grindstone.

7. I’m not sick. Your nose is completely clogged. Your throat feels like you’re gargling razor blades. I’m not sick; I just have some allergies. You pump yourself up with whatever over-the-counter medication you can find that is non-drowsy and off to work you go. All day long, your germs spread through the office like a marauding band of pirates. You might consider your dedication as productive. The ten employees you infected and who are now out sick were never a consideration in your mind. They are just weak.

8. Middle of the night brainstorming. It’s 3 a.m. Your wife is sleeping soundly beside you. You are wide awake trying to figure out the secret to landing the account you are chasing. The hours tick by as you lay in silence brainstorming. Another sleepless night but you think you might have found the edge you needed. Your health and disposition may suffer, but you got what you were after.  The workaholic always has trouble sleeping.

9. Your roommate. Do you spend quality time with your wife on a regular basis? Take her on spontaneous adventures? Spend evenings just talking about anything with her? Or has your marriage become more like a roommate situation? You have your life, she has hers. You just happen to sleep in the same bed. Quite possibly you don’t even do that. Since you are up working late on the computer, it’s easier for you to just sleep in your home office. Your marriage is a shell and, at this rate, it might be headed for eventual failure. This is not the type of provider she was hoping for.

10. Who are those little people? You remember your wife being pregnant. You certainly remember them being born. What you can’t figure out is: Who are these little people making all this noise while I’m trying to work at home? You kids go watch TV upstairs so Daddy can work. Do you have personal relationships with your children? Do you know who their teachers are? Their best friends? What are their hopes and dreams? Looking ahead into the future, you’ll ask your son, “I was a good dad, right? I provided for everything you ever needed.” Your son will look you in the eye and say, “Dad, the only thing I ever wanted was your time, but you were always busy.” That is the fate of the workaholic.

For the original article, visit allprodad.com.

Doctors are looking at the effects of an insulin pill for treating potential diabetics.

A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health could shed some light on delaying or even preventing the onset of diabetes.

Four hundred adults and children at risk for Type 1 diabetes are taking part in the study.

Results of an earlier study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed changes in the immune system of children taking the insulin pill, which could potentially keep the disease at bay.

The preliminary study was too small and too short for verifiable results, but the new study has the potential for real breakthroughs for at-risk children and adults.

“Does it prevent indefinitely? Does it slow down, does it delay diabetes?” Dr. Louis Philipson, a diabetes specialist at the University of Chicago, asked. “That could also be a pretty big win.”

For the original article visit cbnnews.com.

In the 1890s, Judson Van DeVenter composed the spiritual hymn, “I Surrender All.” Beginning in the late 1940s, Billy Graham popularized the song in his crusades and revivals.

The hymn has been recorded by gospel legends like Andraé Crouch, Mihalia Jackson and Christian artists like Carman, Phil Driscoll, CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith and the Newsboys. It’s a hymn that we all most likely have sung in worship service on any given Sunday.

“All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him,
In his presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.”

Think about those words. “All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live.” When we sing them, do we really mean it? Do we really love and trust Him? Do we really live in His daily presence?

If you haven’t noticed, there is a huge difference between being a believer in Jesus and being a follower of Jesus. But I’ll get into that in a later post.

If many of those who profess to be Christians did those things mentioned above, then I’ve got to believe that American society, and the American church, would not be in the mess that it is in now. Oh, how we have deceived ourselves.

Have you really done as Jesus has commanded us to do and surrendered everything? Your relationship with Him? Your family? Your finances? Your addictions? Your emotions? What you eat? What you watch on television? Your time?

If we are all honest—including myself—the answer to some or all of those questions is “no.” Rick Warren says that, “Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.”

“Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.”

“Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24, MEV).

“Therefore, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if through the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:12-13, MEV).

Warren says that surrendering your life means, 1) Following God’s lead without knowing where He’s sending you; 2) Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come; 2) Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide; 4) Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.

Be honest. How many of us are really doing that? For the better part of half of the 49 years of my life I thought I was doing exactly that. I thought that I had given my life over to God to do with as He wished. As it turns out, I was simply fooling myself. As the old saying goes, “I had never let go and let God.” I talked myself into thinking I was living the life He wanted for me. I couldn’t have been more mistaken.

“You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation,” Warren said. “You let go and let God work. You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more. You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.”

That was me—to the letter. How foolish I was. I let everybody know I was surrendering my life to the Lord, but the way I lived my life was hardly a reflection of that statement.

It wasn’t until the past six months that I finally decided to give it up and let Him have it all. As Warren said, because of my self-centered nature, it certainly wasn’t easy. But, it was necessary if I knew I was ever going to find true peace and happiness. The same goes for you, I guarantee it.

I’m still a work in progress, but I know that I’ll eventually get there because I have this promise from God: “I am confident of this very thing; that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6, MEV).

Where I once found myself constantly angry at the injustice and iniquities in the world, I am now finding peace knowing that God is in control. Where I once feared about issues in my marriage, my relationships with my children and the state of our finances, I am now at peace because I know God will take care of all of them if my heart is right with Him.

And I’m not talking about works. I’m talking about a heart change.

It can happen for you, too. Lay it at God’s feet and let Him take care of it. Surrender is simple, much less complicated than we make it out to be.

IHOPKC’s Mike Bickle once said, “The Lord makes the most of whatever is unreservedly surrendered to Him.” What a tremendously encouraging thought.

If you’ve not completely surrendered your life to Jesus, take these words to heart. If you call yourself a believer in Jesus Christ, I challenge you—no, I dare you—to start showing the character of Christ from this day forward.

“All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to thee,
Fill me with thy love and power,
Let thy blessing fall on me.”

And as I always like to say, “There is that.” God bless.

Shawn A. Akers is the online managing editor at Charisma Media. He is a published poet and published a personal story about Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR Chicken Soup For the Soul. You can read his blog here.

This post is for all you ladies who are looking for hassle-free ways to look and feel fresh and feminine before, during and after your workouts. It isn’t the typical health article you’ll see in this section of charismamag.com, but it is very informative for those ladies who keep in shape.

I asked a few of the women from our gym, CrossFit 925, for their favorite tips when it comes to obtaining clear skin, silky hair and smooth hands all in the midst of Texas humidity and air-conditionless workouts.

Get a pen ready (or Pinterest opened) so you can jot down these tidbits of cosmetic savviness!

For Hair

1. Tame frizz: Try KMS Hair Stay Anti-Humidity Seal. One of our members, a hairstylist, recommended this product to me last year, and it has been a go-to on sweltering summer days ever since. I took it to both Orlando and Savannah this year and didn’t blow dry my hair a single day during my trips. I simply sprayed my hair with the Hair Stay—saving myself lots of time!—and went about my day without fear of the frizzes!

2. Shampoo. Try out Hair One, a great alternative to the more expensive WEN brand. It’s a two-in-one, sulfate and paraben-free product that shampoos and conditions hair using all-natural ingredients. Recommended by Christy, one of our CrossFit 925 members, Hair One is known for making hair look silky, shiny and smooth, a key selling point for fitness-minded women whose hair is the exact opposite after grueling sweat sessions!

3. Dry shampoo. Check out Oh Bee Hive! from the Bed Head brand of hair products. 925 member Hollie highly recommends it when you simply don’t have time to shampoo your hair after a workout. Using a fine powder, this product absorbs excess oils from your scalp and produces fantastic volume.

4. Ponytails. Try to avoid pulling your hair into a super-tight ponytail. Doing so could cause breakage and eventually may lead to a receding hairline. Secure your hair with a metal-free seamless ponytail holder, an elastic headband, or a banana clip.  

For Eyes

1. Mascara. I like Maybelline’s Colossal Volume in classic black. It adds volume and great color, is clump-free, and hasn’t run on me yet (Or if it has, no one has told me). I’ve tried waterproof mascara, but it didn’t go on well and looked clumpy. It’s also drying to the lashes and nearly impossible to remove.

2. Eyeliner. Joy, another 925 member, is a professional artist as well as our gym’s resident makeup expert! She recommends Maybelline’s Lasting Drama eyeliner to wear during sweaty and messy workouts. She says it removes easily, too, which leads me to eye makeup remover.

3. Eye makeup remover. Grace, one of our coach’s wives, recommends grapeseed oil or almond oil for removing eye makeup. (I use coconut oil because it’s always in my pantry!) These oils are chemical free, so therefore much better for your precious eyes.

And in our opinion, they remove makeup better than the official eye makeup removers, and they’re actually good for your skin, leaving it softer and more youthful-looking!

If using coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, scoop some out and rub it gently between your fingers. Next, smooth it over your eyes and let it sit for twenty seconds or so. Then remove the oil with a cotton ball or face cloth.

For Skin

1. Acne: When it comes to treating or preventing acne (an almost inevitable consequence of sweating in the summer), there are a few suggestions:

Go makeup free. Wearing makeup on your lips and eyes is fine, but sweating beneath a foundation can clog pores and lead to breakouts. Apply a bit of concealer to cover up any dark under-eye circles in the mornings, put on a little lip gloss, and let your pores breathe easy as you work out hard.

If you’re like me and need more than a dab of concealer to cover up facial flaws, use an oil-free tinted moisturizer that contains SPF. Moisturizers are not as thick as foundations, and therefore are less likely to clog your pores. SPF, of course, will protect your skin from the sun during outdoor jogs or uphill lunges! 925 member Leslie, and yours truly, like Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. It’s oil free and contains SPF 20!

Cleanse with a Clarisonic (or something like it.) I actually don’t have the Clarisonic, but I did recently purchase something similar: the Conair True Glow Sonic Facial Brush at Costco that’s just $68.99 (The Clarisonic ranges from $79 to $159!) The sonic technology in these brushes produces 300 oscillations per second, which removes environmental toxins, makeup and bacteria much more effectively than cleansing alone. It also primes the skin to receive other skincare products, such as toner and moisturizer.

Another indispensable tip for acne prevention is to shower as soon as you can post-workout. If you don’t, pores can get clogged with a sticky mixture of sweat, makeup, oil and debris. Moisture, along with junk trapped in your pores, creates the perfect breeding ground for the proliferation of acne-causing bacteria and inflammation.

If you don’t have time to shower, consider using salicylic acid-based toner or facial wipes. Salicylic acid has proven to be highly effective in breaking down the material deep inside pores that can lead to pimples.

Wear breathable clothing. Opt for active-wear made of natural fabrics, such as cotton or hemp. If you get really sweaty, drenched and damp and cotton won’t cut it, then try moisture-wicking fabrics that help absorb moisture but don’t hold on to it. Also, avoid tight clothes wherever you have body breakouts.

Use a towel, not your hand. A simple, yet often overlooked tip for avoiding breakouts is not touching your face while at the gym. One needs only use their imagination a split second to realize just how detrimental bacteria-laden weights, mats, and benches can be to our faces. Try to keep your hands away from your face during your workout, and bring a towel and use it to wipe the sweat off of your face and chest. Always wash your hands before leaving the gym, too.

One of my favorite products for spot treating pimples is tea tree oil. It contains anti-microbial properties and has been shown to kill acne-causing bacteria. For those with sensitive skin or who can’t use benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil is a great choice because it’s anti-inflammatory and won’t cause peeling.

Investing in facials is another terrific way to prevent breakouts and treat your skin to a deep, revitalizing cleansing. Since I began getting facials more regularly, I have seen my acne-prone skin clear up dramatically. My favorite part (also the most uncomfortable) is the extractions, where the esthetician uses his or her fingers or a stainless steel tool to remove blackheads and whiteheads. Another woman I coach, Rachel, pointed out that facials tone your complexion, exfoliate to stimulate cell renewal, increase collagen production, and they also feel amazing.

For Hands

If you’ve been working with dumbbells, barbells or anything else ending with the “bell,” then you’ve probably noticed that the palms of your hands aren’t what they used to be. They likely feel rougher and feature calluses that could rival a lumberjack’s. While some women prefer to wear gloves, the women I train (CrossFitters) typically lift bare-handed so they can better feel and grip their weights and bars, especially when performing explosive exercises (for example, kettlebell swings and clean and jerks) or kipping movements (for example, pull-ups or toes-to-bar) during which one’s gloved hands can easily slip.

One of our members, Kristin, sings the praises of an all-natural product made just for torn hands (a common occurrence for pull-up-loving CrossFitters!) and calluses from W.O.D. Welder called Solid Salve. It conveniently comes in a stick so you can stash it in your purse or gym bag and use it whenever your hands—your tools—begin to feel dry or uncomfortable.

My personal favorite hand lotion is called Hello Yellow by Farmhouse Fresh. Filled with natural vanilla and citrus oils, shea and cocoa butters, and Vitamin E, this stuff works wonders to relieve dry skin. It’s also 95% natural and is paraben and sulfate free.

I hope these tips are useful to you as you hit the gym, trail, studio, etc. this summer! As always, reach out to me any time on Twitter @dandersontyler or on Instagram @dianaandersontyler with any questions or feedback!

Diana Anderson-Tyler is the author of Creation House’s Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness, Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness, and her latest book, Immeasurable: Diving into the Depths of God’s Love. Her popular website can be found at dianaandersontyler.com and she is the owner and a coach at CrossFit 925.

For the original article, visit dianaandersontyler.com.

Our assigned seats are positional seats of authority, dignity and responsibility. Whether a man knows it or not, by the very nature of being a male he is positioned and seated within a protocol of authority.

The seat that we hold is incredibly important to our families, communities, churches and countries. If we fail to take our seat and demonstrate competence those under our authority could suffer tremendous harm.

We’re seeing the repercussions of men who do not take their seat of authority within our culture. Leaders who are inexperienced and incompetent in their duties wreak havoc as leaders. We are left with the repercussions for their dereliction of duties.

The same is true for husbands who do not take their seat of purpose for being a husband. If a man doesn’t take his seat of purpose to be a father his relationship with his children will fail. A man who doesn’t understand his purpose of authentic manhood will be unable protect his dignity as a man.

The seat of authentic manhood is a vital position to occupy. As men, we need to take our seat and discover how our position of authority comes with distinct purposes, controls our appetites and stabilizes our emotions.

“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Prov. 20:5).

At FivestarMan, we talk a lot about this Proverb from Solomon because it contains an enormous amount of insight and information. Let’s look at it again but from a different angle.

The Hebrew word for heart means, “seat of purposes, seat of appetites and seat of emotions.”

Seat of Purposes

First of all, we see that within the heart of man is the seat of purposes. We’ve defined the FivestarMan as a man who gains the understanding of the five purposes of authentic manhood—he has an adventurous spirit, entrepreneurial drive, is gallant in relationships, faithful in character, and wants to leave a legacy through philanthropic cause.

When a man gains understanding of these purposes his life becomes a passionate pursuit of authentic manhood.

These purposes are encouraging and empowering because when a man focuses upon his purposes, he casts off the things that constrain him.

“I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

The Apostle Paul was able to keep his eyes on the prize even while enduring hardships, times of imprisonment, times of famine and times of rejection. He was empowered with purpose.

Your heart is the seat of purposes—the five purposes of authentic manhood give you directional intent. You’re able to keep focused to fulfill the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, has called you.

Seat of Appetites

Secondly, the heart houses the seat of appetites. Out of the heart flows the issues of life or the appetites that motivate us and drive us toward fulfilling purpose.

“He who labors, labors for himself, for his mouth craves it of him” (Prov. 16:26).

Within our heart is the seat of purpose to work. As I say often, God gave man a job before He gave man the responsibility of a wife. From the purpose of work—or what we call the Entrepreneurial Drive—is the appetite or internal drive to work.

Unfortunately and insidiously, our government is stripping man of both the desire and opportunity to work. It’s a perversion of purpose. It is disastrous when a man has the passion to pursue work yet has lost the opportunity to fulfill it.

When a man lacks understanding of his purposes his appetite becomes insatiable.

“All the labor of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied” (Eccl. 6:7).

A man can never be satisfied in his labor or life without knowing the purpose behind his pursuit. However, when a man knows and flows from his purposes he can easily dictate and control his appetite.

When you’re in training you condition your body and submit your diet to a strict regiment. The prize before you causes you to deny your flesh. This is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. Champions do daily what the average man does occasionally.

Not long ago I went to my physician and talked about my age and the goals that I have for my health. I shared with him my desire to have the stamina to fulfill my purpose and achieve my destiny. I submitted myself to a new lifestyle of eating and exercise.

I eat to become trim and exercise to be fit. That means that I must deny my appetite to dictate to it my purpose.

Seat of Emotions

Men are emotional beings, but we express our emotions quite differently than women do. When we do express our emotions, they’re often an eruption of bottled-up sensitivities. The intensity and release can burst forth as the air rushing from a punctured balloon. After the emotional explosion has passed, we then have to clear up the collateral damage.

Where are these emotions stored and how do we express them on a more consistent basis so that we don’t explode?

The heart contains the seat of emotions, but our emotions flow from our purposes. In other words, we shouldn’t base our emotions on the external factors of life, but on the internal passions of purpose.

I witness this constantly after communicating the message of FivestarMan. Men come into the meeting pretty laid back in their posture, but as I speak of the five purposes and they gain understanding of them, their posture changes and they begin to lean into learning.

At the conclusion of the message, almost unanimously, men explode with emotions. Men will often come up to shake my hand and find themselves completely surprised by the depth of their emotions. At times they struggle with what to say to me about the impact of the message.

It certainly isn’t because of my eloquence of speaking. It is simply a result of the deep purposes within their heart—the seat of purposes, appetites and emotions.

So, I challenge you to take your seat—the seat of positional authority. Live up to the dignity of authentic manhood. Passionately pursue the five purposes that are on deposit within you and you will see the alignment of those purposes empower and inspire your life.

Neil Kennedy has passionately promoted God’s Word for 25-plus years of ministry. He is known for practically applying biblical principles that elevate people to a new level of living. As a business, church, ministry and life consultant, Kennedy has helped others strategize the necessary steps to reach their full potential.

For the original article, visit fivestarman.com.