Is there any harm in teaching children to believe in mythical characters?

I know this is a very touchy subject and may even hearts some peoples hearts. This system is coming very near to it’s end and we have to make our hearts and those we love heart’s as complete towards Jehovah as be can if we want to receive the future promises. Many say I do it for the children. We need to ask ourselves what are we really doing for the children when we teach them to believe in myths?

Is it really a good thing to teach children to celebrate traditional holidays and believe in the mythical characters surrounding them? What are we teaching our children when we do this? Not only that but what are we teaching our children if we teach them myths, such as teaching them to believe in a tooth fairy or Santa Claus?

If we teach children about mythical figures and convince them they are real we are teaching them to accept things that are not true as being true and not questioning them. We need to ask ourselves how will this effect their lives and the decisions they make? Is it a good thing to teach children to accept deception and lies as being true and teaching them not to question them? We teach our children what is acceptable behavior. By teaching them these things we are teaching them it is ok to be deceptive and even lie. We are also teaching them it is okay to be deceived and lied to.

In order to teach children those things we have to be deceptive and even lie. The bible not only tells us not to lie but it says let no deception be found in you. We are to imitate Jesus and no deception was found in his mouth.

(Psalm 101:7)  ⁷ No deceitful person will dwell in my house, And no liar will stand in my presence.

(Proverbs 12:19) Truthful lips will endure forever, But a lying tongue will last for only a moment.

(1 Peter 2:21-23) ²¹ In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely. ²² He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. ²³ When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously.

When we teach a children to believe things that are not true no matter what our motives are we are opening the door for false teachings and we are blinding their minds which opens the door even farther for them to easily accept teachings that God would not approve of. This also opens the door for them to start following traditions and doctrine of man instead of instead of worshiping God in truth. The bible warns us not to follow traditions and doctrines of man. Because many would follow the teachings and doctrines of man it would result in those who gathers teachers to scratch their itchy ears and who would refuse to accept the bible truths. Is this what we would want for our children? When a child is doing something that may bring misery or harm on them would we not try our best to teach them the truth about what their actions will cause to happen to them and the harm that can occur? Wouldn’t we also want to teach our children how to prevent spiritual harm by teaching them God’s word and not doctrine or tradition of man? The bible warns us that teaching these things serves as a snare. Not only that but Jesus says when we do this we overstep God’s command. We are to teach children bible truths not doctrine and tradition of man so that this will protect them. The bible tells us not only to teach the children but to talk about them day and night.

(Proverbs 22:6)  ⁶ Train a boy in the way he should go; Even when he grows old he will not depart from it. . .

(Deuteronomy 11:18-21) ¹⁸ “You must impress these words of mine on your heart and your soul and bind them as a reminder on your hand, and they should be like a headband on your forehead. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ so that you and your sons may live long in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your forefathers, for as long as the heavens are over the earth. The bible warns us to ignore false doctrine and tradition.

(Ephesians 6:3, 4) . . .” ⁴ And fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and admonition of Jehovah. . .

(1 Timothy 1:3, 4) ³ Just as I encouraged you to stay in Ephʹe·sus when I was about to go to Mac·e·doʹni·a, so I do now, in order for you to command certain ones not to teach different doctrine, ⁴ nor to pay attention to false stories and to genealogies. Such things end up in nothing useful but merely give rise to speculations rather than providing anything from God in connection with faith. . .

(Titus 1:13, 14) ¹³ This witness is true. For this very reason, keep on reproving them with severity so that they may be healthy in the faith, ¹⁴ paying no attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. . .

(Matthew 15:8, 9) . . .. ⁹ It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.. . .

(Isaiah 29:13) ¹³ Jehovah says: “This people approach me with their mouth And they honor me with their lips, But their heart is far removed from me; And their fear of me is based on commands of men that they have been taught. . .

Many of the problems we see in modern Christianity now days is because of the doctrine and traditions of man being taught as if it was a part of true worship and many things they promote Jesus would not have done and did not do. We were even warned that the results of this would bring about many bad things and even cause God’s name to be spoke of abusively. It said that it would bring in many destructive sects. Satan does not deceive people in an obvious way. Most cannot identify counterfeit money unless they have been specially trained. In order to identify counterfeit worship we must train our minds and our children’s minds by not only seeking God’s wisdom in his words but putting them into our hearts and applying them. By teaching children to ignore God’s word and accept myths and stories that are not true they become or vulnerable to deception and false teaching. This will make them more acceptable to ideas of man as being a part of there worship. Not only that but it would also teach them to put their faith in the physical things of the world instead of focusing on spiritual things. This teaches them to seek satisfaction in the flesh instead of satisfaction in spiritual things. All those things have been design by Satan and the demons to craftily draw many away from worshiping in truth. The bible calls such ones who teach those things wolves in sheep’s clothing.

(Ephesians 4:14, 15) ¹⁴ So we should no longer be children, tossed about as by waves and carried here and there by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in deceptive schemes. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth, let us by love grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ. . .

(Colossians 2:20-23) ²⁰ If you died together with Christ with respect to the elementary things of the world, why do you live as if still part of the world by further subjecting yourselves to the decrees: ²¹ “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch,” ²² referring to things that all perish with their use, according to the commands and teachings of men? ²³ Although those things have an appearance of wisdom in a self-imposed form of worship and a false humility, a harsh treatment of the body, they are of no value in combating the satisfying of the flesh.

(2 Peter 2:1-3) 2 However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among you. These will quietly bring in destructive sects, and they will even disown the owner who bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. ² Furthermore, many will follow their brazen conduct, and because of them the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. ³ Also, they will greedily exploit you with counterfeit words. But their judgment, decided long ago, is not moving slowly, and their destruction is not sleeping. . .

(Acts 20:29, 30) ²⁹ I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, ³⁰ and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves. . .

(1 Timothy 4:1) However, the inspired word clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons,

(2 Timothy 4:3, 4) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the wholesome teaching, but according to their own desires, they will surround themselves with teachers to have their ears tickled. ⁴ They will turn away from listening to the truth and give attention to false stories.

(2 Timothy 3:1-5) 3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, ³ having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, ⁴ betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

In the past God’s people would not give up false teachings. They were double minded which the bible teaches we are not to be. We are to know God well enough to know what he requires. The bible tells us we cannot drink from the coup of the devil and the cup of God’s at the same time.

(1 Corinthians 10:21) You cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; you cannot be partaking of “the table of Jehovah” and the table of demons.

(2 Corinthians 6:14, 15) Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Beʹli·al? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?

(Isaiah 65:11) ¹¹ But you are among those forsaking Jehovah, Those forgetting my holy mountain, Those setting a table for the god of Good Luck, And those filling up cups of mixed wine for the god of Destiny.

(Matthew 15:3) ³ In reply he said to them: “Why do you overstep the commandment of God because of your tradition?

(Romans 16:17, 18) ¹⁷ Now I urge you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who create divisions and causes for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them. ¹⁸ For men of that sort are slaves, not of our Lord Christ, but of their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattering speech they seduce the hearts of unsuspecting ones. . .

(Matthew 6:24) ²⁴ “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches.

We are to safeguard wisdom from Jehovah.

(Proverbs 3:21, 22) ²¹ My son, do not lose sight of them. Safeguard practical wisdom and thinking ability; ²² They will give you life And be an adornment for your neck;

Many teach their children to idolize these mythical characters and even revere and obey them. This is a form of idolatry. God requires exclusive devotion and we are not to anyone else glory that is rightfully God’s . In teaching children to do this a parent could be setting them up to follow the wrong path, one that would not please God or our king Jesus Christ. An idol is an image or representation or symbol that is an object of passionate devotion whether imagined or real. The bible says we are to flee from idolatry and stop touching the unclean thing. We are also to guard ourselves from idols meaning we should be alert to what they are so we can protect ourselves from getting involved in doing acts of worship. No matter how subtle the act of worship is Jesus made it very clear we are to give God exclusive devotion. We are told to be no part of the world which means we would not get involved in doctrine and traditions of the world that are in opposition to what Jesus taught. The bible also warned us these things serve as a snare.

(Luke 10:27) In answer he said: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

(Exodus 34:13-16) ¹³ But you are to pull down their altars, you are to shatter their sacred pillars, and their sacred poles you are to cut down. ¹⁴ You must not bow down to another god, for Jehovah is known for requiring exclusive devotion. Yes, he is a God who requires exclusive devotion. ¹⁵ Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, because when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone will invite you and you will eat from his sacrifice. ¹⁶ Then you will surely take some of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to prostitute themselves to their gods. . .

(Exodus 23:31-33) . . .. ³² You must not make a covenant with them or their gods. ³³ They should not dwell in your land, so that they may not cause you to sin against me. If you should serve their gods, it would surely become a snare to you.. . .

(1 Corinthians 10:14, 15) ¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved ones, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to men with discernment; judge for yourselves what I say. . .

1 John 5:20-21 ²¹ Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

So whether we share the believes of the ones who are participating in the traditional holidays of man if we celebrate them we are being double minded and not giving God exclusive devotion. I am not going to delve into the origin of many of the traditions that are celebrated now days but I will list the holidays and scriptures that indicate why they are not what they appear to be.

Chrismas

(Jeremiah 10:1-6) 10 Hear the word that Jehovah has spoken against you, O house of Israel. ² This is what Jehovah says: “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Because the nations are terrified by them.  ³ For the customs of the peoples are a delusion. It is just a tree of the forest that is cut down, Worked by the hands of the craftsman with his tool.  ⁴ They adorn it with silver and gold And fasten it with hammer and nails so that it will not fall over.  ⁵ Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, they cannot speak; They have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.”  ⁶ No one is like you, O Jehovah. You are great, and your name is great and mighty.

They celebrate Christmas at a time Jesus was not born so they could not be celebrating the birth of Christ. The Sheppard were outdoors with their sheep at night. Beginning in October they would start sheltering the sheep at night because it was cold. Also the star they sing about was not from God but it is clear it was from Satan because he was trying to guide them to Jesus because Herod wanted Jesus to be killed. The bible says they were astrologers so they would read the stars, which is something God did not approve of. Why would God use pagan astrologers? On the contrary he actually warned them about telling Herod where Jesus was. The bible had warned us that Satan can perform powerful works and wonders.

(Luke 2:8) ⁸ There were also in the same region shepherds living out of doors and keeping watch in the night over their flocks.

(Matthew 2:1-3) 2 After Jesus had been born in Bethʹle·hem of Ju·deʹa in the days of Herod the king, look! astrologers from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying: “Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when we were in the East, and we have come to do obeisance to him.” ³ At hearing this, King Herod was agitated, and all Jerusalem with him. . .

(Matthew 2:7-12) ⁷ Then Herod secretly summoned the astrologers and carefully ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearing. ⁸ When sending them to Bethʹle·hem, he said: “Go make a careful search for the young child, and when you have found him, report back to me so that I too may go and do obeisance to him.” ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went their way, and look! the star they had seen when they were in the East went ahead of them until it came to a stop above where the young child was. ¹⁰ On seeing the star, they rejoiced with great joy. ¹¹ And when they went into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and falling down, they did obeisance to him. They also opened their treasures and presented him with gifts—gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² However, because they were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) ⁹ But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders ¹⁰ and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. ¹¹ That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, ¹² in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

Halloween is heavenly laden with spiritualism and idolatry of the dead. Something God has warned us not to get involved in. the bible tells us getting involved in those things are works of the flesh.

(Deuteronomy 18:10, 11) ¹⁰ There should not be found in you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, anyone who employs divination, anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, ¹¹ anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead.

(Leviticus 19:31) ³¹ “‘Do not turn to the spirit mediums, and do not consult fortune-tellers so as to become unclean by them. I am Jehovah your God.

(Isaiah 8:19) And if they say to you: “Inquire of the spirit mediums or of the fortune-tellers who chirp and mutter,” is it not of their God that a people should inquire? Should they inquire of the dead in behalf of the living?

(Galatians 5:19-21) ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, ²⁰ idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions, sects, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these. I am forewarning you about these things, the same way I already warned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.

(John 17:15-19) ¹⁵ “I do not request that you take them out of the world, but that you watch over them because of the wicked one. ¹⁶ They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And I am sanctifying myself in their behalf, so that they also may be sanctified by means of truth. If you experience these things it shows that you have gotten God’s approval.

(1 Corinthians 10:31) ³¹ Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.

When you reject the ways of the world and their opposition from God you can expect to be spoken of abusive. Jesus said the student is no better then the teacher. We have the example of the apostles and we know they were Jesus disciples and they were treated just as he was. We can also be expected to be treated likewise and many will be confused by our rejection of their worldly ways. God’s people even got accused of teaching new teaching. You will be looked down on and accused of losing your mind when you worship in truth.

(2 Chronicles 36:15, 16) . . .. ¹⁶ But they kept ridiculing the messengers of the true God, and they despised his words and mocked his prophets, until the rage of Jehovah came up against his people, until they were beyond healing.

(Matthew 16:24-27) ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and keep following me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ Really, what good will it do a man if he gains the whole world but loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of man is to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his behavior.

(1 Peter 4:2-4) . . .. ³ For the time that has passed by is sufficient for you to have done the will of the nations when you carried on in acts of brazen conduct, unbridled passions, overdrinking, wild parties, drinking bouts, and lawless idolatries. ⁴ They are puzzled that you do not continue running with them in the same decadent course of debauchery, so they speak abusively of you.

(Acts 17:19, 20) ¹⁹ So they took hold of him and led him to the Ar·e·opʹa·gus, saying: “Can we get to know what this new teaching is that you are speaking about? ²⁰ For you are introducing some things that are strange to our ears, and we want to know what these things mean.”

(1 Peter 4:12-14) ¹² Beloved ones, do not be surprised about the fiery trials that you are experiencing, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ On the contrary, go on rejoicing over the extent to which you are sharers in the sufferings of the Christ, so that you may rejoice and be overjoyed also during the revelation of his glory. ¹⁴ If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, yes, the spirit of God, is resting upon you.

(Mark 3:20, 21) . . .. ²¹ But when his relatives heard about it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying: “He has gone out of his mind.”

(Matthew 5:11, 12) ¹¹ “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. ¹² Rejoice and be overjoyed, since your reward is great in the heavens, for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you. . .

We must do our best not to let those ones practicing those things deprive us of the prize.

(Colossians 2:18) ¹⁸ Let no man deprive you of the prize who takes delight in a false humility and a form of worship of the angels, “taking his stand on” the things he has seen. He is actually puffed up without proper cause by his fleshly frame of mind,

Many who would be saying these things are driven by greed, they are trying to get people to be indebted to them and trying to make money from their lack of knowledge concerning true worship.

(Acts 19:23-25) ²³ At that time quite a disturbance arose concerning The Way. ²⁴ For a man named De·meʹtri·us, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Arʹte·mis, brought considerable profit to the craftsmen. ²⁵ He gathered them and others who worked at such things and said: “Men, you well know that from this business comes our prosperity.

(Acts 16:16) ¹⁶ Now it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a servant girl with a spirit, a demon of divination, met us. She supplied her masters with much profit by fortune-telling.

(1 John 4:4-6) ⁴ You originate with God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in union with you is greater than the one who is in union with the world. ⁵ They originate with the world; that is why they speak what originates with the world and the world listens to them. ⁶ We originate with God. Whoever comes to know God listens to us; whoever does not originate with God does not listen to us. . .

Why those who are chronically ill isolate themselves.

This is not medical advice if you are ill seek medical attention. Do not treat yourself. I am writing this for educational and information purposed.

Written by Lee Stevenson sorry I am a lousy editor.

Before I get into this I do want to explain what occurs is not your fault and those involved are not completely guilty. In our desire to live a normal life we may hide how sick we truly are. When we do finally start realizing how sick we are those around us will offer very little support or help because we look like we are not ill so they assume that our illness is mostly psychological. They will often times say and do hurtful things that add to our stress and can even make our illness worse. We tend to blame ourselves but for the most part it was not our fault that we became ill. The body is very resilient and has many mechanisms that will compensate for things they are not functioning correctly but it reaches a point that it can no longer compensate and then a person becomes chronically ill. It usually take correcting many things in order for the body to get the upper hand and start healing but the demands made by society now days makes it very difficult to heal. Adrenal hormones are usually highest in the morning so symptoms most likely will be worse in the morning. This is also why nausea that comes with it is often times worse in the morning.

Healing from chronic illness requires an anti-inflammatory diet and once that will reduce oxidative stress. It will also require eating more whole foods and for many they may have to cut back on meat consumption until they heal.

When a person is chronically ill they will isolate themselves. This comes with a feeling of guilt because they may be neglecting responsibilities or even family. This is actually a protective mechanism to prevent increased damage to the brain, heart and even the organs in the body. This condition is known as anhedonia. The brain will shut most emotion off in order to protect the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis. The HPA also regulates the limbic system. When the limbic system become affected this starts affecting the heart and can result in death. This occurs from sepsis which can be caused by physical injury, infection, stress, betrayal from someone we love, loss of someone we love, trauma, toxins, vaccine injury and many drugs can cause it. The cause of this is because when a person is chronically ill their bodies get stuck in a fight or flight mode. If the issues causing the illness are not correct the HPA and limbic system can become damaged which can be life threatening because they regulate the heart and blood pressure. This also effects a person glucose levels so they will frequently have bought of low glucose levels which will cause nausea, flushing and weakness.

Because the HPA and limbic system function together healing the HPA will help to heal the limbic system.

When this occurs and the brain is still calling for adrenal hormone because the body is still in a state of injury it will start effecting the person emotions. They will start having mood swings, they will start taking more risk in order to try and increase adrenaline. Often times there will be severe muscle twitching or muscle spams or severed charlie horses.

The brain disconnects emotion to prevent further stimulation to the HPA. I found it strange because I experienced this but I still felt the love for others. So I felt guilty I was not there emotionally for them but when I tried I could feel it effecting my health. When the HPA axis is over expressed it increases expression of the limbic system which damages the heart . This causes a loss in blood flow to the extremities and a person will start experiencing ankle swelling, liver and kidney problems which can cause swelling in the face. Nerve damage will occur because the heart is beating irregular so the hands and feet and even some organs are not getting the blood they need.

The limbic system is regulated by the HPA axis. So when they HPA axis is affected so is the limbic system. Symptoms of limbic dysfunction are chronic fatigue, myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatiogue the overwhelming desire to sleep), extreme neurological sensitivity, or heightened sensitivity to pain, chemical and mold sensitivity, a variety of chronic pain, anxiety like attack which will cause rapid breathing, systemic inflammation and POTS. Loss of motivation, impaired short term memory and when it gets more severe loss of long term memories, sever mood swings, it also effects our blood pressure, endocrine system and thyroid hormones. Digestion can be severely affected for each it is affected differently but often times it results in frequent constipation and malabsorption of nutrients especially vitamin B12 and the oil soluble vitamins like D, E and K.

I kept thinking if I just push through this it will get better and I would try to force myself to interact with others and to do things I felt I needed to do like mowing the grass or clearing the driveway of snow. This would result in me having dizzy spells for days because of the damage that had occurred to my heart.

Sometimes it would cause me to get so sleepy that I could not stay awake and I would sleep for days. If I fought the sleep my health would rapidly decline and I would get to the point that I couldn’t even get out of bed to eat or get a glass of water I would have to crawl to get them.

Because the illness cannot be seen many would make unreasonable demands on me. I tried to tell them how ill I was and they would brush it off and even say mean things to me like “you need to suck it up and be a man” or “you need to stop being so lazy”. The emotional hurt that put on me contributed even more to my being ill because the emotional pain added to the stress on the HPA so I would become even sicker.

The links to the studies below show the things that occur when a person is chronically ill. This is the symptoms of someone who’s HPA axis and limbic system has been pushed to the point that it start severely effecting their health and possibly end in death if not treated and not given enough rest.

The first symptoms a person is near HPA and limbic collapse is they will be extremely wired but also be very tired.

Severe muscle fatigue or muscle aches, severe sleepiness and difficulty waking, dizzy spells especially when a person goes from resting to standing. These are not your normal dizzy spells that occur when standing to quickly but they will last for a very long time. A person may lose their libido, gain weight and have hair loss. There may be nausea in later stages because it takes a lot of energy and even for the heart to digest food. When this happened to me I could no longer eat solid food I had to puree it and sometimes that was too much and I could only drink juice. A person may have mood swings from trying to maintain a normal life while their body is trying to tell them to rest. It also causes increased brain swelling adding to the HPA and limbic system dysfunction. Constantly low body tempeture is a sign the HPA has been damaged this will also effect hormone levels and thyroids.

When the limbic system gets impaired a person will first start to experience short term memory loss. When it gets more severe they will start losing long term memory. Mine got so bad I could not remember my name or where I lived sometimes. Symptoms that the HPA is over activated are anxiety, mood swings and severe depression and irritability.

When a person is chronically ill the fight or flight mode their bodies are stuck in will constrict blood vessels and increase heart rate in order to prepare the body for what it perceives is a threat. If the health issues are not correct the heart will become damaged and then there is a loss of proper blood flow. If a person reaches this stage of illness their body and brain starts going into survival mode. When the chronic illness is severe the body knows things are starting to fail. It will induce panic and rapid breathing will occur. In later stages when things get very severe seizures will occur. Because this effects the body tempeture a person will become very sensitive to cold.

Sadly even though man studies show it is not a state of mental illness but a part of their chronic illness society and modern medicine list it as a mental illness and tries to treat it with drugs often times making the chronic illness worse. Family will try to push a person suffering from this into living a normal life or offer very little help which usually contributes more to their illness.

When a person has experienced anhedonia and recovered they can be easily set back and become ill again. It takes the HPA axis and limbic system months and even years to heal. The problem I had is as soon as I felt well again I would start to act like life was normal and would set myself back.

To recover from anhedonia you must address the cause.

If a person has experienced a traumatic event loss of a loved one or betrayal by a loved one they will need to learn to stop dwelling on it and get past it and stop letting it effect them emotionally because that translates over to physical illness. If a person dwell on the loss of a loved one or a traumatic event it will keep the body in a state of fight or flight and the HPA and limbic system will continue to decline.

If the illness is caused by physical illness then the person will need to address the cause or causes because often times it is caused by many things coming together whether it is trauma, along with vaccine injury or a number of other things that can combine to cause the HPA and limbic system to become damaged. There are many forms of chronic illness that can lead to this condition but the biggest causes now days is tick born illness or other infectious diseases because vaccines and GMO foods have weakened many people immune system along with the many medication they are pushing now days especially fluoroquinolones.

This is not something a person can recover from over night. I for the most part have healed but stress still sets me back. I can usually handle physical exertion with no problem until a stressful event has occurred. When this occurs it sets me back physically because it takes the brain months and sometimes even years to heal . Since the HPA and limbic system are located in the brain they do not heal as quickly as the rest of the body. So in order to heal on top of addressing the health issues we need to do our best to avoid stressful situations. We need to learn to view things more positively and get over things that have stressed us much more quickly. Sometimes we may need to talk to a psychiatrist to help us resolve things from our past including the trauma, neglect and out right cold heartedness we experience from those we love.

I will try to explain what is happening.

If we do not correct our HPA axis and limbic system our hormones cannot return to normal because progesterone gets shunted to make adrenal hormones. This is not as noticeable in men but in woman they can develop PCOS or some other hormonal problems. If this is not corrected a person could develop interstitial cystitis. The hormonal problems caused by HPA over activation is a double edged sword. We may be very tired and very fatigued but may struggle to sleep or wake through the night often. We will develop severe night sweats. We may experience bloating in the gut. Women will experience issues with menstruation and may grow excess facial hair. Men and women can experience hot flashes. This comes from the hormonal imbalance and the low glucose levels. Some may experience weight gain, lowered libido and sugar cravings. Processed sugar increases HPA activity so would make the symptoms worse. There will be migraines or severe headaches.

If the upregulation of the HPA and limbic system continues the adrenals and limbic system becomes severely damaged causing them to function improperly the body will lose it’s ability to produce adrenal hormone. This is called NeuroEndometabolic stress response (NEM). This puts the adrenals at the forefront of this anti-stress battle. The body puts adrenal function ahead of other things because it is needed to maintain proper function of the cardiovascular system if it fails then we could die. This is why the body starts shunting progesterone and using it to produce adrenal hormones when all other sources to produce adrenal hormones have been depleted it is one of the bodies last ditch efforts to survive. Many medical professionals will throw substitute hormones at someone which often times mask the symptoms while making the person sicker. When it has reached this point then the recovery process will most likely take years instead of months. Progesterone is needed to protect the body from the oxidative stress causing properties of estrogen so when it becomes depleted oxidative stress increase adding to the body be in a state of fight or flight mode. The liver and kidney become congested and their function becomes inhibited causing them to swell and they will start to develop fibrous tissue farther decreasing their function. Until the adrenal issues and the issues causing them to occur are addressed this process will continue to occur until there is renal failure. This is why when a person is experiencing HPA dysfunction they will have pain in the lower back on their side. Over consumption of B vitamins can also cause that type of pain because the body can store B vitamins and over consumption of certain ones can start to damage the liver and kidney. If progesterone is added when this is occurring it will speed up the rate the renal system is being damaged. In males the low progesterone levels cause a loss of sperm production. Low progesterone levels causes heart arrhythmia, POTS which can result in stroke or heart failure. Progesterone is needed for connective tissue repair in the body. When levels are low the gut can become damaged, the joints can become damaged and even start to leak, when very severe the bladder will get damaged.

There is a chemical released called phoenixin and reducing it can help but we still need to address the causes of the HPA and limbic system dysfunction. Symptoms of high phoenixin levels are poor memory or memory loss, a lack of showing emotions, a person may start seeking adventure or start doing dangerous things in an attempt to increase adrenal hormone levels, if phoenixin levels get to high a person will lose their ability to think logically. If phoenixin levels remain high for an extended period of time a person will experience severe itchiness in the skin. A person with high phoenixin level will be prone to retaining fluids especially in the face and ankles. Phoenixin causes the secretion of many hormones which can farther contribute to the hormone imbalance. It also stimulates the HPA axis. To reduce it we must reduce inflammation, if we have leaky gut or gut dysbiosis we must correct it. If we have tick born illness or mycoplasma infection or some other infection it has to be addressed in order for the HPA and limbic systems to heal. Avoiding processed foods and foods that are not organic is a must because glyphosate works synergistically with the BT Toxins in GMOs and cause chronic illness. Phoenixion can cause a persons body temperature to remain lower then normal. Stress, physical trauma need to be avoided as much as possible in order to reduce phoenixin levels. Phoenixin also causes nerves to become much more sensitive and the pain can cause increased HPA and limbic activity. High phoenixin levels increase the markers found in interstitial cystitis so it will cause interstitial cystitis to become much worse. Phoenixin causes high insulin levels and low glucose levels it causes insulin resistance. Phoenixin causes oxidative stress so antioxidants are a must. It inhibits the NRF2 pathways so it may be necessary to take an NRF2 activator in order to heal. Remember balance is the goal we need some oxidative stress and inflammation to maintain our health and to protect the body from cancer. Palm oil helps to reduce phoenixin.

We need to heal the whole body including our way of handling stress because it cannot be avoided now days. I will attempt to explain what happens to the adrenals before I get into healing them. The constant HPA up-regulation will eventually wear the HPA and limbic systems down. They will no longer be able to keep up. Adrenal hormones are needed when we exert ourselves, when we deal with stressful situations. Because our adrenals and limbic system is damaged they will not be able to keep up. When this occurs heart failure can occur if we try and push ourselves beyond what our bodies are capable when it has reached such a point. I have had many friends while healing who pushed themselves too hard because they thought they were well and they either severely set themselves back or even died. So as we are healing we need to pay extra attention to our bodies and know when we need to take a break from either stress or physical activity.

It is very very important to stay hydrated because dehydration adds to the adrenal fatigue because it an put the body in a state of fight or flight mode also. Electrolytes are also very important to support the HPA axis. A good way to restore electrolytes is to take some water and add lemon, 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar (be cautious get aluminum free, aluminum damages the HPA axis and the limbic system), also add organic raw honey which has many healing properties. Cholesterol is needed to produce all hormones in the body especially adrenal hormones. Deficiencies in B vitamins damages the HPA and limbic systems. This is very common now because processed foods are low in B vitamins and the farm chemicals used on our crops causes them to be deficient in B vitamins. Adding to the problem is the fact that much of the farm land has been over farmed adding to the nutrient deficiencies. It is best to buy organic and buy from local farms when possible. Magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, chromium, vanadium are needed for HPA and limbic system health. If you take too much zinc , iron, copper , chromium , vanadium it will have the opposite effect and start damaging the HPA axis. Excess iron can increase oxidative stress. Vitamin C is needed in high amounts when the trying to heal. Taking too much vitamin C can cause oxalates to form and can destroy red blood cells so if you take vitamin C do so wisely. I found liposomal was the one I reacted to the least. I had interstitial cystitis and reacted severely to anything that contained vitamin C. Once my adrenals started to heal my interstitial cystitis started to heal though I had to heal many other health problems to stop the damage that was occurring. The sesquiterpines found in myrrh and frankincense have been found to work very well for increasing oxygen levels around the receptor sites involved in the HPA and limbic systems which speeds up the healing time. Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to speed up the recovery of the HPA axis. I found alternating the types of Omega 3 was much more effective. Some may react to coconut oil because it kills many types of pathogens including mycoplasma. The endotoxins released will add to the body being in fight or flight mode so when a person start killing infection they should do so slowly and strengthen the body and detox systems before doing so. Avoid processed sugars , because the upregulated HPA axis will cause low glucose levels a person may crave sugar and salt. Sugar will add to the HPA dysfunction because it causes systemic low grade inflammation which also puts the body in a state of fight or flight mode. We need complex carbohydrate like those found in roots , inulin which is non digestable fiber,grains, seeds, legumes, beans, vegetables and nuts. Those with leaky gut may have to avoid things that contain lectins until there gut is healed. We need lectins but when the gut is too porous the lectins will enter our blood stream and will cause systemic inflammation. This also can cause immune dysfunction which also causes the body to get stuck in fight or flight mode. Things that contain the highest level of lectins is milk, wheat, tomatoes and beans. The complex carbohydrates help keep the blood glucose levels stable because when they are low the body will also go into fight or flight mode. The most important B vitamins are B6 and B12. Avoiding inflammatory foods like Omega 6 fatty acids is very important.

The body goes into fight or flight mode during infection for many reasons. Often times it causes systemic low grade inflammation and oxidative stress which causes the body to go into fight or flight mode.

Our stomachs contain microbes called our microbiome. Those microbes modulate our genes and health. A deficiency in one microbe can cause many health issues. Those microbes consist of phages, viruses, bacteria, fungus and even amoeba. Most in the industrialized nations are more prone to chronic illness because the toxins, medication, farm chemicals in foods, stress, vaccinations altering the immune system leads to an imbalance in gut microbes, processed foods, consumption of too much of one specific type of food instead of getting a variety causes a loss of many of the microbes in our guts needed to maintain a healthy immune system, prevent inflammation , regulate our glucose levels and protect us from infection. Part of the reason infectious disease is rampant is because many species of microbes are now extinct in those who live in the industrialize world. For those who do not have a way to replace those microbes they have to permanently adjust their diets to compensate for the microbes that are missing which only partially addresses the health issues caused by a lack of certain microbes. It is very difficult to get those microbes from our environment now because the chemicals and toxins being put in our soils have killed many of the beneficial microbes in the soil which is how many of our microbes that maintain our health are acquired. We also inherit our microbes from our parents. The fathers microbe heavily influence the makeup of the mothers so the fathers microbes can effect the health of the whole family. Achieving health should involve the whole family restoring microbial balance in their gut. If we have an overgrowth of certain microbes or a deficiency in some it can cause systemic inflammation, autoimmune disease, nutrient deficiencies because most of our vitamins are produced by our microbiome and we only get some our our vitamins from food. Even biotin is created by our gut microbes. All of these can lead to the body being stuck in fight or flight mode which will cause HPA and limbic dysfunction. Now add to the fact that all this can make the gut more porous which will cause food particles that would not normally enter the blood stream to enter our bodies. This causes a person to start developing a variety food intolerance and allergies. The regulation in the immune system will also cause the HPA axis to become dysfunctional. As this goes on and our environment becomes more toxic chronic illness is becoming more and more rampant. In the U.S. 80% of the population is said to be on a medication of some type. The sad part of that many studies have shown that up to 80% of the benefits of medications are based on the noocebo effect . In other words because the person has changed their negative state of mind based on their believe the medication is healing them they start healing showing our state of mind is a very part of the healing process. The medications all come with side effects that are very damaging to the body so they end up with a new set of health problems after taking the medications , especially antibiotics which dramatically alter our microbiome. If a person does not heal their gut they will be fighting a losing battle and the gut is always effected during chronic illness.

Things that can help restore the HPA and limbic health.

There are herbs that can help restore health of the HPA and limbic system once the causes are addressed these can also be taken as a person is addressing those issues to help reduce the damage. For example grape seed extract improves blood flow reduce inflammation and histamines which will help reduce the bodies need to be in a fight or flight mode to survive. There are adaptogenic herbs that help support adrenal function while reducing stress hormones these are called adaptogenic herbs. Some of these are ashwangha, rhodiola, bupleurum, rhemannia, mace root and kudzu root. Herbs that relax also help to reduce stress hormones, some of them are lemon balm, peony, rooibos, and mugwort.

Exercise in moderation helps to improve HPA and limbic health but be very aware of your limitations because if you over do it you can set yourself back not just for days but for weeks. Even someone healthy could damage their HPA axis if they exercise excessively. Excess exercise can cause progesterone levels to decrease.

Studies have shown that meditating on positive things and happy things can improve HPA health. I meditated on things I liked doing or even on just laying in a field with flowers. Taking the time to enjoy nature and looking at the stars has been shown to improve HPA health.

Positive social interaction has been shown to be good for HPA axis once our adrenal health is well enough we can interact with others. If we attempt to do this before we have recovered enough it could actually do the opposite and increase the time needed to recover. Negative interactions have been shown to have a dramatic effect on the HPA axis. When I say negative interactions I am speaking of those that involve yelling, fighting, all out bad behavior that could negative effect others. Even gossip has been shown to have a negative effect on the HPA axis. I never listened to gossip so I was protected by this one because I always thought if they are saying that about them when they are not around what are they saying about me when I am not around?

We have to remove ourselves from stressful situation that we can remove ourselves from. For example I never liked arguing so if a person started yelling and arguing I would not discuss things with them until they started being respectful and listening to me as well as I listen to the. The bible says “be quick to listen and slow to speak”. I was also protected by the stress of this because I would rarely engage in someone who behaved this way until they started behaving rationally. I used bible principles in guiding me on who I should and should not associate with , this meant some family who caused me stress I had to start cutting out of my life in a biblical way. Though the bible may consider them a bad association we still have familial obligations so we cannot leave them go without something to wear, eat or drink. If they were ill we would still be required to help them. But we would do so in a way we protect ourselves from the stress their life styles could cause us.

Things that cause us stress that are not necessary could be cut down. I had too many belongings, this was very stressful for me. I had to worry about them being stolen. I had to worry about the money to maintain them. I always had a car and a truck. I used to own my own property and it was paid off. I lost that because I could not afford to pay the taxes when I got ill. Reducing my belongings dramatically reduced my stress. Though I really got sad when I lost my house no longer having the responsibility of maintaining it reduced the physical and emotional burden it had been causing which shortened the time it took too heal my HPA axis. I am not saying a person should get rid of their belonging but I am saying to not let yourself get consumed in acquiring them because in the long run it could take it’s toll on your health by having a negative impact on your HPA axis. I have watched many wealthy people die unhappy only to have their wealth go to someone who did not work hard to build it the wealth so they squandered it. This is not always the case but I have seen it happen many times. Since I have gotten ill I am much more aware of what brings me true happiness. I have learned enjoying the simple things in life bring me much more happiness then money and my belongings have. Studies have shown that focusing on the success we have and not on the success we do not have improves brain and HPA health. Studies have also shown if we dwell on past failures then it will have a negative impact on the health of our brains. So we need to keep looking forward and view those mistakes or failures as lessons and move on. Dwelling on them will only hold us back anyways because if we continue to look back how can we move forward?

Participating in bible study and prayer has been shown to improve over mental health and HPA health. Doing good things for others has been shown to improve HPA function. Learning not to hate and not to hold grudges but learning to forgive protects the HPA axis from the negative hormones produced by those. Acts of kindness produce hormones that have been shown to improve HPA and Limbic health.

There is stress that cannot be avoided. We need to do our best to train our minds not to react to harshly to it and try our best to maintain balance and composure so that our adrenal levels do not climb. We have to learn to let things go we can do nothing about and not dwell on the. How we react to stressful things also can effect our HPA and limbic systems negatively. For example often times people will view unexpected events or obstacles as a negative thing. I have retrained my mind to view them as challenges that will build my mental endurance, wisdom and knowledge. I have found this prevents me from getting over excited about things that occur that I cannot control. Now as for the negative emotional things that occur I am still working on this and it still has a dramatic effect on my HPA and limbic system. For example I do not deal well with being falsely accused of something and it causes my adrenal hormones to go through the roof. I have been working very hard to learn to deal with this because when it occurs it sets me back pretty far.

The brain also needs to be repaired. The brain cells can restructure themselves and can even grow new cells. When we learn new things this stimulate new brain cell growth and restructuring. This is called neural plasticity. The more we use our brains the faster it becomes at doing this. This can also improve HPA and limbic health since they are a part of the brain. This is why developing new hobbies or learning new skills can improve limbic health. Hobbies and learning new skills have also been shown to help people recover from trauma much more quickly. Hobbies or skills that require the use of the hands have been shown to dramatically improve brain health. Playing games including card games improves brain and HPA health. Getting workbooks that involves answering questions or doing word puzzles improves brain health.

Self-acceptance or self love is very important. I struggle with this one but I have been working on it. We need to learn to do acts of kindness towards ourselves. I have lived my life always being needed by others and never had time to focus on myself. I either forgot how to love myself or never knew how until some friends pointed out I did not do acts of kindness towards myself and had difficulty excepting when others did acts of kindness towards me. Another part of self-acceptance is not comparing our self image of who we are or our body image to others. We need to learn to be happy with our bodies the way they are. Studies have shown that dwelling on body image in a negative way has a dramatic negative impact on the health of the brain , HPA, and limbic system. We need to accept our bodies for the way they are. Many of us may struggle with this, I am one of them because I used to be very muscular and I also got damage by fluorquinolone drugs which caused me to lose some of my teeth and it also cause bone loss which made my teeth become crooked. I am trying to to dwell on those things because I can feel it effecting my health. I am trying to apply what friend has stated to me “we need to stop worrying about those things because we have much bigger fish to fry” . In other words we need to focus on maintaining our health and for many of us trying to make a living while recovering from chronic illness because most forms of chronic illness the government will not give a person disability for.

Quinolinic acid

Quionolinic acid is very damaging to the body, brain and neurological system. It also causes the body to get stuck in fight or flight made through it’s effects on the NMDA receptors . It up-regulates them this can lead to many mental health issues, severe headaches, this causes a person to be sensitive to light glare, very sensitive to sound, difficulty staying focused. The over stimulation of the NMDA receptor cause the HPA and limbic system to be over stimulated. If the high quinolinic acid levels are not corrected it can lead to severe neurological damage, Alzheimer’s , schiszophrenia, and dementia. A person could also develop Bell’s Palsy like symptoms. This can also happen when the HPA has been stuck in a state of fight or flight.

Quinolinic acid is a metabolite of tryptophan. Quionolinic acid is formed during the bodies production of niacin which is the final step in the kynurenine pathway which is needed to produce energy for our cells. When this process has become disrupted by oxidative stress, toxins, systemic inflammation, emotional stress or trauma, infection, gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, vaccine injury, aluminum build up in the brain and body, heavy metal, autoimmunity, high histamine which can also increase HPA axis over activation, eating too many processed foods especially ones that contain glyphosate and drug injury usually from fluroquinolone drugs.

When quinolinic acid excites the NMDA receptor glutamate increaes , this inhibits the reuptake of glutamate into the cells. This also inhibits the ability to create GABA . The excess glutamate also stimulates the NMDA receptor causing increased activity. This causes even more glutamate to be released. This starts causing brain inflammation, neurological damage and can damage the blood brain barrier. If it become severe enough the brain may start leaking fluid bay the base of the skull and it may also leak out through the nasal passages. This causes sever swelling at the back of the neck and severe pain. When the quinolinic acid levels are high a person will experience severe headache that may make it feel like their head is going to split open. The body has another way to produce quinolinic acid and it is effected by the same things kynurenine pathway is. This adds even more to the quinolinic acid being produced. The alternative pathway is not found in the brain but with the blood brain barrier now leaking the quinolinic acid produced by the 3-HAO pathway can now enter the brain also increasing quinolone levels even farther. Those who have Lyme disease almost always have high quinolone levels because it creates the perfect storm needed to cause this to occur. The destruction of nerve cells that occurs causes iron to be released. The increased quinolinic acid production even more. Since the 3-HAO pathway is producing energy for the rest of the body which covers a much broader area it produces quinolinic acid at 80 times the rate that they kynurenine pathway does. This farther adds to the inflammation and oxidative stress causing a positive feedback loop that can be very difficult to break.

Since the blood brain barrier has been compromised it let many things enter the brain that would not normally be able to enter the brain including infectious agents, and toxins. This adds even more to the brain inflammation and damage.

Metabolic issues and infection that cause high ammonia levels or acidosis can also cause the blood brain barrier to become porous setting of a cycle that would cause quinolinic acid levels to become very elevated. Another thing that increases quinolinic acid is brain injury.

Oddly depriving oneself of tryptophan can actually cause the quinolinic acid to increase. A person with high quinolinic acid levels will usually be very sensitive to the consumption of gluatamate, glutamine and MSG.

These are some things that will help reduce quinolinic acid levels. Antioxidants especially selenium helps to reduce quinolinic acid, P5P the bioavailable form of B6 help reduce quinolinic acid. Vitamin B2 is also needed. A ketogenic diet with complex carbohydrates reduces quinolinic acid and increases kynurenic acid production which is very healing. Certain proteins will inhibit the formation of kynurenic acid. These would be glutamine, glutamate , alanine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, aspartate, leucine, methionine and isoleucine. A person with high quinolinic acid levels may be sensitive to those proteins because of the inhibition of the kynurenic acid. This does not mean that a person should avoid protein but they should avoid consuming those ones in large amounts. When all nutrients needed for the conversion of tryptophan consuming it will increase kynurenic acid.

A-lactalbumin increases tryptophan , and serrotonin synthesis and release in the brain.

Retraining the limbic system.

After being chronically ill for an extended period of time the limbic system needs to be retrained in order to get it out of the fight or flight stage it is stuck in. Things that heal the brain also heal the limbic system. As mentioned earlier the brain can produce new cells and restructure old ones. For example it has been found if a person acquires a new job and their old skills are no longer needed but they are learning new skills the brain will grow new cells and restructure old ones that it is no longer using for the old job and old skill to accommodate for the new skill and memory needed. This also stimulates healing throughout the brain. By retraining the brain we are getting the brain to rewire the neuronal pathways in the brain that are associated with the maladapted stress response.

Studies have shown that past trauma can cause negative epigenetic changes so we need to learn to think positively. Not only that but the trauma our parents experienced can cause negative epigenetic changes that can be passed to the children. Those who have had these types of issues will take longer to heal and will have to address those negative epigenetics that were inherited in order to heal. This involves teaching the brain to react positively to things and teaching the brain to remain calm as much as possible this will slowly make epigenetic corrections so the persons body will not be instantly in fight or flight mode.

Things that also retrain the brain and repair it also repair the limbic system for example positive social interaction, meditation on positive things, exercise in moderation. For those who are chronically ill only do what your body will allow if you push too hard you will not only set yourself back but you could cause increased heart damage and even experience a stroke. Dwelling on our day and picking out the positive things that happened out of the day and dwelling on those have been shown to improve limbic health. Also as we heal reintroducing ourselves to stress slowly and as we do learning to deal with it more positively or reacting less negative to it will help restore limbic health. Constant negative thinking rewires our brain and nerves to be more sensitive to pain and causes neurodegeneration. I had to learn to avoid those who think negatively and talk negatively about certain things all the time. I am not talking about those who vent and then react to the situation by working to correct it but I am talking about complainers who just keep complaining and do nothing about it. These ones can start to affect us negatively and cause our brains to rewire in a negative way.

All the things that affect the brain also affect the lymbic system for example over exposure to blue light at night will decrease melatonin which has a negative impact on the health of the whole body. Earth grounding has been found to restore the bodies voltage back to what it should be and restores health to the whole body. Avoid exposure to EMFs as much as possible. Any insulin issues or glucose issues need to be addressed. Reduce exposure to toxins as much as possible. Many things we use are very toxic for example bleached paper products contain dioxin which is very toxic to the body, I still see many cooking in aluminum pains and aluminum is very difficult to remove from the body. If a person has mercury fillings it is very important they find someone who knows how to properly remove them.

Avoiding processed foods as much as possible helps a lot even ones that are organic are fortified with folic acid which is man made and toxic to the body. Folate is natural and is not toxic to the body.

If a person is experiencing sleep issues it is very important that they work to correct these because the brain , HPA axis, and limbic system cannot heal if we are not getting REM sleep or if we wake often through the night or do not get enough sleep. From my body being stuck in fight or flight mode it had forgotten how to sleep I had to work very hard to retrain my body to sleep.

Anti-inflammatory foods.

Meats and foods from animals feed grain should be avoided it has been found they have a different nutritional content and they are inflammatory. So when looking for foods produced from animal products look for ones that have not been fed grains but have been free range or pasture raised this included eggs. Farm raised sea food is inflammatory because of the foods they are fed and the environment they are raised in causes increased stress which makes consuming them inflammatory. Avoid things that contain transfats they are extremely inflammatory. Transfats or foods that contain them will state they contain hydrogenated oil. Also processed meats are very inflammatory. GMOs should be avoided because the body reacts the same way to the BT Toxins found in them as it would if a person had food poisoning. Artificial sweeteners are not only inflammatory but they also damage the liver and kidneys and promote obesity. It is very important to eat organic because the toxins sprayed on conventional grown foods do not only cause inflammation and oxidative stress but they cause many types of chronic illness . This is why obesity and heart disease has become epidemic in the industrialized world.

So the anti-inflammatory foods I mention should be from pasture raised animals, wild caught or free ranged. Eggs are anti-inflammatory, fish, fruits and vegetables especially berries. Calciferous vegetables in moderation, over consumption can have the opposite effect. Squash pumpkin and melon is very anti-inflammatory. Olive oil , avocado oil and coconut oil are very anti-inflammatory. Fish oil is anti-inflammatory unless it is old then it becomes inflammatory. When I buy fish oil I make sure it is guaranteed fresh and I make sure it contains lemon and I refrigerate it to prevent oxidation.

We need to learn to seize control of our thoughts and be more aware of when we are thinking negatively or reacting negatively so we can retrain our minds to respond in a way that would not effect our health. We must try our best not to react to negative circumstances especially ones we cannot do anything about. We also must retrain our minds to respond positively because if we could do something about it the increased HPA up-regulation will cloud our thinking and it inhibits the ability to think logically. This is why many companies especially the pharmaceutical industry and the media induce false fears in people and then give them false hope because inducing fear causes a person to lose the ability to reason and think logically. If a product truly worked they would not have to use deceptive tactics to sell their products.

Training the brain to respond appropriately.

Some of the things I mention here I myself am still working on. Once our HPA and limbic systems have healed enough we can endure some stress we need to start meditating on the stressful situations we know cannot be avoided and will arise. We need to meditate on how we can respond in a way it will keep things from getting more stressful and when it cannot be avoided how we can respond in a way it will not cause an increase in activation of our HPA axis. If we are dealing with people who cause us stress we need to handle it in an appropriate way. The bible has the best advice for handling things like that. Sometimes it may involve cutting certain people out of our lives the bible has advice on when that is appropriate and when it is not. Some will be unconcerned about your health issues and how the stress they cause you effects your health. When appropriate and possible it is best to avoid such ones because it will dramatically increase the time it will take you to heal. I am dealing with this now and often times experience many set back but at the present time I have no choice but to learn to deal with it in a way that will not negatively impact my health until I find a way out of my present situation.

How we breath effects our HPA axis and brain. When we are stuck in a state of fight or flight our breathing will become more rapid. This increase the upregulation of the HPA even farther. In order to train the body not to do this we need to learn to breath differently when that happens. Breathing in through the nose deeply while pushing the stomach out next breath out through the mouth slowly. This will increase our oxygen levels and help break the fight or flight response. Only do this about five times because if you increase oxygen levels too high it can cause dizziness and you could even pass out.

Developing a core believe system so we can make clearer boundaries and know when to make our yes mean yes and no mean no retrains the brain to react to stressful situations ion a way that the HPA does not get activated. For me learning the bible and writing it on my heart has helped me a lot, it has given me very clear boundaries that I will not cross or leave others cross. This has prevented me from having to rely on my own understanding and wisdom and has gotten me through some pretty rough times.

We need to learn to word things in a more positive light even negative things that have occurred when possible. This is one I am still at the beginning stages of learning.

Massages help to retrain the limbic system and also trains the body to relax.

We have to stay active if we are healthy enough to prevent our minds from dwelling on negative things. If we are bed ridden we need to develop a hobby we can do while we are healing that will keep us busy or find things we can do while we are bedridden. Used it for an opportunity to read about and learn new skills which I have been able to apply and teach others to help them learn to heal. Also reaching out to others and teaching them to heal helped to prevent me from dwelling on negative things too much.

Engaging in small talk and taking and interest in others heals the brain and limbic system. It also stimulates new brain cell growth.

Memory games improve brain health and stimulate cell growth. Thing like memorizing number, or having someone give instructions and then repeating them back to them helps to stimulate brain healing and brain cell growth.

Taking words and finding words that have similar or the same meaning

Learning a new language improves brain health.

We need to be mindful of ourselves which means we become aware of our thoughts but do not judge ourselves. If the thoughts are ones we should not have instead of judging ourselves we should dwell on what we will do to change our thinking and prevent those thoughts in a good and positive way.

Learning to dance or play music has been shown to improve brain health and limbic health.

https://www.brainandspinalcord.org/faqs/abi/what-happens-if-the-limbic-system-is-damaged/

Is a Limbic System Impairment Hijacking Your Health?

https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-018-1983-5

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33229033/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33179588/

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Functional Psychiatry: Treating Common Conditions with the Functional Approach

The hidden side of chronic illness.

Written by Lee Stevenson. Sorry I am a lousy editor.

Those of us who have been chronically ill or are still chronically ill need to speak out about what we are enduring. If we do not speak out then society will continue to sweep us under the carpet and falsely justify the things they are doing and have done to us. If they believe in God they have a lot to make up for because they have wronged us and the bible requires they make up for it more then they wronged us. I am not going to cover the biblical aspects of things in this article but we need to speak out about everything we endure including the emotional aspects of it.

I am doing this article based on my personal experience and my experience with helping others to heal. I am going to discuss as accurately as I can the emotional aspects of what happens when someone is chronically ill and how the vast majority of family and friends react to those who are chronically ill. There are a variety of emotions involved with chronic illness and they occur for many reasons. Oftentimes there is brain inflammation. Oftentimes these emotions result from the person desiring to be able to function normally again . I have found oftentimes it is because the person’s friends and family have emotionally and physically abandoned them and even ostracize them while putting on a show that they cared. I experienced all this. Yet when others were not around their actions and the things they would say to me contradicted what they made things appear to others. Now combine all this with the fact that most who are chronically ill have brain swelling and are struggling mentally with the many issues involved with brain swelling. For example mood swings, personality changes, sometimes it takes so much mental energy to block out the pain they have very little mental resources left for emotional or even basic functions of life. I am finding society as a whole abandons the chronically ill especially if they have a tick borne illness or interstitial cystitis some of the most painful conditions but the illnesses cannot be seen and because the person looks healthy most refuse to believe they are suffering as severely as they are. These are referred to by those who suffered from them as invisible illnesses. Since I suffered from them it had a double meaning to me. One meaning is no one believed I was chronically ill because they could not see my illness and two because after I got chronically ill I seem to become invisible to family, friends and society. Society puts on a show that they care, but from personal experience I have found that is exactly what it is just show. When it comes to providing for the real needs of the chronically ill with things like emotional support or physical support the chronically ill are pretty much on their own. Society takes a non biblical approach and tries throwing money at the problem while ignoring the actual needs of the chronically ill. The chronically ill are victims of family, friends and society.

Usually some of the main feelings a person who experiences chronic illness is sadness because they cannot be there for others or they cannot fulfill their responsibilities that are necessary for example family, or household responsibilities. I have found society puts on a good show at pretending they care about the chronically ill but in actuality they abandon them by not providing for their emotional and physical needs which includes trying to reduce emotional and physical burdens so the person can focus on healing. Because they offer very little help and oftentimes expect a lot from a person who is chronically ill it dramatically increases the time it takes for the person to heal. It often takes every ounce of energy for someone who is chronically ill to just fulfill their basic life functions. Even eating often can be very exhausting, things like taking a shower or even brushing our teeth become very labor intensive for those who are chronically ill. When a chronically ill person has good days and can easily do certain things they cannot normally do society seems to take that as evidence they have healed and abandon them even farther. We experience even more sadness and anxiety because now we are trying to fulfill what others expect of us because we do not want to let them down and in the meantime we can feel the added emotional and physical stress causing our health to decline. When we try to express what is happening often we are met with responses that are cold and uncaring. This causes those who are chronically ill to become emotionally and even physically isolated. The very support system they thought they could count on is completely neglecting their needs and not even acknowledging them. This causes the person who is chronically ill to experience extreme loneliness even if they have many people around them.

We often times become irritable because we are struggling to maintain our composure because of the pain and mental anguish we are experiencing. Top that off with how the chronic low grade inflammation has affected the brain it takes all we have not to lose our tempers and get angry over the littlest things that normally we would think nothing of. Add this to how most who are chronically ill are being treated and neglected it makes it even more difficult to not become irritable. Not only that but the chronically ill realize how something someone is doing is affecting them mentally and physically and they are trying their best to conserve mental and physical resources to survive and heal and for the most part their needs are being neglected and ignored.

There is a lot of anxiety that comes with chronic illness because it takes many many doctors visits to get diagnosed and because modern medicine has been so heavily indoctrinated by the modern day corporate science they have no idea how to help those who are chronically ill so those who are chronically ill also end up getting abandoned by the medical community farther isolating them. Most chronically ill have to become their own researchers and spend many many hours studying so they can learn to heal. In the meantime they are very aware of how close death is. Many who are chronically ill have others who are counting on them and they do not want to leave them by dying. They also want to be a part of their lives but the illness takes so much away from them physically and emotionally that they have very little left for friends and family. They watch their lives crumbling around them and their families will put the blame on them farther adding to their anxiety. They will nit pick at the chronically ill pointing out responsibilities they are neglecting. Not understanding why they are spending so much time researching and speaking to others so they can learn to heal. The chronically ill are doing the best they can to learn to heal and want nothing more then to be there for their friends and family yet those very ones will be the ones pointing out their inadequacies that the chronically ill can do nothing about. Oftentimes this will cause the chronically ill person so much emotional distress that it starts taking from them physically and it causes their health to decline even farther causing even more anxiety.

Being chronically ill also comes with the feeling of emptiness, hopelessness, guilt, and we may even feel worthless. Those who are chronically ill lose much of their emotional and physical and even financial support. Those they needed the most distance themselves from them or even add to their stress and physical demands instead of supporting them so they can heal. The mental energy needed to focus on healing and on working just to function takes a lot and there is not much left for even basic things such as planning a meal or even going shopping. The chronically ill person feel emotionally empty from being isolated and from having to use so much of their mental energy for others things they have very little left for emotions. With the chronically ill being expected to function normally and fulfill the normal aspects of their lives which become a mental and physical burden that hinders their healing and they can feel it they start feeling hopelessness. With the medical community being so corrupted , family , friends and society expecting more from the person then they can actually give it causes a sense of hopelessness because the chronically ill person forces themselves to do things that are emotionally and physically demanding which causes their health to decline. Things such as family gatherings can be very emotionally and physically taxing on someone who is trying to block out pain and who is physically wiped out. The slightest bit of stress can dramatically set someone who is chronically ill back. When I was chronically ill and would point this out to people they would tell me “life is stressful get over it. “

A person who is chronically ill is usually so focused on healing that things they used to find pleasurable like going to social gatherings or going on a date become non pleasurable because of the physical and emotional resources that have been used to do those things. Even sitting and talking with family had become emotionally and physically taxing for me because I had to watch what I said or did because I would get a lot of criticism about how I lacked responsibility and didn’t seem to care about things anymore. In actuality I cared deeply but was so emotionally and physically drained and I was trying to do my best to conserve energy mentally and physically so I could heal. Guilt comes from this because we realize we are not fulfilling our responsibilities and we have become a burden to others. Usually the guilt is farther increased by those around the chronically ill pointing out the things they are inadequately fulfilling. The mental resources it takes for a chronically ill person to block out the pain , the fatigue and many other health issues causes those who are chronically ill to become absent minded, have memory loss, become emotionally distanced because of the amount of mental energy it takes to deal with the illness. Oftentimes we do not want to burden others so we will try and pretend we are not as sick as we actually are which comes with it’s own guilt because now we are deceiving others adding to our problems because they will expect more from us. So to reveal this to them after we have put on a show of being better then we actually are means we expose we have been deceptive. This can cause a flood of emotions between the people involved and oftentimes for me resulted in them not believing I had been pretending to be better than I was so they would still not offer the support I needed. I learned from experience when we hide how much we are actually going through we do a disservice to all those who are chronically ill because we are enabling the behavior towards the chronically ill by hiding our suffering. We also are enabling the medical communities to sweep us under the carpet and discredit us and make us look mentally ill instead of exposing the truth of the medical inadequacies and neglect.

All of the above mentioned things may cause those who are chronically ill to have trouble remembering thing, trouble in planning things, difficulty in making decisions. The chronically ill will have good and bad days but society only sees the good days and are critical of the chronically ills mental inadequacies when they are having bad days. It seems that society only chooses to see the good days the chronically ill are having and mentally block out the bad days and use those good days to justify their lack of support and their neglect of the chronically ill. They start making unreasonable demands setting the person back mentally and even physically.

Adding to the problems a chronically ill person has is the fact their sleep is affected by their illness. Because the body needs sleep to heal they may have difficulty waking also many health problems can cause excessive sleepiness. Some may switch between being excessively sleeping to having lot of energy which is what occurred with me. There would be times I would sleep for a week none stop then there would be times I could not sleep for a week at a time. Oftentimes the circadian rhythm becomes disrupted when a person is chronically ill causing them to wake at the wrong times of the day and sleep at the incorrect times. I experienced all the things mentioned. This adds to the stress because all we want is to be normal again but oftentimes people will complain how much we sleep and say if we would get up and move around and quit being so lazy we could get some things done. This also adds to the guilt because we are very aware of how our irregular sleep patterns are affecting our lives.

The things a chronically ill person experiences can cause them to have thoughts of death. Suicide attempts and suicide is very high among those who are chronically ill . I thought of dying and desired to and even prayed for it. I believe because of the damage my body had suffered there was no way it could recover. I thought I would be useless the rest of my life and felt like I was a prisoner of my own body. Though I did not try suicide nor would have I wanted to die. The pain was beyond anything I ever thought I could endure. Yet no one would acknowledge my suffering and my pain. Even now if I mentioned what I endured people will criticize me and even make it appear as if I am crazy when I mention them. Oftentimes they even blame the chronically ill person’s behavior on being mentally ill. This further adds to the desire to die. I am glad I did not die and I am very happy I have learned to heal and have had the opportunity to teach others they can heal.

I am not blaming those who neglect, ignore or add burdens on the chronically ill only but the blame also goes to the chronically ill oftentimes because we try not to burden others with what we are enduring. When we do get criticism for what we endure we easily just go back to hiding it believing it will make us less of a burden on others. We go back to trying to pretend like everything is ok in the meantime it is causing our health to decline because we are fighting very hard to appear to be somewhat normal and functional. In doing so we are doing a disservice to all those who are chronically ill because we continue to let the medical communities and society as a whole including families to ignore those who are chronically and not acknowledge how sick they really are.  

I am not blaming those who neglect, ignore or add burdens on the chronically ill only but the blame also goes to the chronically ill often times because we try not to burden others with what we are enduring. When we do get criticism for what we endure we easily just go back to hiding it believing it will make us less of a burden on others. We go back to trying to pretend like everything is ok in the mean time it is causing our health to decline because we are fighting very hard to appear to be somewhat normal and functional. In doing so we are doing a disservice to all those who are chronically ill because we continue to let the medical communities and society as a whole including families to ignore those who are chronically and not acknowledge how sick they really are.

One thing I have not recovered from mentally is the isolation I now feel. I no longer seem to have anything in common with anyone because becoming chronically ill taught me to enjoy the simple things in life and taught me to appreciate keeping life simple. I no longer enjoy watching TV, movies or the many other worldly things they are distractions that take from true happiness. I also feel isolated because I feel in my heart I could never count on those I trusted to be there for me. It has seemingly distanced me from them. I still love them deeply but feel when things get tough they are going to put their own interest first no matter what the cost is to me or others. This has caused me to mistrust most farther isolating me. I still try my best to let love guide all I do and I love others deeply but do not have the confidence they will be there for me and I am pretty certain I would be on my own like I was when I was chronically ill. It would take quite a bit from those who let me down to convince me I could count on them and trust them. I would have to see in their actions they understand what I endured and what I am still enduring as I continue to recover. Also those scars of them letting me down will remain. I have forgiven them but I am not confident that even in their actions they are wholeheartedly going to be there for me. I know I am somewhat selfish but I always gave everyone my all and thought when I was down and out they would be there for me. The fact that they were not and actually did the opposite had made me lose any confidence I have in them and it most likely will not be restored because I still see in the things they so and do towards me they do not fully understand what I endured and how it has changed me mentally , financially, and even physically. They further isolate me by trying to compare their health issues to mine and I came very near dying a few times. I cannot see how they can compare achy joints or a burning stomach to the complete failure of my body and being very close to dying. It further shows their lack of even caring or being interested in what I had to endure. It feels as if they are down playing what I endured and even insulting my intelligence.

From a mothers perspective they may want to give up because the pain is so severe and their bodies are struggling to function. They feel guilt for not being able to be there for their children mentally or physically as they would like. They feel guilt for wanting to give up because if they died who would take care of their children. Who would make sure they remained healthy. What if they suffered from the same illness, who would guide them through it. The mothers know that no one would love and care for their children like they do. They want to get healthy because they know no one will keep the children as safe as they do but the mental , physical and emotional aspect of being chronically ill are so overwhelming that it is a struggle to go on each day.

For those who have a loving father , the father worries about who would take care of the children while he provided for him. He would be very aware no one would love and nurture them like their mother would.

Sadly I have seen the opposite occur. While a parent is struggling to maintain their health the spouse offers very little help or support. This further increase the mental, emotional and physical stress causing the parents health to decline even more.

We need to prepare things are rapidly winding down.

We need to prepare mentally and spiritually for the things that are occuring and are about to occur. This system is rapidly winding down and very soon Jesus is going to put and end to all the bad.

Jesus did not answer loaded questions. He would sometimes respond with a question that could not be answered unless they answered truthfully but he would not respond with an answer.

(Luke 20:1-8) 20 On one of the days while he was teaching the people in the temple and declaring the good news, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came ² and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority?” ³ He replied to them: “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: ⁴ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” ⁵ Then they drew conclusions among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ the people one and all will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they replied that they did not know its source. ⁸ Jesus said to them: “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

We will be mocked and made fun of. Jesus gave no answer , the motives of his accusers were clear. When Jesus was before the courts he did not answer some questions because he had already knew what they had decided and that they were only looking for reasons to justify what they were doing. By not answering he gave them nothing they could twist in order to try and smear him.

(Luke 23:8-11) ⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly. For a considerable time he had been wanting to see Jesus because he had heard much about him, and he was hoping to see some sign performed by him. ⁹ So he began to question him at length, but he gave him no answer. ¹⁰ However, the chief priests and the scribes kept standing up and vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ Then Herod together with his soldiers treated him with contempt, and he mocked him by clothing him with a splendid garment and then sent him back to Pilate. . .

(Matthew 27:11-14) ¹¹ Jesus now stood before the governor, and the governor put the question to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied: “You yourself say it.” ¹² But while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him: “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” ¹⁴ But he did not answer him, no, not a word, so that the governor was very surprised.

This is nothing new we know Jesus said the gate is narrow and few would make it. Those who are following the correct path will be hated and ridiculed. This is nothing new, even Israelite who fell away from true worship ridiculed and persecuted those who worshiped in truth.

(Psalm 22:7) All those seeing me mock me; They sneer and shake their heads in derision:

(Matthew 26:67, 68) Then they spat in his face and hit him with their fists. Others slapped him on the face, ⁶⁸ saying: “Prophesy to us, you Christ. Who struck you?”

(2 Chronicles 36:15, 16) ¹⁵ Jehovah the God of their forefathers kept warning them by means of his messengers, warning them again and again, because he felt compassion for his people and for his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they kept ridiculing the messengers of the true God, and they despised his words and mocked his prophets, until the rage of Jehovah came up against his people, until they were beyond healing.

(Matthew 5:11, 12) ¹¹ “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. ¹² Rejoice and be overjoyed, since your reward is great in the heavens, for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you. . .

(Hebrews 11:36-38) ³⁶ Yes, others received their trial by mockings and scourgings, indeed, more than that, by chains and prisons. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were tried, they were sawn in two, they were slaughtered by the sword, they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, while they were in need, in tribulation, mistreated; ³⁸ and the world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and mountains and caves and dens of the earth.

Most would not worship in truth so would persecute those who choose to worship in truth. We were not promised it would be easy. Since we are in the last days it will become much more difficult because just as in times past false worship is dominant throughout the earth and those who do not worship in truth have always attacked and persecuted God’s people.

(2 Timothy 3:12, 13) ¹² In fact, all those desiring to live with godly devotion in association with Christ Jesus will also be persecuted. ¹³ But wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.

Because we do not choose their ways of worship which God does not accept they will reject us. They did not want to hear the truth but want their ears itched. If we respond to them when they are trying to ask misleading questions or trying to trap us in the words we use we will be helping them. You will recognize those who do not worship in truth by their fruits. These ones will not only get involved in the worldly matters but would also teach other to hate those who worship in truth. The persecution is not always obvious, if it was then things would be much easier. Often times it is very subtle and done silently. The persecution that is blatant and obvious is easy to understand but it is when they are pretending to help you while undermining what you do that is the less obvious and most common form of persecution.

(1 Timothy 4:1-5) 4 However, the inspired word clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons, ² by means of the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, whose conscience is seared as with a branding iron. ³ They forbid marriage and command people to abstain from foods that God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth. ⁴ For every creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is sanctified through God’s word and prayer over it.

(Mark 7:5-8) ⁵ So these Pharisees and scribes asked him: “Why do your disciples not observe the tradition of the men of former times, but they eat their meal with defiled hands?” ⁶ He said to them: “Isaiah aptly prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. ⁷ It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’ ⁸ You let go of the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men. . .

It is God we have to please not men. Anything man does to us God can undo. We have to be on our guard because they will appear to be ministers of righteousness but will not guard true worship and would permit such things as gossip, fighting in wars, and even put their faith in man by getting caught up in human political matters instead of put their faith in the heavenly kingdom. Because we do not do these things they will think badly of us.

(Galatians 1:8-12) ⁸ However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed. ¹⁰ Is it, in fact, men I am now trying to persuade or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be Christ’s slave. ¹¹ For I want you to know, brothers, that the good news I declared to you is not of human origin; ¹² for neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it was through a revelation by Jesus Christ.

(2 Corinthians 11:13-15) ¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But their end will be according to their works.

(Matthew 7:21-23) . . .. ²² Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’

(Matthew 7:13-17) ¹³ “Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; ¹⁴ whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it. ¹⁵ “Be on the watch for the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. . .

We have to be strong and remain faithful. God will not forget the work we have done. In spite of all the persecution we still manage to thrive and draw others to the truth Jesus and the apostles taught. We should not get deterred if others respond by persecuting us it is the few that we seek as Jesus warned the gate is narrow and few would make it. So if we are being persecuted whether it be more subtly or whether it is obvious we need to keep in mind they have always persecuted those who worshiped in truth. It is better to find favor in God’s and Jesus’s eyes then to find favor in the world . Even if we die we cannot be separated from the love God and Jesus has for us.

(Hebrews 10:32-39) ³² However, keep remembering the former days in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle along with sufferings. ³³ At times you were publicly exposed both to reproaches and to tribulations, and at times you shared with those who were having such an experience. ³⁴ For you expressed sympathy for those in prison and you accepted joyfully the plundering of your belongings, knowing that you yourselves have a better and an enduring possession. ³⁵ Therefore, do not throw away your boldness, which will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ For you need endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the fulfillment of the promise. ³⁷ For yet “a very little while,” and “the one who is coming will arrive and will not delay.” ³⁸ “But my righteous one will live by reason of faith,” and “if he shrinks back, I have no pleasure in him.” ³⁹ Now we are not the sort who shrink back to destruction, but the sort who have faith for the preserving of our lives.

(2 Corinthians 12:10) ¹⁰ So I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in times of need, in persecutions and difficulties, for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am powerful. . .

(Hebrews 6:9-12) . . .. ¹⁰ For God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name by ministering and continuing to minister to the holy ones. ¹¹ But we desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end, ¹² so that you may not become sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

(Romans 8:31-39) ³¹ What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who will be against us? ³² Since he did not even spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, will he not also, along with him, kindly give us all other things? ³³ Who will file accusation against God’s chosen ones? God is the One who declares them righteous. ³⁴ Who will condemn them? Christ Jesus is the one who died, yes, more than that, the one who was raised up, who is at the right hand of God and who also pleads for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written: “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we have been accounted as sheep for slaughtering.” ³⁷ On the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through the one who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers ³⁹ nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. . .

Very soon there will be no more wars, no more illness, no more tears of sadness.

(Revelation 21:1-4) 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. ² I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. ⁴ And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

(Isaiah 34:17-35:4) ¹⁷ He is the One who has cast the lot for them, And his own hand has measured out their assigned place. They will possess it for all time; They will reside in it throughout all generations. 35 The wilderness and the parched land will exult, And the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron.  ² Without fail it will blossom; It will rejoice and shout for joy. The glory of Lebʹa·non will be given to it, The splendor of Carʹmel and of Sharʹon. They will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.  ³ Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the knees that are shaking.  ⁴ Say to those who are anxious at heart: “Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your own God will come with vengeance, God will come with retribution. He will come and save you.”

God will deal with the evil doers we need to remain focused on learning and doing his will.

(Isaiah 31:1, 2) 31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for assistance, Who rely on horses, Who trust in war chariots because they are numerous, And in warhorses because they are mighty. But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, And they do not search for Jehovah.  ² But he is also wise and will bring calamity, And he will not take back his words. He will rise up against the house of evildoers And against those who help wrongdoers. . .

The bible draws a contrast between those who worship in truth and those who appear to worship in truth. Haughtiness would be a prevailing quality among those who put their faith in the world while they appear to be worshiping God. This haughtiness results and many of the problems we see now days because they refuse to accept true worship and let it guide in truth. Those who worship in truth will do their best to pursue peace by setting and example so would not fight in wars or put their faith in this political system.

(James 4:1-6) 4 What is the source of the wars and fights among you? Do they not originate from your fleshly desires that carry on a conflict within you? ² You desire, and yet you do not have. You go on murdering and coveting, and yet you are not able to obtain. You go on fighting and waging war. You do not have because of your not asking. ³ When you do ask, you do not receive because you are asking for a wrong purpose, so that you may spend it on your fleshly desires. ⁴ Adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is making himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that for no reason the scripture says: “The spirit that has taken up residence within us keeps enviously longing”? ⁶ However, the undeserved kindness that He gives is greater. So it says: “God opposes the haughty ones, but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones. . .

(2 Corinthians 13:11) Finally, brothers, continue to rejoice, to be readjusted, to be comforted, to think in agreement, to live peaceably; and the God of love and of peace will be with you

We have to realize for many of us even our own families will turn against us. When the time comes we do not have to rehearse what to say or do the holy spirit will guide us. We need to persevere in prayer and do our best to give God glory in all we do. Notice the bible tells us if we remain faithful even to the point of death we will not perish. For many these things have already started to occur. It is time for us to stand up straight and not drop our shoulders from being discouraged or frustrated. It is a sin our redemption is very very near.

(Mark 13:9-13) ⁹ “As for you, look out for yourselves. People will hand you over to local courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues and be put on the stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them. ¹⁰ Also, in all the nations, the good news has to be preached first. ¹¹ And when they are taking you to hand you over, do not be anxious beforehand about what to say; but whatever is given you in that hour, say this, for you are not the ones speaking, but the holy spirit is. ¹² Furthermore, brother will deliver brother over to death, and a father a child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all people on account of my name. But the one who has endured to the end will be saved. . .

(Luke 21:16-19) ¹⁶ Moreover, you will be handed over even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, ¹⁷ and you will be hated by all people because of my name. ¹⁸ But not even a hair of your heads will perish. ¹⁹ By your endurance you will preserve your lives.

(Matthew 10:29-31) ²⁹ Two sparrows sell for a coin of small value, do they not? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So have no fear; you are worth more than many sparrows. . .

These things occurring are a reminder we need to keep on the watch and draw even closer to God and Jesus. We cannot let anyone whether it is criticism from family, or outright persecution deter us. We are very near being redeemed. Many will be shaken when Jesus is given the command by God to put and end to all the bad on the earth. Those who’s faith is strong and who remain loyal will not tremble in fear and they will remain.

(Matthew 24:44) On this account, you too prove yourselves ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it.

(Matthew 25:13) “Keep on the watch, therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour.

(Revelation 3:3) Therefore, continue mindful of how you have received and how you heard, and go on keeping it, and repent. Certainly unless you wake up, I will come as a thief, and you will not know at all at what hour I will come upon you

(Hebrews 12:25-27) ²⁵ See that you do not refuse to listen to the one who is speaking. For if those who refused to listen to the one giving divine warning on earth did not escape, how much more will we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from the heavens! ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised: “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” ²⁷ Now the expression “yet once more” indicates the removal of the things that are shaken, things that have been made, in order that the things not shaken may remain.

(Luke 21:28) ²⁸ But as these things start to occur, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is getting near.”