CAUTION: BEWARE OF FALSE IDOLS

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

The introduction to this blog is going to be very different from my typical style. This introduction is more of a disclaimer. I woke up at 2:00 am with a very powerful God thought for this blog post…

The Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are false idols covering up the true meaning of Christian Holidays.”

I have to admit this unpopular opinion made me nervous. I do not like to do topics which can be taken as controversial. However, when God wakes me up with a warning I find it very important to be obedient and share.

The only way to support this God thought is to dive into the Word. So please hang in there and continue this journey with me to the end.

Through out all of Scripture we can find multiple examples of God’s warnings and God’s people turning their back on Him to worship false idols:

  • “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” – Exodus 20:2-6
  • “Take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” -Deuteronomy 12:30-31
  • “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” -1 Corinthians 10:14
  • “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” -1 John 5:21
  • “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them: you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons, because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.…” -Deuteronomy 7:3-4
  • The Story of the Golden Calf found in Exodus 32.

God warns us to not fall into the world’s traps of false idols. A false idol can be anything of this world that takes our focus away from God. For example sports, there is nothing wrong with wearing your favorite team’s jersey and going to a game to root them on. But if you base your life off of the team becoming hyper focused and obsessed this becomes a false idol. Sports, musicians, food, alcohol, etc. whatever we become hyper focused on pulling us away from God is a false idol.

Now let’s reel it back in looking at the two main Christian Holidays; Christmas and Easter. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’s birth. Through the birth of Jesus we see the start to God’s plan to save us from the sins of this world. Easter is the conclusion of this plan. Where we have Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified . He was the ultimate sacrifice causing the veil to be torn ripping apart our separation from God. Three days later we have Easter (Resurrection Sunday) where Jesus defeated the grave and rose back up.

These major Christian events can be swallowed up if we allow it. The most common decorations for these holidays consist of Santa Clauses, elves, rein deer, nut crackers, bunnies, eggs, and carrots. One of my favorite analogies is one my husband created, imagine it is your father’s birthday. You love your dad and are so excited to celebrate him. However, when you show up to the party nothing is about him. All of the decorations are of somebody different, no one even sings happy birthday to him, his birthday is completely overshadowed by this other random person.

Now think about Christmas we are supposed to be celebrating the miracle of Jesus’s birth, but all around our house is Santa Claus decorations and elves we hide so our children behave because they want presents from Santa. The focus on Jesus’s birthday can be overshadowed by Santa Claus and presents. Santa Claus becomes a false idol for kids to worship and look up to so they can get toys.

Where does Santa Claus even originate from? One of the most popular origins of Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas. In doing some research I found an article by Roger Patterson elaborating on who St. Nicholas is. Nicholas was a Bishop of Myra in the 14th Century. He used his inheritance to provide fortune to the poor. When he passed away the Catholics referred to him as a saint1. The article also explains the danger of doing Santa with our kids. What happens when our kids find out Santa is not real and we lied to them? “Lying is a sin and can not be justified on biblical grounds1.”

When doing research I also found a you tube video, The Dark History of Santa Claus/St. Nicholas. Why yes I know a you tube video may not be the most credible source however, it is important to be aware of what other cultures origins stories of St. Nicholas are. Odon is a pagan god for Northern Germany. They view St. Nicholas as Odon with a bishop robe on. St. Nicholas always had helpers (satanic figures) such as the commonly known, Krampus. Krampus’s job is to be the disciplinary figure for the “naughty children”2. Now Krampus is a whole other can of worms we will not dive into, please feel free to do your own research if you would like to learn more about him.

One last origin of Santa Claus I will share with you is quite disturbing matching this article’s title, The Dark History of Santa Claus and why Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. It was common practice for people to worship false pagan deities constantly in the Old Testament. Two of these deities were Chemosh and Molech. In Moab they had a winter solstice public ritual. This ritual was a ceremony where they would sacrifice their infants born during this year to Chemosh. These parents would make a list of desires for the new year and offer their children to Molech. They believed this act would make their wishes come true3. In Jeremiah below we can find proof of this in the word. However, the next part of the article I was unable to find proof in the Bible. The article discusses the priest of Chemosh would light fires in their hollow metal idols. This would cause the metal to become scorching hot. The priests would take the children from their parents placing the child on the scorching lap of the idol Chemosh3. This is where some people believe the tradition came from, of handing your kids to Santa to sit on his lap and tell him your wishes.

And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fires unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination to cause Judah to sin. ” -Jeremiah 32:35

Now let’s think about Easter time, we are supposed to be celebrating the miracle of Jesus’s death and resurrection. However, our house is covered in pastel colored eggs, bunnies, carrots, and hoppy Easter sayings. The focus becomes about the Easter Bunny hiding eggs for an egg hunt and bringing us goody baskets. Like Santa kids look up to the Easter Bunny and line up at the malls to meet him.

Understanding the background to where the Easter Bunny originated from is also important. It is a pretty big shocker yet again the Easter Bunny was first introduced by the… Germans. The first reports of the tradition date back to the 1700s where German immigrants brought their tradition to Pennsylvania4. The tradition of an egg laying hare named “Osterhase”. The legend was the rabbit would lay fun colored eggs for the children who were good. Therefore children would make nests for the bunny to lay its eggs4. In the article What Are the Easter Bunny’s origins? The History of the Famous Fluffy Bunny they mention one theory found in Time Magazine. The rabbit comes from a pagan tradition of the festival of Eostre which honors the goddess of fertility and spring. “The goddess’s animal symbol was a rabbit…4.” This paints the perfect picture of why we need to be cautious of the Easter bunny not becoming a false idol. The Easter Bunny stems from a false goddess.

We have to be careful during these holiday seasons we do not let the true reason get overshadowed by the secular folklore reasons. How do we do this? I’m not saying do not partake in these traditions or ever watch a Santa Claus movie again. By all means these traditions are fun and enjoyable. What I’m trying to say is do not lose focus on the true meaning especially protecting kids from doing so.

Around Christmas we hide a stuffed shepherd character. Our kids look forward to finding him every morning and we explain that the shepherd is on his way to find baby Jesus on Christmas morning. During Easter we hide eggs with a little Jesus figure in them for the kids to find to remind them Jesus rose up out of the grave. On Easter morning we hide resurrection eggs, which tell the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection. We also watch the Greatest Adventure movies. These movies do an amazing job explaining the story to the kids. (I have posted links for these ideas below).

References

  1. Christians and Santa Claus: a Biblical View. Roger Patterson. 24 Dec 2009. https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/birth/wintertime-worship-santa-claus-or-jesus-christ/?srsltid=AfmBOoqU9UjUPOdlwDGY80rpMUn7xczj5Gnu-qybIHJt4IPvc9E7asok
  2. The Dark History of Santa Claus/St. Nicholas. 2 Nov 2024. https://youtu.be/VSSeldtYzP4?si=kTy5M2Mjw_DZaI0F
  3. The Dark History of Santa Claus and why Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christians. Richard Inegbedion. 24 Dec 2022.
  4. What Are the Easter Bunny’s Origins? The History of the Famous Fluffy Bunny. Christina Montoya Fielder and Annie O’Sullivan. 25 Feb 2025. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/easter-ideas/a31226078/easter-bunny-origins-history/

Resurrection Sunday and Christmas Activities

  1. https://www.amazon.com/FAMILYLIFE-Family-Life-Resurrection-Anniversary/dp/B0CTGT7PY3/ref=asc_df_B0CTGT7PY3?mcid=a30fd5e887fd32cab917a2a1a9ca9fbc&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693499516484&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=174038666451203133&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017896&hvtargid=pla-2292508461053&th=1
  2. https://www.amazon.com/Shepherd-Search-Christmas-Activity-Nativity/dp/1644543540/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9VQbkEvWqupVMviT31hkAjq9gs-goyJRUGjMSqEUBe9VWyjv_fojOS1wMV1M82mRd_a0DEb4VB5gxtDAza8bZ4XzFyNHDWuNqUWAHQuWLPWeiyUyVD7BXI5zJNmrjIFftKOq610Ywq_depMF5_xwnwc2ciIK8CzHad8t7kJAiVvEkAkH5u6Mcp-YDBGKvyWNr_SP5xkam1i_ts4XogsXZMcr7tZnot7sMNkLLHrU_KQ.rJ5O7w7mS9btcWfTOgBa9PBPGlsc1iqfalysUUvxdas&dib_tag=se&keywords=christmas+shepherd+book&qid=1744921906&sr=8-1
  3. https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Adventure-Stories-Bible-Collection/dp/B00C7WQGOI
  4. https://www.amazon.com/Prefilled-Toddlers-Stuffers-Classroom-Supplies/dp/B0DRHRKSFM/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1UHNDKNUISRJB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bzAAz2aW2GKSFCxOM9xtA0uBkNZkd2M06Q48ztUFXPgKMPNC_oeQIJcWthLfBvpy946-LdATDd74NwmteVbaYJN_HhcLFBS3C6w2mJ1fKPMGwwpUA7GPxVjoNOnDILuAADFP0_qV95VrUe1QZYChzvTD6326yxtd1QGAcl8IZYuzvP25n0pqh0nw7t8k1CpcCqh_qjfvXPDEenCLv4oKwufwe2t-GW7VnBzwUT970sA3dYMAeMbJ2NlCsl53KuOxS-FFFDv6ZzVauqzueMZBOKUzF1_Eb4KFsCq3-OatjeE.yQJ53Hm63gmakWzcIOYUFWo4H3AM0LTa2xUL8gCDxsg&dib_tag=se&keywords=little+jesus+figures+easter+eggs&qid=1744993975&sprefix=little+jesus+easter+%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-7

Life Vests

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

Ladies and gentlemen this ride could get bumpy, please strap on your floatation devices… Make sure to adjust the straps so they are nice and tight. Alright everybody ready? Let us dive in!

On our own we can try and tread water, doing our best to stay a float. Unfortunately, it gets tiring and our thoughts become captive turning us into a downward spiral. We may think to ourselves; what’s the point? I just want to give up? Why do I even bother? Once our thoughts are taken captive we start to sink.

On our own it is harder. However, I’m here to share some good news; WE DO NOT HAVE TO FIGHT WHAT EVER WE ARE GOING THROUGH ALONE! When we  surrender to Jesus, turn our lives over to Him being born again we start a beautiful relationship with Him. Through this beautiful relationship we are given our life vest. Jesus is our life vest.

Lets look into the word of God and read about one man, named Peter, who focused on God and was able to walk on water.


There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.  After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Matthew 14:21, 23-33
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.14.21-33.NASB1995

Peter let fear take over his thoughts when he saw the wind, which pulled his focus away from Jesus causing him to start sinking. Jesus will keep us a float, through Him we have all the support we could have ever hoped for.  When the waters get rough and we feel like we can no longer tread water, we need to stop relying on ourselves. We need to surrender our worries to God. WE CAN’T BUT HE CAN! Christ has absolute authority over all things.

Peter saw the storm and forgot who was in ultimate control. No one ever said following God would be easy. We will have times of suffering and face difficult problems, but we need to give our storms to God. Relying on him to know best in all things.

When we take control of our thoughts and focus on God we can think, how can what I am going through be an opportunity to draw me closer to God to help me through this? When we let Satan take our thoughts captive is when we think about all the negative thoughts I mentioned earlier. Let go and Let God, getting through life is so much easier when He is helping us stay a float.

Remember God is only a prayer away 💓

Hand of God By: Yongsung Kim

Are you the Voice?

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

Are you the Voice? In reading this question if your initial response is no…I don’t know what voice you are talking about…Have no fear by the end of this post you will fully understand. I promise I will not leave you hanging.

Before we get there we are going to throw things into reverse and focus on one woman from the Bible, Rahab. Yes, you read her name right, Rahab. There is so much more to her story, then her social label of being a “prostitute”. Faith can shred any label into piece! Let’s dive in and see for ourselves.

****Please read Joshua Chapter 2.****

Rahab paid attention to her surroundings, listening, learning, and believing with all of her heart everything she heard about The Lord. Through her faith she knew the Israelites would conquer the land. Therefore, she risked everything to save Joshua’s spies and asked they do the same in return sparing her family and herself. *Chills* Rahab’s faith was bold and strong!

In Joshua 2:11 she declared it.

The LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” -Joshua 2:11

Now I’ll ask you again; are you the voice? Are you the voice living/spreading the word of God? How cool is it Rahab paid attention to what she heard about God and believed it with all of her heart. How many people are out there are listening and watching you? You may be that voice someone pays attention to listening and seeking God into their own heart.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1249769832/rahab-painting-christian-art-print-rahab

Sentimental=Multiple Attachments

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

I have always been super sentimental. Which leads to having multiple attachments. I was also very particular and picky about my toys. My favorite was my Bratz Dollz.

I had a couple cousins who were head popper offers. Yes that is a real thing. Every doll they played with they somehow managed to pop the head off. My parents always hosted the get togethers so this was terrifying for me. Fortunately, I was blessed to have quite a few Bratz Dollz I collected and would share my least favorite ones. Only I could play with my precious ones.

I am not ashamed to admit to this day I am still this way. Bratz recently made a comeback after their twenty year celebration. Ugh … this makes me feel old… My daughters are obsessed. Unfortunately, I lost my original dolls I still had from childhood in our house fire five years ago.

However, thanks to eBay I have some back. Not ashamed to admit I play with my own while my daughters have their own I got them to play with. In the end we are all happy and make amazing memories together.

Better Version of Me

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

What could you do differently?

My ideal better version of me would be one who handles stress differently. I respond to stress with anger. This fact about me is not good for myself or anyone around me. I’d love to handle my stress better. For myself and everyone else.

Less Stressed 2024

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

While I am not one for New Years resolutions I vote us parents join together to make 2024 a less stressful one. The Christmas season can be a flood of emotions from; stress, to happiness, to grief, to anger, etc. a ginormous wave we find ourselves trying to not be drowned by. I found myself drowning and becoming angry mom hulk Kool-aid manning my way out of the waves. This is why I want to strive to do better, for my sake and my families sake. Believe me no one wants to see angry stressed mom hulk.

See exhibit A: Below (Photo Credits Marvel Studios)

Sometimes, what a parent needs most is a good support system. While we strive to do better lets help each other and make 2024 less stressful. The less stressed we are the less likely we are to hulk. Because like toothpaste once we snap and hulk out we can not take it back in. What’s done is done.

I have four children and I am a stay at home mom who home-schools. I get no breaks from my children nor do they from each other. Always being together definitely increases their attitudes towards one another while decreasing their patience.

See exhibit B: Below (Photo Credit kidspot)

During the Christmas season when we take a break from school and get dragged into all the chaos of the season our schedule goes out the window, along with bed times. Once the season comes to an end trying to start back up again is like riding a tricycle with a broken wheel. I know parents whose kids go to public school have the same problem; getting back on the train is no easy feat.

So how can we reel back in the stress? By supporting one another. Be an ear for a parent when they need some one to vent to. Let’s share ideas on how to help manage our stress. Please feel free to jump in entering a comment below. When we support each other we can learn and grow from other perspectives.

I’ll start, schedules are a huge help. As a home school family set times may be hard if we have dance during the day or co-op. However, having a schedule even without exact times for what the day may look like can help the day flow more smoothly. I know how easy it is to get question burn out from your children. Schedules help them know what is to come. Therefore, eliminating some of those questions. *Have to insert my random 2am thought lol, dishwasher magnets are also a great way to help answer the question of whether or not the dishwasher is clean. I easily get asked this twenty times a day.*

I’d like to share a suggestion from my friend Erin, have your children help lighten your load. I know I am one who falls under the category of it is easier to do it myself. This causes me to add way more to my Jenga stack making my stress blocks even more unstable. By doing this my children are not benefiting from how to be responsible nor are they learning how to do things. If I do everything for them they will never learn. Why yes I know what some of you are thinking, but the fits they give me when I ask them to wash the dishes or clean up their toys is so frustrating. Believe me I get it, I am new to this stress reliever idea as well. However, I never want to hold my child back the more times they clean up their room themselves or wash the dishes on their own the better they will become at it. Children can easily exceed your expectations of what you think they are capable of so set the bar high.

Please comment ideas you have found to help you live a less stressful parenting life. Let us have a Less Stressed 2024!!!

Comparison

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

While doing my morning thinking and reflection in the only place a mom of four can potentially get a couple minutes of peace…yes you guessed it correctly the bathroom. I found myself falling down the spiral of why doesn’t such and such have chronic pain, why did I get chronic Lyme, why can’t I be like her, etc. continuing the downhill spiral. I told myself stay strong and take these thoughts to God. I started praying for strength to work on not being jealous of others and comparing myself to them. In the midst of these thoughts I heard God speak to me;

Be careful, do not get lost in comparing your situation to others’. In doing so you can lose sight of what I have planned for you.”

-God

I instantly felt compelled to grab my laptop and share this amazing thought with all of you. I know all of our situations are different, but we need to focus on God and His word. Go to Him in prayer about your troubles. Through self reflection we can see all of the cards He has been playing in our own lives. Below are some Bible verses I found to help you get the ball rolling, but I encourage you to dig into the word yourselves and see how God speaks to you!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

-Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

-Proverbs 3:5-6

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

-John 10:27-28

Captive Thoughts Part 2

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

In Captive Thoughts Part 1 I talked about our thoughts being worldly and if we are full of Christ’s love and His word we can fight off those negative thoughts. Therefore, not allowing them to take us captive.

In this blog post, Captive Thoughts 2, I am going to open with the following question; what happens when the ultimate antagonist shows up in our lives and in our heads?

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.’”

Revelation 12:11 NASB

Many try to avoid the whole idea of Satan, but like it or not he is real and in our world. Avoidance never helps, I challenge you to not hide from your enemy, but to learn about him. When the time comes to face what you’ve been avoiding all along, the best way to do so is by being prepared.

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

2 Corinthians warns of us the possibility of  Satan deceiving us and leading our minds away from God. Just like he did to Eve in the garden of eden, tempting her with the apple. He made her question God’s word;

Now the serpentwas more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?”

Genesis 3:1

Rather than avoiding Satan we should prepare our minds and be ready to face him head on when he comes. With God on our side there is nothing to fear! We can kick Satan right out of our heads and to the curb. *Pow Pow*

First, we need to prep our main weapon, the word.

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

James 4:7

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Luke 10:12

Second, we need to understand our thoughts. I have often thought, “well how do I know if this is God talking to me or if this thought is from God?” Dig into the word and if what you are hearing lines up with God’s word than it is from God. Satan will try to trick you just like he did Eve, but you will know because he will take God’s word and twist it. He will make you question did God really mean or say those things. The doubt you feel is Satan playing his games. Cast the doubt out and dive into the word. The word tells you exactly what God says.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

1 Peter 5: 8-9

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” 

Romans 16:20

God is the ultimate victor, Satan can play a mean game BUT he can never beat God! Do not let him beat you. Build your relationship with God and whenever Satan tries to touch you, he will be burned.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world

1 John 4:4

This is Satan’s world, but Heaven is our eternity ❤️  God had a plan all along to send his only son to die on the cross for the sin Satan brought into the world. Through His sacrifice and relationship with Him we are saved. Check mate Satan *mic drop*.

Captive Thoughts Part 1

Posted on by Jonnah Simpson

What are your struggles? Repeat the answer you just thought in your head. Now pretend your in public and someone asks you the same question out loud. Chances are incredibly high the answer you verbalize, to them, is not the same answer you thought in your head. Why is this?

I personally have shared some of my struggles with my readers in my blogs. For those of you who are reading my blog for the first time (yayayayay!!!) I’ll give a quick background summary.

I have had a constant chronic headache, exhaustion, muscle fatigue, tightness, tingling, brain fog, and anxiety everyday for almost five years. My life drastically changed one night while sleeping in the mountains at a family reunion. I instantly knew mentally and physically something was wrong.

My journey has led me to several doctors, CT scans, and MRI’s all resulting the same… Normal. No one ever wants to hear bad news, but I got to the point where even if it was bad news at least we had answers. Fast forward from being a guinea pig refusing to stay on the different forms of medication pushed on me, making my symptoms worse, to the miracle of a friend from church seeing my story on Facebook.

Her taking a chance and reaching out to me truly saved my life. Her husband has been through everything I have and then some battling these symptoms for six years. Through a friend who reached out to them they found this doctor out of state, who has had much success in treating chronic pain. He did a couple of Lyme tests to them and myself resulting in the same outcome, POSITIVE.

Bad news… NOPE! FINALLY ANSWERS! Years of worrying if others think I’m crazy after every normal result. Relief feels so good! We have started on his treatment which has truly helped lessen my symptoms, mentally and physically. However, little is known about Lyme. (*Side note* I will touch more on this later when I write the Captive Thoughts Part 2 post)

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3:1‭-‬17 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/col.3.1-17.NASB1995

Why are we scared to voice our struggles to others? We have feelings in our hearts of doubt, fear, hopelessness, etc… Brought on by the thoughts of; what if people laugh at me? What if they think I’m pathetic? What if they think I’m just saying this for attention?

Those thoughts are all worldly. The passage above from Collosians tells us to put aside abusive speech. This includes the thoughts in our heads. God wants us to let the peace of Christ fill our hearts. Negative emotions and thought are normal, but do not let them over come us. If we are full of Christ’s love and His word we can fight off those negative thoughts, not allowing them to take us captive.