Charisma Magazine

Jesus used the ancient figure of the wineskins to warn His hearers against the soul-shrinking thought and life patters of the traditionalists (see Luke 5:33–39). Not long ago, I saw how His warning about old wineskins applied to my own life. a cluster of personal failures brought me face to face with frightening signs that my once-new wineskins were becoming old and brittle.

The first incident occurred when I was ridiculed along with several charismatic friends in a published work assailing the most visible leaders in this movement. The broadsides were volleyed by a man I consider a friend, notwithstanding his anti-charismatic posture.

So many things in life can take our attention away from what God wants for us--busy schedules, difficult people, financial problems, the threat of terrorism and war, and let's not forget our personal drama of the week! But it's life's internal distractions--envy, loneliness, anger, bitterness, fear and rejection, among others--that can destroy us, if we allow them to.

It all boils down to this disturbing reality: Our fatal distractions come from within ourselves. It may very well be that the main distraction holding you back is you.

The Word of God is so important that Jesus said of it, "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). In other words, if we want to live life to the fullest, as God intended, we must listen to and heed God's written Word.

Beauty truly does radiate from within. A healthy, vibrant woman defies age. As a testimony and reflection of our self-esteem, inner beauty and vibrancy, true beauty is the result of inner vitality, balance, health and happiness, not vanity.

Optimal nutrition, stress-relieving exercise and a positive frame of mind are requirements you must tote along on your continued journey toward complete balance. A balanced body and a beautiful spirit are better than the very best cosmetic application or surgery.

With proper nutrition, rest, relaxation and exercise, you can keep your body balanced, healthy and youthful throughout your entire life. Your skin can be wrinkle-free and elastic, your eyes can sparkle, your complexion can be smooth, and your face can be firm and tight.

Making excuses and finding fault will frustrate your goals. Here's how you can expose the lies that hinder you.

Life is full of difficult situations that are beyond our control. Many times we are faced with things we cannot fix, and at those times we often look for excuses, for reasons why, for someone other than ourselves to point a finger toward, to ease the pain of what we are having to go through.

But I have learned through experience that blaming someone else is not the answer. It doesn't make the situation better; instead, it complicates it by creating a relational rift that dishonors God.

LORD, CHANGE ME I married my husband, Harry Salem, nearly 19 years ago. Before we met, neither of us had any intention of getting married. We both had resolved that we would "just stay single" to better serve God with our lives. Then we met each other, and everything changed.

Like most newlyweds, we entered into our relationship loving nearly everything about each other. But after the "new" had worn off, many issues began to surface.