This week

• Cut your cell phone bill by 75% or more….
• A shocking way to treat pain….
• How to love your wife with purpose….
• Improve your marketing skills with a Biblical focus.…
• Why you should develop a “power” network.…
• How to get the power you need to excel….
  

“The Bible teaches that Christians are totally different from anyone else.” -  
Peter Jeffery, Evangelicals Then and Now (Buy Now)

Health

Beat Peripheral Neuropathy in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Pain comes in different forms, and can have different causes. There is one type of pain that afflicts millions of Americans who suffer needlessly.

Peripheral neuropathy is generally caused by a lack of oxygen to the nerves. There can be several reasons for this. One of the most prevalent causes is elevated glucose levels – diabetes. When dramatic changes occur in glucose and insulin levels in the blood, this can starve the nerves of oxygen. Other causes can be temporary inflammation in the lower back, chemotherapy, trauma (such as frostbite), or complications from surgery.

Neuropathy can manifest itself as burning or tingling in the feet, with a general loss of feeling in the feet and even the hands. The extremities of the body are affected, hence the name peripheral neuropathy.

Those who suffer can be in constant pain and discomfort. Depending on how the neuropathy affects the individual, the symptoms can be constant pain sensations, or, in a small percentage, it can be just constant nerve activity. As one who suffers from the latter, I know what it is like to have almost sleepless nights as nerve activity in the feet becomes uncontrollable once pressure is taken off the feet. In other words, it was OK while I was standing, but sitting or lying down became a challenge. Two hours sleep a night, in 35-40 minute segments, is not fun.

The traditional medical treatment for this condition is not promising.

Antidepressants will often be prescribed, and if these don’t work, they go for the big guns, Neurontin, or Tegratol. These latter drugs attempt to mask nerve signals to the brain, and Neurontin is a favored treatment for epilepsy. Naturally, they can have some pretty serious side effects in some cases.

There is, however, a simple treatment for neuropathy that has remarkable results. Dr David Phillips, in Charles Town, West Virginia, decided to help his father’s neuropathy. Being an inventor in the medical area, he devised an electronic device that is calibrated to the frequency of the body’s nervous system (7.83 Hz). It’s powered by a nine-volt battery, and requires the person being treated to place an electro pad on either foot, thereby sending an electric signal through the lower part of the body. The best delivery system is when the feet are placed in separate compartments of water with some minerals to feed the nervous system and Epsom salts to help the conductivity. The treatment is a private affair, done in the home, any time you like. It needs no special knowledge, and it is a self-treatment program.

Called the Rebuilder, the device works on the nerves in the body and helps to restore them to normal functionality. Treatments last about 30 minutes a day. And most people report immediate results, as I did. Check out the Rebuilder website and read the testimonials. Hundreds of sufferers have found relief from this small electrical charge sent through the body.

My physician at the time told me not to waste my money
on the device when I told him about it.

As usual, I ignore the advice I am given. I purchased a Rebuilder, and life has not been the same. I get to sleep at night, and while the condition has not disappeared, it is certainly manageable.

If you or a loved one suffers from neuropathy, you will know how hard it is to get relief from this condition. Get them to try a Rebuilder.

– Ian Hodge

Family & Relationships

How to Love Your Wife With Purpose

An important truth about sanctification is that Christians are not only engaged in an individual pursuit of holiness but are also participants in the sanctification of fellow believers. For example, it is God's plan that the husband be an active participant in the sanctification of his wife by loving her with purpose.

Christ demonstrated perfect love for His people by giving His life for them. That is how a husband is to love his wife (Ephesians 5:25). The Bible makes it clear that Christ loved his church with a sacrificial love – He "gave Himself for her" (25). His love is also a specific love. It was "for her" that "He gave Himself" (25). And the purpose of His love is sanctification. He gave Himself: "that He might sanctify her and cleanse her.…" And also "that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish" (26-27).

So how can a husband follow Christ’s example and love his wife with purpose? Here are four means every husband needs to employ:

1. Nourish your own heart with the Word of God (Colossians 3:16). God uses His word to equip the man of God to lead his family (2 Timothy 3:15-17). God gives transformation, wisdom, joy, illumination, and an abundance of blessing to the person who submits to Scripture (Psalm 19:7-11). It is essential in leading your wife or children that you have God's word in your heart (Deuteronomy 6:6). If you have a Scripture-saturated heart that is filled with God's Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), you can lead your family with confidence.

2. Lead your wife to God's Word. Lovingly encourage your wife in her own personal Bible reading, study, and meditation. Work to provide her opportunity for study [essential for busy wives and mothers] and wisely hold her accountable. Help your wife to find answers to the questions that result from her Bible study. Read the Bible and pray with your wife. Be faithful to lead your entire family in the worship of God.

3. Love your wife uniquely by guarding your heart. Christ demonstrates a common grace to mankind in general, but He has a particular love for His people (Ephesians 5:25). As you pursue holiness for your wife and yourself, be completely loyal to her. That means reserving marital affections for your wife alone. The heart of man is "prone to wander" and therefore must be kept on a biblical leash [this leash provides a God-ordained arena to love your wife freely]. Protect your heart by hiding God's Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11), finding accountability with the people of God (Hebrews 10:25), seeking God in prayer, and avoiding that which feeds sinful longings. With sincerity, pray: "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things from Your law" and "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things..." (Psalm 119:18,37).

4. Rejoice with your wife (Proverbs 5:15-20). Rejoice with your wife both verbally and physically. Get to know her dreams and let her in on your own.

Loving our wives is a spiritual duty that brings godly purpose into our marriages. God has ordained that we participate in the sanctification of our wives – to pursue their purity, their best interest, and their total well being. The tool that God has provided in this blessed duty is the Word of God (John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26).

But there’s also a lot of benefit for the husband in doing this. The blessing reaches beyond the sanctification of our wives and includes our own sanctification. The spiritually minded husband realizes that he is daily falling short in this endeavor and humbly and prayerfully seeks God's help. Think through these truths and meditate on the lofty calling of participating with God in the sanctification of your wife by loving her with purpose.

– Ray Rhodes

(Ed. Note: Ray Rhodes is the founder and president of Nourished in the Word Ministries. His ministry focuses on family worship and parenting.)

Success

How to Market Your Products Biblically and Successfully

For years, I struggled to find a Biblical view of marketing. It seemed like all the marketing out there did only one thing – brag. Companies regularly brag about how great their products are. In our culture, this is an accepted practice. But, as a Christian, I was uncomfortable bragging about anything I did or sold.

Then I discovered that there’s a good reason I was uncomfortable with the marketing. And it wasn’t just because of the bragging. It’s because there was something fundamentally wrong with that type of marketing.

You see, when a company brags about its products, the focus is on the company and/or its products. Most business people would say, “Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to sell. So why not focus on the product?” The reason is simple – and it’s also a primary reason why so many marketing ventures don’t work.

When you focus on your product or service, you talk about the features of your product. You might talk about why your product is better than someone else’s. And you might even describe all the details of your product.

But the Scriptures tell us not to focus on ourselves. They tell us to serve others and consider them more important than ourselves (Phil. 2:3-4). Now you can see why I had such a hard time with marketing for so long. It’s tough to follow Scripture and brag about yourself.

Fortunately, God knows more about marketing than I ever will.
It turns out that God’s principle of considering others more important
than yourself is a great marketing principle as well.

Here’s how it works: Instead of focusing on the features of your product, marketing needs to tell the customer what benefits the product has to offer. In other words, marketing should show a potential customer how your product can make their life better.

Some might argue that telling all about the features of your product does show how it benefits the customer. But that’s true only when the connection between the features and the benefit are obvious or already known by the customer. For instance, car salesmen regularly focus on features because just about everyone knows how those features translate into benefits. If he tells you a car has a 350 horsepower engine, you know it’s strong enough to tow a boat or to go really fast (depending on the vehicle).

But if you’re a plumber and you want to sell someone a new type of water heater, then selling features isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to explain why this new model, which costs $200 more than the competition, is going to benefit the customer far better the other brand. You could say your unit heats water twice as fast and uses one-third the gas. Those are features. A better way to sell it is to say, “You’ll never run out of hot water again and you’ll cut your gas bill by two-thirds. In fact, this unit will pay for itself in the first year.”

When I figured out this perspective on marketing,
I realized that marketing isn’t about bragging. It’s about serving.

If I truly believe my product will serve people better than someone else’s product, telling them how it does so greatly benefits them. I might tell them about some of the features along the way, but always in context of how they benefit the user. And what you’ll find in the end is far better sales results.

– Steve Kroening

Wisdom From History

The Importance of Having Friends in High Places

It seems obvious.  Friends can help in many ways.  And friends in high places can open doors and opportunities that otherwise remain closed.  Consider this story.

I live in Ohio, and the auto license plates display the phrase “Ohio, home of aviation.”  This is in reference to the Wright brothers, from Dayton, Ohio, and their early successful flights.  (We won’t raise the touchy issue that they actually achieved their flights in another part of the country.)

But, unfortunately, while not belittling the achievements of the Wright brothers, Ohio is not the home of aviation.  Nor is it the North Carolina location used for their flights.

This privilege belongs to the town of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, in Great Britain and they’ve held this record since the early part of the eleventh century.  That is when man’s first successful flight was recorded.  Eilmer (or Oliver) of Malmesbury glided over 600 feet before crashing, breaking both his legs in the process. 

Apparently Eilmer had watched the birds, and learned that air current could help.  So he strapped wings onto his arms and legs, and launched himself from a tower, some assume the local church tower. 

This first flight helped Eilmer understand that a vertical stabilizer was necessary for controlled flight.  He was getting ready for a second attempt when the local abbot placed an embargo on any further attempts.  This might be seen as the church’s attempt to stifle science, or it might be seen as a prudent pastor’s decision to protect the life of an adventuresome parishioner.

We don’t know why the local abbot refused Eilmer his second attempt.  But think what might have been if Eilmer had built a good relationship with the abbot, and been allowed second, third, or more chances.

It took nearly 900 years before anyone did a better job of overcoming gravity, and the Wright brothers have their place in history.  But next time you see the phrase “Ohio, home of aviation,” spare a thought for Eilmer of Malmesbury. And remember, too, that having friends in high places is an important ingredient in success.

– Ian Hodge

Word for the Wise

Power When You Need It Most

"My grace is sufficient for you for my power is perfected in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9

Power – Are you interested in your ability or in God's ability? That's the thought here. God tells Paul that He is able; that He is capable. The word Paul chooses is the root of our English word dynamic and dynamo. Its root in Greek is always associated with the idea of being able to accomplish.

Just think about the upside-down way God reveals Himself in this world. God says that His capability is revealed in our inability. God takes the opportunity to show Himself in what I cannot do. In fact, the Bible teaches us that where we act on our own power, God retreats but where we are helpless and incapacitated, God shows up.

Why does God behave in this way? Why doesn't He just pour on the power by adding to our strengths? The answer is all about glory. God knows (and so do we) that human beings have this incredible tendency to take the credit for things accomplished. And God will not share His glory with something He made. So, He chooses not to act when we are in the driver's seat. He doesn't display His heavenly power when we think all we need is a little help along the way. God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who come to Him desperate and unable. Go back and read the Beatitudes. You will find Jesus saying the same thing. God comes to those who are bankrupt, grieving, oppressed, turned away, empty, guilty, and at risk.

We serve the God of nobodies. When I learn to be nothing, then God can make me into anything. My road is the low road, the pathway of Jesus. It is the road of humility and powerlessness. It is the road of obedience. If I want intimacy with the Father, then I must learn to give away what power I thought was mine and allow Him free reign in my life. I must put off my pretenses of greatness and talent and skill. They are only His gifts to me and I must give them back to Him as an offering of the first fruits. God is more than able to flood my life with His ability when I have finally let go of my ego need to have some of the credit. God fills the empty cup, not the half-full one.

– Skip Moen

(Ed. Note: Skip Moen, PhD, is the president of At God’s Table and the author of Words to Lead By.)

 Resources

Evangelicals Then and Now, Peter Jeffery, Evangelical Press (BUY NOW)

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