Smothering?

I used to have problems with hyperventilation. This malady makes you feel like you are smothering and according to my doctor the solution is to blow air into a paper bag and breathe. Huh? That is correct; blow air into a paper bag and with your mouth over the bag breathe slowly for a long period of time. One would think that this is just the opposite course of action to take, as it seems to further deplete your air supply instead of just taking in as many deep breaths as possible to get the oxygen into one’s lungs. Unfortunately the cause of Hyperventilation is having too much oxygen in your lungs. Breathing in a bag reduces new oxygen coming into your lungs and is the prescribed course of action to reduce it to normal levels. It is one heck of a lot easier to casually tell someone to simply breathe into a bag when that person feels they are smothering to death than to actually do it I tell you. It is a panicky feeling for sure.

Gas prices are going through the roof. High fuel costs affect just about everything including food and most any manufactured item that must be delivered using fuel. It is creating havoc in the worldwide markets and global inflation is rising faster than income can keep up. Combined with the housing crises and other problems, many in our country are sick with worry about how they are going to make ends meet, especially when it appears that the most radical liberal in recent memory will be elected whose stated goal is to raise taxes on everything.

One would think that churches and charitable organizations would be really hurting because one would think that people might avoid giving, either because they feel that they do not have enough money to give to the Lord, or they are saving for the anticipated doomsday economy that we will face after the election. I was pleasantly surprised last night to see that in spite of economic turmoil, Americans set a new all time record for giving of some $300 billion dollars in spite of extremely difficult and worrisome economic times. The Bible tells us that is exactly the prescribed course of action that we need to take. I am really proud of our country and my countrymen; we are the most generous nation on the earth and God is blessing us because of it.

Much like breathing into a brown paper bag will relieve someone from smothering, giving to the Lord and His work will solve our most difficult problems. Especially in hard times we must continue to tithe and give offerings and remain faithful to our Lord. The Lord commands us to give, but He does so with a promise. Read the verse below and understand that we can never out-give God. Unfortunately I did not tithe for years and missed out on great blessings because of it. I learned to tithe and to give offerings above my tithe and the Lord has poured out His blessings on me just like the verse states. Try it you will like it.

Malachi 3:8
“Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me.
Even this whole nation.
Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this.”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the
windows of heaven
And pour out for you such
Blessing
That there will not be room
enough to receive it.”