My grandmother believed in castor oil. She believed that this nearly magical potion would prevent many ailments and heal even more. As a result, we had to line up for a tablespoon of castor oil at irregular intervals. I think the timing of our next dose of this miracle oil was often determined by her not feeling well, more than by our ailments…
Since it has a horrible taste, we did not enjoy this intervention in our health. To overcome our resistance my grandmother would sing the praises of this medicine, as it would cleanse us of every toxin in our bodies. So, we submitted and suffered through the experience.
Was castor oil part of your childhood? For what purpose did your family use it?
You see, it has a few things for which it can be used. Swollen joints can benefit from its application topically as it will reduce pain and inflammation. For wounds, it will create a moist environment that promotes healing and prevents sores from drying out. And it will even reduce acne!
Applied topically that is. But when ingested in small volumes, it is a laxative! In bigger volumes, it will induce vomiting and diarrhoea… As you consider this, please take note of three important bits of information. One: my grandmother was generous to a fault. Large portions and large dosages were the order of the day around her. Two: we always had friends and family visiting and my grandmother did not discriminate. Everyone in the house got the same treatment. Three: the house I grew up in only had one toilet…
Now, I am not a medical professional, but I know this. A laxative remedies constipation and is not the right way to try and cleanse your body of all kinds of toxins. Anyone who promises you such a miracle cleansing diet or pill is most probably selling you snake oil. It is the job of your liver and kidneys and such to cleanse your body of toxins. And if you do not overwhelm those organs with toxins, they will do their job your whole life.
Detox diets and cleanses have been very popular in recent years. And while most of them overpromise and under deliver, the importance of ridding your body of toxins is emphasised in all their marketing. Toxins will do all kinds of damage and will affect everything from your brain capacity to your energy levels. We do not want toxins in our bodies. We do not want it to gradually build up in our bodies. And we want to get rid of the toxins that are in our bodies already. No one disagrees with this. But there are many different opinions on how to cleanse our bodies and some (most) of the remedies on offer are pure snake oil. It will make NO difference.
Now consider this. If you were to follow a detox diet that was just snake oil, it will not help you. Your attitude or your diligence or your sincerity will make no difference. All the toxins will remain right where they are.
Sometimes Christians do something similar.
They realise that things are not as they should be in their relationship with God. They feel a distance, their prayers feel powerless and some of the joy of walking with God feels lost. Maybe you have experienced something like that somewhere in your life. Do you agree that it would be important to find the right remedy?
There is something you can do for your relationship with God that will be like a detox or a cleansing. It works! God’s Word says it works, so it is not mere marketing talk. And it is something that you should do every so often, just to cleanse.
Yes, this is all on you. Nothing needs to change on God’s side. He needs to do nothing more since He did it all through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. His love for you is set for eternity. His choice for you will not change. This is something you need to do!
It may be time to detox your relationship with God!
What do I mean by that? Just read these scriptures from the Gospels and you will get the point.
“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.
Mat 6:14-15 MSG
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Mat 18:21-35 NLT
Do you understand how important this is? Do you see how not forgiving affects your relationship with God?
I know it is not easy. The more you were hurt, the more difficult it will be. But can you afford not to forgive? Do you think you can sidestep God’s response to the unforgiveness in your heart and hoodwink Him into focussing on other things in your life?
It is time to forgive! And guess what? He wants to help you do it. He wants you free. He really, really wants to help you forgive!
Forgiving will be way more effective for your soul than castor oil for your body! Don’t allow this toxin to contaminate your whole life!
Pray these words with me.
Father, I want to detox my relationship with you with a real and effective remedy. I want to be free and whole. Therefore I choose to forgive …………………………….. and no longer hold what they did against them. Please help me to let this go. Please help me to live free and light. In Jesus name!
Thank you for reading this blog. If you want to discuss this further or need my prayer support, please contact me on conversation@reonlouw.blog.
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