Spirituality


Spirituality Home Page | Faith411.com Home Page

Vital information and articles related to Spirituality.


Releasing the Yoke


When the Bible makes reference to a "yoke" it is referring to a heavy piece of wood shaped to fit around the neck and fasten to a pole. It was primarily used to tie oxen together (usually two); the older ox had its yoke and the younger had its yoke. But the younger ox's yoke was bigger and stronger because it was developed so that the older ox could guide the younger.

In the Bible "yoke" is used most often metaphorically to designate a burden, slavery, or obligation. In other words, yoke means any attitude, habit, lifestyle, and way of thinking that keeps you from living in the freedom God wants you to live.

Thus, if you have low self esteem - you may not have ever seen a yoke, but you are wearing one. If you self-loathe, if you despise your ethnicity, if you find yourself in financial bondage because you are addicted to spending, you are wearing a yoke. All cocaine, marijuana, heroin, nicotine, caffeine, is a yoke. Everybody in life has to fight and deal with the yokes that society and self tries to put on us. Racism, sexism, and classism are all yokes.

We all encounter people with the yoke of bad attitudes, yoke of gossip, backstabbing and backbiting yokes. People wear yokes of bad relationships and yokes of ignorance.

God gives us an alternative. We do not have to live under the oppression; live with a yoke around our necks. God offers us an alternative lifestyle. It is joy and blessings and help when you need it. If you have ever had your yoke broken, you know that He gives you a new attitude, a new way of walking and a new way of talking. He gives you an 800 number so you can call Him at anytime and at any place. He gives you an alternative to sadness and helplessness.

So the question is how do we break the yoke? Well, God has instilled in us the power to break free from our yokes. You already have the power and the strength to break the yoke that is weighing you down. It doesn't matter what kind of yoke it is - you can break free of it. It may be a yoke of a bad childhood that continues to plague you. It may be the lingering effects of a bad marriage. It may be your tendency to enslave yourself with negativism. It may be your fears and nervous anxieties about the future. Whatever the yoke, you can break it because God has supplied you with what you need. Access it and be free!

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.


MORE RESOURCES:

The Goddess Returns
Packet Online, NJ - 15 hours ago
By coincidence, another book seen as a landmark in the history of feminine spirituality was published the same day — Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance (HarperOne) ...


Church & Religious Group Activities
RedOrbit, TX - 2 hours ago
Men's Spirituality Group: Men of all ages are invited to participate in weekly discussion and support focusing on male spirituality at the West Virginia ...


A new way of living
On Line opinion, Australia - 12 hours ago
The eco-spiritual community blends environmentalism with spirituality as the basis for a purported healthy, sustainable, self-governing and self-determining ...


Sheriff finds God as focus of his jail stint
Waukegan News Sun, IL - 1 hour ago
... Curran's release featured speeches by the sheriff and a handful of local religious leaders, each of whom argued the importance of spirituality in jails. ...


Religioscope

USA: 9/11’s spiritual effect found to be short-lived among ...
Religioscope, Switzerland - Aug 26, 2008
Although the events of September 11 were often reported to strengthen spirituality among many Americans, a recent study finds only modest and short-lived ...


Christian spirituality course offered at UNBC
Prince George Citizen, Canada - Aug 25, 2008
Christian Spirituality is the newest course being offered as part of the Continuing Studies Certificate in Christian Studies, which began in 2007. ...


How Tomorrows’ Tourist Will Forgo Religion For Spirituality | Ian ...
Hospitality Net - Aug 25, 2008
This shift from a western religious society to one more concerned with spirituality is an interesting one from a tourism perspective. ...


A fighting chance
Bangkok Post, Thailand - Aug 25, 2008
Buddhist spirituality, she said, has not only answered all those questions, it has also helped her to undo her childhood trauma. "Sixteen years after his ...


BBC News

Priest's idea for 'catwalk nuns' scrapped
Burnley Express,  UK - 4 hours ago
He explained that his idea was a contest involving spirituality, social awareness, charity and other qualities which portrayed the "interior beauty" of a ...
Nun beauty pageant cancelled Metro
No nuns on catwalk, priest stops "beauty contest" Reuters
all 659 news articles


Father Al Koppes named interim director of LMU Campus Ministry
Los Angeles Loyolan (subscription), Los Angeles - 4 hours ago
"Tony came with a real sense of commitment to Ignatian spirituality and the desire to broaden the base and outreach of Campus Ministry," Caro said. ...

Spirituality - Google News



Spirituality Articles Home Page | Spirituality Articles Site Map | News | Faith411.com Home Page
EZmatic.com | IgoJo | UpBee | Blue Ryder | Health | ZippyGo | Ken J Wagner

Faith411.com - all Vital information and articles related to Spirituality.

© 2006