Revelation chapter 2 verse 7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Many times in our lives things come up and we dont understand why. We have doubts, fears, troubles and most time these things are compounded with other situations that are also occuring such as income, clutter and disasters. We dont know what to do or how it will work out we just try to get through the day. Many of us are fortunate to have wise people in our lives to help during these times. The word of Elohim and his wonderful spirit also guides us as well. But still we have these situations and circumstances that come up that we must deal with some of these take years to work through. But the scriptures encourage us to be overcomers. Why is that ? Does Yah have something to show us and to strenghten us? 

This is from the blog site http://www.squidoo.com/keys2overcoming. I liked these verses.

12 Keys to living an overcoming life.

1. Resist the devil and draw near to Elohim
* James 4:7-8a; Ephesians 6:11;  Proverbs 18:10

2. Be on guard and watch your soul
*1 Peter 5:8;  Proverbs 22:1; Psalm 19:14; 1Corinthians 10:12

3. PRAY
* Isaiah  40:31; James 5:16; 1 John 5:14; Luke 18:1b

4. Plead the blood of Yeshua  over you and keep the word of your testimony
* Revelation 12:11

5.  Give Messiah  your will, your whole self * Romans 12:1; 1 Chronicles 29:5b; 1
Thessalonians 5:23; Mark 12:30

6. Do all you know the Elohim wants you to do.
* 1 John 1:7; 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:3

7. Overcome evil  with good
* Romans 12:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Matthew 5:44; Luke  6:31

8. Show love to ALL
* Romans 13:8-9b,10; 1 John 3:14-15; Luke  6:35

9. Forgive Wrongs
* Mark 11:25-26; Luke 23:34; Matthew 18:21-22;  Ephesians 4:32

10. Sing, Rejoice, count your blessings
* Psalm  50:23;Psalm 107:1,21; Psalm 147:1; Philippians 4:4

11. Think on good  things and keep your mind on Christ
* Philippians 4:7-8; Isaiah 26:3;

12. Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart
* Nahum 1:7; Psalm  56:11; Proverbs 3:5; 1 John 5:4

How overcoming adversity DOES help you live longer: Men who survived the 
Holocaust outlive Jewish men of the same age
 

• Research by Haifa University
  disproves a  common belief that psychological trauma shortens life expectancy by
  damaging the  victims' DNA
• It is the first to use the National   Insurance Institute of Israel database to look  at the Jewish population who 
  emigrated before and after World War Two
• Israeli scientists found 
  'post-traumatic  growth' enabled Holocaust survivors to develop enhanced 
  'personal and  inter-personal skills'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2383277/Holocaust-survivors-How-overcoming-adversity-DOES-help-live-longer.html#ixzz2oz1PAWhe

The article states:

Men who survived the Holocaust live  longer  than other Jewish men of the same age who did not go through the hell of
the  Nazi death camps, new research has revealed. 

Researchers from Haifa  University in Israel found a phenomenon known
as 'post-traumatic growth' enabled  Holocaust survivors to develop enhanced
'personal and inter-personal  skills'.

 As a result, male  survivors  lived up to 18 months longer than Jewish peers who  were not confined
to  concentration camps during the war.

Use the link above to the article to read how the overcoming actually gave them some benefit. I was a horrible experience to say the least and hopefully we will never have an experience like it and it helps us to have a different perspecitive on the things in our lives we need to overcome.

This is also from the article on the Holocaust Survivors

WHAT'S 
POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH?

• Post-traumatic growth refers to
  positive  psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with
  highly  challenging life circumstances


• Circumstances might include: life 
  threatening illness, war, abuse, immigration or deaths of loved ones
  


• These sets of circumstances
  represent  significant hurdles to the adaptive resources of the individual and
  challenge  their way of understanding the world and their place in  it


• Post-traumatic growth is not simply  a return  to baseline from a period of suffering but is instead it is an
  experience of  improvement that for some persons is deeply  meaningful
  


• People experiencing post-traumatic  growth  might have a greater appreciation of life, changed sense of priorities,
  more  intimate relationships, greater sense of personal strength, and  recognition of  new possibilities or paths for their life and spiritual development

 



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2383277/Holocaust-survivors-How-overcoming-adversity-DOES-help-live-longer.html#ixzz2oz4xRyAn

When we overcome, it is possible and true
that he will give us to eat from the tree of life just as he stated in Rev 2:7.  



Look at the life of Corrie Tenboom how her testimony encouraged so many. If you have not heard of her she was a Holocaust survivor and found ways to survive and remain faithful during those dark hours. Her story is a great inspiration.

So when we are faced with a situation in which we need to overcome, remember staying faithful will have its rewards. Also like the quote above from Ms. Ten Boom it is important that we put our roots down deep as possible. Which is what this website/ blog is all about.

D'vorah

4. A Healing Tongue is a tree of life


Proverbs 15:4  A  wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in
the spirit. KJV

The word 'wholesome' translated in the King James Version is from the hebrew word  מַרְפֵּא  marpe'   that has the meaning according to Strong's ; Health, Healing, Cure, Sound of mind and Profit.  The word tongue is translated from  h3956  לָשׁוֹן  lashown which means tongue or speech. Speech is made up of words and the words can be defined as : Words are analogs for perceptions and actions that allow us to communicate with each other about our personal experiences, feelings, desires, and thoughts. Words are  learned through the cultural conditioning of our families, schools, and the broader cultural milieu.

Other Scriptures that confirm this truth is :
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs  16:24 ) 

Did  you know that the words you speak have incredible power to bring healing in  people’s lives? When you speak words of love, comfort, or encouragement to someone, those words have power to affect the person hearing them in such a  positive way, that the result is health in their body.

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word  makes him glad.  (Proverbs  12:25)

Who in this life doesn’t suffer from some “anxiety?” Often the source of our anxiety  is focusing on the negative, and sometimes even things that are not true, rather than the positive things that are true. You can help someone by speaking  to them words of truth for encouragement to them and to build up their faith.

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but  the tongue of the wise brings healing.  (Proverbs 12:18)
For  those of us who are parents, our words can impart knowledge and life to our  children, which results in their good health: My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not  escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those  who find them, and healing to all their flesh.  (Proverbs 4:20-22)


Are you speaking healthy words to those around you?

 Not  only do our words have power to heal, but unfortunately they also have power to  destroy, which can result in sickness. As Proverbs 12:18 above states:  “There is one whose rash words are like sword  thrusts..”– and swords kill or  cripple people! Proverbs 18:21 says: “Death and  life are in the power of the tongue…” When we get into a conflict or argument, our words can either diffuse the situation like dousing a fire with water, or they can inflame the situation like throwing gasoline onto a fire! 
 
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Words and neuroplasticity


" Neuroplasticity is the term used to describe how the
brain continues to re-invent itself. Older, unused pathways fall away, and new
ones, with repetition and focus, emerge. What we think about actually rewires
our brains—for better or worse. We now know that our choice of words has a
direct and immediate effect on our emotional response and makes our brains
inclined to respond in specific ways. This is true whether we are reacting to
spoken words delivered by someone else, or to the inner self-talk that we hear
ourselves “saying” inside our heads."

This is an amazing discovery for me as it shows we can change and that by using our "heads," as my mother would say, we can establish new ways or even better Torah ways of living and loving. We must remember if we repeat those loving sayings to ourselves and our family that it will help them to create positive ways of thinking and  behaving as well. As servants of a righteous and just King we are to speak blessings out to this world.