Psalm 107:20
He sent His Word and healed them. Snatched them from the door of death.
I do not profess to be an expert in anything.
Surely not in the field of recovery or treatment.
I have no degrees from a university that would give credence to any view I might hold.
Nor do I wish to give anyone who stops by here to read the postings, the impression that I am a learned man.
The understanding that I hold to comes from 14+ years of being around people in recovery.
It comes through a call that God placed on my life on May 20, 1994, that has lead me to where I am today.
Being a follower of Jesus Christ, I view the world (society and culture) as having a root cause for every problem that exists. That root cause would be a sin-nature that is found in every human born to this planet. A propensity to do the wrong thing, say the wrong thing and, if allowed to grow and develop, leads down a path to destruction and independence from the real God.
The flesh, sin nature, old man, call it what you will, drives us and influences our decisions to seek out and satisfy whatever desire we might have. It causes us to rationalize our actions so as to explain away any wrong feelings we might have.
If you read II Timothy 3:1-5, you will find that the Apostle Paul tells of a time when God will allow this sin nature to be revealed for what it truly is.
V.1 = You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be difficult times (stressful times).
V.2 = For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God. Disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
V.3= They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good.
V.4= They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
V.5= They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like this.
Sounds to me like Paul ripped this from the headlines of this morning's newspaper.
In fact, what Paul has just described is the very nature and character of someone who is in addiction. It begins with that person having the most selfish nature around. "It's all about me! I will do whatever I want to do and I don't care who I hurt!"
Medicine isn't going to save someone with this sin nature.
Psychology isn't going to heal the mind, when the heart is buried in darkness.
Religion isn't going to salve the wound and make it better.
True healing comes when we "hear" the truth.
The verse from Psalm 107 says that "HE SENT HIS WORD AND HEALED THEM."
We could reason that the WORD is Jesus himself since we read in the first chapter of the book of John where "In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God." God sent His WORD....into the world to die for the sin, the wrong that had was found in every living human being. So that those who believed in Christ, believed and received this healing would be restored and brought into relationship with God.
One other thing....
Don't you find it strange that in the Psalm 107 verse it doesn't mention what they were being healed of? It just states that the WORD was sent and they were healed. This means that whatever has manifested in my life that is a direct result of my living to please this sin nature, God will heal me and free me from the destructive power it has over me. Now that is cool!
Think on these things today and let God speak to your heart.
You see, I have a problem..............
It's either true or it isn't.
I don't believe you can slice it any other way.
For me......
I believe it to be true.
God on you.....
mb
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