Proverbs 9:10
Fear of the LORD is the foundation for wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
Step # 2
Came to believe that a POWER greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Turned off of highway 77 yesterday and started down that long stretch of road that I'd driven thousands of times. Made the curve and there ahead of me was an all too familiar sight. The field....the pond....the cross.....the buildings....Rapha. Still get a sense of home when I drive into the compound. Parking under the tree, I survey the goings-on. Men moving between dorm and class room. Some sitting in the swings, the air filled with conversation. I grab by Bible and as I exit my car I am greeted with "Hey! Bro. Mike!" from several of them. I make my way over to the porch to greet the men, standing there for a few moments catching up on the latest "Rapha" news.
Letting the staff know that I have arrived for Bible Study, I make my way toward the chapel. Passing by "Concrete" Jesus, a statue donated by the men to Rapha years ago, I reach up and pat his head. Don't ask me why....just something I started doing after "Concrete" Jesus showed up. Opening the door to the chapel, and stepping inside I am flooded by a tidal wave of memories. I see men on their knees, crying out to God for salvation. I see men delivered of demonic oppression. I see men healed of various ailments and illnesses. We were the church in this little chapel for seven years. I've done more Bible studies than I can count in this room. I once had a former client come back to visit after being out of Rapha for a number of years. He had turned his life around, was totally sold out to God and had attended Rod Parsley's Bible school in Ohio. As the client and I were talking, he got teary-eyed there in the chapel and made a statement that I never have forgotten. He told me.."You know, being a part of a class at Rod Parsley's school, we get to hear the "A" list of preachers and evangelist. All the men and women you see on TV come there to teach and preach. But I can honestly say that nothing they shared topped the truth that I found in this little building."
Teach the word....
That's the foundation for real recovery. Don't assume that everyone knows this Jesus that has changed our lives. Don't take for granted that since we live in the South, everyone is on the same page when it comes to Jesus.
Teach the word....
Teach the cross....
Teach the blood...
Teach the consequences of not turning from sin....
Teach....teach...teach...
That has been my call for almost 19 years.
Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I am not a great teacher or orator. I wish I were. But I never stray from the cross. It is the focal point where change takes place.
My message is very simple. You don't have a drug and/or alcohol problem....
You've got a living problem...
You've got a broken and separated relationship from God....
And until you are saved and healed, you'll never have the real life you've been searching for. Jesus is the POWER you've been searching for. He stands ready to bestow upon you His forgiveness.....His mercy.....His grace.....His salvation.
What's my part?
Confession, repentance, and a receiving by faith this incredible promise of a new life.
Sounds like a deal to me.
How 'bout you?
God on you....
mbb
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