Thursday Thoughts

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it......."

We are a long way from the time God created man then gave him dominion over the earth. In fact, so much has happened that when we read this passage from Genesis it seems like a fairy tale. Truth is, this is mans call from His creator. 

With the entrance of sin into our world, everything changed.
Not only did it change, but it exponentially multiplied. One sin grew to two...two grew to four.....on and on  until the mankind is steeped in darkness. Isn't it funny that nowhere in Genesis chapter one or two do we read about addiction, or the need to be in a recovery program. Yet such a thing is so prevalent in our society that it seems quiet normal.

I don't mean normal in a good way...
But that we've just kind of accepted the fact that addiction is here and we may as well make friends with it. WE can't beat it....so lets legalize it and  make ourselves feel better about how enlightened we've become.

We don't read about divorce or the destruction of the family in Genesis one or two, but we know that such is a deadly byproduct of someone whose trapped in addiction. The draw and need of addiction spares no one. Not the one who is using and certainly not those around them. It sucks in the family and friends and draws every bit of life out of them until there is complete implosion unless intervention takes place. BY intervention I am speaking of a POWER greater than the sin that has been given free reign. 

When you look at this world and everything that is wrong, you'd almost get the impression that God has left the building. He hasn't. In fact He is fulfilling His plans to restore this earth and a people to its original state. I believe you could actually say that "Things aren't falling apart....they are falling into place" according to the plans of God.

I get to see these miracles everyday....
I get to talk with people that others had given up on.
Not God.
I get to look into their eyes and see joy and completeness as they were transported from a life of darkness into the marvelous light of God's love, mercy and grace. 
Do you know how incredible it is to talk with someone who should have been dead multiple times over...yet they are standing in front of you telling you how good life is.
They aren't alive (spared from death) because they were lucky. It had nothing to do with the planets lining up or a roll of the cosmic dice. They weren't lucky in the draw of the cards....they found life because God offered it, and God offered it because He has plans for them. Such is why I go and teach and reach out to others. I do so because I want to be present and see for myself when these miracles happen. TO watch them grow and become the individual God created them to be.

My friend...
IF that don't crank your tractor.....
Then your battery is dead....

God on you..
mbb

WHY?

Why Write this blog day after day?

Is it ego?
Pride in a talent?
Do I think that my opinion and view on life means more than someone else's?

I don't think so.

SO why do I write and post on this blog every week?

To keep my own sanity in a world that doesn't seem to offer much help.

To share, hopefully, an honest transparent look at my life and how I think

the greatest thing one can do as a follower of Jesus is to simply be teachable.

If I can do anything, it would be that through the posting here on this blog,

someone might simply open up their view of God and see that we all

have belief's that are not wholly true.

That we all could stand a little more insight

and understanding of who this God is...
And what He has promised He would do for those who follow Him.

Now I'm not talking about the basic tenants of the Christian faith.
Jesus Christ, 2nd part of the God-head....
Came to planet earth and took on the form and flesh of humanity.
Fully God/ Fully man, he lived here among us for 33 years.
His death and subsequent resurrection opened the door to relationship with God the Father

that had been closed since the garden incident.

Jesus did for me what I could not do for myself that is, he restored me to a right

relationship with God.

Because of this, God placed His Holy Spirit (John 16:13) in me as a kind of

divine compass and direction giver.

I am now a part of something that is larger than my finite brain can comprehend...
What is it you may ask?
The body of Christ.

A family of other people who also have been saved.

I possess no incredible wisdom to pass on to you other than this.
If you have given your life and heart to God and are saved....

then don't give up, even though you might want to.
Don't quit even though you don't know what to do next.

Don't give in even though every one around you is prospering and your are floundering.
Don't!

Lay hold of God with your faith and your entire being....
Focus your heart and mind on Him.
Scream out to Him..."Teach me to love You!"

Be as honest and transparent as you possibly can.

Don't get caught up in playing the religion game.

It's o.k. to admit you don't have all the answers.
All you truly know is that once you were lost but now you are found...

was blind, but now you see.

If you don't have relationship with Jesus, haven't been saved....
Consider what has been written here today.
It was written for you to see and read.
God had a purpose for you stopping by here and perusing these posts.
The salvation might not come now as you read this.
It may come later, but you'll think to yourself about what you read here at
Greene Street Letters.
Thus is the mystery of God.
No matter how hard we plan, his plans are greater.
Gotta love Him!
I know I do.

Even though you and I have never met, know this.
I love you.

I pray for you daily.

How? You may ask.
Because it was no accident you found this blog.
God directed you here.
I pray that you find one thing that will bring you comfort and cause you to renew

your hope in Christ.
That will awaken you to the truth that it is a race and we cannot stop or give up.

Like I wrote at the beginning of this post.

I'm not a theologian.
I am a simple man who has a simple view of God and His word.

If He said it, I take it for face value.

In other words....

I'm just crazy enough to believe it!

God on you....

mb

Getting It Done....One Day At A Time

Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thaksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.


Each day is a gift given to me by God.
It's not that it is a "do over" day to make up for what I did wrong yesterday, but another chance to become more like the man He created me to be. This gift of another day has a purpose to it. That purpose is for me to glorify....point to....show through my actions....that God is the answer to life.
No matter what my current situation is.....
No matter how bad I think life is.....
No matter what I may be facing in my future....
I am going to give God the thanks He deserves...
Not because He requires it but because I have found the value and truth that makes life worth living.

I like what David wrote in I Chronicles 16.
He has just completed bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. Hasn't been easy. Uzzah was killed in the first attempt when the ark, seated on an ox cart, toppled. Uzzah reached out to steady it and was killed instantly. Moral of the story? You don't handle the things of God in any old way. 

David was mad at God and also a bit afraid. He left the Ark parked at the home of Obed-edom. Obed must of been a pretty smart fellow because Scripture says that during the Ark's stay, his home prospered. Kind of like the neighbors would walk by and see his garden. "My what big squash you have and look at your tomato plants. How do you do it?" "Oh it's just the Ark of the Covenant."

David finally sought God's help on how to return the Ark and the journey was on.
Once they arrived at Jerusalem, David wrote down a Psalm. He was a Psalm writing fellow you know.
I Chronicles 16:8 reads:
Give thanks unto the Lord, Call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

1.) Begin your day with "THANKS". Draw up a "Thank You" List. Say it out loud as you pour your first cup of coffee. Run down the list while you are taking your shower. Expound on your list as you drive to work. Whatever and however you want to do it............Be thankful. Don't just say, "I'm thankful Lord." Tell Him what you are thankful for. It is amazing how depression and gloom will move away because you turn your mind and heart over to focusing on the things God has done in you and for you.

2.) Call upon His name. "JEEEEESUSSSSS!" No. that's not what we are talking about. Call upon His name is recognizing that He is your provision. Whatever it is you need. Whatever situation you are facing. He is who you call upon. There is power in the name of Jesus. Scriptures says that "by no other name can man be saved." In Exodus God told Moses that His name was "I AM".  Not "I WILL BE" or "I WAS", but "I AM."
A current God. A "Now" God. Call upon His name.

3.) Last, but not least, "Make known His deeds among the people."  Tell your story. Tell what God has done for you. Share! You know...people out there who don't know Jesus are hungry to know that this stuff works. That God can be trusted and He can make a difference in your life. They really need to hear your story. Go! Tell someone.

Simple. 
Yes.
But boy what a difference these three things will make in your life.
Think on these things.
Until tomorrow.

God on you...
mb

Sin For A Season

James 1:15-16
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to SIN....and SIN when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my brethren.

The thought of sin, especially when we are under the influence of the devil, draws us away into darkness. With our minds we may be thinking "This is wrong!!" but our heart does not heed the warning and we chase what our sin/nature has placed in front of us. The idea of committing a sin...the thought of embracing what we know will lead us to a place where it will not end good...grows more faint with each moment that we allow our dark desires to occupy a place in our thoughts.

People throw away years of marriage for a moment of passion.
People throw away family and relationship for a moment of ecstasy and a high.
Sin is pleasurable for a season.
If it weren't, we would not pursue the feeling it gives us.
But the pleasure, like I wrote, is for but a season.
The pleasure wears off....
The excitement disappears.
The guilt begins to build.
The shame follows you around and will not let you forget what you have done.
So you double down on the sin in order to escape those feelings.
More and more....
Higher and higher...
Numb yourself to the point that you stand at the edge of death.
Sometimes the thoughts grow so dark that you think death is your friend and the only way out of this dark life you've chased.

Is there an answer to a path that leads to total destruction on this side of heaven....and eternal damnation on the other side? Yes..
The answer is so simple...
Jesus.
Seriously?
Yes! Just Jesus.

Psalm 107:18-20
Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord IN their trouble, and He saved them out of the distresses. He sent His word and healed them from their destruction.

Only Jesus has the power to break that sin/nature we possess.
That bent inside of us that draws us to do the wrong thing....to say the wrong thing....to believe that we have no need for God in any shape, form or fashion in our life.

So, to me, I would leave you with two words to think about today.
Just Jesus.

God on you...
mbb

Mountains Of Destruction

Lamentations 5:15-17
Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Weep for us because we have sinned. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears.

One of the hallmarks of a life of addiction is the destruction that happens.
Homes are  destroyed....
Families ripped apart....
Finances thrown to the wind....
Day after day the pain grows, which only causes the one trapped to go back into the darkness to find relief.

With each trip comes more destruction that is added to the heap.
Herein lies the insanity of such a life.
Knowing full well the consequences of our bad choices....
Knowing the pain we're causing our loved ones....
We still choose the high.

The picture I chose for today's posting should be a symbol for this destruction I've written about. In most cases there is so much that we have brought on ourselves that we don't know where to start to clean up the mess. The process of recovery becomes such a mountain that we deem it impossible to climb over, or even deal with.

We will "Play" at recovery....
We will go to treatment....
We will say all the right things...
We will make all the usual promises....
But we are clueless as to the "how" of cleaning up our mess.
Change begins with the simplest of things that we've thought about, but never really committed to.
"The Desire To Stop Using".
When I become sick and tired of being sick and tired....
Then I will begin the process of digging out of this mess.
When my hatred for the destruction I've brought about is stronger than my fear of change...then I will rise up.
When I awake to the reality and the truth that I alone am responsible for this destruction, I will look for a POWER greater than me that will lead me out of this bondage.

POWER has a name...
That name would be Jesus.
Look to Him today and admit your weakness.
Walk up to the piles of destruction you've created and grab one board.
Throw it on the garbage heap and move to the next board doing the same.
Little by little...
Board by board, that which you thought was a mountain will be reduced.
Food for thought today...
I will be continuing this teaching tomorrow night at Vineyard ReCovery.
Hope to see you there.

God on you...
mbb

Mud Pies And Directions

(Reprint From June 2016)

John 9:25
"I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I know this....I was blind, and now I can see."

To me this is the greatest explanation of a miracle that I have ever read.
A man who has had an experience, tells what happened about as plain as anyone ever could. He is recounting what happened to a group of religious folks who are bent on destroying Jesus. They grilled this poor fellow in an effort to trap Jesus in some sort of theological hanky-panky and juju medicine.
They questioned the method used by Jesus.
They questioned the time of day He did it.
They questioned as to whether this was even the same man that once was blind...You know that Jesus could have pulled the ol' switcheroo on them thar Pharisees. 

To me the part I love the best in this whole story is the means by which the man's blindness was healed.
Are you ready for this.....
Jesus took spit and dirt....
His spit, and if you want to get technical, His dirt since He is the author of creation. Put the two together and smeared it all over this poor fellow's eyes.
As if that wasn't bad enough, He then told the mud-covered, blind fellow to go to a particular pool (Pool of Siloam) and wash the mud off.
Get it?
Blind man....
Can't see....
Told to go somewhere.....
Not only that, the journey is to take place with him covered with mud on his eyes.
Reckon what the neighbor's thought?
Do you think maybe someone made fun of him as he tried to find his way to this pool?
But when you see the end results of the man being healed, all the other stuff seems to not matter any more does it? I think not.

So why is it we get upset or uncomfortable when God comes to us with instructions that seem to take us out of our comfort zone? Why is it we have trouble with instructions that we don't seem to understand? Or at least they don't make sense to us? "Why should I do that? That's crazy."

I know that you've probably been in meetings where ministry time breaks out, and there is an invitation to go down front to pray and receive from God. The distance between you and the front may only be 15 or 20 feet, but you just can't seem to reason it out as to why you have to go down there. "Why can't God just do what He wants to do, right here where I am seated?" Because you want God to do everything, without you having to exercise any faith what so ever. How bad do you want to be healed of all your mess? Are you willing to move out and go receive from God? Are you willing to be like the man who was covered in spit-mud? 

If you read the passage from John, no where does it mention where Jesus told the man he would be healed. He simply told him to go wash in the pool.  The last part of Verse 7 reads So the man went and washed and came back seeing. The man went and washed not knowing what would really happen, but he went anyway. He may have had an inkling that healing would come, I'm not sure because we aren't given insight into what he was thinking. But ACTION was needed to bring the healing about.

Are you willing to take ACTION the next meeting you are at, and you feel the tug of God on your heart? Are you going to be willing to step out to receive whatever it is God has for you? Or are you going to sit there in your blindness hoping for a miracle? As for me? I'm going to go after God and see what happens. I don't want to miss anything. 
Besides.....
A little mud never hurt anyone.
Especially if it brings about the healing we so desperately need.

God on you....

mbb

It's Not There!!! It Is Gone!!

Matthew 8:3
Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing, " He said. "Be healed!"........

She had received the word that everyone dreads to hear....."Cancer".
Plans to start the tests....
Doctor's huddled to decide on which direction they needed to take in order to save this young girl. They brought to bear the resources of a great hospital in order to fight this battle.

On the other hand....
Word was passed of the fate of this young girl....
Person to person...
Church to church...
The Body of Christ was also huddled, but not to plan a strategy on how to fight this disease, but rather to go before the only One who possessed the Authority and Power to strike down this cancer.

Biopsies were done...
Laboratories worked to define the type of cancer.
Prayers went up on her behalf for healing.
Papers were filled out and doctor's orders compiled.
The Spirit of God moved on people to intercede on her behalf.
Medicines were readied and put in place.
A medical invasion was standing ready to enter her body, but before this took place, the Holy Spirit of God had already invaded.

Last week after the Bible study @ Rapha, Tracy Lovern (counselor) came up and asked if we could pray for his niece. She had been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer and the outlook was not good. There in the chapel, Tracy and I prayed for her healing. We added our prayers to countless others that were being lifted to God on this young girls behalf. 

Last night, Tracy shared that she'd had some additional test run to finalize the treatment plan.
The cancer was gone.
Vanished...
Not there...
Of course the doctor's were amazed...at least some of them were. 
But we know what really happened.
A healing took place.

So this morning, I celebrate the goodness of God and His Kingdom that has invaded our time and space.
I rest in the knowledge and understanding that what we have seen of His Kingdom is not the fullness of it. That such will come at a later time designated by Him.
A time when all sickness will be eradicated.
A time when death will be no more.
He personally will wipe the tears from every crying person and we shall see as never before the reality of who this God truly is.
There will be no more pain...
There will be no more sorrow....
And we will rejoice like it's nobodies business.
Maranatha, Lord Jesus!!
Come Quickly!!

God on you...
mbb

p.s.
Keep praying for this young girl as she regains her strength...

A Day Of Possibilities

Good morning.....
Another day....
Another opportunity to "get" life right.
Yesterday is behind us, and a new day stretches out before us.
A day of possibilities, both good and bad.
I wanted to post a picture this morning of a sunrise to go along with this post.
Looking up images, they were all very sunny....very happy, happy looking if you know what I mean.

But I wanted a picture that conveyed the idea of a new day, but one that was kind of misty, overcast...not real sure. Why? Because no matter what the day may look like to us, the sun IS shining. It is there. We may not be able to see it. We may not be able to feel the warmth of its rays, but it is there none the less. Just like Jesus. We may not always be aware of Him. We may think He has hidden himself from us. We may feel as though we have been abandoned by Him, but HE is always there. More than simply being there, He is always interceding (communicating by prayer) to God the Father on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25).

This whole thing about our "Higher Power" is real.
Our Higher Power, Jesus, doesn't take days off.
He doesn't break for lunch.
He isn't influenced by the weather (both good and bad).
He is the one true constant in a life, and world, that has gone off the deep end.
His reach is sufficient to rescue any and all who cry out to Him for help.
So, today....
He is there for you.
So today.....
He will hear your prayers, and act on them.

I guess I will close by saying lift your vision a bit higher.
Don't allow the clouds of life this new day to keep you from seeing the answer to every problem and question you may have.
Don't allow this day to drive you to the decision to return to that old life of pain and misery,defined by those brief moments when you medicate yourself into numbness.
Stand firm and say, "Today....just today....I will move forward with the help and direction of Jesus. I will not turn and go back. I may not move forward in leaps and bounds, but I will make spiritual progress today."

I will leave you with one of my most favorite passages in the Bible.
Lamentations 3:19-24
The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him.

God on you...
mbb

The Good (And Wonderful) Shepherd

Psalm 23:2
He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.

The care and love that Jesus shows to his "sheep" is beyond my feeble brain's ability to comprehend such a heart.
He makes me lie down......He knows that left to my own will, I will expend myself on things that do not matter. I will fill up my life with useless activity that profits nothing. I will burn myself out worrying about things that are beyond my control. I guess this is where the serenity thing comes into play. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." Jesus knows that I need rest, not just bodily but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. So from time to time, He MAKES me lie down. Even if for nothing else other than to give my brain and mind a rest. I think one of the first things I notice when Vicki and I go on vacation or just get away for a few days, is how my mind is rested and renewed. This, in turn, really brings about a change physically and emotionally. Rest is needed. Rest reconnects us to the Father when we physically and emotionally rest in Him. Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God.....

But notice also in Ps.23:2 the shepherd picks out the best spot for this rest too take place. A place where there is plenty of food and water. To me this is a place where there are ample portions of the Word and the Spirit. They are food for my soul. Food that brings health to my inner parts. Lifting up the heart and restoring faith and hope in my dry places. I look to Jesus as the source of my spiritual as well as my physical well being.

Isaiah 40:11
He shall lead his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
I love this illustration of the heart of Jesus. The ultimate shepherd, not because he has too but because he wants to. A shepherd who laid down his life for the flock in order to protect them from the evil one who prowls looking for someone to devour.

Part of AA is saying the Serenity prayer.
A prayer that finds stability of mind....
Stability of spirit....
Stability of purpose
in the relationship with Jesus Christ.
Not that our situations and circumstances are stable, sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't.
The Serenity prayer speaks of the peace and stability that comes within and allows you to not be tossed about by emotion or indecision. It gives the ability to face what I cannot change. It gives me strength to confront and change that which I have ran away from in the past. It gives me wisdom to know which is which.


God....
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
Taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will,
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next....
Amen!
Written By:
Reinhold Niebuhr

Time For Real Change

"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff. And the that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Strong words from Malachi 3:1.

There is a time set aside that only God knows.

A day that has been appointed for a settling of debt, if you will.

You see, each day we awake, we are surrounded by a "salvation" message.

God is constantly speaking and revealing himself.
His will is that none should perish.

He understands the truth of having given His creation the freedom to choose.
That is why He is constantly speaking the message of salvation.

His will is that none should perish.

How can I write this and what does this have to do with recovery and addiction?

I can only write from what I know.

Back in 1998, there was no such thing as Celebrate Recovery.

There were AA meetings, and NA meetings, but as a whole, the church had nothing to offer those who were trapped in addiction.

After I had started full time ministry, I found myself at Rapha working as a volunteer.
I was stirred ( now I know it was God) to begin a meeting or service or what ever you want to call it, for people in recovery. A place that was "church" but didn't look like church or sound like church or even act like church. A place where someone struggling with addiction could come and for a brief moment maybe let their guard down and hear the truth of the Gospel. I wanted a meeting that wasn't church....but was church in a new way.

We began meeting on August 21, 1999. The rest is history.

Over the years, churches all over the area began to hold meetings.

Some under the auspices of CELEBRATE RECOVERY, and others simply doing what God told them to do. Now, here today, there are many, many meetings that have sprung from churches,that are available for anyone wishing to have a change of life. For those who are desperate to find new life.

For whatever reason, God has deemed this time, this season to the the time of RECOVERY for those in addiction.

That is why the verses from Malachi are so important.

Celebrate Recovery is more than just having a good time and hanging out.
Meetings of every kind are more than just meetings.

They are about THE RESCUE.

The sharing and telling of the gospel that God (yes, the real deal God) has provided a way out of addiction and sin. Not only provided a way out but transforms those who accept the salvation offer into new, living creations.

The sin debt is canceled by the power of Jesus' death and resurrection.
The power of sin, which is at the heart of every addiction, is broken and that individual is set free.

Jude: verse 23 reads: "Save others, snatching them out of the fire......."

That is the mandate that is given to us as believers.

I hurt with an unbearable pain when I watch those who are under the weight of addiction, reject God's truth and continue in their old lifestyle. If I could,  I would physically arrest them and force them to believe. That is why I'm glad I'm not God. You can't physically force anyone to accept Jesus. All I can do is love them. Love them as God loves them and pray over them that at some point this truth that they have heard, will drive deep into their very being causing them to awake from the dark slumber of sin and addiction.

I want to leave you today with Hope.
I want to leave with Verse 2 from Malachi 4

"But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall."

God on you.....

mb

No Time To Keep Quiet

James 5:16
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

I was the old guy.
I was the old guy seated at the table surrounded by a group of men.
A group that has found life in this journey we are all on.
Sharing their struggles...
Sharing their failures...
Celebrating their triumphs.

One told the group that he was frustrated and angry because of trying to help someone who really didn't want help...just wanted to be taken care of. Trying to help someone who wanted to be enabled...who wanted pity and sympathy more than freedom from his addiction.

Another shared that, as a single father, he realized his kids were the anchor for his life, and the thought of them eventually moving away was scary to him. Having his children live with him seem to give him a greater purpose in his own personal life.

One shared how life seemed to always find a way to throw up road blocks and point of stumbling that seem to trip him up at every turn. This brought up anger over some situations he faced over the past weekend. As he stated.."At least I didn't kill anybody".  That's kind of a code for "I didn't act on my anger"..not that he would have killed..he wouldn't. But still the realization that his anger had the potential to take him to a place that was dangerous is thing he understood, that he needed to work on how he expresses his anger.

You see, what happened at that table is one of the simplest, yet most powerful tools we have been given to combat our the tug of our old sin/nature.
Talking.....
What? Are you serious?
Yes...talking. Sharing and confessing to one another so that there remains no secrets that have power over us.

Did you not see what the verse from James 5 said?
"Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED!"
The simple act of sharing and then receiving prayer is a means to receive healing deep inside. Surely God doesn't really mean this....I think maybe He does.

This act of confessing also helps me to be accountable to those around me.
Me, hearing others confess, gives me an opportunity to help someone else who is struggling. I don't know...call me dumb...but maybe....just maybe that is why recovery groups are referred to as "FELLOWSHIPS". We're all in the same boat. Get it? Ships...boats....oh, well..so much for being witty.

Find a group that you can be a part of.
Give of yourself to this group as you become a part of them.
Share...
Talk...
Get prayed for...
Pray for those in your group...
There is healing and life.

God on you...
mbb

Stuck At The Start

I've been listening to messages from the book of Genesis and I can't seem to escape the opening words.

Ten simple words.
Ten words that have no hidden meaning.
Yet within these ten words is the mystery of mysteries.

These ten words have caused debate and furor over their meaning.
Myth or truth?
Legend or fact?

"What ten words?" You may be asking yourself.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

The entire story of creation in ten words.

The complete first two chapters in Genesis all summed up in these ten words.

Think on this.......

What a majestic verse. Genesis 1:1 is the door through which everyone must pass to enter into Scripture. You cannot ignore it. You cannot simply turn to another book and begin to read.
You cannot deny the existence of this fact. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. In the vastness of space, as we know it, God selected and set aside our earth. He did so because of the importance it held to Him. Here on this terrestrial ball God revealed Himself to His creation, and now His creation seeks to disprove God's existence. No matter how low we sink in our humanity, the faithfulness of God is displayed for everyone who would see be able to comprehend the depth of God's love.

These ten words of Genesis 1:1 stands as a sentry to either reaffirm your belief in God, or to uncover your wrong beliefs, your fears and doubts, your sinfulness. The very idea that there is a being we refer to as God, preexisted everything we know is beyond our comprehension. Yet this is the truth of Scripture. God seeks not to prove himself to me, He seeks for me to come and know Him.

Genesis 1:1 is not for scientific discussion or debate. We miss the point when we begin to read the book of Genesis. There at the opening of the Bible, God has placed a statement of fact that goes right to the very core of who we think we are. If we read II Timothy 3:16 -17 we find the following statement.

"Every Scripture is God breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Even Genesis 1:1 is to teach us. It stands not as a point of contention with the world. Let them rail about evolution and scientific theories. (If you ask me, mankind has been engaged in devolution not evolution). Scripture and Science does not stand against one another, God harmonizes the two together. It is our finite minds that try and hypothesize and understand that which we are incapable of understanding.

I guess I'm just kind of simple like that.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
I think I'll leave it at that.

God on you......

mbb

Radical Amputation

II Corinthians 6:17-18
"Come out from among them and and be separate", says the Lord.
"Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters." Says the Lord Almighty.

II Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleans ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

New life conflicting with old ways.
We want the best of both worlds.
We want to embrace this new journey we are on with Jesus yet, at the same time, we want to be the one in charge. Instead of following Jesus...we want Jesus to tag along behind us in case we get into trouble. In case we need His help. He becomes nothing more than a "Get-out-of-jail" card in some cosmic game of monopoly.

We have a call to change "people / places / and things. This isn't a suggestion...it isn't a hint....it is at the core of this new life. The old ways..the old haunts..the old people have influence over us. They bring out the old desires. The warp and change our memories. The memories we have of the old times move from seeing them as they truly were, into a kind of romanticized 
lie that only feeds the old nature we have struggled so hard to get away from.

There is a phrase that I've found that kind of describes what is needed if you are beginning in this journey of recovery.
The phrase?
RADICAL AMPUTATION!

Just as an arm or leg that has been infected with gangrene is a threat to a person's life, so are the old ways and lifestyle for someone who is in recovery. The limb must be amputated in order for that person to survive. The longer the delay in performing the amputation, the closer to death the individual is faced with.

Radical amputation is needed for survival in your recover, if you are to move on with your life. Easy? No. I understand the kind of misplaced affection for old ways...old places and people. And one of the things that makes this entire amputation process so hard, is the unknown of what life will be like if we do make the decision to remove ourselves.

But did you notice the promise that God gave in the verses from II Corinthians? That He would truly become OUR God and we would truly become His Sons and Daughters. A spiritual relationship and bond is created when we are saved and separate ourselves from the old lifestyle. We don't have to know the unknown..it doesn't have to be a fearful presence in our lives, because we are connected with someone who sees all and knows all. I know...I know...it sounds like some kind of science fiction stuff, but it isn't. It's truth...and at the heart of recovery is the embracing of real truth. God's truth. Not the empty promises that our drug of choice made to us. Not the lies and arguments that came through the relationships we tried to have with others who were just as sick as we were. 

Let today be the day you "amputate" yourself from your old ways.
Step over into life...
More than simply existing, you will find that you can thrive in this new life.
Think on these things.

God on you..
mb

You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets

II Kings 23:4
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.

Great time at Catalyst Recovery last night....
Great worship....
Motivated crowd....
And oh yeah....
God was truly in the house.

Last night's topic was "Cleaning House"....
Step #4 through Step #11.
Identifying all the crud and junk that we've allowed to accumulate that keeps us from moving forward in recovery and our relationship with Christ.

Things like unforgiveness....
Bitterness....
Jealousy....
Anger that we've never actually dealt with...
And oh yeah...secrets.
The things we've done, thought, spoken about ourselves and others that are toxic by nature. Things that we've stored deep inside that haven't seen the light of day in a while.
In recovery, the saying goes..."You're only as sick as your secrets." Which means that those hidden things we refuse to give up or reveal have power over us. This power is the fuel that drives us to use time and time again.

I took the verses from II Kings 23 to highlight the need to clean house in our lives.
In the account, King Josiah has an itch to return to God....but this itch really isn't leading anywhere or accomplishing anything. Until one day, during work on the Temple, one of the men find the Book of the Covenant and brings it to the king. He is so convicted of what he reads that he calls for a time where the entire city of Jerusalem is to come to the Temple where He will read the words of this Book. 

Then the King did something radical.
He ordered that men were to go into the Temple and removed all the articles used in the worship to pagan gods....all these things that had been closed up within the walls of the Temple that was built for the One true God, but were used in false worship. So, in essence, the King called for the House to be cleaned and emptied of everything that brought offense to God.  One by one, the articles were brought out into the courtyard, into the light of day.

They were gathered up together and burned....
Destroyed....
Done away with....
And that is what is required of us today if we want to move forward into this new life we have found in Christ.
We confess all our secrets...
We bring them out under the light of Christ's forgiveness and give them to Him.
No more secrets...
No more hidden things in our heart...
We allow Him to take each one of them...

Now the one thing that we might not realize or even have thought about, is the simple fact that if we are emptying ourselves of secrets, then God is going to fill that emptiness with all manner of good things. Things like peace....mercy....grace...things we can actually use to help us move away from our old lifestyle.
Sound like a good deal to me.
Have you cleaned house recently?
Might consider it.

God on you...
mbb