I WILL MISS YOU GAIL

 

I received the phone call Sunday afternoon. My heart dropped as the words flowed over me......"Bro. Mike...Gail is gone." How true those words were. She wasn't dead, she was gone. She had gone home to be with her Savior and with those who'd gone before her.

As I drove over to the hospital, my thoughts seem to flit from memory to memory of Miss Gail. How she took me in when I first got to Northside Baptist Church. I had spoken on several occasions filling in for the pastor, but now I would be their pastor. What started out as a temporary thing has stretched out to almost six years, and Gail was always there to help me in any way she could.

Arriving at the hospital, I found the family gathered in her room. She looked so peaceful laying there in bed, but we all knew that this was merely the shell not the life and soul of Gail Minton. Conversation turned to what she must be experiencing at the moment. Steve, her son, said, "Well, at last she can hear now." That brought a smile to everyone's faces. We knew that she and her husband Dean were now together again, and what a reunion that must have been. But the one thing that we all knew was that she was in presence of her lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

She loved her family and that love was always on display. She made no bones about how proud she was of Terry and Steve. After Gail moved to Oak Landing, I would visit her and she would tell me story after story about the antics of her two kids. Each story involved a lot of laughter, sometimes to the point she could not finish the story.

Miss Gail will be missed by family and friends. But isn't it wonderful that God has given hope to those who know Him. Hope that if one of us departs this old earth we will be in his presence. And for those of us who remain, the hope that at some point we will be reunited with our loved ones and the One who made it all possible, Jesus.

Gail Minton....I love you and I will miss you....but I will see you again. \

God on you...

Michael b.

WHO AM I?

 

Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them . Of how much more value are you than the birds?

Addiction causes a person to loose their sense of self worth.
The destruction that comes through using causes shame and guilt, both toxic emotions, to be heaped upon the individual.
Here in the Luke passage, Jesus is saying, "Hey guys....(Well, I don't think Jesus ever said "guys") you need to understand your position in Me.  You need to understand that the things you are worrying about are really in My Father's hands."

God is working in us greater works than what we perceive. WE find ourselves focused on meeting our natural needs...food, shelter, clothing...a job. God has said, "I'll take care of those so you can concentrate on what I'm doing to you on the inside."  What God is not saying is, "Sit back and relax and all these things you need will fall from the sky like manna." What I have found over the years is that God will sincerely lead you to provision. You have to possess it and own it.

Letting God work in my heart lets me see myself for who I am.  I no longer get my worth from this world system or those around me. I gain my worth through "Whose" I am. I belong to Jesus and as such, He reveals to me who I am. I like what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:5-6 - "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, A Hebrew of Hebrews. Concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."  In other words, Paul says, "I'm the man! I"ve got all the right credentials." No one could argue with that. But Paul goes on to say, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish (dung) that I may gain Christ."  Paul says that every thing the world counts as being of worth, he counts as dung /  manure....That's pretty bold talk. How could Paul make such a statement? He ran into the real, deal Jesus. Not an ideal about Jesus...............not a concept of Jesus.............not a religious theory concerning Jesus....Paul ran into Jesus, and he was changed forever.

So as you begin this journey out of the darkness of addiction into the freedom and light of recovery, know and understand that the "HIGHER POWER" you are searching for is found in Jesus Christ.

       Because of Christ's Redemption

I am a new creation of infinite worth

I am fully pleasing

I am deeply loved

I am completely forgiven

I am totally accepted

I am absolutely complete in Christ

That's who I am

Who are you?

God on you............

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LEARNING TO LIVE

 

In these days of confused situations and events that leave us with out answers, it appears that sanity has become in short supply....
There is truth that I cannot escape nor would wish to.
That no matter how hard I try...No matter how bad I want to....
I stand before God helpless without him.
Our Society and culture seek to exalt the human will and effort...
To celebrate our ability to think and reason...
to build from our dreams, monuments to our humanness....
Polished pillars of glass, concrete and steel..
medals and trophies....
building's with our names and statues of our likeness....Thinking all the while it will last forever....not so.

We burn ourselves out chasing the desires of our heart.
We try religion, only to find out how empty and ritualistic it is. Trying to convince ourselves that we are better spiritually because we have participated in a group activity. We are so in need of relationship with the one who created us. We are so in need of Jesus. We are desperately in need of His transforming POWER that strips away our "self" and replaces it with His Holy Spirit. It's all about change that comes through transformation.
Like I said, I know the frailty of life...
One moment you here...the next your gone..
I know that the eternal offer and gift of life and redemption is at the fingertips of everyone who draws breath...
It comes down to the surrender of heart and will...
The acknowledgment of a Savior and redeemer..
A confession of wrong to be made right...

I like the way the Message Bible puts this offer of new life that Jesus makes to everyone who will accept:

Matthew 11:28-30

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. In other words, learn to walk with Him daily.
Learn what it means to seek out only his will for your life, and the power to carry it out.

To move about in conscious contact with Jesus.

Sounds impossible doesn't it?

Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it?

Well, it's not.
It is truth.

What have you got to loose if you do this?
Maybe only your old life, old ways...and a boat load of pain that was self inflicted.

God on you...

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MORE THAN

More? How much more do I want? What is it exactly I want more of?

Is it things of this world? More money.....more possessions....more vacations?

What about more friends, or more time off?

What if the "more" that I'm talking about is God? We humans fall prey to our own ability to think and reason. We believe that we can categorize God and understand Him totally.

We believe that we can know God fully and completely.

Truth is, God is bigger than my reasoning.

He is larger and more capable than my finite mind could ever comprehend.

Isn't that the real rub? Me, a finite being, trying to understand someone who is infinite and beyond understanding.

Don't get me wrong, God reveals Himself to us on a level that we can kind of make sense of who we are dealing with. But to fully understand God....well, that is above my pay grade I do believe.

To me, when I reach the limits of my own understanding of God, that is the place that my faith takes over. To latch on to the simple truth that God is who He truly

claims to be, and will do what He has promised He would. I have faith to embrace that which I cannot understand with human reasoning.

One of my most favorite passages is found in Ephesians 3:20-21

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (also imagine), according to the power that works in us, To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever Amen."

Is this a comfort? To me it is. To think that I have relationship with someone who has Power and Capabilities that exceed human wisdom, and brings them to bare in the relationship I have with Him. Wowzers!!

Isaiah 55:8-9 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways

My ways", says the Lord

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways

higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

So what is the "more" I desire this morning?
To know Him...

To know His will for my life...
To embrace His grace to live out His will....

Strength for one more day...

To be able to share with one person today the love of God, 

and the His will for their life....

God on you..

michael b.

 

WHAT IF IT WERE TRUE

 

Today could be the day....
What IF today were the day.....
How would you react?
With great fear?
Or joy, expectation, overwhelming excitement.

Today could be the day of Jesus' return to take His church unto Himself.
Some call it the "rapture"....
Some refer to it as "meeting Jesus in the air"...
Doesn't matter what you call it.
I believe in the event.

Now I'm not here to debate the "When" of this event.
Some people get all wrangled, tangled up thinking that they have it all figured out.
I've looked at all the possibilities, and there seems to be enough evidence to support all of them.
I think maybe this is one of God's little 'jokes' he has orchestrated. After all, if you believe the Scripture then even Jesus doesn't know the exact time. Another little mystery. If God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three in one...then how can two of the three not know?  Not for me to say. Not for me to focus on such.

I remember back in the 1980's there was a lot of attention paid to the return of Christ. Of course some of that attention wasn't always good...such as the book that was written "88 Reasons Christ Will Return in 1988". I'm sure that there a few copies lying around in some thrift store somewhere. Such dating for the event always becomes fodder for ridicule. I digress.

Jesus stats plainly in John chapter 14, verses 1 through 4.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe God, believe also in Me. My Father's house has many rooms, if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Then there are the verses from II Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 17 and 18.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage (comfort) one another with these words.

Are you living in anticipation of this reunion? Or are you so wrapped in the day to day that you don't even think about it? I think there is a lot of skepticism in the world today. Not just about the Rapture but about the very person of Christ Himself. There is much spiritual darkness as the devil and his kingdom of darkness seems to have control and eminent victory over God. Well as radio host Jan Markell likes to say...."Things are falling apart in this old world. They are falling into place. 

Maybe it's because I've got some years and mileage on this old body, but the idea of Jesus coming back to take His followers home to be with him grows sweeter and sweeter with each passing day. At the same time, I know that there are those out there who haven't heard the message of the cross, and continue to live outside the will of God. Living in such a manner puts them under the judgement that we all carried about before we were saved. I want everyone to know and meet my Jesus. No one left behind.

So just in case today is the day....
Just in case someone finds this blog and reads this posting....
I hope and pray that you consider your ways and your belief's.
Began a search for the truth.
You'll find it in an event that took place on a hill outside of the city of Jerusalem.

God on you...
mbb

TRUST---AND WHEN YOU DON"T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO---TRUST!

 

Proverbs 3:5-6   (Message Bible)

Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go.He is the one who will keep you on track.

Seems like this has been the week for bad news (and it's just Tuesday). Many phone calls from people who are hurting physically. People who are hurting emotionally, and people who are hurting spiritually. There has been people in situations that are leading them toward their final days on this earth. Lot of "Why?" questions. I have no answer as to the why? The only answer I have is found in "Who!" Jesus.

We like a God who is buddy-buddy. We love a God who slaps us on the back and gives us a big old "Atta Boy!". But when life crumbles around us (notice I said when, not if) and we don't feel like God is doing some of His best work in our lives, we have a human tendency to not look at God in a favorable way. 

That is why this verse from Proverbs has meant so much to me. The very fact that i am called to TRUST God when everything is wonderful in my life....and that same trust is called on when the wheels are coming off everything around me and in me. 

If I am not mistaken the KJV says we are too trust God with ALL our heart. In other words there is no room in my heart for anything else that would interfere with my trusting Him.  When doubt rears its ugly head, I need to cut the doubt off so that it doesn't corrupt my trust. When fear, anger or any other emotion that runs contrary to God's will comes at me, I need to stop them before they consume me and drain my trust away. 

I wished no one had to go through hard times. I wish no one had to die in a hospital surrounded by family. I wish no one had to wonder where they were going to sleep tonight, or where their next meal was going to come from. I wish life was fair. Breaking news..........life ain't fair. But I know someone who is, and that would be Jesus. 

Life happens...we face trials and troubles.
We find ourselves in difficult situations and circumstances. But it is a lot harder and messier when you trying to live it in your own strength and ability. Such is why I need Jesus. Along with Him, I need a group of people who need Him also, and are willing to follow and apply what they are taught. I want to be a part of a family like that. A family that encourages each other to keep on moving forward. A family that brings me into their group not so I can be a taker........but so I can learn how to give back. Learn how to read His book and understand what I am reading. To not only pray, but learn how to "hear" His voice as God speaks to me. I need God's salvation to lift me from the old life of death, into a new way of living that affords me eternal life with Him. Not a bad deal.

God on you...

mbb

THE WORD----DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT

 

I have good friends who would disdain the picture above. They feel that such a picture is out of touch with our society today. The picture reflects an antiquated view of the Word of God and portrays it in such a way that people cannot relate to it. The Sword would be offensive because of its connection to war. Yet we, who have been called into relationship with Jesus, fight a daily battle with the government of the devil.

In some ways, I would agree with the idea that the picture above looks outdated.
But when it comes to God, I would disagree with these people who hold fast to this idea that God and his word needs to be made relevant.
To me what they are truly saying is that the Holy Spirit has lost the power and ability to touch people and open them up to the truth of God. That somehow the Holy Spirit has become a non-factor in our world today.

My friends would relate the way church conducts their services and business is outdated and not relevant to a person who does not attend. In some ways, I agree. The church has become like a Chaplin on a cruise ship. He just kind of gets in the way and no one wants anything to do with him. But....if the boat starts to sink, then the Chaplin becomes the person everyone wants to talk to, or be with.

I have mixed emotions on the whole "make church relevant" idea. I think the heart of the matter is that we should seek out God's direction and then follow Him. I do know that the Word of God is not up for debate. What do we have to offer someone who is being drawn to Jesus except the WORD. Pointing them to the Book of John to begin reading is a good start.

I don't think we, as creation, can make an eternal truth relevant. It just is. Truth never changes. maybe we're trying to sell an eternal truth to people whose minds and hearts have not been opened by the Holy Spirit.

I see a lot of enthusiasm for worship.
We hold worship conferences and invite high profile people to lead them.
I see a lot of enthusiasm for signs and wonders.
We hold Signs and Wonder conferences and invite the most prophetic and charismatic personalities in Christendom to lead them.
You just don't see a lot of Word of God conferences where the best teachers are invited to feed us and train us through the Word of God.
We are living on fluff and candy. Fun to eat but not much nutritional value there.
God help me....

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TEACH US TO PRAY

 

In his book, Spiritual Man, Watchman Nee writes, "Nowadays Christians appear to treat prayer as a means to accomplish their aims and ideas. If they possessed just a little deeper understanding, they would recognize that prayer is but man uttering to God what is God's will."

One of the strongest statements I ever heard someone say was on a teaching tape from a series by John Wimber. He stated, "The flesh, or sin nature, is not permitted in prayer. No mixing of man's will in God's work is possible."
What does this mean?
God does not will himself to follow what man initiates. He is not bound by some mystical, eternal code of ethics that forces Him to follow man's petty petitions.
As His creation, it is our duty to seek out the heart of God and then breathe back to Him in our prayers what His will is.

Why would we think that Jesus' command to FOLLOW HIM would end with our prayers and that our prayers could become a vehicle for our own human desires and will? We have somehow not grasped the idea that we truly were bought with a price and we truly do belong to Jesus.
Every day I am made painfully aware that my life is no longer mine to do with as I please. The pain comes from my old nature wanting to have it's way. Screaming at me, "Go ahead and follow this Jesus but don't surrender everything!"

I have given my life once to Jesus.
I give my will every day.
Some days are easy.
Some days are a struggle.
Many believer's don't want to hear this. They want a pseudo-feel-good-theology.
My prayers are covered in tears a lot of the time.
My prayers are sometimes without words. Just groaning and weeping.
This is the school we are called to.
Each day is a teaching lesson.
I learn the shallowness of my own life in relation to the fullness of God.
That is what brings Joy to my heart.
That is the hope that causes me to rise up every morning.
That in communion with Christ, As I find His heart and will, I can truly breathe back to Him, in prayer, his plans for me. Then, as it says in Psalm 5....I wait expecting!

God on you......

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Accounting 101

Luke 9:25

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

We tend to live our lives without thought or care as to the eternal ramifications to the decisions we make.

We have a band-aid mentality when it comes to dealing with the issues and situations life throws at us every day.

We want to do only what is necessary to stop the pain now. Never mind the consequences that may come later.

Even in our relationship with Jesus, we want him to come and take the pain, remove the hurt and make everything better. What does it profit us to gain relief from pain if we don't see or understand the eternal things of God.'

In the Matthew passage we are told that there is a trade off.

Either decide for the temporal things of this world, or decide for the eternal presence and relationship with God. Since most live by their appetites a.k.a. sinful nature, we feed the one that screams the loudest. That would be our sin nature.

In the process of doing so, we are losing our very lives.

We can't see because the sin appetite demands attention now.

We can't hear because the sin appetite demands to be fed now.

Verse 24 reads:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

All a matter of dying to self.

A surrender of will and choice to live by the will and choice of God.

A walking out daily of refusing to have my way in order to embrace His way.

God help us all....

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FOR THOSE FEELING OVERWHELMED TODAY

 

You are not alone.....
Your thoughts may have convinced you that you are....
That no one cares....
That no one understands you and your situation....
But that is not the truth.
You are not alone......

There is a Power greater than yourself.....
Greater than your imagination....
Greater than your own intellectual ability to reason....
A Power that can restore you to sanity.
"I don't feel insane."
I don't know if anyone ever truly does feel insane...
Insanity in this case, would be the inability to make sound decisions.
I choose things for myself that I know are not right....
Are bad for me....
I choose them anyway....
That is insanity.
Despite the pain I know I will cause others....
In spite of all the negative consequences for my choices....
I choose anyway.
Insanity.

When my mind / heart is in this place of terrible decisions and destructive behavior...The enemy whispers to me that I am alone.
He is my enemy.
The Devil.
Satan.
Lucifer.
The Serpent.
The dragon.
Many names but the same evilness that seeks to destroy me.
Why me?
I am one of God's creations.
My enemy knows he can never defeat or harm God.
Instead, my enemy goes after that which is dear to God's heart.
Me.
He seeks to cut me away from any influence God has in my life.
He seeks to convince me that I am alone. He tells me that I am merely a cosmic accident, not the thought out creation of a loving and merciful God.
He wants me to believe that I am alone.
In this "Alone-ness," he can manipulate me and lead me deeper into destruction.
But I am not truly alone.
God is there.
God is always there.
More than simply being there, God loves me.
That is hard concept to wrap my head around...God loves me?
But truth always triumphs over deception.
God does love me.

Psalm 139
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up.
You understand my thoughts afar off.
You comprehend my path and lying down, and are acquainted with
all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid our hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is high, I cannot attain it.

Know this day as you read this posting, that you are not alone.
There is one who is near and is waiting for you to call out...
That one is God.

God on you....
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WHO ARE YOU CHASING TODAY?

 

I will arise and give thanks to you Lord my God.
And Your name I will bless with my whole heart.
You have shown mercy....
You have shown mercy to me....
I give thanks to you Lord.

This Vineyard Worship song was the very first thought I had this morning. As I was opening my eyes and beginning to stir, these words came up. How wonderful to arise giving thanks to God. Not loaded down with emotional baggage or spiritual darkness, but with the words of praise floating in my mind and spirit. No matter what the day brings........God has shown mercy to me.
No matter what CNN or FOX tells us, God is in control and has a remnant of believers. We cry out to Him to heal our land. No matter how bad we think things can get, God has shown and continues to show us mercy.
Mercy?
What is mercy?
Mercy is God giving me what I don't deserve and keeping from me that which I do deserve.
Not being grateful to God keeps one from seeing and experiencing mercy.
We, as humans, tend to let "life" and the situations we face dictate our responses, both physical and emotional. We have a bent toward reacting to what we face rather than finding the blessing and mercy of God in whatever circumstance comes our way.

I would do well to begin this thought of "chasing" God. To not allow anyone or anything to distract me from this adventure. Chasing, not as a mental exercise, but a daily decision that I will not allow myself to be sidetracked by my own "wrong" thoughts or views, but stay the course of how I know I should be living.

I love the words of Hebrews 4:14-16
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain MERCY an find grace to help in time of need.
Let those words soak into your spirit today.
God on you.........
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THE ONLY CHANGE I WANT IS THE CHANGE GOD WANTS

 

Things I have heard over the past couple of weeks:

#1 - "Well, your just set in your ways."

#2 - "He doesn't like change."

#3 - "He has his rut and he likes living in it."

To be honest with you, all three statements are pretty much right. I don't like change. I don't like people telling me that I need to broaden my horizons.  To broaden my horizons means that there is more to life that I need to experience. No one every gives thought to the simple fact that I may like my life as it is. That in my daily existence I am content and at peace. This brings me to another point.

I am not against change if God is behind the urge or pull to do it. If God is directing me in a different direction then I am going to pull up my spiritual tent pegs and see where it takes me. Truth be known, the whole things is kind of an oxymoron. I hate change........but not change that God brings to my life.

I think about the Hebrews who came out of Egypt led by Moses. For forty years they wandered in the wilderness (Due to their own grumbling and complaining against God).  For forty years they followed a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When the cloud stopped, they stopped. They unpacked their belongings to set up camp. We're not told, for the most part, how long they stayed in any one spot, but when the cloud started to move, it was time move with it. So basically they became divine weather watchers. Cloud moves.....we pack up....we move. Cloud stops.....we stop and set up camp.

To me, culture and society is all about change. There always has to be the next big thing. The newest and latest. The one thing you just can't live without. Such things appeal to the flesh not our spirit. It entices us into dissatisfaction about the state of our life. Somehow we feel incomplete because we don't have the latest doo-hickey, or our clothes are made from Himalayan jumping bugs because it is good for the planet.

The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians chapter 5, "For the flesh lusts (or fights against) the Spirit (God's Holy Spirit that lives in every believer), and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do  not do the things you wish."  I had much rather let the Holy Spirit set the boundaries of my life, bringing change only when He deems it necessary. I do not want to be blown about and tossed to and fro by my flesh :(or that old sin nature).

Yes sir----I am dead set against change unless it is God directing His plans for my life.

By the way, this mornings post was directed at me, not anyone else. These are the things I wrestle with. Just saying.....

God on you...

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FINE DINING? OR DUMPSTER DIVING?

 

Psalm 107:20 - He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

Tonight at the ReCovery Church we are going to be taking a look at the  nature and character of what some refer to as "Our Higher Power".  Such is talked about a lot in recovery...this need to give will and life over to a Higher Power, but I find such terms kind of impersonal. Plus I don't think I've heard that many messages about the character and nature of the Power we are all looking for.

We make no bones or excuses when it comes to higher power....ours has a name, and that name is Jesus. The Christ......The Deliverer.....The Messiah. But  no matter what name you attach to Christ, His mission...His love is to bring healing and deliverance from the sin that has used trapped in the repeated behaviors of addiction.  The Power that Christ possesses is greater than any addiction. Greater than any kind or brand of alcohol. How can I say that? Because the Power of Christ will go straight to the human heart to enact change and bring healing. That which we desired in the past to escape reality will no longer hold sway over us. We have found a better way to live by following Christ daily.

V.9 of Psalm 107 reads "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fill the hungry soul with goodness." He satisfies the longing soul---that means that He will help you overcome any cravings (or longings) you have to return to your old ways.  He fills the hungry soul with goodness---We have fed and gorged our self from the enemies table that we have forgotten what goodness and mercy, love and compassion taste like. We have filled ourselves with the emptiness of addiction, which only leaves us empty, starving and longing to be filled again. So we go back for a second helping of misery and pain, throwing on some destruction for dessert. God opens our hearts and understanding to the simple fact that we have been dining on garbage. We have been dumpster diving for the dregs of death, thinking that we are eating from a 5-star restaurant. Thank you Jesus that you have the Power to take us from this illusion, and place us in a seat at your table.

Ask yourself....Where are you eating from today. The table that Christ has prepared? Or the garbage can of our enemy the devil?

God on you....

Michael b.

FALSE BELIEFS

 

II Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is IN Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold all things have become new.

Low self esteem.........
Low self worth..........
"I'm a terrible person."
All part of the voices and the view that runs through the mind of someone who is trapped in addiction.
A whole belief system forms in the mind of an addict. The foundation for this view of self began when we were little children.
As you were growing up, if you did something that was wonderful. Maybe you set the table for your mother, or you cleaned up your room without asking. You were deemed a "Good little boy or girl" by your parents.
But let you do something wrong, like breaking one of your mother's good china plates. Or maybe you broke a window with a baseball, then you were labeled a "Bad boy or girl". Over the years, without really thinking about it, we develop this mindset that we ARE what we have done.

Now fast forward through the years and you are now an addict. Given enough time, the addiction slowly starts to eat away at your behavior. You lie..........to the people who love you. You steal.....from the people that love you.  You manipulate........the people that love you. Why? Because you're chasing that feeling you think you so desperately need. The feeling takes precedent over everything and everyone. So as the behavior goes from bad to worse, you're carrying around this view that "Who you are as a person is defined by what you've done plus other peoples opinion about you. That is a burden no person was ever created to carry.

Under these false belief's, we operate and live out our lives.
False Belief # 1
I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself.
Trapped in addiction, the individual can never meet any standards, no matter how hard they try. This leaves you with a view that you are not worth much to anyone.

False Belief #2
I must have the approval of certain other's in order to feel good about myself.
Since we see no good in ourselves, we look to others to affirm or approve us. That is why most addicts quickly get themselves into a relationship. The other person becomes their 2nd drug of choice. They look to that person to fulfill their emotional needs. Trouble is that the addict does not know how to have a healthy relationship, so they usually end up attracting someone who is actually sicker than them.

False Belief #3
Those who fail are unworthy of love and must be punished.
Here again, we enter into a cycle. Basing our self worth on our performance (or behavior) we view ourselves as having no worth to ourselves or anyone else. Why would anyone want to love us....we fail continually. Such a view of self fills the individual with a deep, deep sense of guilt and shame. These emotions are too hard to face, so the answer is to run to the drug of choice and eliminate the pain.

False Belief # 4
I am what I am. I am hopeless. I cannot change.
Here is the most dangerous of the Four False Belief's. A place of hopelessness where all attempts to change are given up. An acceptance that this is just the way it is. This is who I am. I cannot change.

The wonderful part in all of this despair and hopelessness, is that There is a POWER greater than ourselves.......greater than the sum of these false beliefs, who can, and will, restore us to sanity. The restoration begins when we make a conscious decision to turn will and life over to His care.
The POWER has a name....
Jesus....
Think on these things.....

God on you....
mb