THE RED LETTERS

Matthew 26:46

"Rise, let us be going. See my betrayer is at hand."

Jesus knew who it was.
He knew what was ahead.
He understood that this was part of the plan.
He did not turn away or shy from moving forward.

I want to be like this.
Even when the betrayer comes to me, that I seek the greater good. The directions of God and do what He desires of me.
Jesus knew it meant death.
Not only physical but also to carry the entire weight of sin for humanity.
It meant taking upon himself the full wrath and force of God because of sin.
Yet he still told his disciples to get up, we need to be walking this out because the betrayer is coming.

He did not shrink back from the call.
He did not suddenly become religious as if to put himself in a better light.
He simply was Jesus.
He did what Jesus would do.
He said what Jesus would have said.
"Get up boys......it's time to finish this out."

Jesus knew everyone had a part to play and fulfill in this event.
He knew his very own disciples would run away.
He knew his mother would have to watch him die.
He knew that there would be celebration, not public though....in private, of his death by the ruling religious factions.

All of this and still he said, "Rise, let us be going, See, my betrayer is at hand."


How will you walk out today?
How will react to those who would betray me?
Does betrayal keep me from God's plan or do I run away?
Father,
Today, give me strength to not shy from the path you have laid before me.
Help me to walk out your will just for today.

amen.

mb

WHAT IS YOUR LABEL?

 

Good Sunday Morning to you all....

We had a good night @ ReCovery Church @ The Vineyard last night. Taught from II Kings 5, how labels affect how we see ourselves. As someone in addiction, it is easy to be labeled by those around you based on your behavior and the choices you make. You may hear the label of "Liar" or "Thief". Some may have labeled you as being a cheat or a manipulator of others.  No matter what the label may be, they hurt us. Some times we sink so low into the darkness that we just accept the label. We allow it to get down into our very spirit. We justify it by telling ourselves "I am what I am...I cannot change...I am hopeless." Such is a dangerous place to be.

IT truly takes the Spirit of God to break through these thoughts and allow the light of His truth to shine down in us. To open our spiritually blind eyes so that we may see and understand the truth of what He is trying to show us. Not that this label we carry around is so ingrained in us that we cannot escape it, but that we might turn to Him for healing. A healing that brings real freedom so that we can live and approach life in a new way.

II Corinthians 4:6-7 / For it is the GOD who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence  of the POWER may be of God and not of us.

So if you are reading what I have written this morning, and you find yourself stirred inside, maybe drawn to the words, then realize that God is speaking to you. His Holy Spirit is shining out of the darkness of sin that has taken your life captive. Today is a good day to turn will and life over to the care of God, allowing Him to direct you through this day.

Thanks for letting me share.....

Michael b.

ONE MORE TIME AROUND THAT MOUNTAIN

 

Deuteronomy 2:2
And the Lord spoke to me saying, "You have skirted this mountain long enough, turn northward."

There is an old riddle that I have heard many times that applies to recovery, and it goes like this.

"You have ten birds sitting on a telephone wire....
One decides to leave...
How many birds do you have left?"

Most would answer this riddle by saying," You have nine birds left!" If you answered this way, you are wrong. You'd have ten. The bird only decided...he never actually moved on that decision.

You see, it's easy to decide that you want to recover from your addiction.
It's easy to talk about it with your family and friends. You may even receive some "Atta boy!" from those you let in on your intentions. But the hard core truth is simply deciding to enter recovery really isn't worth anything until you get up and began to the process.

I love the verse from Deuteronomy 2:2. I guess if I were going to translate this verse into redneck, it would say, "And the good Lord spoke to me and said, 'Boy .you've gone around this mountain long enough. You purt near wore out a trail going in circles. It's time to try a different direction."

Isn't that the definition of insanity, when it comes to addiction? Doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result?" I think so.

Sometimes I believe we really think we're doing something wonderful when we concoct these hair brain schemes that we really believe are going to help us be sober. Example: We've been on pain meds and weed. They have become our crutch to get us through the day. Suddenly we decide that if we start drinking (just a little) to take the edge off, we can do this recovery thing. Needless to say, I don't have to tell you how this wonderful experiment will turn out. Not good!

As long as we continue to base our actions using addicta-logic, we are simply delaying the inevitable. Truly we do look for the easier, softer way to recovery. Such a path does not exist. There is simply us.....our addiction...and a POWER greater than ourselves who is willing to move us out of the darkness and destruction we have created. If you've been reading the Greene Street Letters for anytime, you know that our POWER has a name, and that name would be Jesus. Simple as that.

If you are struggling with addiction today, I want to encourage you to get up and go to a meeting. If you don't know where any are, then do a word search, if you have a smart phone or computer, and type in "recovery meetings."

These are the beginning steps to a new life. I will not sit here and pretend to tell you that it will all be a bed of roses, but I will tell you that as you put together one sober day after another, you may be surprised at how life really looks. `If I can ever be of assistance, feel free to contact me here in the comment section of this blog. Or you can reach me through my Facebook page. Search for "Michael Bynum" or "Vineyard ReCovery Church". You may also reach me through my email: greenestreet72@comcast.net .

God on you this morning....
michael b.

GREAT THAT YOU'RE MOVING - BUT WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED IN?

 

I Corinthians 9:10
.......For out sake, no doubt this is written that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.

Yes sir, we're moving....
We're rolling like the Red Ball Express....
Ain't no stopping us now....
Only problem I see is....
What direction are we headed in?
Movement doesn't mean anything if you aren't headed in the right direction.
Forward...
Not backward.
Sometimes we can deceive ourselves into thinking backwards is the new forward.

We're going to regroup...
We are going to rethink this place we are in...
Relationship/ Recovery is about forward progress.
It isn't about achieving spiritual perfection as much as it is making spiritual progress. You can't make progress by going backwards. The only thing you truly do in going backwards is to hopefully learn from your mistake and push on.

We move in hope.
We move in the knowledge and understanding that this God we have chosen to serve is who He truly claims to be and will do exactly what He has promised He would do. Laying that as the coordinates for my journey, I press on. I press upward.....I lean into the day and set my heart and mind to not move backwards.

I Corinthians 3:13-14
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the UPWARD call of God in Christ Jesus.

I need to develop double vision, so to speak.
One eye on today, meeting and facing each problem with the understanding that God is capable of instructing me in what to do. I listen, I hear, I do, I move forward.

The other eye, I keep on tomorrow...
I cling to the promises that God has made to me. You see it is very simple, if God has made a promise as to my future and my well being, then He will carry it out to completion. The only problem occurs when I reject His promise to embrace my own desires and will. I have cancelled out what God wants to do for me, in me and through me. Dumb, huh?

I love Paul's understanding of this journey we call life. I love how he says in the I Corinthians 3 passage that he is pressing on toward the goal. Pressing gives the impression of leaning into...pushing against...in other words, Paul plainly states that there will be resistance in our own personal journey of moving forward. Did you ever notice that there never is resistance when you turn away and start back into your old way of living....your old way of thinking. Why is that? Because you are going with the flow. There is a constant flow against any forward movement in the Kingdom of God. We truly are learning how to swim upstream. But the prize Paul speaks of is well worth the commitment and determination to see it all the way to the end.

Thanks for letting me share...
Thanks for letting me ramble...
Thanks...

God on you....
michael b.

FUNNY HOW THIS "TRUST" THING REALLY WORKS

 There is much fear in the air.

People are fearful for their jobs....
For their families well being.....
For their future.......
I keep hearing and running into the verse in Scripture that reads....."We walk by faith and not by sight."
This isn't a "pie in the sky" verse.
I don't think God is really interested in the "things of this world."
By that, I don't think God's first and most important point in His plan is my comfort or standard of living.
Now before you go all tactical nuke on me, let me explain.

I believe that phrase----"Our standard of living" has become way larger than it should be.
For a lot of people, the most important thing in their life is to maintain a certain way of life they have become use to. So when anything comes along that would jeopardize this way of life, and there are no solutions to deal with it, fear becomes a part of this way of life. Usually we work in our own strength and effort to keep our way of life. It is like Detrich Bonhoffer wrote " Most Christians are satisfied with a minimum amount of God in their life....just enough to keep them from going to hell." Ouch!

We read in Matthew 6:
Don't store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

Seek (look, ask, knock, search for) first (before anything else) the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (what things?  food, shelter, clothing) will be added unto you.

Either this is true
or
it's a bunch of hooey-balooey and we should just close our Bibles and lock our church doors and all go over to Shoney's and have a piece of strawberry pie.
I just happen to be crazy enough to believe that God's word is true.
We have become so enamored with the world that we have tried to meld the two together: God's Kingdom and this World system. It won't work now....it didn't work in the past and it will not work in the future.
Right now, fear for our own personal comfort has caused us to hold on to what we have and not return unto God that which is rightfully his. What are you trying to say,Mike? I'm saying that giving is down because we are fearful that we will not be able to live in  the way we have become accustom to . God deserves the first part of our finances, not the crumbs and leftovers.

Matthew 6:24-25
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life===whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?

Confess your fear today....
Take it to God and tell Him that you are tired of living like this.
Ask Him to show you how to live.
Open your hands and let God be in control.
Walk by faith and not by sight.
Walk by faith and not by sight.
Walk by faith and not by sight...
Trust God with every area of your life.....

Grace and peace to you today....
mb

SHEEP OR WOLVES?

 

Luke 10:3
"Go your way. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."

"Lambs among wolves?"
I don't know if I like that example or not. Sounds to me like we are being served up as the main course for some hungry, ravenous animals.
Not what Jesus was saying. First off we need to see what Jesus is saying. "You've got a life to live. Your going to learn a new way of navigating through all the problems and situations that will come your way." But your nature has to be one of seeking the Father's will and face at every turn. Oh and by the way....He is sending us out.

It's one thing to be set free....
It's another to be set free and then sent back out into the world.
Some folks thrive in their recovery as long as they are in treatment.
They are model clients. They do all the work. They zoom down those twelves steps with no problem. But they simply stay cloistered, never venturing out. Kind of like when Lincoln freed the slaves during the Civil War. Many heard the good news that they were no longer slaves, but chose to remain on the plantations because they didn't know how to be free. The thing we have to wrap our heads around is that 1.) Jesus has saved us and is sending us out and (2.) He would never send us out ill equipped to take that journey.

The analogy of being lambs among wolves is a pretty daunting idea, isn't it. But in this case, we need to remember one thing. I call it the Psalm 23 factor. What is it that lambs have? Shepherds. What do shepherds do? They protect the flock placed in their care. So if we are sent out as lambs, we have to rest in the knowledge that we have the ultimate shepherd watching over us to protect us and keep us from those who would seek to destroy us.

Psalm 23:1 reads: The Lord is my Shepherd.....I shall not want. Catch that? Who is it that is watching over me and my recovery? Jesus ---the ultimate shepherd. And what is it I can truly say from this position of being a sheep with Jesus as my shepherd? I shall not want. I like the fact that the statement "I shall not want" is open ended. It leaves room for whatever needs I have. It leaves room to insert my cry to Jesus as I trust Him to guide me, care for me and protect me. Sounds like a winner to me.

So don't be satisfied to simply be free.
Go live free.
Give away freely what has been given to you.
God on you.....
mb

MONDAY MORNING SPURGEON

 

Charles Spurgeon said:

"Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom.

"Ask, and ye shall receive" (John 16:24)

It is a rule that never will be altered in anybody's case. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the elder brother of the family, but God has not relaxed the rule even for Him. Remember this text: Jehovah says to His own Son, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession" (Ps. 2:8)

If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that He may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be?

We need not turn our asking into a shopping list of sorts, that only reflect our fleshly desires and wants. I remember a message I heard that said, "We ask to receive, so that we may give away what we have received." In other words, our lives should be a conduit through which the divine will of God flows, reaching out to others that do not know of this Jesus who saved us not only from the penalty of sin, but from ourselves and our selfish wants.

Chew on this bone today, and see if God would speak to you!

God on you....

michael b.

MERCY TRIUMPHS JUDGEMENT

 

Habakkuk 3 - Lord, I have heard of Your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day. In our time make them known. In wrath remember mercy.

So many voices out there all clamoring for attention. News outlets all declare the truth, even though their stories are opposite of each other.  Then there are those who stand in places of teaching in our colleges and schools who proclaim their "truth" and do so with great certainty. Even the pulpit has its fair share of those who say they know the truth about God, only to speak from their flesh rather than under the guidance of the God's Holy Spirit. Who's a person to believe?  This is why I love the verses from Habakkuk. 

The nation of Judah has turned their back on God. More than this, they rejected Him totally, yet carried on a form of worship and religion. This went on for some time and yet through it all God kept sending them warnings to turn from their evil ways. God will only tarry with a people for so long before He pronounces judgement on them. This is where Habakkuk comes in. Chapter 3 is his prayer for the people he knows are going to suffer under this wrath God is going to pour out. 

Habakkuk is a man of few words, but when He prays, there is power that can only come from God's Holy Spirit. He begins his prayer with a very revealing statement."Lord, I have heard of Your fame."  Basically,  I have heard of all the good things You have done over the years. How you brought the people out from under the bondage of Egypt and led them to a land that you promised they would occupy. 

Next Habakkuk says that he is overwhelmed by the deeds that God has done. When was the last time you were overwhelmed by God? When was the last time you encountered His greatness that caused you to have no words to describe Him?

Habakkuk then asks the Lord to repeat these deeds once again. To remind the people of the fame that was spread throughout the nations about this God who had chosen a people for Himself. Habakkuk makes a request of God that I believe we should get on our knees and repeat...."In out time make them known." Make known once again the fame that follows God. Let it be fresh in our minds and hearts, exactly what God has done. Then once again let your deeds come to our nation, our towns and cities....to the heart of every man, woman, and child. For we know that you are a God who does not change. We know that Jesus Christ is the same--yesterday, today, and forever.

I started this mornings writing by talking about all the voices that are out there trying to influence us. As for me, I have only one voice in my heart, my mind and my Spirit. And that one voice has only one message for me that I have tried to follow for a number of years. Words written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth.

"For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." This truth is the basis for everything I believe. The death and resurrection of Christ is the foundation event that opened a door for a sinner like me to be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with God. Don't fall prey to the voices that seek to grow fear and doubt in you. Let the mercies of God triumph over any and everything this world has to offer.

God on you this day....

michael b.

WHOLE LOT OF SHAKING GOING ON

 

Hebrews 12:26-29 - At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised , "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken---that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

Seems to me that when we reject God, we look elsewhere for our answers to life. We look to "things" to bring us comfort and stability. What seems like a foundation that we can live on, is only revealed for what it truly is when a shaking occurs. 

This is not a "doom and gloom" word, but rather one I hope you can read and see some truth. That nothing in this time or age can take the place of God. It is plainly stated that there is a shaking going on to remove what can be shaken, whether it is finances, or social prestige, positions of power and authority...doesn't matter, By this shaking, the eternal things of God will be revealed, because as it plainly state in these verses..."That which cannot be shaken may remain." We need to remember that the rule and reign of God in the lives of those who have committed themselves to Him (or what we call the Kingdom of God) is eternal. No matter how hard humanity may try to erase God from their collective conscience He will always be there carrying out His plans.

I guess one of the by products of this shaking will be to reveal exactly who or what it is we are placing our trust in. Who are we looking to for answers when there doesn't seem to be any?  What are we banking our hopes and dreams on when it seems like life is falling apart at the seams? Is it the effort and will of humanity and society? Or do we fall upon the mercy and grace of Almighty God? I choose the later.

You may argue the fact that humanity has been teetering on the edge of destruction ever since the first man and woman were kicked out of the garden, and I would not argue with you. But the simple fact still remains that such is happening in our day...in our time....in this age. Maybe God is showing us what is truly important when it comes to eternity. 

Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. Rulers come and go. Governments are established and they are brought down by revolution. But the one true constant is the cross of Christ. The place where Jesus gave His life, shedding His blood as a payment for the sins of the world. A blood that did not loose any of it's power when it ran down that roughly shaped piece of wood that held Messiah in place. As it puddled there on the ground, mixing with the dirt, salvation was born. Freedom from the penalty of sin....Freedom from the power of sin. 

The power of the blood of Christ is still at work during this time of shaking, calling out to those who have not yet experienced the love and forgiveness that only God can offer. So what are we going to do? Continue to live our daily lives as if nothing was wrong? Running to and fro seeking stability through our culture and society? Or are we going to fall to our knees, broken and exhausted from our own efforts to save ourselves and cry out to God..."Father, forgive me."

Think on these things...

God on you....

michael b. 

BREAD IS IN THE RED

Matthew 15:28- Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."

Taking a look at the "red" letters in the Bible this morning. There are some Bible's who have the words of Jesus written in Red. John Wimber used to day, " The Bread Is In The Red." What he meant was that you could study just the red portion of Scripture from now until your life is finished and you still would only be scratching the surface of the wisdom, love, mercy and grace of God. Now back to the teaching. Take a look one more time at the verse above.

Jesus is on the move.
A Canaanite woman comes into contact with Jesus.
Desperate.
Funny what you will do when you are desperate.
Funny what you will do when it concerns your children and you are desperate.
When it is about our kids, we loose some of our pride especially when we have run out of answers.
Desperation.

The woman cries out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!"
I have often wondered where her husband was.
I take it since he isn't mentioned, then he must not be in the picture.
It may be that this woman was even a woman of low stature.
She may have given birth to her daughter out of wedlock. We're not told

She continues to cry to Jesus that her daughter is demonized.
It's not a disease.
It's not a financial matter.
It is a spiritual matter.
Her daughter is under the control and influence of a demon. Demons never mean well or cause you prosper. They have one goal: to destroy you. So the daughter's safety is in question.

Verse 24
Jesus answers her and tells her he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Not Canaan.

Notice what happens:
Scripture says she came and worshipped him.
She didn't take worship lessons.
She didn't draw from her temple experiences.
She did what was in her heart. Probably falling down at his feet
Here is desperation at work.

She begs him, "Lord, help me!"

Jesus responds in a way that we find harsh.
"It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

This woman was not going to give up. "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters table."

Her heart cries out, "I'm not asking for it all, just a crumb from your table Lord for even that is better than any banquet the world could offer."
How many times do I turn my nose up at the little things God is offering to me? I pray not that much, but I fear that I have. It wasn't what I wanted, or it didn't come in the way I wanted it to so I rejected it. God help me to see the error of my ways.

Jesus comments on her faith and tells her that her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Help me to learn today.....

mb

PUSH THROUGH THE "NOW" TO A GREATER REWARD

 

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Comforting words from the Apostle Paul that should stir hope in the heart of every believer.
If you were in addiction and have come out through the work of Jesus and the 12 Steps, then these words should especially be comforting to you.
This great transition from one life style to another....this trading of ways of dealing with the world brings great distress and challenges with it.
The unknown of what is next....
The subtle reminders that your past seeks to chase you down and bring you back....In other words, your sin nature (some call it the flesh) seeks to re-establish itself as the dominating thoughts and attitudes. Praise God! It doesn't have to be. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has broken the power of sin, the penalty of sin and puts down the presence of sin in our lives.
We move through some difficult times and difficult decisions that have to be made.
The trading of old friends for new friendships and relationships...your past....they all converge in your mind creating this struggle to make good, sound decisions.

These sufferings that Paul writes about are the result of the clash between your new found relationship with Jesus and the pull of your old lifestyle of addiction and the ways of the world.
It is important that we understand who we are in Christ and whose we are in the Kingdom of God.
As our declaration here at Rapha states:

Because of Christ's redemption I am a new creation of infinite worth.
I am deeply loved...
I am completely forgiven....
I am fully pleasing.....
I am absolutely complete in Christ....
I am totally accepted by God.....

No matter what may come my way today, I rest in the knowledge that it pales in comparison to the glory that is coming to me in the future. Today, I will not let the weight of this world rob me of the promise and glory of Jesus in my life. I will not let the world define me or conform into the image of its ways.
My life today is not going to reflect the values of this world.
This is a choice...
I make it today....

God on you.....
mb

TURST OR RUST

 

TRUST =  to rely on /  to cling to /  an act of placing faith in someone or something. 
Doesn't seem to be too much trust in this old world today. A man's word isn't worth much when it is backed and driven by his flesh (sin nature). Why we would place our trust in any human is beyond me. Of course I have to raise my hand as being part of the crowd who has trusted someone, only to be hurt by that individual.

I guess the greatest verse in Scripture is found in Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direcdt your paths."

Seems as if this verse contains what I refer to as "cause and effect". By this, I meant if I pursue the directive God has given, then there will be a result in my own personal life that only He can provide.  

The very first thing this verse says is that the direction of my trust is to be toward, and in, one individual...that being God. Notice that it gives no reference as to head knowledge or intellect in this endeavor to trust God. I trust God period. Why do I trust Him? Because He is worth to be trusted. He has proved His faithfulness to me time and time again.

How deep is my trust suppose to be? Well the verse says that I am to trust with all my heart. Not that muscle that pumps blood to keep me alive, but the very core of my being....my will, my emotions, my intellect, my spirit....all of me looks only to God as the sole source of life here on this side of heaven.

Trouble comes when I claim to trust in Him, but (as the verse states) I lean or look to  my own understanding as how to live my life. In other words, we can say all the right things when it comes to knowing, believing, and trusting God. But the real proof is found by our choices and the actions we take in our life.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him"....Sounds like worship to me. Worship is more than music. Worship is more than goose bumps and lofty emotions...worship is found in the very way I live my life. Don't get me wrong about the music part. I have been stirred to tears by music that proclaims the greatness of God. But it is my life that is evidence of my trust in Him.

So first I trust God.

I do so with all my heart.

I do not look to my own devices, intellect or wisdom to guide me.

I give God the glory for my life daily here on this earth.

Doing this brings me to a place where my daily walk will be directed by Him. He is One I choose to follow. His is the voice I choose to listen for. 

You might want to think on these things today, I know that I am going too.

God on you...

michael b

WHEN THE PAIN IS TOO MUCH

 

Reprint From GSL 2012

What do you do when you try and try and try to get it right........and it still turns out wrong?
What do you do when you are doing your best to take care of all the mess that was caused by your addiction, but those around you aren't patient any longer? They leave you. 
What do you do when it seems as though the faster you go, the "behinder" you get?
Hard questions with no easy answers.
Welcome to the life of someone who has entered a rehab and is starting this journey in recovery. Pain is a part of recovery. Not just the physical feeling, but the emotional pain that suddenly appears after years of using.

For the first time in a long time, the individual who comes into a program is free from the influence and effects of their drug of choice. Being in such a state makes them extremely vulnerable to emotional pain that has been suppressed. No longer under the influence, all the emotions we have run from, come spilling out in waves. In some ways, the emotional pain is much more difficult than the physical pain of detox.

Our emotions are raw and out there in the open for all to see. We have spent so much time hiding them under the influence of our D.O.C., that we don't know how to live.
Couple all of this with the destruction we have cause those we love and it is a hard path to walk.

The one thing I have discovered about recovery, is that there are no easy answers. There are no pat answers to these problems that we have to face. The is little comfort in cliches' that seem to be all around us, but one thing I do know. This Jesus, that we claim as our Higher Power, stands ready to take you through whatever you are facing.
Psalm 91:15 reads: He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
No matter what your eyes may tell you....
No matter what the voices that are raging in your head are saying about going back to your old life......
God says that if I call upon him....right in the middle of my trouble, no matter what it may be.......
He will answer me.
More than that, He will be with me in the trouble.
Did you catch that?
He will be with me IN the trouble. Not near it. Not watching from a distance. He is there with me. I can't see it when I going through all the emotional pain, dealing with things that are beyond my control, but He is giving me an opportunity to trust Him. Trust God!

It is in these times when the pain is unbearable because of rejection from family and friends, that we have an opportunity to trust God. We have an opportunity to lern that He is who He claims to be, and will do what He has claimed He would do. It doesn't mean that He is going to come and wave some Duzzle Dust over everything and magically make it better. What it does mean is that we can trust in God's love and ability to guide us through this time in our lives. We don't know what the outcome may be, but we will trust God.

Please pray for those going through these and similar situations as they are striving for this new life........this new way of living.

We are in this for the long haul. We need each other's support and prayers.
God on you.......
mb

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO JUST READ IT--- WE'VE GOT TO APPLY IT

 

Psalm 119:9-11
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You. Oh let me not wander from Your commandments! 
Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Read or study?
Glance or focus?
Apply or file away?
Such are the choices we have to make when it comes to reading the Bible.
It seems to be old fashioned to actually study the Bible.
Popular to own one.
Vogue to carry one.
But to actually study it and then apply it to our lives? You've got to be kidding me.But here is where we learn the actual of truth about God. Either His word is true........or it's a lie, let's all go to Shoney's for some strawberry pie. Well I just happen to believe it to be true.
The promises as real.
The blessing come to those who apply His word in their hearts, and then walk it out in their daily lives.

That is why I am such a believer in the Twelve Steps.
There isn't any power found in the steps themselves, but when a person has surrendered will and life over to Christ, those steps become a guide on putting some discipline into a life once defined by chaos.
Such is the same with Scripture. The Bible becomes the daily instruction on how to live life. Christ is the source of power I need to carry it out. Jesus is the giver of life that makes the words of scripture come alive and become food for my entire being.

Matthew 7:24
Therefore whoever hears these sayings (words) of Mine, and does them (Puts them into practice), will be like a wise man who builds his home on the rock.

Kind of weird isn't it?
Jesus didn't say that we would be like wise people who built their home on "A" rock. He said that we would be wise by building our homes on "THE" rock. 
That there truly is only one foundation for rightful living in this live. A life that is grounded and finds it foundation in Him. We see the simplicity of this when we study the word of God.

Be truthful to God.
If you don't like reading the Bible, tell Him and then ask that you would be awakened to a hunger for His word.
Ask Him to renew your brain and rewire it so that you can understand what you read. Remember...it isn't the amount you read.....it's what you truly understand and grasp of what you read.
Go for it! Get you some word deep down inside and let it percolate.

God on you....
mb