DECLARING HIS LOVE FOR US

 

Song of Solomon 2:4 /He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love.

I don't know where you are this morning, emotionally or spiritually.
You may be on top of the world...
Everything going your way.
Sun shining down.....song in your heart....smile on your face....
Or..
You may be spiritually and emotionally at the bottom of a deep dark well, with thoughts of not being able to ever get out.
Sin/addiction will do that to you.
The first thing that addiction does is rob you of your self worth.
It whispers to you how insignificant you are and that you are incapable of loving and being loved.
I hate addiction.

It plays a message over and over in your mind, beating you down further and further until you simply give up and accept the message as being the truth. The funny part in all of this, is that you turn to the very thing that is bringing the accusations against you.....you turn to the addiction to find comfort and relief from the pain. Each time you look to addiction to save you....it only drives you deeper into the pain. Like I said....
I hate addiction.

There is an answer.
The answer has a name.
Jesus.
Yep! You read me right.
Jesus.
He is love personified and carried to the highest level.
He is not the "Church" God...but He is Lord over His Church.
He is not the "religious" God....but rather He is God to be found through relationship.
He lifts up those who are brokenhearted.
He heals those who have been wounded and left for dead by the world.
He is love.
Did you catch that? Let it sink in.
Jesus is love.
I didn't say that Jesus loves...
Or He feels love...
Or He oozes love...
He is love. Jesus created the word to define the emotion and choice of what it means to love.
The word came from his very nature and mind, given to us so that we might understand that His Kingdom is a kingdom built and founded on the call to love.
We're not talking about love as the world sees it.
We are talking about a higher, more pure form of love.
Unconditional love...love without strings...
Love without hoops to jump through.

The verse from Song of Solomon reflects the heart of Jesus.
"HE brought me to his banqueting house...."
There is an invitation given to come and dine and feast with Jesus.
But more than the invitation, is the fact that Jesus came to us and carried us to the feast. He provided that which we could not do for ourselves.
Now the idea of a banqueting house is one that is built for relationship....with a meal as the center piece. Conversation around the table...laughter and good times. This is the heart of heaven....a place of intimate conversation and worship with Almighty God himself.

The identifying mark or flag that defines the banqueting house of God?
You guessed it...
LOVE!
He flies the flag proudly over His kingdom.
He proclaims to all....
Love the Lord God with all you strength, all your heart, all your mind.
Love your neighbor.....
And lastly....
You can only love your neighbor if you love yourself. Which takes us back to the top of this posting where I said that addiction's primary concern is to convince you that you are unlovable. That you have no value or worth to anyone.
Don't you fall for that lie.
Take the invitation to join Jesus at His banqueting house.
Come and stand under His banner....
The banner of love.

God on you....
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GIMME----GIMME----GIMME!

 

Luke 12:15

And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

Covetousness - The strong desire to acquire more and more possessions, power, experiences.
I want more.
How much is enough?
How much money is enough.
How many homes and cars are enough?
II Timothy 3 lays down the attitude and heart focus of humanity in the last days.
This word "covetousness" will be the primary drive that defines mankind.
I think I don't really have to prove this point, as all you have to do is look around, read the headlines in our daily paper and watch the newscast on television.

The need for greed is running rampant and seems to be the character du'jour for people.
You know the funny part about this mindset is that you don't actually have to be rich or even own a bunch of stuff to fall prey to this desire. Just like the Scripture reads that the "love of money is the root of all evil," no where does it say you have to have money. You can love money and be as poor as Job's turkey. It is that inner drive, the central focus of heart removed from Christ that seeks to feed a passion that is born in hell.
A selfish, self-centered, me-me-me, mentality.
If you look at heart that is filled with covetousness has no room for God.
Just as there was no room at the inn on the night of Jesus' birth, in the heart of a man who is consumed with the unholy want for material possessions, there is no room for a Savior.
Does that mean that someone who is consumed with covetousness is beyond salvation?
Not at all.
All it takes is the Holy Spirit breaking through the darkness and hardness of soul and mind to illuminate and bring conviction to the individual.

The Apostle Paul writes of learning the secret of being content.
You know, I think maybe we need a heavenly dose of contentment in our time and day.
Contentment is being at peace no matter what your current state of living.
Paul said that he had learned this secret of contentment and that he could be at peace whether he was hungry or full........in prison or a free man......whether he had a lot or nothing at all. I not really sure, but I believe that to operate and live from a position such as Paul wrote about would be one of the greatest gifts God could give us.  To be at peace inside ourselves and not tossed about by the lust and desire that seeks to have its own way would be a marked change in our growth as believers.

I do not want to be in bondage to the things of  this world.
I do not want to be a slave to the mindset of this world.
I want to be content and at peace as I follow Jesus daily.
In other words....
I want to be free from myself.

God on you...
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THE PERFECT OIL

 



Psalm 119:105

Thy word is a lamp to my feet,

And a light to my path.

The verse above paints a wonderful picture of how God's word is suppose to be our guide.

It is to illuminate our surroundings so that we can see the proper way to travel.

The word of God allows me to spiritually and physically see where I am going as I make my way through my day.
As I read the words of Psalm 119, something came to me that I had never considered before, that is, the lamp is no good without oil.

You could own the most expensive, beautiful lamp in the world, but if you didn't have oil, the lamp would be useless.

A constant supply of oil was needed if you wanted to navigate your way around in the dark.

The light supplied by the source of oil was enough.

It showed you just enough so that you could walk the path before you.

In scripture, oil is a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. Filled! Overflowing, dripping with oil. Having a supply of oil that will never run out.

For it is God's Holy Spirit that brings understanding to us as we read His Word. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like a lamp without oil. Without God's Holy Spirit, the scripture doesn't make any sense and we have no understanding of what we are reading.

I'm not saying that we intellectually cannot make sense of God's word. We can read the words, we can even comprehend what they are saying. But they will never be transformed into "LIFE" without the Holy Spirit in us. The words will never bring truth and understanding without the oil of the Holy Spirit in us to illuminate what we are reading.

John 14:26 reads:

But the Helper the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

It is the Holy Spirit that is the POWER we have been missing in our life.
It is the Holy Spirit that is the POWER in Step#2 of the twelve steps that can restore us to sanity.

A POWER that is greater than ourselves.

The Holy Spirit is the connector that puts us in communication with God the Father and Jesus.

I wonder how many people are walking around with a lamp, but no oil?

Ephesians 5:15-16 reads:

Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil, so then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Be careful how you walk.....
Be careful how you make your decisions and then carry them out.

Be careful how you spend your time.

Why?
Because the days are evil.
The oil of the Holy Spirit gives me illumination to navigate these "evil days" but revealing to me what the will of the Lord is.

The one thing that my wife Vicki and I have found is the importance of starting our day off with prayer and getting into God's word.

It sets our minds and spirits straight and gives us understanding of what we are to do for the day.
The oil of the Holy Spirit makes our lamps come alive with light.

We have illumination to see the path that God has called us to, and we no longer have to stumble around feeling out way.

Is your lamp full?
If not, ask God for some oil.

He will provide a comforter that will never leave you.

God on you......

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IT IS ALL ABOUT THE HEART

 

The illustration above point out a truth that many do not want to hear. A truth that some refuse to speak on from the pulpit and in the church. We want to ignore it and hope that it will go away or, at best, not be true. What is this truth? That the human heart is deceitful and wicked.

Our government thinks the solution to the moral condition of humanity is more education. Teach the people...give them instruction and they will do what they deem to be right. Herein is the problem. Any choice that is made comes from heart conviction. If the heart be sinful, then the choice will not be truthful or even holy.

The heart reveals the nature and character of people.

I remember during former president Bill Clinton's first campaign, the Republicans kept hammering at his character. The man who oversaw Clinton's campaign stated that? Character doesn't matter, it is the economy." I never will forget the sinking feeling that came to my spirit when I heard this statement. Character doesn't matter? It is the character of the man that determines the decisions he makes.

A heart that is not or has not surrendered to Jesus can only produce one kind of behavior.

Listed in Galatians 5 we read that list.

Immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and the things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

God presents mankind in another verse, Jeremiah 17:10 -  and is desperately sick. The heart is more deceitful than all else Who can understand it? The heart? Not that organ that pumps blood, but that which is the very core of our being. The connection between our will, our ego and our intellect where our decision on how to act and what to do come forth. IF the heart is wicked and evil, then our actions and behaviors will reveal this.

When I was at Rapha, one of the hardest things to get across with people who come into the program , is that their addiction is a secondary thing. It is a symptom of a greater thing. The very truth that has to be addressed if recovery is to be our goal, is that we suffer from a broken relationship with Jesus. Our hearts are wicked and full of sin. Sin? Sin is my self chosen independence to live my life with no interference from God on any level. When the woman was deceived in the garden of Eden by the serpent, the serpent put fort the idea that God has holding back from Adam and Eve. The serpent told her, "God surely knows that when you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God." Imagine that! The subtle promise that we can be like God. If I am like God, then I won't  need him. That is the very point that mankind traded away the promises of God.  Ever since that time, we have lived outside the will of God because of our sinful hearts and the nature that drives us to do that which is contrary to God's will.

It takes a heart-transplant from the divine heart of God to take us out of this old lifestyle.
King David knew this when he wrote in Psalm 51, "Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

According to the Twelve Steps:

Step #1 -  the total awareness that we are powerless to do the right thing. As Romans 7 reads.."That which I want to do, I do not do. That which I do not want to do, that is the very thing that I do." My friend that is powerlessness.

Step #2 - We come to believe in a Power that is greater than ourselves who could restore us to sanity.

Sanity comes with the heart change which produces a life change.

Step #3 - We made a decision to turn our WILL and our LIFE over to the care of God as we understood Him .

We look to every excuse and reason to validate our bad behavior except to the truth of God.

Therapy will not relive the pain and destruction of sin.
Medication will not free you from the bondage of a life separated from God.

Group-thought and Validation will not confirm the reality of Jesus' saving grace.

We find the answer for our life and for our future at the foot of the cross.
There forgiveness is applied to a life a sin.
There we find the unspeakable joy of the Lord. A joy that the world can neither comprehend or duplicate.

It is the shed blood of Christ that ushers us into the "new" life we have been searching for.

That is why I write daily.
To share with you the joy that has been brought to my own life.

To share Jesus with you....
May you find Him today for yourself.

God on you....

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12 STEPS TO TOTAL INSANITY

 

I thought these twelve steps to insanity gave a pretty honest view of those who choose to take a proven path wanting to do it "their way".It is the mindset of those who cannot or will not be totally honest with themselves.
Those who came to Jesus by faith and then suggested that He sit down while they take over.
I guess you could say it is the Anti-12 Steps.

1. We admitted we were powerless over nothing. We could manage our lives perfectly and we could manage those of anyone else that would allow it.
2. Came to believe that there was no power greater than ourselves, and the rest of the world was insane.
3. Made a decision to have our loved ones and friends turn their wills and their lives over to our care.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of everyone we knew.
5. Admitted to the whole world at large the exact nature of their wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to make others straighten up and do right.
7. Demanded others to either "shape up or ship out".
8. Made a list of anyone who had ever harmed us and became willing to go to any lengths to get even with them all.
9. Got direct revenge on such people whenever possible except when to do so would cost us our own lives, or at the very least, a jail sentence.
10. Continued to take inventory of others, and when they were wrong promptly and repeatedly told them about it.
11. Sought through nagging to improve our relations with others as we could not understand them at all, asking only that they knuckle under and do things our way.
12. Having had a complete physical, emotional and spiritual breakdown as a result of these steps, we tried to blame it on others and to get sympathy and pity in all our affairs. 

From The ACA Communicator -
March 1990 - Omaha, Council Bluffs Area Intergroup

WAKE UP!

 REPRINT FROM MARCH 2011

John 11:11

This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep."

Lazarus is asleep?
Lazarus is dead.
Isn't it funny how Jesus viewed death?
We look at death with a finality.
Death......
The person who has died is no longer with us.
We continue to live and breath, but the deceased doesn't.
We go on with life....
They don't.
We grow older...we pay bills.....we cut the grass.....we make visits to the doctors trying to delay the inevitable.
The one who has died has no concern of such matters. They have indeed passed over to a better life. What we claim to believe, they now know as truth.

Jesus looked at death and referred to it as sleep.
Jesus knew that death was merely a transition from life on this side of eternity to life "IN" eternity.
I use to fear death.
No so much any more.
Oh, I confess that there are ways that I would not want to die.
I think everyone would simply like to go to sleep and not wake up. That would be the easy way.
Now days, I am filled with the hope of glory.
The assurance that Jesus has in fact gone to prepare a place for me. Maybe age has a way of strengthening your faith. You've seen more than someone younger. You've had more experiences and possess way more memories. Hopefully we have matured as we have grown older. All of these life experiences causes us to live by faith more than sight. At least I believe that is the way it should work.

The cool part of the Lazarus story is that Jesus has the power over death.
Think about it.....
With his voice, he commanded Lazarus' spirit to return to his body.
Jesus spoke to a dead man and commanded him to live.
I don't think I will ever be able to wrap my head around this.
Jesus spoke and the scientific laws of this world had to obey him, even if what He said was contrary to what the law said.
If the scientific law obeyed..........
Would it not reason that the spiritual law would obey also?
I think it would.
The Law of Moses, which is not capable of bending the rules, was overcome when Jesus cried out from the cross...."IT IS FINISHED!"
What was finished?
Payment for sin.
Sin no longer held sway over mankind.
Jesus paid, once and for all time, the price........the ransom.........for my soul so that I would not be held accountable for my sin.
That humbles me more than anything I could ever think of.

Jesus did for me what I could not do for myself. He saved me.
Thank you Jesus....
Thank you Jesus....
Thank you Jesus....

God on you....
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HELP MY UNBELIEF

 

Mark 9:24
At once the father of the boy gave (an eager, piercing, inarticulate) cry with tears, and he said, "Lord, I believe (Constantly) help my unbelief (weakness of faith).

Most of you know the story from Mark 9.
Desperate to see his boy healed.
Demonic oppression and presence caused the young boy to be throw into fire...to be constantly in pain.
The Father had probably done all a parent could do. Doctors....couldn't help. Family gave all the good advice a family could give, which probably included home remedy's. He may have even taken his son to the religious rulers of the day. But they could offer nothing more than flowery platitudes and pious looks. Through all of this the Father grew more desperate, having to stand by and watch his son tormented and injured. We're not told how long this went on. Really doesn't matter...the father reached the end of his wits and rope. Being at such a place will shatter a man's pride and belief in himself. 

I can see him take up his son in his arms, walking out the door to go find this so called prophet from Galilee. The father arrives on the scene with his son, but finds no prophet. The prophets disciples are there, and the father may have thought it was a wasted trip, but he stayed. The disciples took the boy and prayed and spoke words over him. The father thought to himself, "I've heard these before." Where was the prophet? Where was Jesus?

Suddenly the crowd parted and through it walked the man the father had come searching for. The father thought to himself, "Is this the man I've traveled all this way to find?" There was nothing about his appearance that bolstered the father's confidence. Not the way he dressed.....not the way he walked and carried himself...nothing about him seemed to say, "I can heal you boy." But Jesus stood before him. It was the moment of truth. It was now or never. Jesus was the last hope for this father. 

The father speaks...."If you can do anything, do have pity on us and help us." Plural....us...not him, my son, but "us". Such events as this family was going through touched every member. The pain the boy felt was multiplied ten fold because of the parents inability to solve this problem. "Help us!"

Jesus tells the father, "All things are possible to those who believe!"
At this point, Jesus wasn't talking about a mental assurance followed by a verbal confession. Jesus was going straight down into the heart. The place where all our morals and beliefs exist. The place where we know the real truth about ourselves. Desperation has a way of getting down into that heart-place. It brings up the real you, not the one everyone else sees. It brings forth all your doubt and fear...it flies the flag of what you truly cling to. Here is where the Father cries out..."I believe..help my unbelief."  He isn't double minded...it wasn't a riddle..this "belief"/ "unbelief". It was the truth of a father that wanted to believe for the healing of his son, but at the same time was beaten down by the failures of all the others who had tried to help. He was merely saying..."If I didn't believe, I would never have brought my son to you...but please..please..don't be like all the others. Heal him."
Jesus did.
Jesus healed the boy.

In every person who struggles with the darkness and sin  of addiction, there is that point that must be reached. The place where the father reached...the place of "I believe...help my unbelief." The place where the heart is behind the cry of the one in need of healing. The place where desperation says, "I will do whatever it takes." The place where you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. As one young man prayed, 'God---either heal me, or kill me....I can't go on like this any longer." As I listened to him pray this prayer, I knew he was ready to change. He had tried everything else and gotten no result. In his mind, Jesus was all that left. 
You know what?
That was over 10 years ago, and this man is still clean and sober. Still chasing this Jesus who changed his life.
I think maybe Jesus helped this man with his unbelief.
What do you think?

God on you...
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WHAT A GOD HE IS!!

 

Luke 23:43

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

This is the second time Jesus spoke from the cross.
Yesterday we began with Jesus saying, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Today was see Jesus responding to one of the thieves that was crucified with him.

We still find Jesus' attention turned to others besides himself. Even in the middle of the most excruciating pain any man could endure, Jesus' heart was for the task at hand. Making sure the plan and purpose of God was carried out completely.

In the previous verses before Luke 23:43 we see two thieves also on crosses, on either side of Jesus. Both hanging there for crimes they had committed, and both mocking and deriding Jesus. What a picture of human depravity to strike out at Christ, the One who did not sin.

Somewhere during this time, one of the thieves came to his senses, turned from his sin, and found pardon and salvation in Jesus Christ. The thief acknowledged his sin and guilt (Luke 23:41). This thief passed sentence upon himself, acknowledged his wrong, did not make any excuses for his actions, and did not attempt to blame shift. This thief, hanging on a cross, saw himself correctly. This is the very heart of the gospel-- A man must see his sinful nature. Until he can see this, he will minimize, justify, make excuses, or shift blame to someone else.

Until the Holy Spirit of God opens our eyes so we can view ourselves accurately, we will never have a need for God or for salvation. This thief was brought to the end of himself. Hanging there on that cross, there was no where to run, there was no hope whatsoever of being saved by his own merits, or by his own efforts. Here in this reality, the thief turns and cries out to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom."

The thief asked Jesus to "remember me." How appropriate that the thief asked Jesus to remember him for he was an outcast of society. Who would remember him? The angry mob there at the cross would not remember this man. His friends would not remember him. His family would probably want to forget about him and all the shame he had brought down upon them. But there was One of whom the thief could ask, "Lord, remember me," and receive an immediate response. There on that cross the thief was taught and shown the greatest theology lesson in the history of mankind. The forgiveness and mercy of God!

Think on these things this week.....

He is risen!

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SINK HOLE? NO BIG DEAL---YEAH RIGHT!

 

Yesterday I had to run some errands and after finishing decided to take the back way home. Now I have driven this road more times than I can count. And I knew it was getting in bad shape, but what I saw next kind of caught me by surprise. 

I knew that the road was in dire need of repairing and probably repaving.  On this day the he road crews were out....cones every where....flashing lights....and signs telling me that it was one lane ahead.  As I drove on, I saw what was happening. It seemed that a sink hole had developed underneath the road due to bad water drainage. There was no support for the pavement, thus the sagging. Crews were hard at it trying to fill in the hole with material that would not wash away. After I got home, I began to think about this whole scenario as it relates to our spiritual life. 

It's easy to spot the attacks and encounters that happen when Satan (or some of his minions) come against us. We gear up and fight the good fight (hopefully). But what happens when we become so focused that we loose sight of the fact that there may be things in our life we have allowed in that are eroding our walk with Christ. Things that seem to be washing away our resolve. Things such as bitterness, or unforgiveness. How about jealousy, anger, resentment. All things can wear away at our life is we don't address them. Ephesians 4:27 tells us that we are "Not to give the devil a foothold (or a place where he can enter)." A foothold is the smallest of openings. Satan doesn't have to kick down the door, he simply needs an opening that have not closed, so that he can slide in and began his dirty work.

I can get so caught up in stuff that I forget to take an "inventory" of my own attitudes and behaviors. What's worse is that I can easily ascribe them to be "That's Just The Way I Am." This stuff, left unchecked and allowed to continue in a  'slow' trickle in our life will slowly wear away until we have a spiritual sink hole.

Don't let this happen to you. I know God got my attention with this example.

God on you...

michael b

Fraidy Cat

 

John 14:1
"Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe in Me."

Seems to be a season of great uncertainty in the lives of many I come in contact with.
The uncertainty of what to do....
Where should we go from here?
What is waiting for us out there?
Live has seem to reach a point where God is "stirring the nest", or making things uncomfortable. so that we will move forward.
A time between season's in our life.
We don't know what to do next, so we hold on tightly to where we are today. We find ourselves growing anxious and confused because we won't turn loose and take that step into the uncertainty that lies before us. 

To me, and believe you me I haven't arrived at some sort of being a expert on this, every moment should be steeped and focused as like the words of John 14:1 . Our belief in God and His faithfulness should permeate every decision we make. Our energy should be poured out on hearing Him and following what we are told. If you really want to get down to it, all life is uncertainty. We do not know what is coming next. Here, this morning, sitting at my computer, I have no idea what truly will happen today. Oh, I have a schedule to keep and places to go, but no knowledge of what will interject itself into my day. I have to trust God.

Now, think about this? Why would Jesus say those words we read in John 14:1? Why would he make such a statement about "troubled hearts"? Because He understood the human condition. He knew how the human heart works, that it is has a natural penchant to be troubled by the future and the uncertainty of life. He knew that left unchecked, the human heart would be fearful to the point that it would put a halt to everything. He knew that this was a dangerous way to live and that it could eventually become a prison that kept us in bondage. 

God never called us to live life on these terms.
He called us to a life that is founded on trust and obedience in Him....
Trust and move forward....
Believe and be free.....
Don't let fear and uncertainty lock you away from the blessings of God.
Hold to God's unchanging hand...

HOUSE OF BLUE WAS FOR A SEASON

 

It is a coffee mug....nothing more and surely nothing less. This one is 22 years old and is a by product of our early days of recovery meetings at Gadsden Vineyard. Lot's of memories when I look at this cup. Besides being a super-nifty-whiz-bang mug, it has a strange attraction in my life.

If I let this mug have it's way, it draws me back to a time where everything was new for me. The meetings were incredible and the crowds that were coming at times boggled my noggin. It was a heady time of seeing God move in ways I'd never seen before. Healings, salvations, deliverance, people being called into God's ministry.

If I listen to recordings I made during this time, I catch myself wondering who is the young man that is talking? Whatever happened to him? Well, I am that young guy, just got more mileage on me. What happened to me was that I saw a lot over the years. Some good and some not so good. Lot's of funerals. Did it affect me? I think maybe yes, but I also got to see God in ways I'd never seen before. So here, some 24 years later, I pray that I've matured and gotten some wisdom.

I'm writing this today because the past can play some pretty mean tricks on your mind, especially when we measure what is happening today using the past as the gold standard. I have followed the events at Asbury college ever since the renewal/revival began. Watched it spread to various locations. Read the first person accounts of what God seemed to be doing. I want to bless this move and pray for those involved. 

At the same time, I prayed that my generation would keep their hands off this move and allow God to build in these young people His kingdom plans and purpose. If you were to graph my life beginning with my birth and stretch it out to when ever my death will be, there is one truth that cannot be denied. I'm closer to one side than the other. With this in mind, I want to be available for whatever the task is that God has for me. It's not important that I'm on a stage, or have been given an opportunity to speak. What is most important to me is that I stay out of the way of what God is doing, and support those He is raising  up in this current generation.

Does this mean that I sitting down or stepping aside? What it means is that God gets to decide that, not me. If He tells my my time is up, as far as my current duties, then I will wait for Him to direct me to the next part of my journey. I have seen younger men and women that God is using in Recovery and I do believe that He is trusting them, equipping them, and calling them to go to places I never could have imagined. I will champion this generation and, at the same time, be grateful for all that God has allowed me to see, hear, and say in my own journey.

I do love that old coffee mug....

michael b.

OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER

 2nd Chronicles 36:15-16

And the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.
But they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy.

Those are kind of freaky words........"Until there was no remedy."
People had gone so far in their rejection of God that there was nothing there to save them.
I think sometimes people use Jesus as a kind of "get-out-of-hell" card, only to be used when things get rough or they get uncovered in some deed or behavior. Once the glaring light of exposure covers them, they want to whip out their card and be free from any penalty or judgement.
How many times does God give us?
I don't think it says.
I know we are to forgive those around us 70times x 7. That's a bunch. Actually what Jesus was implying by this is that we are to forgive over and over.
But in the case of the verses in II Chronicles, it's talking about rejecting God himself.
The oldest sin in the world.....
Genesis Chapter Three sin......
"Here eat this fruit and your eyes will be opened and you will be like God!"
If I'm like God........
I don't need God...hence sin becomes our master.
We are, at least in our own minds, above anything to do with God. Living in such a manner, we reject God's offer of salvation over and over.
Funny thing I discovered in my own heart......
The more I rejected God......
The colder and harder my heart became toward Him.
I am so grateful that I felt that conviction of the Holy Spirit and turned from my old life of sin to embrace Jesus' offer of life with Him.

I fear that many in this country have rejected God to the point that our nation is without remedy.
Does that mean that I give up and simply do nothing.
No!
IN fact God has begun to stir me to pray even more.
1.) Pray for the professing church because judgement begins at the house of God.
2.) Pray for the situations that our country is facing asking for God's mercy to be poured out and souls awakened from their spiritual death unto new life.
3.) Pray for God to raise up an army of intercessors....."God is looking for a few godly people."

I believe with all my heart that God is granting great favor to those who are trapped in addiction.
How can I say this?
Because back in 1998 when I first started working with addiction and recovery....there weren't many of us doing this. But it was like an explosion went off when suddenly you had Celebrate Recovery and other such groups popping up at churches all over the city.
God was calling the addict and alcoholic out of  the darkness of sin and death into the light of new life.
The remedy was here....
The remedy was now....
The remedy? The shed blood of Jesus.
Applied once to a broken and contrite heart, removes all stain of sin and darkness.
It doesn't get any better than this.
I want to tell others about this Jesus so that it can never be said, "There was no remedy."

God on you....
mb