Can't Sleep

Woke up 1:49 a.m.
Can't sleep.
Turned on television.
Turned off television.
Can't sleep.
Sick.
Congested.
Sore throat.
Not enough to "whine and cry" about.
Just enough to rob me of sleep.
So now that I'm up....
What's next?

Today is visitation at Rapha. It is one of my most favorite times there.
I get to watch family and clients interact.
Some are rebuilding relationships that were once thought to be beyond repair.
Daddy's will chase their kids all over the compound.
Laughter and giggles will be a'plenty today.

Tonight is our weekly service.
Teaching tonight on "FEAR AND FAITH."
In the life of someone overcoming addiction, fear is huge.
Fear of the unknown is one of the many stumbling blocks that stand in the way of people and their recovery.
Fear causes us to look inward.
Fear keeps us from moving forward.

Psalm 27
V1.-
The LORD is my light and my salvation...so why should I be afraid?The Lord protects me from danger....so why should I tremble?

V2.-
When evil people come to destroy me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

V.3 -
Though a mighty army surround me, my heart will know no fear. Even if they attack me, I remain confident.

V.4 -
The one thing I ask of the Lord... the thing I seek most--- is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in His Temple.

Learning to depend on and trust in God is what my heart longs for.
To not be swamped when "life" come in like a flood.
To be a good steward of what has been trusted to me by God.
To love as He loves.
To speak only what He desires me to say.
To go only where He directs me to.
To not fear tomorrow but cling fast to today and use it wisely for His kingdom.
To grow up more today. I want to grow up before I grow older.
To never loose my gratitude for what God has done to me.
To never be so arrogant that I cannot ask forgiveness from someone I have wronged.
To see myself simply as God sees me.
To never stop telling "the story" of Jesus.
To recognize and bless all that God is doing.

I hope you have a great weekend and a happy Fourth of July!

God on you....
mb

Hell Is Burning While The Church Is Asleep

Rise up O men and women of God.
How can we slumber and look inward when all around us hell is taking souls?
Like Peter, I cry out, "Lord! Let us speak with boldness the gospel of Jesus Christ."
May fear of you, O Lord outweigh what others may think of me and may I love as you love.
May the love of Calvary flood my spirit, my body, my mind and my heart and may it be the words that I speak.
More of you Lord and less of me.
More of you Lord and less of me.
More of you Lord and less of me.

Amen! And Amen!

God on you....
mb

Chasing The Wind

Jeremiah 2:5
What injustice have your fathers found in me That they have gone far from Me. They have followed idols (emptiness) and have become idolaters (empty themselves).

Here we have an incredible picture of a life of addiction.
1.) Someone turns their back on God.
Oh there isn't a verbal assault where all manner of language is spoken declaring a turning away from God.
It is more the body following an idea that begins in our sinful nature.
"I'll just try this once!"
"I won't become addicted."
"It will make me feel better."
Do you see how each of those statements comes from a sinful nature that projects itself above God's desires and wishes? And isn't the attitude of being in control of our personal life straight from the garden of Eden?
In Genesis 3, the devil tells the woman, "When you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God." The temptation came because the devil gave the woman the impression that God was holding out on them. He possessed some knowledge that they didn't and it wasn't right for Him to not share. Eat the Fruit! BAM! Here we are today in a world that thinks sin and the lifestyle associated with it is natural. Not so.

In Jeremiah, God shows that whatever you chase after, long after, live for that doesn't come from his hand is empty and worthless, just like an idol. Idols of Jeremiah's day were carved pieces of wood or shaped stone or smelted metals. Empty, no power, silent but very present and always there. They were worthless.
God goes on to tell Jeremiah that this was the state of those who followed after the idols. They too became empty, no power and far away from God's directions and grace. But praise God, God's arm is not so short that it cannot lay hold of, nor is his ear so dull that he cannot hear. No one is beyond the reach of God.
His grace and mercy is sent out to every person who has ever darkened the door of a crack house. To every man and woman who has given themselves to the darkness. To every person who has bought the lie that they are beyond saving. God can and will save! Cry out to him today. Leave your worthless idol and become filled with the presence and purpose of God. You do not have to live under the burden and weight of a lie anymore.

I know that what I you are reading here in this blog is true. How? Because God rescued me. He reached down into a darkness that I thought I would never break free from, and lifted me up into the light of His presence. He cleaned me up mentally and emotionally and spiritually. Forgave me of all the sin and wrong I had committed. Gave me purpose and has lead me these past 32 years.
I am living proof of the goodness of God and you can be also.

God on you.....
mb

Food For Thought

Just thought I would post these....kind of caught my attention and gave me a chuckle.....mb

“If you were to put the federal government in charge of the

Sahara Desert, in five years there would be a shortage of sand.”    — Milton Friedman

“Try to comprehend the hypocrisy of a Congress that requires
every citizen to prove that they are insured, but does not require
everyone to prove they are a citizen.” — Unknown author.

Attitude of Gratitude

Psalm 118:29

Give thanks to the LORD...

for He is good.....
for His lovingkindness is everlasting....

First word...."GIVE"..

Give of our own free will....

It isn't a commandment, so to speak...but instruction.

Offer unto God..

Not because you have to, but because you want to.

Second word...."THANKS".

To offer thanks, there must be the realization that something has been offered to you or afforded you.

The reality of the LORD must have been made evident in ones life.

The reality of God's ability to transfer one from the kingdom of darkness over into the kingdom of God has

been made real. That being the case I want to break into an endless chorus of "Thank-ey's"

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you...

Well, you get the idea.

Why all the heavenly directed thank-you's?

Because God is good.

Not "God was good"

or

"God will be good"

But the now-right-here-reality that God IS good.

His nature is goodness.

It is this love and goodness that caused God to rescue us from ourselves and our sin.

He didn't have to do it.

He chose to.

Why?

Because God is good.

The verse from Psalm ends with a promise.

And as you know, God is not a promise breaker.

"His lovingkindness or mercy is everlasting."

Without end.

Never wavering in His ability or power....

Everlasting.

For that I offer a hearty "YOU ARE GOOD GOD AND I PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME!"

Think of this today...

and don't forget your manners...

To say "Thank you" to God.

God on you...

mb



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

Strong words from Malachi 3:1.

There is a time set aside that only God knows.

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

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

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

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

His will is that none should perish.

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

I can only write from what I know.

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

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

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

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

Over the past 12 years, churches all over the area began to hold meetings.

Some under the auspices of CELEBRATE RECOVERY, and others simply doing what God told them to do. Now, here today, there are many, many meetings that have sprung from churches that are available.

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

That is why the verses from Malachi are so important.

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

It is about THE RESCUE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God on you.....

mb

Are You In The Right Place?

We talk a lot about recovery and living a clean and sober life.
There is so much more to recovery than the absence of alcohol and drugs.
Meeting and connecting with people who are like minded will aid us as we seek to move from our old lifestyle.
Changes of people, places and things can be hard because the old addictive lifestyle is all we have known.

As we take each day as it comes, to live out the principals of recovery we should be very much aware of something.
Not only is it important to develop our relationship with Jesus, but be obedient.
Being obedient includes being where we are suppose to be, doing what we are suppose to be doing.

In Genesis 22, we read the story of God calling Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Isaac isn't just any child. He is the son of promise.
He is the first child born to Abraham and Sarah and as such, Isaac is the promise from God through which many descendants will come. Now here is God telling (notice this...telling, not asking) Abraham to take Isaac off into the country and sacrifice him. Abraham is obedient.

We are not told what went on in Abraham's mind, which is another story unto itself.
I believe what we learn from this is that God isn't interested in what goes on in our minds as much as he is what goes on in our hearts.

Abraham obeyed.
Completing the journey, he built and altar.....placed the wood on it......and placed his son on the altar.
Knife raised ready to sacrifice Isaac, the Angel of the LORD called to him and said, "Do not lay your hand upon the lad, or do anything to him."
Abraham was shown that nearby, stuck in a thicket, was a ram that was to be used for the sacrifice.
Abraham named the place where he was to sacrifice Isaac  YIREH or The-LORD-will-provide.
When we are occupying the place and life God has called us to, and we are being obedient to God, He will provide for us whatever it is we need.

This isn't some fairy tale or myth, this is the cold hard truth of the Kingdom of God.
Turning from a life that is all we have known, and then walking daily in a new way is scary. IT can be overwhelming at times and we find ourselves being in such fear that the thought of giving up and going back to the darkness is enticing. Don't! Don't give up. Keep walking...keep praying...keep listening....the fear will leave and God's peace will come because you are being obedient.

Every child of God needs to understand the The-LORD-will-provide is still as real today as it was that day for Abraham. Do not be afraid...Be Strong.......Let God guide you through this unknown in your life today.

Father.....
I come to you this morning asking that you manifest yourself in our lives today.
Give us ears to hear you this morning. Give us eyes to see your hand on us as we walk through this day.
Help us Lord to find the place of provision and let us not grow weary at the journey, but that you would strengthen our feet. Grant us your grace today and for anyone who reads this posting and is without hope, would you break off the darkness of this world from their mind and heart and allow your healing grace to flood over them. Draw them to yourself and bring healing to them.
Thank you Father....
In Jesus Name....
Amen..

God on you.....

mb