Today is a day where we send a granddaughter off to her new adventure. It isn’t something I would typically praise God that it’s happening, but for some reason only God knows, I can and do praise Him for it. She is ready and I’ve come to believe that God is truly in the midst of this.

I’ve written several times about my past practice of living in the future due to the living in the present was too painful. Today I’m better at living in the present and what is amazing is that I enjoy it. I also find that the freedom I want to know is found here–in the present. If I live in the future I can only hope there will be freedom there. The freedom I think I feel while in the future is only a disappointment because getting to the future always isn’t what I’d expected. Thus, living in today, putting my faith in God and not in man, allows God to provide His Peace which is the best freedom one could ever hope to have! God is so AMAZING!

I want to start this entry today Praising God! The issue I’ve written about the past couple of days is now brought totally into the Light of God. I have no idea what will transpire from here, but this is what needed to happen first so it can be addressed if those involved are willing. I marvel at the way God works! He never ceases to amaze me!

I went to see my prayer warrior Lois yesterday after church. She is no longer able to drive so she does “church” at home on-line. I wanted to tell her about this current issue and about a couple of new folks coming for counseling so she could be lifting them to the throne of Grace. While there she pulled out her journal to ask me about some of the earlier folks I’d started with almost a year ago now. She wanted to know how they were doing? I get so involved with the current folks I’m seeing I hadn’t done this reflection myself so it was fun to take this reflection walk. In every case, each of the individuals is doing well. A couple of them are doing exceptionally well. It is so amazing to take a moment and reflect. It is then one can see just how marvelous our God is!

What an honor it is to work with Him!

Yesterday I wrote about an ugly issue. I included the scripture from Philippians 4:6-7 as my reminder to give the issue to God by prayer and petition with THANKSGIVING. I emphasize thanksgiving because after I’d concluded my devotional time, the song: “Praise The Lord” came to my mind and stayed. As I thought through the words I began to process the issue differently. The words are in part: When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams and your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes; and you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears; don’t let the faith you’re standing in seem to disappear–PRAISE THE LORD…!

Without going into details, by mid-morning God was already working. I simply stand amazed at what He does so caringly and lovingly. The issue is far from resolved, but the door is now open so the Light of God is shining into it. Darkness flees in LIGHT–God’s Light.

Man’s spirit is so different from God’s Holy Spirit. Learning to wait for God to work, trusting, believing, and praising Him while waiting is one of the biggest and hardest lessons I can learn and relearn over and over again. Yet, I never want to stop learning the importance of doing this. When God is at the helm nothing can stand in the way.

Today is one of those days where I’d like to spill my guts right here, but the circumstances behind it wouldn’t allow me to do so. Yesterday I wrote about man’s pride issues and its impact on me (us). Pride would want me to do things I’d regret later and waiting upon God becomes the most important thing I can do. My timing wants to get things resolved right now. However, God sees so much more than my set of human eyes can see and know, so trusting in His perfect timing is critical.

There is a peace in the midst of the storm. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Reminding myself to anchor into this scripture’s promise of peace is where I want to stay in today’s journey.

Today our youngest daughter turns 37. She asked me a couple of days ago if I could believe she is that old? I told her it was no problem considering that I had just turned 73 on the 1st. She then asked if I struggled believing I’m that old? I actually have never struggled with the age I am. It is more about wondering when the deteriorating side of life will begin for me since I’m at that age where it has happened for many folks I know.

Now, for the more important part of today’s journey–I had a conversation with a gentleman last night about his sponsoring a new person that asked him to do this. I know the person who had asked so he was wanting my advice. I just said to watch out for pride interfering with the person telling all of his story that needs to be addressed. When I had said this I knew this was a big problem for this person but I also knew it was big for most, if not all us.

This morning as I was journaling, I was brought back to this issue of pride. I have always hated pride having been raised by a father who exuded it. I’ve never wanted to be that way. However, I know how much my own pride stands in the way of me being fully honest. I battle it all the time when I want to yield to a temptation and, just for today, not tell my accountability person. Well, admitting it always provides the way of escape from it. Yielding to it only brings about the guilt and the need to now admit I yielded rather than confessed it ahead of time. There’s no guilt in doing this! God wants to help us if we will just follow His Spirit’s nudge.

Each day in the 90 day journal, Freedom Starts Today, the reader is told to write a prayer to God committing to sobriety for 24 hours and then contacting your accountability of the same commitment. As I had begun the journal I started to write my commitment to Jesus since I already journal to Him each day. However, the book says to write the prayer to God. So, I began to write each day to my Father God.

I have written in past about years ago writing in my journal for a year to God, a year to Jesus and a year to The Holy Spirit. I was wanting to build a relationship with them so I thought journaling to them would do this. What ended up taking place was a deeper fear that this relationship wasn’t going to happen. All my efforts seemed to be in vain.

All these years later, in journaling to God, this relationship I use to crave is now one of sincere gratitude and love. God is Jesus, Jesus is God and The Holy Spirit lives within me! Good grief, how lucky can a man be?!! God hears me and I can hear Him speak to me in so many ways. I tear up writing this. I’m so grateful this 90 day commitment had me writing to God. The reality of His genuineness in Jesus coming as His representation of Himself to man is astounding! Scripture says to fear God, but this is fear out of respect and expectancy. Never is it fear out of judgment, criticism and disgust as one fears man.

How loving our Father God is!

When I started this book, FREEDOM STARTS TODAY, I’ve wondered why the author had never addressed the topic of shame. It had been HUGE in my past and in my need for recovery. Well, today was the day for hitting this topic. I’m always drawn in like a magnet when this topic surfaces in a book I’m reading or in a conversation I’m engaging.

Shame takes root when the sins of our life begin to shape our identity. It overpowers any truth scripture would give us. For me, I believed all that scripture said for all others. However, I knew that what the scriptures said would only come true for me upon death. When I crossed over into heaven I would be all that scripture said. That was one of the reasons I lived to die. I so desperately wanted to be free of the shame within me.

When I was in therapy for the 3 years after the first year of our Celebrate Recovery start, the most powerful, intense session was the one addressing shame. There have been two times in my life when Jesus literally showed up. It was in this session on shame when God and Jesus came. At the end of each session I would be asked to put all that had surfaced in “the safe place” where it could never haunt me again. In this particular session I was so laden with the weight of the shame I couldn’t move any part of my body. I could barely whisper let alone lift this weight. When the counselor heard me whisper this, she asked me to seek help from God by His sending angels. In my mind I asked him but none came. I whispered to the counselor that no one had ever come to help. She told me to not believe this lie and to keep asking. It was then that two beings arrived–God and Jesus. How I knew who it was? I don’t have a clue other than I just knew. They lifted the weight of the shame from me! As I was leaving the session I was reminded to thank God and Jesus for coming and taking this weight from me.

As I was driving back to the school I was working with I remembered what the counselor had said, so I said out loud in my pickup, “Thank You God and Jesus for coming today. Why didn’t you send the angels?” I instantly heard in my spirit–“We came because we wanted you to know we cared.” I had to pull off the street, I was weeping.

LET FREEDOM RING!

Even though today is Independence Day, my post is centered around my own personal journey. A couple of weeks ago my prayer warrior was stricken with a stroke in her left eye leaving her blind in it. It not only took the vision in the eye but also blurs the vision in her right eye and makes it extremely light sensitive. Yesterday, I talked with my brother-in-law who is the one who introduced me to Celebrate Recovery many years ago and much more recently, encouraged me to pursue the counseling work I now do and he also does where he lives. He has been stricken with an auto-immune disease which makes talking, breathing, eating, and more very difficult.

As I was having my devotional time this morning I was asking God why these two very influential saints in my life were being physically attacked? Both are continuing with their Godly service but with much more difficulty. As I read my 90 day book’s entry, it said in part, “…In Christ, you have nothing and no one left to fear. Fear no physical evil; no evil man or woman; not Satan, or his demons, not physical affliction, nor years of addiction or struggle. God is over all and dwells within you by the Holy Spirit. and in that, His perfect love drives out fear.”

Our country’s freedom is celebrated today. Included in this celebration is our freedom from any bondage life may give us which is very much influenced by Satan’s deceptions. I give these two loved ones to God’s protection and purpose. Evil has no control over them! It has no control over you and me if we remember to fear only God.

I John 4:4 tells us, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

The veil has been rend in two. When I think of this statement I first think about when Christ died on the Cross, the thick veil in the temple was rend in two for Christ had paved the way for us to come to God ourselves through the work of Jesus. Well, this morning I feel as though my personal veil has been rend in two.

I wrote yesterday about God being I AM and we find Him in today, each and every day. Today it sinks in that when God is in today and I stay in today, He navigates us through the day when we keep Him on the throne of our day. All of this is what I’ve been taught since I was a child. I’ve seemingly known it for my lifetime. Putting in into daily practice has been a very different story. As a child I learned to not live in today. I lived in the future in my mind when I would be free of dad’s cruelty and my brother’s sexual use and the struggles of being “who I am”. I have never broken completely away from this practice either. However, this very morning I have seen clearly my need to let this go. When I let it go I do it for today. Everything about life is about today if I want God in it. Of course, I will plan. I am a planner for days ahead. However, I will not live in that day I’m planning. I’ll stay home in today.

It is so true that we are never done learning from God’s leading in our life. It is utterly amazing!