Jesus is the sweetest name I know. As I type this little sentence there is so much gratefulness I want to capture in it, but sometimes, I just have to let it speak for itself.

The devotional message this morning was focused on having no other gods before me. I have jokingly said that my rototiller is my other god. I do love any type of gardening and a rototiller is the symbol I’d use to represent it. But, when it comes to worship and gratitude, my ONE TRUE GOD is Jesus Christ. Being set free from the bondage of sin coupled with the bondage of lies about one’s self-worth is nothing less than a miracle only Jesus Christ can perform. Then, along with all of this, God gives us His Holy Spirit to live within us to nudge us beyond ourselves so we can offer an example to others of His Great Love.

This morning I just want to write–JESUS is the SWEETEST NAME I know!

Yesterday was one of those days when all that was planned in it fit together like a glove. However, as nice as that is, there is one part that stands out this morning. This is what I want to write about today.

The morning started with an early counseling session for a young man who has been coming for over a year now. When he started, he was addressing suicide. Today, he is smiling, walking with his head held up and eyes looking forward. He is proud of his work, enjoying his marriage and all three of his little ones. He has been working out of area for a few months staying in touch on weekends and through emails and texts. Yesterday was our first face to face meeting in a while. God had nudged me to start the session by asking him what positives were taking place presently for him? Always before we were addressing the negatives he believed and thought were true. His response to the question occupied the entire hour.

As the hour was drawing to a close I asked him if he’d thanked God for all of the positives which had taken place for him? The look on his face was puzzling. His response was, “Well no, but maybe I should.” He was so glad to be on the upside of life and was feeling good about getting there. The credit was primarily going to himself. When I reminded him of the verses we had addressed over the past several months reminding him that God had created him in his mother’s womb and that he was fearfully and wonderfully made, etc., he smiled big. The gifts God had given him were now being used in life instead of being doubted. Yes, this was about him, but the source of strength to turn all of this around he was able to see. He was going to give thanks he said.

I’m sitting in front of my computer keyboard pondering which topic running through my head is the right one to write about? Taking heed to the message in God’s Word is a “must do”. I write this here to emphasize the critical side of working with man. When I was in education we learned what we “must” teach as critical to learning how to read and how to grow in math, etc. We would separate the must do’s from the may do’s. The scripture I read in part this morning was really speaking loudly to me. It comes from the 2nd chapter of I Corinthians. Paul was talking to the listeners telling them to be very careful what they spoke as truths. What we say will be measured one day. It will be placed upon the foundation of God’s Word and tested with fire. We, the speaker, will be saved, but those led astray may be lost. This is a very sobering message and one I want to be very conscious regarding.

It is so important to reinforce the source of the message we share. God Almighty is our foundation and is demonstrated by His Son Jesus who was given to us for eternal reason–man cannot come to God on his own. We will fail every time. Listeners need to be pointed to the Cross of Christ and shown the importance of taking any message heard from man to Christ. This has to be part of our message to man and show them how we do this ourselves. We plant seeds, we water plants, but God Himself is the very substance of each one He created. God’s Word is a “must do” and keeping folks pointed to Him.

It is incredible to me just how much God cares about each one of us–His creation. For so many years I wondered why God didn’t care, didn’t show Himself when trauma hit, didn’t lend a hand, didn’t stop the issue? Little did I know then what I know and understand today. The wall of protection I’d built to protect me from hurt (emotional, sexual, physical) had also steeled me away from any help one would/could offer–including God’s. I easily understand this today. In fact, I often hear similar statements from ones I now counsel and ones I sit with in share group during our Celebrate Recovery time.

It is incredibly important to find where God is when we experience stress, trauma, fear, threats, abuse and more. In my past I would never allow myself to go there because I had already determined what I’d find out–“I didn’t matter to Him.” What a lie I had learned to believe. It has taken me years and years to let go of and abolish the walls of protection I’d built. In so doing, I’ve learned beyond any shadow of doubt that God Cares and is always present.

Helping others to take the tiny steps into trust and believing is such a privilege. Helping them to allow the walls built to be disassembled so they can find the Love and Intimacy awaiting from God, is a Gift I would never have thought I’d experience. How rewarding and humbling it is!

As I wrote in yesterday’s blog, we had the session to address some lingering issues untouched by the counseling/therapy in past years. There were two of these which stood out. Number one was the beating my brother received when I first told my father of my brother’s use of me and 2nd was my brother’s drowning, In both cases, I carried the responsibility for their taking place. Rich would never have had that beating if I hadn’t told. Secondly, in Matthew 18:6 if anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble, it is better for them to be drowned in the depths of the sea. I’ve struggled to not own Rich’s actions as something about me which attracted him to me. I firmly know in my head the truth of these lies, but Rich had issues and I always wanted to be stronger than Rich’s issues. I just wasn’t.

In the session yesterday we addressed finding God in each of these two events–something I hadn’t done in previous therapy. I was amazed to find the punishment of the beating as my dad’s pride and anger issue which Rich endured. Yes, I witnessed it, but that’s all. The drowning showed me something that amazed me. There were three angels who came to Rich while he struggled. They assured him he was headed “home” and they were there to escort him. (Even now this almost takes my breath away as I’ve feared tremendously the agony of his drowning). Dad and Rich are both there in heaven and they embraced one another affectionately because their old self’s are dead and buried.

Today, I simply feel free. I have been here before with much thanksgiving. Today however, there’s a deep settled peace in my soul. I know today that this peace is found today, one day at a time. I will claim this victory each day as Satan might try to re-enter what Christ has cleansed and replaced with Himself and The Holy Spirit. God never stops helping us grow into more of His likeness. How grateful I am!

There has been a good deal of water pass under the bridge since I wrote my autobiography a little over 8 years ago. I was nudged almost continuously a few months after it was published to begin writing this blog. I was finding that writing the book only told my story up to the present. In the last 8 years God has been continuously working to deepen my relationship with HIm, His Son Jesus and particularly with His Holy Spirit.

A year and a half ago we started the biblical counseling program at our church (we is three). The other two are retired licensed counselors who are christians. One of them I’ve known for several years. She has helped our Celebrate Recovery ministry in numerous ways. She is the one I observed counseling for 2 months before I stepped into seeing people on my own.

I am taking an online course presently to gain the wisdom to use a counseling technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping). I know this procedure as it was used with me for a couple of years. As I was in a class session Monday morning for 3 hours I heard about a procedure one can use with tapping to address types of addiction. I’m having the counselor I mentioned above use this with me later today in between our own sessions. As I was journaling this morning I told Jesus I am tentative about this but He assured me His nudge to do this is not in vain. My skepticism is not from Him. He said to trust His nudge so that is what I’m going to do.

There is a song our quartet sings called: Step Into the Water. A few of the lyrics are: “Step into the water, wade out a little bit deeper. Step into the water of His Love….” I’m wading out!

God’s Word was really speaking out loud this morning as I was reading it in the Bible itself as well as within the devotionals I presently use. What was being addressed is the separation of living in the bondage of our flesh vs living in the freedom of our spirit. The sinfulness we acquired from birth manifests itself in our flesh. Our spirit wants to feed the selfish desires of our flesh no matter what it is about. We can also come up with a thousand defense as to why “it is not selfish, just necessary or needed”.

Galatians 5:16 tells us to “…walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. It goes on to describe some of these characteristics: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness….” This is immediately followed by the characteristics of living by the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This is all found in the fifth chapter of Galatians.

All of this written comes about just a few years after Christ had come to live out this evidence of “living in the Spirit”. Yet, already man was struggling with it. All of these years later we still are. It just reinforces to me our need to stay focused on today. Today I can commit to live in God’s Spirit within me because I am in today and God’s Spirit called I AM is with me and within me today.

It is so good to know that God loves us regardless of our behaviors and actions. The song I mentioned yesterday did not go nearly as well as I’d hoped it would, yet I know God was glorified by it. Many said so.

This morning I’m reminded by my devotional time that God tells me not to judge and that includes myself. The day of judgment will come, but that day is not today. I’m so grateful for the timely reminders of Who God is and who we are to Him. I can get overly caught up in the actions to be taken and then determining my value to God on the success or lack thereof for the action/s. This is certainly not what God wants me doing to me or to anyone else.

On the positive side of yesterday, our pastor is doing a series on “breakthrough”. I love the focus and the reminders of how many breakthroughs different ones have had since coming to the counseling program. It was a nice moment to reflect on different ones who can walk in a freedom they hadn’t had until now. God is always wanting us to take another step with Him and this program is helping ones do this–including myself. The step might be painful at the moment, but this pain will lead to healing when God is in it!

Today is Sunday. I will soon leave for worship and choir practice ahead of our service. The choir number has a challenging solo portion which I will be singing. It is a gorgeous number entitled: All Praise Rising. The solo portion is challenging for a 1st tenor. When I was younger it would have been “fun” to sing it. At 73, well, it is a challenge I’ve accepted but the fun has moved to becoming YIKES! I love challenging music for our quartet and choir, however, I’m long past the days where I would say I love the challenge of a difficult solo. All that being said, the song truly glorifies God and this is His Day. So, All Praise Rising, all rejoicing, every honor rise to THEE!

This morning I am simply thankful that there is nothing in this day but a quartet practice in a couple of hours. The week has been a difficult one with a few new clients with difficult battles being faced. In addition to that, other clients are battling new and difficult circumstances. My prayer warrior Lois told me to expect this for we are intentionally stepping into the evil work of Satan. He will do all he can to keep his prey troubled and bound by fear. I know this and deeply appreciated the reminder to not only intentionally wear the armor of God, but make sure my own accountability has my back.

Our country celebrates our Vets today. I join everyone in this. My oldest grandson is in the Air Force and he is deeply appreciated. I add to this celebration my deepest appreciation for the God we get to serve from our freedom in America. I know the chaos of evil and our world is certainly caught in the midst of it presently. But, my real hope is in God Almighty, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. Only because of them and the original foundation of our country can we continue the freedom we presently have and have had. Thank you Father God!