Last night I taught the lesson SANITY for our Celebrate Recovery group. There is an element of this lesson I’d not caught for all of the 16 years I’ve been part of this ministry. The lesson prior to Sanity is Hope. We have Hope when we come out of denial (lesson one) and realize we are powerless (lesson 2) to use our own power to overcome whatever hurt, hang-up, and habit we’re dealing with. The lesson component I’ve been missing is that Hope must have with it the Sanity of God’s Word or it is simply hope from the flesh of man. Let me explain.

From the time I had begun attending college and was no longer bound to living at home, I had hope that God would keep all of my abuse a secret so I could be “successful in living for Him free of the abuse from home. I would be serving Him and have a career in education where I’d committed to serving kids with Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. The insanity of my own hope was “secret”. I look at this now and wonder why I’d ever think God needed to keep a secret? It was my flesh that thought He would do that to protect me. There was a true absence of Belief, Trust and Faith in my hope. My hope was built on fear.

All of these years later I’ve found that Hope in this lesson must accompany the Sanity of God’s promises in His Word. God is using every aspect of my past for His own purposes today and He does this with everyone who gives their burdening past to Him. Hope from the flesh is saturated with the deception of Satan’s lies (I must keep my past a secret). Well, the truth is that Satan is a real liar and I know that. As the old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteous….” It ends with, “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” My commitment is to live this out one day at a time/one moment at a time.

As I finished my devotional time I noticed the house didn’t seem to be as warm as it should be. I went to the thermostat only to find it giving a message to call the dealership. It wasn’t communicating with the “smarthub”. Well, the “dumb hub” was reading it so I called the dealership only to have the very man who services us answer. That was a blessing. The house is now heating due to a simple step he had me take. Sometimes it is not fun to be so “mechanically deficient”!

What I was intending to post this morning was regarding my visit to my prayer warrior yesterday. I had written about the chorus–The Joy of the Lord is my Strength. I had been dealing with some intense voices in my head regarding “who I am” and “what I do”. I couldn’t find the strength this joy was talking about. Well, Lois reminded me that strength is power and Joy is Power. This is a promise from God and it is true. It is for our spirit. First and foremost I have to believe it is true for me. She also reminded me that I am dealing with Satan’s territory as I work with these troubling areas in people’s lives. No wonder I would be under attack. As we prayed, the Light of Jesus began to return.

As I journaled this morning the old hymn TRUST AND OBEY came to my mind. The chorus in part says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” I truly need this reminder each and every day. If I don’t spend a moment anchoring myself in this truth, it is so easy for the deceiver to divert me to the old man thinking rather than my new creation thinking. “One day at a time–one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.” This piece of the Serenity Prayer is certainly true!

There is a chorus we use to sing several years ago with the title: The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength. All the years that this chorus was popular I liked singing it for a couple of reasons. First, it was fun from the musical arrangement and second, it had rhythm to clap to which engaged everyone while singing it. What I missed all those years was the deeper meaning of the lyrics–The joy of the Lord IS my strength.

I have never thought of joy as something other than an emotion that felt nice. Learning to live as a new creation I’m beginning to discover all of the misconceptions I’ve had throughout my life. Yes, JOY is known to us from an emotional standpoint, but this JOY has a lasting effect on us that IS Strength. When I complete something that I’ve been nudged to do there is a tremendous joy within that is confirmed by God’s Holy Spirit. This very joy then becomes the strength to carry on for this joy is quite different from being happy. This joy stays with us helping us to continue on. Happiness is wonderful at the moment, but it fades quickly as whatever generated it goes away.

Being obedient to stepping into the counseling program was nothing less than FEAR. This lasted for months as I prepared, yet I knew it was something God had planted and I was to follow through. Now, 1.5 years later, it brings such great JOY watching God work in the lives of those coming. This JOY is strength to carry on. I get choked up as I write this for I know where I came from and the gripping disgrace I carried. Every last part of what I called disgrace is now a tool in the Master’s Hands. God is SO AMAZING!

As I began my devotional time this morning the first devotional I read focused its message on righteousness. God is really driving the message home that we (I) are/am righteous because Christ lives in us. His Holy Spirit is nothing but righteous and we are too because of His indwelling in us. This is hard to believe when we know ourselves. Yet, the work of our Savior and Lord isn’t built around what we have or have not done. It is solely built around what Jesus Christ did and the simple act on our part of accepting Him into our lives confessing our sins to Him as I John 1:9 tells us. The verse actually tells us that He–Christ purifies us from all unrighteousness.

There is so much to be said about each one of us living the life of a new creation. I am seeing much more clearly that when The Serenity Prayer tells us to “live one day at a time, one moment at a time”, that all of this pertains to living the life of a new creation. Our flesh will never go away until death do us part. Until then, I will need to commit to living the life of a new creation “this day” and each moment of this day. My flesh will battle with this wanting me to be selfish with my time and activities. However, there is nothing like the joy of living out each day following the nudges God’s Holy Spirit gives to us. It is in this obedience that the JOY of the Lord is found.

Yesterday did seem to be a day of nudges. It all started with the focus given to me as I had my devotional time. A couple of them were difficult to step into, but in so doing, I quickly found out it was the right thing to do. By the end of the day I could easily reflect and see just how powerful it is to obey The Holy Spirit’s nudges. I have written a few weeks back that these nudges are not to be taken as suggestions, yet, all of my life I have acted upon them as though they were. I would question in my mind the value of doing what I felt nudged to do. Often, I would not do it and then later regret that I hadn’t.

Learning to live as a new creation, one who trusts and believes that the very God who made you this new creation, is worthy of trust and follow through. I don’t want to be a halfway new creation. Instead, I want to live out the righteousness of the man who obeys God and follows the commands He gives to him.

The last three days of bible reading, in the chronological bible I’m using, has been Christ’s crucifixion and today, His arising. When one reads the accounts of these events all together from each of the books that address it, well, it just hits me in an overwhelming fashion.

I am a firm believer in God’s Word–all of it. Our present times cause me to take a look at what God’s Word is telling us today and put it along side of today’s events. I know Christ is returning and I’ve always believed it will take place. The reality of today is prophecy in the making. It is cruel, harsh and very troubling. How can man hate man so viciously? Yet, it is taking place right before our eyes just as scripture says it will happen. I then put this hatred along side the events of 2000+ years ago and what was done to Christ. Goodness! Man just never learns and the flesh of man continues to look just as it always has–sinful.

So, I go back to yesterday’s post, II Timothy 3:16-17 says in part, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness….” The training in righteousness is what we are to be doing for one another helping us not only see the righteousness we have within due to Christ living in us with The Holy Spirit, but we also need to pass this righteousness along in training. So many people think righteous living is somehow found in our own strength and action (I have lived there most of my life). Our role is to find the strength of Christ–The Holy Spirit and live it out. When this takes place righteousness never looks self-righteous for The Holy Spirit always looks like and is, Christ-like. Each day I want to ground myself in this before I step into the day. Keeping this in the forefront of me–well, I’m on assignment with this.

Today has much wrapped into it. But, before all of the activity begins, God wanted me to wrap my mind and spirit around something I know but haven’t been good at practicing. The scripture memorization for the small group of men I’m meeting with in a little while is II Timothy 3:16-17. It reads, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We aren’t to just memorize it, but to meditate over the reason God would put it into His Word.

Before I’d begun to meditate on this scripture I had done my journaling. When I’d asked Jesus what He wanted me to know from HIm for today, I was nudged to write, in summary, “I want you to live today realizing that you are to be doing what the Holy Spirit has you to do rather than living today having The Holy Spirit with you while you are doing.” The big twist is “who is leading who”.

As I was meditating on the scripture later in my devotional time I realized that God was pointing out something I truly needed to pay attention to. The man of God referenced in this scripture has a name. It is Earnie. I cannot be thoroughly equipped if I’m asking The Holy Spirit to be with me. I will be fully equipped when I realize I’m to be with Him. He is already within me, around me and with all He has me to do. It is all God-breathed if I just stay awake to this truth and reality. It is one thing to know this, now God wants me living this and I want to do just that.

Yesterday I spent 4 hours on a 2 hour online course. It was the first session for learning to use these counseling techniques. I had to keep pausing the video so I could stay caught up with important notes. It is only the 2nd time I’ve taken an online course. The first was a year and a half ago when I took the biblical counseling course. I’m so glad these are available for us. It just goes to show that us old folks can “learn new tricks”!

I was given a communication card last Tuesday by our church secretary. It had a note written on it asking for counseling for a 15 year old young man. Mom was filling out the card. She gave her number so I called it that afternoon and left her a message to call back so we could set an appointment. I didn’t hear back, but on Wednesday evening I walked into an area of our church where the youth meet. Three teen boys were sitting on the floor talking. As I walked by them one got up and came to me asking if I’d be able to talk to one of the other two. When I went back to their location the other two were gone. It turns out one of the two was the 15 year old mentioned on the communication card. His mom contacted me yesterday and so I’m meeting with this teen in a little over an hour. I know nothing about the concerns, but I know God is working here and I want to be a good servant. God is GOOD–ALL THE TIME!

The saga continues that I’ve been writing about in this blog. I needed to have my car serviced yesterday morning and I took one of the books to read while I waited. The book gives the clinical side as well as the research behind the techniques I’m starting to learn for counseling. One of the case histories which was written about in the book triggered a memory I’ve stuffed for over 50 years. When it surfaced yesterday I knew it was to be no longer stuffed. Wednesday is one day when all three of us who started the counseling ministry meet with clients. So, I text the one who has been working with me on learning these new techniques to see if we had any common down time in the afternoon or early evening? We were able to align 30 minutes in the late afternoon. Not only was it a helpful time for me personally, it was a great time for me to find out what I should be doing when I use these techniques with a client. Even though I had more than 2 years of this done with me over 10 years ago, I wasn’t in the sessions to learn how to use them. I was experiencing the very purpose God gave man these tools so we could help one another to overcome.

I know I wrote that sometimes one reaches a point when we just want to relax with life. I’ll coast from here on out. Well, that just isn’t going to happen. I’m so glad God is so patient and kindly persistent. Next week I hope to begin the use of these tools with one of my clients. I sure never thought this would be what I’d do, but God had a different plan and now I am fortunate enough to get to live in this plan. It is so humbling and rewarding!

The faithfulness of Jesus Christ is utterly amazing. There is an old hymn I haven’t heard since I was a boy growing up in the church. It is titled:
“Let Him Have His Way with Thee”. As I was journaling yesterday about what’s written in yesterday’s blog entry, this hymn came to my mind. It’s lyrics in part are:

Would you live for Jesus and be always pure and good? Would you walk with HIm within the narrow road? Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load? Let Him have His way with thee. Refrain: His power can make you what you ought to be; His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free; His love can fill your soul, and you will see ’twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

There are moments when I want to sit down and say to Jesus, “Can this be enough? At this age it is hard to keep making changes in my life and belief system.” Well, that doesn’t last long! Jesus has a way of tenderly showing me that the next changes will be SO BENEFICIAL.

I was learning about some new techniques to use in counseling yesterday afternoon from one of our retired counselors. Without any foreknowledge, the techniques were just what I wanted for a couple of the ones I see, but unexpectedly, they were just what I needed for some stumbling blocks I still struggle with.

God is never done with His Work for us until we enter into His Kingdom upon death. Will I let Him have His way with me? YES!