The material I’m using with the Saturday morning group of men is now into the 2nd book which is all about marriage and parenting. Only half of the group is married so I wasn’t sure if the group wanted to go into it. Yet, even the single men said they’d like to do it as they hoped to be married someday and have a family. At the time I had no idea just how beneficial this section would be. I’m use to using curriculum that goes deeply into the topic helping the user to go to the root of the problem they’re facing. This curriculum is helping one to grow more fully into a true disciple for Jesus Christ living a balanced life for Jesus so their prayers are never hindered by choices made.

The lesson for Saturday is regarding parenting and grandparenting. One needs to take a look at their own days of being reared and apply strengths from it and address weaknesses by replacing them with Godly wisdom from His Word. As I approached this portion of the assignment I wanted to just skip it. In the little space for the parenting weaknesses from my childhood I simply wrote that I’d written a book about this. As I did write it God reminded me of a positive I’d set aside from dad. It was the spring of my senior year in high school, 1968. A cow had given birth that night and as I’d finished the milking she was walking up the lane with her newborn. I didn’t have time to milk her so I went on and readied myself to catch the bus for school. As I was walking out to the bus stop my dad asked if I’d milked the cow? I told him yes so he’d leave me alone. Two days later I was very guilt ridden so I told him I’d lied and hadn’t milked the cow. His response was simply, “I knew from looking the cow hadn’t been milked. I also knew you’d come around and tell the truth.” It felt like a compliment and that was a rare thing from dad.

Dad had lots he needed to learn about being a parent, but this one moment was something he did that was very right and I thank God for it.

I was recently with a group of our Celebrate Recovery leaders. I mentioned this I believe in Monday’s blog. There was a statement made by one of the folks I’d heard before but forgotten it. The statement is, “God is a gentleman when it comes to how He deals with us and our sins.” Everything He does with us is done to help us see the sin as such and to come back to Him. He even created us to sense guilt when we have done wrong. The guilt is personal so no one else knows it but ourselves. If man were in charge of this, in most cases, the world would know of our wrongs and we’d be shamed. This is exactly what Satan wants man to do–create shame.

As I look back on my life I cannot put a finger on any time when God used my own sins or those done to me to shame me in public. I was scared to death of this happening, but it never did. God is such a gentleman. I can say however, that I had thought God either created this fear in me or allowed this fear to punish me only to eventually find that man’s choices were responsible for it–not God. God waited and continued to wait for me to recognize this and begin to believe the truth that He will always be a gentleman as I come to Him.

Helping others see God in the True Light of Who He is, is a genuine blessing. Knowing God is not only with me, but His Spirit is within me is such a powerful blessing. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus who is God’s Greatest Gift to you and me!

I don’t want any reader of this blog to think that what I write each day is simply generated from the devotionals, etc that I use for my daily devotions. Yet, today I need to write again using the context of the message. Its focus is centered around what privileges God gave to us starting with Adam and Eve. God gave to Adam and Eve the entire garden of Eden for their delight. In that garden there was probably 100’s if not 1,000’s of trees from which they could eat. Only one was forbidden. We know the story from there.

One of Satan’s deceptions is to tempt us to think about what I can’t do rather than to take a look at all I can do. We can get so lost in the narrow view of “can’t” rather than the huge view of “can”. Until I was almost 60 years old I thought I can’t ever let the world know of my past and what it did to me. I’d never be accepted if they knew. Now, almost 14 years later I find such freedom with what I can do. Not only do I find great freedom, but the freedom also includes being able to serve God more fully.

I don’t know if any reader of this has something you’re facing where Satan has you bound, but, if so, I’d encourage you to take a step back and look at it from the can’t vs can and let God’s Light of Freedom shine into the situation. From there I believe we find the path for moving forward.

Months ago I came across a tool on the biblical counseling website I use. Its title is Walking By Faith Not By Sight. I made several copies of it knowing it would be useful for some of those who come for counseling. Yesterday afternoon was our monthly Celebrate Recovery leadership meeting. I brought copies of this tool for the group knowing there is no one who comes to CR who hasn’t struggled with this topic. Little did I know just how significant this tool would be.

A major quote from this document states: “‘Let God be proved true and every man a liar.’ What this means is, if my perceptions, thoughts, or fears are different from what is contained in the truth of God’s word, then I should believe God’s word as true and consider my own belief a lie. For example, God’s words says He will never leave us nor forsake us and that He is an ever present help in times of need.” I lived so long wanting to believe fully in God and trusting His word. But I was scared to death of what those consequences would mean if people actually knew what my past was. Only in my last 15 years have I been able to start living more fully in real Faith.

Satan truly takes advantage of our fears and twists what God’s word tells us. This document, I had thought would be useful for those of us who help others with their accountability, which is true. But, before we do this it became a tool of helping us better walk by Faith ourselves and Trust more fully the God we love and serve.

A remarkable thing happened this morning as I was journaling. I had written yesterday about the line in the Serenity Prayer regarding “one day at a time” and its connection to God’s Name–I AM. (I’ve written several times in the last year or so about this connection). God has helped me in so many areas of my life applying this principle. The one area I never like to write about is the one I’ve thought was my “thorn in the flesh”. This thorn is the gay thoughts which can enter my mind unexpectedly. All three counselors I’ve seen over the years have said the same thing–the roots of some events in our lives are too deep and so living with this might have to happen. The remarkable thing which took place today was when I asked Jesus what He wanted me to know for today? His response was that it’s time for Him and me to address this item. We will apply the “one day at a time” principle believing The GREAT I AM is bigger than this issue.

This partial quote from my devotional followed the journaling I had just done. It is, “There is absolutely no substitute for personal intimacy with God…it is the key to fulfillment and purpose…the emptiness within us was only ever meant to be indwelt by God’s presence.” As I read this I stopped and realized the time has come where God wants to replace the emptiness I’ve always felt when these thoughts come. Then, after my devotional reading, my Bible reading in part was what Samuel told Saul in I Samuel 15:22, “…Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice….” I heard God’s voice in my journaling and then it was reinforced in my devotional message and finally it was told in God’s Word. He wants me to obey by believing His Intimacy is stronger than any old belief or even a statement from a christian counselor.

Today I believe!

The line from the Serenity Prayer that states, “…one day at a time, one moment at time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace” is a gold nugget when it comes to living out a committed life. A couple I’ve begun to work with is needing to make some major adjustments in their daily living if their marriage is going to work. As we were meeting yesterday afternoon each one of them was unwilling to take a step unless the other one was willing to be just as committed to the step. They had wounded one another that much. As I asked them if their assignment was for only a day would they be able to do that? Both said they could. As I tied this statement to the Serenity Prayer, there seemed to be glimmer of hope. Talking with them also about God’s Name being “I AM” added more hope to this.

I can never lose sight of these words from the Serenity Prayer. I personally need to keep them in front of me. I am so grateful God sees the intent of our heart because our flesh doesn’t always look like our heart wants. When we put into perspective the awareness that God is asking us to live this day obeying Him, it gives such hope. Satan is always wanting to twist God’s Wisdom making it seem “impossible”. That’s why it is so important to keep I AM in the front of each day’s start. I can do this for today!

One of the hardest lessons for me has been to learn that in the flesh, I will never be “strong enough” to live out my walk with God for “the rest of my life”. The only way this can be done is the lesson I’ve so needed to learn–one day at a time. One of the best ways of showing me the truth of this lesson is the counseling work I now do. I hear things like, “I never want to be what I’ve been;” “I will live for Jesus from this day forward;” I never want to turn my back on Jesus again;” and the list goes on and on. These are things I’ve said so much of my life and yet my commitment would only last as long as my flesh could stay strong which would be for a few days to a few weeks or months.

I truly understand our wishfulness to never be sinful again, but the strength to do so isn’t found in our flesh. It is found in the truth that today we can rely on the Strength of God being with us. I find it when I consciously choose God’s Strength for today each and every day as it arrives. Helping others find this reality for themselves has been so helpful for me remembering this truth isn’t just for others, it’s for me too. The God who calls Himself I AM is found in each and every TODAY. And, it is so worth the focus of surrendering each day to Him!

The graduation of my grandson I wrote about in yesterday’s blog was a splendid event. Each one graduating had a personalized message given to them in front of the audience by one of their instructors. They were then given a chance to speak. It was a great send off from the school to their workforce. The interview he had the day before had resulted in the job being offered to him also yesterday. How enjoyable it is to watch God working in one’s life very dear to you.

While I was at the graduation I had a message sent to me from a niece who lives here in the valley. She was hoping to touch base soon for some guidance which at this point I know nothing about. We set the time for 8:00 am this morning. In the early evening of yesterday I was given a voice message from a person at church seeking help. In between sessions I set a time this morning for us to talk and set a counseling schedule. As I got home last night from the last session, I had another message from a recent counselee who had moved out of state. He was hoping to do a phone call this morning to talk about some new things he’s encountered since moving.

I don’t usually have days like this. So, this morning I was asking God to help me be a good steward of His Wisdom. His response was immediate. He reminded me that if I put my faith and trust in HIm, He in turn is faithful. I don’t need to fret about each of these just because I don’t know what we’re addressing. God already knows and I know I can trust Him. With that gentle reminder, I’m ready for this morning. God is so AMAZING!

Today my second oldest grandson is graduating from barber college. He had an interview yesterday afternoon which he said went very well. He’s been cutting my hair for the past 6-7 months while in school. It is fun to see him moving into his adult years. In a few hours we will get to watch this event take place.

When I am counseling folks I often remind them to take a step back from what they are dealing with and look at the situation as though it belonged to someone else. In so doing, what would you advise them to do with it? Today, I get to take a step back from this grandson’s life. He has been a very close grandson having lived with us his earliest years. It is a joy to experience how God is developing him more and more.

Life always has much drama in it. Yet, if we just take a step away and look at it from that balcony view, we get to see a perspective that better resembles how God sees you and me. I want to live one day at a time, and I can better do that when I remember Who is always watching and interceding for us. How good God is!

As only God does, He turned the angst of yesterday into times of blessing. In each case that I wrote about yesterday, He had already been working. The together times we had were used to put plans in place for our living in God’s obedience instead of wanting to live there, but still choosing pathways of flesh.

The reality that God’s discipline is always to teach a lesson is so very true. In each of these cases, once man’s eyes were off of self and onto Jesus, the problems being faced grew into steps we can now grow from. Instead of hiding from things done, putting them right in front of us allows those problems to be the reminders and motivators for following God’s plan rather than that of our flesh.

Once I brought all of the secrets of my past out in the open, God was able to begin for me the lessons he wanted me to learn (and He is not done for I am of my own flesh). Yet, God never stops working with us as long as we keep our eyes focused on Him, our ears open to His teaching–His Spirit’s Voice within us, and then obey. The desire of my heart is to TRUST AND OBEY–for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to TRUST AND OBEY.