Yesterday I mentioned a man I sponsor who had slipped. His response to the devotional was, “I love you.” When we get lost in temptation and giving in to it, the isolation Satan wants us to live in returns. One of the tools we learn in Celebrate Recovery is to reach out at this point. This is what James 5:16 is telling us when it says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed….” When one does this he expects condemnation for he feels this condemnation strongly within. However, God’s Grace is much stronger than this condemning force if we will only take the step of obedience and reach out.
Another one of our men sent me his testimony earlier this week. He finished the Step Study we completed last winter and has his rough draft written. I’m in the process of reading it for guidance before he shares it with our group. I’ve gotten to know him quite well and his story breaks my heart as so many do. Yet, God does what He always will do if we give Him the chance–He takes our mess and makes it His Message. Sin looks so good from the outside we think, but when one gets into it, the consequences try to kill the goodness God wants us to possess. Once again, reaching out is the first right step. This young man has done this now for almost two years and he is ready to tell his story for the sake of giving others hope in their own journey. How good our God is!
Last night I got a text from one of the guys I sponsor. He likes to call me dad because his father died several years ago. He had slipped and didn’t want to talk about it yet. He said it was too painful. Shame is overwhelming him at the moment. This morning’s devotional was taken from Galatians 5:17–“The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” I took a picture of the devotional in its entirety and sent it to him.
Satan has a way of using our emotional nature to beat us up when God wants us to keep our eyes focused on Him. It has taken me a lifetime to learn this and I still have my own moments where I need to be reminded of this truth. How GOOD our GOD IS!
The journey took a pause for a few days as we left last Friday for Oregon. Not only did I not have internet access, I hadn’t packed my devotional materials: Bible, devotional and journal. I don’t know how I simply forgot all of this. We did have 18 of us going so there was much to pack and several rigs to pack. However, forgetting all of this was a shock once I got there and realized they were not with me. So, in actuality the journey went forward, it is the habits of home which took a pause for three days. I didn’t feel as though God and I lost touch with each other, I simply didn’t get my intimate time with Him in His Word and journaling to Him.
The unexpected outcome of these past few days was seeing my grandkids in close proximity for this time. We were together 24/7 so one couldn’t help but see each of them and their personal characteristics. We may all be one family unit, but the differences within each member are huge. I loved the time as I believe each of us did, but it also showed me how to better personalize to each one. I write this and then wonder how God does this for a world of billions? He makes Himself real to each of us as we open ourselves to Him. Oh, how the world needs our Savior–Jesus Christ.
I am very glad to be back to my routine. I reflect better here and I can listen so much better to the Voice of God’s Spirit. As much enjoyment as there is in being together, time alone is critical for the nourishment of our soul. God is truly the anchor for each man. Staying in daily touch with Him is vital to our health–spiritual, mental, emotional and physical.
It is so easy to be in obedience to God when it fits what we want to do or it fits with what the “others” are doing. However, when we are to take a different turn or simply walk away, it becomes a much more difficult thing. It almost feels like one is being punished by God just to see if you will obey. Of course, that is a momentary feeling. If one will stay with the obedience one always finds the beauty of obedience. God has His ways of letting one know that obeying Him has its benefits and they far outweigh the opposite. I keep seeing the truth of this as I continue reading in Jeremiah. This book is such a vivid description of man’s selfishly choosing what he wants to do from God’s leadership rather than obeying no matter the cost in man’s mind. I don’t want to live this way any more.
Today our family heads to Oregon for the weekend. Our kids want to be where we spent a lot of time when they were young. This is their mom’s homeland. Just because of the “housing circumstances” I may or may not be consistent with posting through Monday. Just a heads up.
The book of Jeremiah is filled with prophecies which he gave to the people, primarily to the king so that they could be saved from the prophesied warnings . It just didn’t matter how many times they saw God’s message through Jeremiah fulfilled, they still turned their backs and did the opposite. The consequences were just what Jeremiah had told them. They don’t get it, I think. Then, as soon as I think that I am prompted by God’s Spirit to remember the things I’ve recently done which were of my prompting, my selfishness. Did God prompt them or did I know God would not be pleased? It is then that I know I’m no different than any other man. My struggles are the same. I’m still working on my actions so that they better reflect God’s promptings rather than my own. We always have a choice. I sure want to better choose for Him and not for me as my journey continues.
Well, I’m writing today’s blog so you can know I made it on the zipline! The funny thing was that there were four legs to it meaning there were four times we had to step off the landing into open space trusting that single cable to transport us to the next. Well, in each case it did and I’m here to tell you–“it’s worth it!” Well, worth it with the kids, not worth it to just go do.
My devotional reading this morning was addressing care. The scripture was Psalms 55:22, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.” What was brought out in the reading was a twist I’d never thought through before. The twist was what we do when we DON’T cast our cares on the Lord. In these cases we most often run to sinful activities to relieve the stress of the cares not cast away. Most of the things which bring people to Celebrate Recovery would be part of the “sins” used to hide the cares.
I’ve always read verses like this as “nice ones”. God is thoughtful I’d think. I know better than to leave any verse in the category of simply thoughtful. God is ALMIGHTY GOD. Of course He is thoughtful. But, He gives us verses as this so He can replace these cares we worry and fear with genuine TRUST. I’m learning this truth these days for more people than just myself. TRUST GOD. That is what He is telling us to do.
There are a few things in life I’ve been uncertain I’d ever do. One of them is a zipline. Well, today I’m doing this with our kids and grandkids from Oklahoma. So, if you read no more posts, well, you can easily know why! (Actually, I’m looking forward to it).
For several weeks now I’ve felt as though my journey is taking a twist from its original intent. When I started writing this my entire purpose was to continue putting definition to living a life in freedom from the bondage of abuse and, in some cases, continuing to find the freedom not yet found. Of late, it seems more of my writing has been about helping others find their own freedom. I write this and think that all along my intent has been to help others. However, the difference is that now I no longer feel the bondage and no longer have that nudge to hide what I once did have. It is as though I’m living in LIGHT which can see darkness when it comes. Before, I seemed to live in darkness and recognized LIGHT when it came. It is a huge shift, and today I can finally put words to it.
The weekend is past and it seems as though it was a whirlwind–which it was actually. So many people here and so much going on. When everyone finally went home last night my heart was happy that all went well, but my body was simply ready to go to bed. I am amazed over and over again how intimate God is taking care of all the details. These details are truly about relationships becoming healthy.
My grandson is now with the Air Force. He flies to San Antonio, TX this morning and basics begins. His mom and I drove him to Boise after all of our family gathered around him and prayed for him. It was a most touching time experiencing everyone’s good-byes to him. Once again, it showed the importance of family and relationships. There is also the importance of God being at the heart of a family’s relationships. He becomes the one true priority keeping a family focused on being healthy with Him and with each other.
The Mending the Soul class met yesterday morning as we do. I am nothing but amazed how open the men are. My heart grieves when it hears what each man has kept buried for so many years and the damage it has created within their belief systems. Yet, I KNOW God’s healing touch is waiting as His Light begins to penetrate into this darkness. My own journey takes on new meaning as we have each class session. God IS SO GOOD!
I’ve lived a long time to learn just how intimate God is in handling the details of my life. The drama I referenced yesterday in my family was something I knew I couldn’t address and create any health, but I also could see no way even God could. Well, with my limited capacity, and God’s unlimited capacity it was not only addressed, but we had a wonderful day and all the details of it were completed without a hitch. Unexpected details started coming together and when the first one came I knew then God was performing only what He knew to do. AMAZING!
My oldest grandson leaves later this afternoon for his Air Force training. He will spend the night in Boise and fly out in the morning. Once he flies away we can have no contact with him for a few months. Even though that will seem odd, I rejoice in his decision making. He is not just going into the Air Force, but God is leading him. I don’t ask God to go with him for I already know God is the One who opened this door. My grandson is going with God. This makes a grandpa’s heart feel awfully good!
So often through the Gospels one reads that Jesus went off by himself to meditate and pray. When his ministry started he was surrounded by great crowds continually. I can humanly understand why he would need the chance to regroup and allow His Father to minister to him. The thing Jesus understood better than any man is what sin nature did to man. Man’s selfishness always creates chaos and drama when man is together. Jesus knew this and this is why God knew we needed a Savior.
I wrote yesterday about Satan’s attempts to destroy the health of our family. Each early morning I am reminded to use this time as Jesus did–to let our Father speak and minister to me. His Holy Word does this so well and when I journal what is troubling me I am able to do as James wrote in James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds”. Journaling allows me to get the drama out of my system and let me see it for what it is–trials Satan is trying to use to destroy.
This morning when I read this in my devotional it brought a smile to my face. There is only one way to find joy in facing trials of many kinds and that is when we surrender them to the very One Who can and wants to take them. Jesus Christ is the One who can and does stand in the gap of man’s weaknesses and gives us strength when He does. Boy, do I love this about our God and Father and His Son Jesus. In this I can smile and find joy as trials come my way.
Earnie Lewis 