Yesterday brought forth the details of preparation which are needing to be addressed before we can have a healthy start to our fall ministries. It is not easy sometimes to take care of them as the work involves adjusting people who don’t fit the assignment they are presently in. It becomes important to address this with them yet do it through God’s leadership rather than man’s. We presently have a few important adjustments needing to take place. I fond myself dismayed and frustrated when I heard what a few people have said and done as though they were in charge and their actions didn’t matter.

Last night’s lesson in Celebrate Recovery was RELAPSE. In the lesson was some clear guidance I needed to be reminded. Stressful times are used by God to help sculpt us into the new creation He is making us into. We can allow these times to hone us or we can resist them and submit to “earthly ways” which Satan is always tempting us to do. The outcome is always telling. When the stress is handled, does the outcome look like God’s Work or does it look like man has handled this?

As I listened last night to the lesson and applied what I was hearing to the events of the day I knew God was helping me see the steps He wants taken. God’s Work always leaves man in awe. When this happens I always think–how in the world did that come about? I then look up and thank God for His Leadership. He is so GOOD–all the time!

God is Faithful. This is something I can always bank on. When I get overly focused on something I think is critical only to find it isn’t, it was just my thinking, I can always rely on God to bring His Purpose to the forefront. As I personally prepare myself for this coming fall’s kickoff of restoration ministry my mind and passion begin to scream at me with things we MUST do. Yesterday’s meetings at our church brought a sense of calm to all of it and a means to address what needs to be done. I learned a long time ago to take my thinking to others I trust in the profession I worked and see if they agree. Yesterday was one of those days for the ministry work. I truly thank God for giving us people who balance us.

God is good all the time—all the time God is GOOD.

Yesterday’s fishing trip was a day to remember. Taking my 8 and 9 year old grandsons with my younger brother equals memories to keep. Even my brother thanked these two boys for a fun day for him. We didn’t know it at the time we quit at the lake, but we got home with 100 fish, 98 crappie, 1 -8″ bass and 1-12″ perch. We didn’t keep at least that many others. We called this day a fishing success! Last night I pan fried fish in our largest skillet thinking the boys would take the rest home for their mom and siblings. They ate them all! I helped, but I was amazed at how they much they loved them.

Today I’m meeting with a couple of our pastors planning for the big weekend in September when Christopher Yuan comes and then we kickoff our two Restoration Ministries. There is so much I want to have happen to ensure that every single person who ought to be present will be there for the weekend. Then, I pray that every single person who should come to the classes will find the courage to take their step to find the healing for that which haunts them.

This morning God reminds me of Who He Is! He also reminds me that I am free to work for Him, believe in Him, promote Him through the Kingdom Work He wants me connected with. For a moment I reflected on my recent past. I use to be involved in God’s ministry work to hide who I really thought I was. Even though I love doing God’s work, I’d pray it would give me the merit in God’s eyes so I could live with Him forever. Now, these lies I can tell are what God uses to help others step out of their traps set by the evil one as he’d done to me for so long. How amazing our God is!

Today the journey takes us fishing!

I awoke this morning with the weight of the world upon me. Throughout the night I was having dreams which ended with doom or panic because doom was inevitable. As I picked up my phone it registered a text of evil from an unknown sender. I recognize all of this as attacks so I took all of this to God this morning. Once I finally got all of this journaled and asked God what I am to believe from it, He said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, both you and your household.” Acts 16:31. God went on to tell me that my worry is due to an absence of surrender. The weight I sense is an indication for me to surrender. These battles are spiritual ones. Worry is the flesh’s response to a spiritual matter. That is why we are to “not worry”. Instead we are to surrender it and then “believe/trust” that God is Who He says He is–God Almighty.

I have much to learn about all of this, but I am committed to staying the course with God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. This must be what Paul talked about when he said he was running the race. He was definitely a new creation and he was learning to run the race of life that was totally surrendered to God’s Leadership in his life.

Today is my youngest’s birthday. Happy birthday Angie! She wanted to take the kids to the water park for her birthday and just relax. Well, she decided we should do this last night rather than today. As it turned out it was a good choice. Today is about 10 degrees cooler and last night was a blast!

I’m rather stuck of late becoming more and more aware of what it is like to be a new creation. I said yesterday that I’ve come to believe without doubt this is true for me. I’ve known it’s truth for years, but having it anchored in my heart and soul had many doubts. I also said yesterday that this takes place when we ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior. His Work on the Cross paid the price for us. What I didn’t say was the Gift He also gives us at this time. It is the Gift of The Holy Spirit.

When we become a new creation The Holy Spirit is given to us, however, He is the Gentleman that waits until we ask. I have so much to learn and believe in this arena. The Strength of The Holy Spirit is ours upon asking. What I’m also learning is my need to surrender my own personal fighting. Even though I know my fight has lost all my life, I still resort to it when temptation comes instead of immediately surrendering. When I was having my bible reading this morning God reminded me so well of these steps; turn away, call my sponsor, praise Him, and surrender my fight. These steps are easy to take, but boy, does Satan’s minions want us to fight these attacks on our own. They know we will fail again. The Holy Spirit is ready and is naturally God’s Strength. Satan flees in His presence. I want to become mature in this practice but I have a ways to go yet.

Today started early for me. It wasn’t intended on my part but God had it in mind I’m sure. For a couple hours ahead of my typical time for getting, I arose as I couldn’t sleep. I ended up reading a book I had been wanting to, but hadn’t as of yet. Its title is: Holy Sexuality and the Gospel. Its author is Christopher Yuan. I’ve mention him before as a man who has stepped out of the homosexual lifestyle and is coming to speak at our church in September to kickoff our Restoration Ministry classes for the coming year. I have never read anything which clarifies so well the confusion in our present day about sexuality: homosexuality and heterosexuality. God gave us sexuality upon creation and He told us to be Holy. When sin came into the world through Adam and Eve’s sin, sexuality got impacted just as all of man did. The sins of homosexuality and heterosexuality are just that–a consequence of sin. I’m not going to try and explain what the author says in detail, but I’d surely suggest one getting the book and reading it yourself. It is not only good about this topic, but it is good clarifying sin’s impact on life itself.

I appreciate so much finding the freedom to be the new creation from Christ Jesus’ Work on the Cross. The removal of the bondage of my past has given me eyes for sin itself. I can see that God wants me (each of us) to see sin as the consequence of choice. I use to think I had no choice. Sin was done to me and I was that sin. This is no longer owning me. I am still a sinner saved by Grace. But, the truth in that is there is always a choice for us. I choose to live for Christ and quickly repent if I happen to sin. The chains are broken–praise the Lord!

Every day I reread the previous blog before delving into the one for today. Of course, the first thing I saw was my typo. In spite of rereading before I hit publish, these are sometimes missed. I also find myself thinking I didn’t make clear what I was intending. This was true for yesterday. As I read the Bible each morning I walk away thinking we really are like sheep. Sheep do not learn from the mistakes of their elder sheep. They repeat every habit the elder sheep had. We do the same. The Bible makes this very clear. We today are repeating the sins of our forefathers and the nations before us. Man simply wants to make everything about him and not about God. In spite of all God does to enlighten us, we fall prey to our own selfishness, human curiosity and desires.

As I have been on this trek to find depth in the spiritual side of my relationship with God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit, I find that my own consciousness to sin increases. I not only see sin more clearly, I see my own sin much more clearly and realize it is solely mine. I use to categorize sin measured against dad and my brother or some other family member. Today, I clearly see my sin and mine. The good thing is that I do see in this that the bondage of my past is pretty much broken. The reality is that I now clearly see myself as human–no different than my dad, my brother, etc. I am a sinner saved by Grace just as they were.

If there is any difference in my life from theirs, it is that God has given me a chance to live telling my story. I want to help those of my own generation to not walk the path the “other sheep” have taken. It may only be an influence for today, but for those it does touch, it will hopefully strengthen them to keep their eyes on the One True God. More than anything I simply want to obey my Shepherd’s Voice.

Happy Freedom Day! Wwe love today and the freedom our country has because of the hard fought battles giving us the freedom our founding fathers wanted America to know and live. What is happening to our own nation is the connection of our initial freedom to living out God’s Word. Our nation is one under God. We are losing this critical connection of our earthly freedom as a nation from God’s freedom when we follow and live as His Word guides us. I pray we awaken to this reality soon.

Today, more than anything, I praise God for His growing freedom within me. As I was reading in II Samuel 12:14 this morning, it says in part, “…because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme….” This message was delivered to David by Nathan the prophet after his sin with Bathsheba and then having her husband killed. As I was reading through the chapter and read this verse, I was nudged to reread and reflect. In so doing God was showing me the impact of sinfulness today and I’m talking about willful sinfulness by Christians. When anyone of us choose to sin it gives the enemies occasion to blaspheme the Lord. He came to save us. I can just see the evil spirits taunting Christ saying, “Look at him, a lot of good your death on the cross did for him!” I truly want my life to portray the genuineness of Christ’s Work on the Cross throughout the day, every day.

Today as we celebrate our nation’s freedom, lets include our spiritual freedom with it and live fully for Christ Jesus for someday today’s celebration will be minuscule compared to the one when Christ’s return.

Yesterday was such a nice day in many regards. I went to town to get some errands done and wanted to catch a senior discount at a store which has a greenhouse. I could use my discount on plants I wanted to add to a couple flower beds. I got what a wanted, went to the check out to find the discount wasn’t 10% as I’d thought, it was 50%. Talk about making this gardener happy! I saved so much that I went to another greenhouse place and found their plants were 50% off also. I smiled the rest of the day!

I & II Samuel tell all about King Saul and then King David. The books go deeply into the lives of each one and how they responded to God and how God responded to them. As I was reading and then journaling afterwards, I was wrapping my mind around the truth of God being the same God for me today He was for those two 2-3 thousand years ago. Of course my mind immediately went into the truth that God is also the same God for each of the Bible characters. Yet, God is the same God for me, for you, for each of us. This is something I’ve always known. Today however, I am nudged to begin believing it.

As I asked God what He wanted me to believe for today, His response was different. He told me to remove my human boundaries from “believe” and “know” and learn His spiritual boundaries. When I know something I acknowledge that I do know it and I do somewhat the same with believing something–I acknowledge it and then go into my day’s activities. Spiritual knowledge and spiritual belief are eternal–never changing. God said they are part of His Substance. They are anchors to know and believe never budge in any human circumstance. This solid truth is what I put my trust into. I want my walk and talk to be evident of my growing belief system.