Purity 338: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

 Purity 338  02/10/2021  Purity 338 Podcast

Good morning!

Today’s photo comes from a friend in San Rafael, California who took this pic on New Year’s Day of 2021.  It’s not a UFO, but merely one of the wonders of nature (along with parking lot lighting and some reflective phenomenon from my friend’s phone). It shows hundreds, if not thousands, of starling’s celebrated the new year by flying in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns through out the sky, a phenomenon known as murmuration. 

My friend also took video of this event but because of my lack of technical finesse, or the limitations of FB, I wasn’t able to share it.  I did find a video on YouTube by someone in the same area of California that captured the same phenomenon, a week or so earlier, if you wanted to see this phenomenon for yourself go to mt4christ.org and click on the link: (https://youtu.be/N5YVntc8D2g ).   

The beauty of the heavens, the wonders of nature, and the design it points to should give us hope that our lives are not just a random phenomenon that will pass away into nothingness. 

God reveals Himself in nature.  He wants us to find the meaning and purpose behind our lives.

While our individual lives have their own unique potentials and plans, God wants all of us to seek Him and His ways for our lives. 

Christ said that we were to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.  Often humanity takes that second commandment as their marching orders for life, but I would like to point out that we have to make first things first by building our relationship with God and experiencing His love before we can adequately love one another.  

So seek the Lord and His love. When you find it, pass it on to others because our world desperately needs it.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Psalm 86:12 (NLT2)
¹² With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever,

An aspect of our Christian faith that should bear evidence of our relationship with God is our praise.  

 As I prepare for another week of teaching and as I have recently counseled a few brothers on their path to discipleship, I realize that there seems to be a dynamic to our faith that can limit our developing the fruit of the Spirit, particularly the fruit of peace and joy.     

 I emphasize the relational or experiential knowledge as being critical to a Christian life that is marked by freedom and victory and sometimes wonder why my counselees don’t seem “to get it”.    Their lack of progress, assurance, trust or confidence reveals that while they can say the right things like “I am a child of God”, they haven’t fully embraced their identity in Christ. They still worry about falling into sin, despite an extended period of victory. 

 Instead of worrying about the next sin, why aren’t they claiming their identity and their freedom from it?  If they would just believe they are set free, I believe the struggles would decrease.  By worrying about falling, they are revealing that they doubt what they are supposed to embrace.  The worry and doubts are showing that a part of them doesn’t “really” believe that they are spiritually alive and have been given freedom from sin.   

 When we “really” believe we have been saved and we really have been given spiritual life, our belief is reflected in our lives.  

 Our praise is not only an evidence of our belief, but it can be a means by which our belief is brought to a relational or experiential level as our hearts and minds become united in their love and knowledge of the Lord.  

 Our praise is shown through or giving thanks to the Lord, by worshiping Him in song, and through our prayers and sharing our faith.  

 When we really believe we are His and have been made spiritually alive, our praise is natural expression of the change that has taken place in our lives and our praises act to deepen our love of God.  

 So praise Him! With all your heart!  Because when you realize the freedom and victory you have in Christ doesn’t go away but grows and matures, you will give glory to His name forever!

 I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 Today we will continue to share from Dr. June Hunt’s Biblical Counseling Keys on “Self-Worth: Discovering Your God-given Worth”.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work:

C. How to Get Rid of Your Guilt

Dorie understands the waves of guilt with which countless victims struggle. Victims of childhood sexual abuse typically struggle with guilt even though they are not guilty of the abuse. A reason for the ongoing after-the-fact guilt is that they think or wonder whether they could have taken actions to lessen or stop the abuse. And because everyone has periodic sin (not doing what is right in God's sight, whether in attitude or action), false guilt can get tangled together with true guilt.

Being pounded by prolonged guilt can strike a most damaging blow to your sense of worth, leaving you feeling dejected, discouraged, and demoralized. The problem with guilt is that it wears two faces — one is true, the other false.

• False guilt is Satan's way to shame you, condemn you, and produce disabling discouragement in you.
• True guilt is God's loving way to convict you, correct you, and conform you into the image of Christ so that you will reflect His character more accurately.

Godly sorrow over true guilt moves you to repentance, forgiveness, and freedom. Worldly sorrow produced by false guilt moves you to depression, despair, and death. In order to know how to get rid of your guilt, you need to identify whether it is true or false. Then you can respond accordingly. ...

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."
(2 Corinthians 7:10)

• False guilt arises when you blame yourself even though you've committed no wrong, or when you continue to blame yourself after you've confessed the wrong and turned from your sin.
• False guilt is not resolved by confession because it is not based on sin but on false accusations aimed at making you feel unforgiven and unaccepted by God. The truth is ...

"The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down."
(Revelation 12:10)

• False guilt can be resolved by conferring with wise, objective persons — mature Christians — to help you determine whether the guilt you are feeling is false. If it is false guilt, remind yourself and your adversary, Satan: (1) that you are not guilty or (2) that you were guilty but have been forgiven by God. The Bible gives this assurance ...

"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
(Romans 8:1)

• True guilt refers to the fact of your being at fault.
• True guilt requires payment of a penalty so that fellowship with God and others can be restored.
• True guilt can be forgiven by God as you admit you have sinned and confess your sin to Him.

Pray, "Heavenly Father, I confess my sin of (          ) to You,
and I am willing to turn from it. Thank You for Your forgiveness.
I will rely on the power of Christ within me to overcome my times of temptation.
Thank You for Your grace and mercy toward me.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen."

When you deal with your guilt God's way, God's Word says ...

"... as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."
(Psalm 103:12)

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Self-Worth: Discover Your God-Given Worth.

 

-----------------------------more tomorrow -------------------------

 

God bless you all!

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship