Purity 393 04/15/2021 Purity 393 Podcast
Good morning.
I grabbed this photo at
the time because I thought it was a good “Thursday – journey - pathway” photo
because it shows someone with an uncertain or narrow path ahead of them. I teach a discipleship class tonight, with
the topic of forgiveness, and the pathway of forgiveness can be one that many
don’t want to take. The obstacles of
forgiving someone who has harmed or offended you can be numerous. Contemplating forgiving someone can be as
unappealing as going through the narrow water-pathway that’s displayed in today’s
photo. But as our kayaking friend would assure you, it’s a pathway that you can
make it through and there is a whole life of freedom, peace, and joy waiting for
you on the other side.
The captive that we set
free when we forgive is ourselves. So if
you have bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart towards someone, I pray
that you take it to the Lord and allow Him to help you to forgive them in your
heart.
I also pray for our friend
at Hudson Valley Kayaking because I only just discovered this morning that they
broke their collar bone two days ago and they are restricted from any paddling
or kayaking! I’m not sure what happened
but they posted that they were mad at themselves. I shared that we are praying for their comfort
and healing and that they will use the down time to explore other avenues,
assuring them that they may suffer broken bones but there is nothing that can
break their adventurous spirit.
Sometimes we make
mistakes in life and get so mad at ourselves we can’t forgive ourselves. I hope that’s not the case with our kayaking
friend or anyone else reading or hearing this message.
If we put our faith in Christ,
God forgives us. When we accept that we
should realize the Creator of all things has let us off the hook and that it is
only foolish and prideful to not do the same for ourselves.
So forgive those who
offended you, forgive yourself, and keep walking and talking with God. He will bring you through all the turbulent
waters and bring you to a good place.
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This morning’s meditation
verse is:
John 14:3
(NKJV)
3 And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also.
Today’s verse contains a basic foundation for our hope and our faith in Jesus Christ. Do we believe Jesus when He says this? The promises of security and fellowship with the Lord lie in the words of this short verse.
Do you believe that Christ has prepared a place for us?
Do you believe He will come again?
Do you believe that He will be with us?
In order to believe these things that Jesus said we have no choice but to believe that He is the Son of God and God the Son.
These statements make a claim to the unseen realm of eternity that will some day be fully manifested into the universe’s experience. These aren’t just statements from a wise teacher. These statements say that Jesus will go into the great mystery beyond life and death to prepare a place us and will fulfill the words of this promise by returning to establish a new heaven and a new earth.
When we believe this truth, we are assured of our ultimate peace and security as we have been personally called out to be with the Lord forever. What that will actually be like is a fantastic mystery that we can only speculate about but verses like this one and those in the book of Revelation assure us that it will be good.
When we trust in the Lord Jesus to deliver the world from the darkness that envelopes it, we can have a peace that transcends understanding by being assured that in Christ everything truly is going to be alright because He will be with us always.
In Christ there is nothing to fear for He has gone to prepare a place for us, and we will be with Him forever.
I invite all to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue to share from Dr. H. Norman Wright’s “Experiencing
Grief
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Wright’s books for your own private study and
to support his work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
Chapter 8.
The Questions of Grief
The next scenes or groupings of your feelings could be
described as a time of suffering and disorganization or even chaos.
The trance is over. We will talk about scenes rather than stages, for stages
vary depending on whom you read. And there are those who bypass some stages.
After the numbness wears off, the pain of separation comes. Sometimes you may
wish you could go back to the initial stage of numbness or shock. At least
there the pain wasn't so intense. There is an intense longing for the return of
the person you lost—for the sight of them, the sound of them, their smell, and
just knowing he or she could walk through that door again. One person described
the loss of a loved one as "like a having a tree that has been growing in
one's heart yanked out by its roots, leaving a gaping hole or wound." And
a question begins to form on your lips—Why?
You may be asking why? countless times a day right now. You may be shouting
it and shaking your fist, or you may not be asking why? Either way is all
right. You may wonder, Do I have the right to ask why? Who is to say you
don't have the right? Regardless of what you hear, you will probably ask. Job
asked the question sixteen times. Others asked as well. Why is not just
a question—it's a heart-wrenching cry of protest. It's the reaction of
"No, this shouldn't be! It isn't right!" Others asked. Listen to
their cry.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matt. 27:46)
Why, O Lord, do you stand far
off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Ps. 10:1)
How long, O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Ps. 13:1-2)
Ken Gire writes: "Painful questions, all of them. Unanswered questions,
many of them. And we, if we live long enough and honestly enough, one day we
will ask them, too."
You could be asking them even now.
"Why?" is saying "I need some explanation. I need some
answers." Having no answer can feed our anger. There is another side
question to this issue. Would any answer suffice at this time? Is there any
answer that would put the question to rest? More than likely the answer is,
"No, not really." Answers don't always make the pain go away. But
don't let others keep you from voicing your pain. Don't be offended by their
answers. Even though they don't know the answer, they may be trying to help
you.
Keep asking because in time a transformation of your question could occur.
One day your why will turn into "What can I do to grow through this
experience?" and "How will my life be stronger now?" Faith is
involved in this process. On one hand you will ask why and on the other hand
say, "I will learn to live by faith." Faith is many things. It
is not knowing the answer to the why and being willing to wait for an answer.
Eventually you may say, "I really don't need the answer in order to go
on." Some say not knowing makes recovery difficult, but could it be that
knowing could make it even more difficult? We hope an explanation will lessen
the hurt. It won't. Job asked and asked and asked again, but the silence of God
was loud. Habakkuk, the prophet, cried out and asked why, but the silence of
God was loud. Even though Habakkuk never received an answer, he came to the
place of acceptance:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will be joyful in God my Savior, (Hab. 3:17-18)
Ken Gire said, "In times of upheaval, a voice from heaven says, 'Be
still and know that I am God.' It doesn't say, 'Be still and know why.' In a
distant day the gradual sacrament of understanding may be offered to us."
Accepting the silence could be one of your steps in moving on.
According to Craig Barnes, "God is often silent when we prefer that he
speak, and he interrupts us when we prefer that he stay silent. His ways are
not our ways.
"To live with the sacred God of creation means that we conduct our
lives with a God who does not explain himself to us. It means that we worship a
God who is often mysterious—too mysterious to fit our formulas for better
living."
In spite of lingering questions, it is still possible to worship God. It is
possible to recognize God for who he is and still say, "Why?" "I
don't like this." "Answer me!" "Where were you?" and
"I don't understand. Help me!"
The struggle to pray at this time is not unusual. But at times it's as
though the words stick in your mind and can't get past your lips. The
questions, concerns, pleas, and requests are there, but somehow they're
derailed in your attempt to express them to God. You may know how to pray but
not at this time. You may just sit and say, "Oh God, oh Jesus," again
and again. Your suffering has overridden your ability to pray. Paul talked
about this. During times like these God not only knows and understands your hurts
and desires but provides the Holy Spirit to intercede for you "with groans
that words cannot express" (Rom. 8:26).
Here is a prayer from centuries ago that may help you face each day. Others
have said it's helpful to pray this out loud.
I arise today
through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me.
—St. Patrick, 433
Your feelings will come and go often for some unknown reason. At other times
they will erupt because of some triggers that activated them. Being around
certain people will give you a sense of comfort and safety, whereas with others
you may experience tension. Going to certain stores, restaurants, or even
driving on a certain street can bring back the loss and sadness. These are
triggers, and often they are sights, sounds, and even smells. Understanding
which ones trigger pleasant or unpleasant memories and emotions can help you
know what to move toward and what to move away from during this journey.
Experiencing Grief.
----------------------------more
tomorrow-------------------------
God bless
you all!
Join our
Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class 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) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D
Email me
at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be
encouraged.
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