Purity 408 05/03/2021 Purity 408 Podcast
Good morning.
I also like the way this
barn is featured in this photo and consider this an appropriate metaphor for
the dawning of a new work week. While I
have decided to enjoy another week away from my corporate job, my “stay-cation”
should have a fair amount of work as I seek to complete the preparations for
all the lessons to my upcoming class on Neil Anderson’s The Bondage Breaker
where I will be actively seeking to expose the methods that the powers of
darkness utilize to disrupt our lives.
The New Testament
documents the reality of the unseen realm of the kingdom of darkness and
Anderson’s work confirms that the demonic powers that afflicted people in the
past are still active today. Anderson’s experience in counseling demonstrates
that many mental, emotional, and physical ailments in the world today have a
spiritual cause.
While it can be
difficult to discern whether the things that ail us, or the negative thoughts
that plague us, are due to the influence of demonic spirits, are physical, or
are just caused by errors in our thinking, the good news is that remedy is the
same: the application of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Standing in the
authority of our identity in Christ provides us with the spiritual power to
overcome whatever problems that will face us in this life. If our problems are mental, our identity in
Christ provides the foundation of good mental health as we are affirmed as
accepted, significant, and secure in the eyes of God and are given a purpose
for living. If our problems are
physical, our faith gives us the power to receive healing or to be content with
life even if it shouldn’t come. If our
problems are caused by demonic interference, our identity in Christ gives us
the spiritual authority and power to resist the devil and to make Him
flee.
So as we face another
work week and another week of problems, be assured that all the answers lie in
your relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. When we live our lives in the confidence of
who we are in Christ and when we continually seek His guidance and presence,
even the smallest amount of light in our lives has the power to dispel the
deepest darkness.
So keep walking and
talking with God. When you do, you will
realize that the greatest source of light isn’t on some distant horizon. The greatest source of light is with you.
(An Audio version of this message is available
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, you
can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and
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This morning’s meditation
is:
Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
1 In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.
Today’s verse is the first verse in the Bible and answers the fundamental question of our existence: Where did we come from?
While another certain philosophy of life refers to “beginningless time” as vehicle that drives most of their reasonings for compassion for one another with the idea that with “beginningless time” we all were each other’s mothers at one time, today’s verse tells us that there was a beginning to our time that started with God creating the heavens and the earth. So as much as I would love to receive infinite gifts and greetings from all of you next Sunday on Mother’s Day, the word of God sort of throws a monkey wrench in that eastern philosophy’s reasoning.
If you need a reason to be compassionate to others, I would offer Christ’s command to love your neighbor’s as yourself. I don’t have to be your mother and you don’t have to be mine in order for us to have compassion for one another. By that rationale of “beginningless time”, I could claim to be the mother of the virgin Mary, or Christ Himself. To hold this multiverse theory of personal existence together not only do you need beginningless time, but you also need infinite lives.
Now while the imagination can create all kinds of scenarios, just because we can imagine something doesn’t mean it’s true.
As for infinite lives, the word of God tells us that we each live once and then are judged.
Our faith as Christians stands on Jesus Christ, the living word of God, who while on earth affirmed the truth of the Scriptures.
So if you
believe in the power of Christ to save, you must believe in the word of
God. While the Bible can be a tough pill
to swallow at times, it is the prescription for life and godliness ordered for
us by the Creator of all time and space.
Instead of challenging or doubting the scriptures and putting forth our best explanations for existence, the scriptures were given to us with the intention to provide us with truth and comfort.
If we believe Genesis 1:1, that our existence started with God, we can draw the logical conclusion that they will end with God. If we believe God made it all, we can believe that He made it all for a reason and that the rest of scripture can teach us how things will play out.
If you believe this first verse, take the next step, and believe the whole counsel of God. When you do, your purpose becomes clear, and all the fears of life fade away in light of the ultimate love and purpose that God is drawing us to.
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 23.
How Your Life Will Change
Most
traveling the path of grief don't see value in the accompanying suffering. In
and of itself suffering doesn't have any value. It is what you do with it that
brings value. The suffering you experience at this time can lead to some kind
of resurrection within you. Grief can awaken a strength, a dormant talent, a
never used ability, a never before discovered perspective on life, a new sense
of compassion for the struggles and hurts of others, or a new relationship with
God. A time of good-bye forces us to make a change in our life and discover
what is unfinished within us. The suffering of grief can become a refinement. A
time will come when you discover the refinement—perhaps today or tomorrow—but
you will make a discovery.
You are not the only one concerned about your recovery. Others will talk to
you about it. They want you to recover but probably sooner than you will. And
what they mean by recovery may be different from what actually occurs. They'll
probably want you back the way you were. But recovery is more about you
learning to live with your loss and adjusting to your new life. You will carry
a psychic scar, like a scar following physical surgery. It won't interfere with
your life, but under certain conditions it may be noticeable.
Your life is going to be full of changes. It already is. These can be
positive or negative, growth producing or limiting. At first your life will be
diminished by it, but in time it can be enhanced again. Will this loss
eventually be a catalyst for growth or remain mired in grief? Perhaps at this
point in time you're questioning whether there will be anything positive coming
from this loss. It's all right to question this possibility.
Those who lose a loved one in death and move forward become more aware and
more sensitive to the loved ones they still have. They develop a commitment to
living life more fully. Values are evaluated, and usually relationships are
enhanced. Priorities toward family members are reordered. Many find a new depth
to their relationship with God. The energy of pain and rage is directed toward
meaningful activities. But all of these positives are a choice. They are the
result of a journey, one of pain and growth.
Recovery will not mean that you forget your loved one or the life you
had together. It doesn't mean that you won't feel pain again; be reminded by
songs, sights, or sounds; have a mixture of feelings on holidays; or that you
won't mourn any longer. But you have to learn to mourn so it doesn't interfere
with your new "normal," your new lifestyle.
The author of The Empty Chair said:
God does not want us to forget our past. God does not
want us to forget the good times, the hard times, the success, the mistakes.
God does not ask that you forget that wonderful, or at times conflictual
relationship. The battle is over for your loved one. Death has come. Now you
can experience his or her victory of a new life while constructing memories for
yourself of your past life with your loved one.
You will always have a relationship with those you lost. Recovery means you
will remember them realistically. You will remember the good as well as the
bad, the happy and the sad times of your relationship as well. It will be more
of a historical remembering rather than an emotional one. Any identification
you have with this person is healthy.
When you forget your loss for a while, you won't feel like you are betraying
your loved one. You no longer hold on to the pain to stay connected with your
loved one. You have healthy amounts of holding on and letting go.
Your emotional energy has been withdrawn from the person to invest
elsewhere, and you're comfortable with this. If you and your loved one are
believers in Jesus Christ, you look forward to being reunited again someday.
Perhaps you, like others, have questions about recovering. Does it mean
forgetting the emotional pain of your loss? Forget? No. There will always be a
small core that will emerge at unexpected times for many years. Will you ever
be able to move on with your life? Yes. Definitely, yes.
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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