Purity 433 06/01/2021 Purity 433 Podcast
Good morning.
Before you jump in the
car and decide to follow in our friend’s footsteps, I advise you to check out
the information on this hike (http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/IH-sugarloaf.html). While Sugar Loaf
Mountain is only the 13th highest peak in the Catskills, the Devil’s
Path is a 6.69-mile loop that takes an average of 5 and a half hours to walk
and is rated “Very Difficult and dangerous.” They say the best time to hike it
is in the morning and with a hike that takes that long you would want to pick a
day where the weather would be free of precipitation.
But our friend did it! In fact, they seem to be on a campaign this
year to explore the Catskills as they have explored other areas and taken
plenty of photos. I personally am
impressed but I tend to like hikes that are less vertical, less time consuming,
and not rated “dangerous”.
What can I say? I was
raised in a small town and while I enjoy camping and hiking to some extent, I
don’t need to get out into the deep wilderness to find what I am looking
for. Just give me the quiet stillness of
a forest trail for a mile or 3 without too many hills and I’m good.
For me, a hike is a great
way to appreciate two things. First, I
love to get out there to appreciate God’s creation and take a few moments to
have some quiet contemplation and to ask God some questions and to thank Him
for all He has done and for all He has provided.
And then second, after I
make my way to my vehicle, I thank God for all the modern conveniences I have to
enjoy and for the home I long to get back too.
The wild places remind
us of the wonder of creation, but they also teach us of the benefits of
civilization and community. We weren’t
made to go it alone in a beautiful and let’s face it, sometimes dangerous,
wilderness. God made us to be relational
beings and to have dominion over the earth.
So as much as I like to get “out there” and see the world, I always
thank God for keeping me company along the way and for bringing me back safely
to the home He has led me to.
This morning’s meditation
verse is:
James 1:5 (NKJV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let
him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him.
Today’s verse encourages us to ask God for wisdom and it assures us that when we do we will receive it. But the key to receiving wisdom from God is asking for it. That might not seem like much but unfortunately most of the world is not seeking the wisdom they can find from God. Most of the world looks to other sources for wisdom and doesn’t ask God for it, or even consider the possibility that God will provide it.
As I believe in a sovereign God who is moving all the events in time and space ultimately towards His purposes, I don’t really believe in coincidences. While every thing that happens might not mean what we think it means, when certain things are brought to our attention, especially when they have to do with God, we should pay attention and share the information or impressions that we have received.
This morning I was reading Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Colossians and a lot of his discussion had to do with wisdom. He wrote:
“in Christ are
"all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). It was not
necessary to introduce any new teaching, for all that a believer needs to know
is related to Jesus Christ. "Teaching every man in all wisdom" was
Paul's concern (Col. 1:28). Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. The false
teachers promised to give people a "hidden wisdom" that would make
them "spiritually elite." But all true spiritual wisdom is found only
in Jesus Christ.”
I was also reading Jay Adam’s commentary on Colossians 2: 8-10 and he wrote:
“All one needs to know to live a life that pleases God is in the Scriptures. Neither philosophy nor psychology is needed as a supplement.”
So if we are seeking wisdom in life, we must seek it from God and His word.
Unfortunately, most people’s opinions regarding faith are based on what someone else said or based on the “common knowledge” that they have gleaned from society.
To have true knowledge and thus wisdom, we need to seek it from the source of all Truth: The Lord God Almighty. God made all of existence. He knows how things work. So endeavor to gain knowledge and wisdom from God and His word. Ask for it and seek the answers that God will give.
As always, 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 begin a new series, and in a way it is an old series.
Over the weekend, I did quite a bit of work on the blog because I wanted to categorize my posts so users could find material that was relevant for their walk. I labeled posts with various topics like depression, suicide prevention, recovery, etc.
My early “Purity” posts had little more than my insights about the photo I shared and some pleasantries. Since then I developed the habit of sharing a Bible verse and a Christian counseling resource.
In my work, I discovered that I resurrected my blog after I had shared all of Anderson’s Victory over the Darkness, and other works, via text. So those all those things I share before Purity 217- aren’t on the blog.
If you can believe it I have Purity 1 through 216 on my phone! I may back those posts up to save them, but I am not sure if I will ever integrate them into blog. What started off as texts to encourage has grown to this and I’m not too sure how much looking back I want to do. But I do think Victory Over the Darkness needs to be available on the blog.
So I have decided to share Victory Over the Darkness
this month. The version I will share is
the 1990 version. The content has since been updated in newer editions since then,
but I felt the updates haven’t really changed the core message of the
book. Today we begin with the
Introduction: Lend Me Your Hope:
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Anderson’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 $15.00:
Lend Me Your Hope
Several years ago in my first pastorate, I committed
myself to disciple a young man in my church. It was my first formal attempt at
one-on-one discipling. Russ and I decided to meet early every Tuesday morning
so I could lead him through an inductive Bible study on the topic of love. We both
began with high hopes. Russ was looking forward to taking some major steps of
growth as a Christian, and I was eager to help him develop into a mature
believer.
Six months later we were still
slogging through the same inductive Bible study on love. We weren't getting
anywhere. For some reason, our Paul-and-Timothy relationship wasn't working.
Russ didn't seem to be growing as a Christian. He felt defeated and I felt
responsible for his defeat—but I didn't know what else to do. Our once high
hopes for Russ's great strides toward maturity had gradually deflated like a
balloon with a slow leak. We eventually stopped meeting together.
Two years later, after I had moved to
another pastorate, Russ came to see me. He poured out the story of what had
been going on in his life during our brief one-on-one relationship—a story that
revealed a secret part of his life I never knew existed. Russ was deeply
involved in sin and unwilling to share his struggle with me. I could sense that
he wasn't free, but I had no clue why this was the case.
At that time, I had little experience
with people in the bondage of sin and was determined to plow on. I thought the
major problem was just his unwillingness to complete the material. Now,
however, I am convinced that my attempts at discipling Russ failed for another
reason.
The apostle Paul wrote, "I gave
you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.
Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.
For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are
you not walking like mere men?" (1 Cor. 3:2, 3,
emphasis added). Apparently, because of unresolved conflicts in their lives,
carnal Christians are not able to receive the solid food of God's Word.
That's when I began to discern that
discipling people to Christian maturity involves much more than leading them
through a step-by-step, 10-week Bible study. We live in a country glutted with
biblical material, Christian books, radio and television, but many Christians
are not moving on to spiritual maturity. Some are no more loving now than they
were 20 years ago. We read in 1 Timothy, "The goal of our instruction
is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5).
Since that time the focus of my
ministry, both as a pastor and a seminary professor, has been the interrelated
ministries of discipling and Christian counseling. I have been a discipler and
a counselor of countless people. I have also taught discipleship and pastoral
counseling at the seminary level and in churches and leadership conferences
across the country and around the world. I have found one common denominator
for all struggling Christians. They do not know who they are in Christ, nor do
they understand what it means to be a child of God. Why not? If "The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God"
(Romans 8:16),
why weren't they sensing it?
As a pastor, I believed that Christ
was the answer and truth would set people free, but I really didn't know how.
People at my church had problems for which I didn't have answers, but God did.
When the Lord called me to teach at Talbot School of Theology, I was searching
for answers myself. Slowly I began to understand how to help people resolve
their personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance by submitting
to God and resisting the devil (see James 4:7).
My seminary education had taught me
about the kingdom of God, but not about the kingdom of darkness and that
"our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against
the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual
forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephes. 6:12).
Through countless hours of intense counseling with defeated Christians, I began
to understand the battle for their minds and how they could be transformed by renewing
their minds.
I am saddened by how we have separated
the ministries of discipleship and counseling in our churches. Christian
discipleship too often has become an impersonal program, although good
theological material is being used. Christian counseling has been intensely
personal, but often lacks good theology. I believe discipleship and counseling
are biblically the same. If you were a good discipler you would be a good
counselor and vice versa. Discipleship counseling is the process where two or more
people meet together in the presence of Christ, learn how the truth of God's
Word can set them free and thus are able to conform to the image of God as they
walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the course of learning this, my
family and I went through a very broken experience. For 15 months I didn't know
whether my wife, Joanne, was going to live or die. We lost everything we had.
God gave me something very dear to me that I could not fix. No matter what I
did, nothing changed. God brought me to the end of my resources, so I could
discover His. That was the birth of Freedom in Christ Ministries. Nobody
reading this book knows any better than I do that I can't set anybody free;
only God can do that. I can't bind up anybody's broken heart; only God can do
that. He is the Wonderful Counselor. Brokenness is the key to effective
ministry and the final ingredient for discipleship counseling. Message and
method had come together.
Furthermore, it is my conviction that
discipleship counseling must start where the Bible starts: We must have a true
knowledge of God and know who we are as children of God. If we really knew God,
our behavior would change radically and instantly. Whenever heaven opened to
reveal the glory of God, individual witnesses in the Bible were immediately and
profoundly changed. I believe that the greatest determinant of mental and
spiritual health and spiritual freedom is a true understanding of God and a
right relationship with Him. A good theology is an indispensable prerequisite to
a good psychology.
Several weeks after one of my
conferences, a friend shared with me the story of a dear Christian woman who
had attended. She had lived in a deep depression for several years. She
survived by leaning on her friends, three counseling sessions a week and a
variety of prescription drugs.
During the conference this woman
realized that her support system included everybody and everything but God. She
had not cast her anxiety on Christ and she was anything but dependent on Him.
She took her conference syllabus home and began focusing on her identity in
Christ and expressing confidence in Him to meet her daily needs. She threw off
all her other supports (a practice I do not recommend) and decided to trust in
Christ alone to relieve her depression. She began living by faith and renewing
her mind as the conference notes suggested. After one month she was a different
person. Knowing God is indispensable to maturity and freedom.
Another point at which discipling and
counseling intersect is in the area of individual responsibility. People who
want to move forward in Christian maturity can certainly benefit from the
counsel of others, and those who seek freedom from their past can also be
helped by others. Ultimately, however, every Christian is responsible for his
or her own maturity and freedom in Christ. Nobody can make you grow. That's
your decision and daily responsibility. Nobody can solve your problems for you.
You alone must initiate and follow through with that process. Thankfully,
however, none of us walks through the disciplines of personal maturity and
freedom alone. The indwelling Christ is eagerly willing to walk with us each
step of the way.
This book is the first of two books I
have written from my education and experience in discipling and counseling
others. This book focuses on the foundational issues of living and maturing in
Christ. You will discover who you are in Christ and how to live by faith. You
will learn how to walk by the Spirit and be sensitive to His leading. The grace
walk is living by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
In this book you will discover the
nature of the battle for your mind and learn why your mind must be transformed
so you can live by faith and grow spiritually. You will gain insight into how
to manage your emotions and be set free from the emotional traumas of your past
through faith and forgiveness.
In my second book, The Bondage
Breaker (Harvest House Publishers), I focus on our freedom in Christ and
the spiritual conflicts that affect Christians today. Being alive and free in
Christ is an essential prerequisite for maturity in Christ. We cannot achieve
instant maturity. It will take us the rest of our lives to renew our minds and
conform to the image of God, but it doesn't take as long to realize our identity
and freedom in Christ. The world, the flesh and the devil are enemies of our
sanctification, but they have been and can be overcome in Christ.
I suggest that you complete this book
first, learn about living and growing in Christ, then work through the subjects
of spiritual conflicts and freedom by reading The Bondage Breaker.
Victory over the Darkness is
arranged something like a New Testament Epistle. The first half of the book
lays a doctrinal foundation and defines terms that are necessary for understanding
and implementing the more practical chapters that follow. You may be tempted to
skip over the first half because it seems less relevant to daily experience. It
is critical, however, to discern your position and victory in Christ so you can
implement the practices of growth in Him. You need to know what to believe
before you can understand what to do.
I have talked to thousands of people
like Russ, my first discipleship candidate. They are Christians, but they are
not growing and they are not bearing fruit. They want to serve Christ, but they
can't seem to get over the top and get on with their lives in a meaningful and
productive way. They need to have their hope reestablished in Christ, as the
following poem describes:
Lend me your hope for awhile,
I seem to have mislaid mine.
Lost and hopeless feelings accompany me daily,
pain and confusion are my companions.
I know not where to turn;
looking ahead to future times does not bring forth images
of renewed hope.
I see troubled times, pain-filled days, and more tragedy.
Lend me your hope for awhile,
I seem to have mislaid mine.
Hold my hand and hug me;
listen to all my ramblings, recovery seems so far distant.
The road to healing seems like a long and lonely one.
Lend me your hope for a while,
I seem to have mislaid mine.
Stand by me, offer me your presence, your heart and your
love.
Acknowledge my pain, it is so real and ever present.
I am overwhelmed with sad and conflicting thoughts.
Lend me your hope for a while;
a time will come when I will heal,
and I will share my renewal, hope and love with others.
Do these words reflect your experience and echo your plea
as a believer? Do you sometimes feel hemmed in by the world, the flesh and the
devil to the point that you wonder if your Christianity is worth anything? Do
you sometimes fear you will never be all God called you to be? Do you long to
get on with your Christian maturity and experience the freedom God's Word
promises?
I want to share my hope with you in
the pages ahead. Your maturity is the product of time, pressure, trials,
tribulations, the knowledge of God's Word, an understanding of who you are in
Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. You probably already
have the first four elements in abundance; most Christians do. Let me add some
generous doses of the last three ingredients. When Christians are alive and
free in Christ, watch them grow!
Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ.
----------------------------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, 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
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