Swamped – Walking out of the Muck and Mire – Purity 519
Purity 519 09/09/2021 Purity 519 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s photo of a gravel road running along side
an emerald green swamp into a forest wilderness beyond comes to us from yours
truly as I was recently working near the Charleston State Forest in Esperance NY
out on Sara Lib Road. The bright green
algae on the swamp caught my eye as I was driving by and decided to take a
moment to enjoy the silence and to take a few shots to capture that vivid green
of the swamp lands. There are a few additional photos on the blog today if you
want to see more.
Well, It’s Thursday and I share today’s photo that
features a road as an invitation for my friends to join me on the path of
Christian Discipleship by taking an eleven week journey to deepen your faith
through the Freedom in Christ course I will begin presenting this evening,
locally at Rock Solid Church in Hudson NY at 6:30 pm, and nationally or
internationally via the mt4Christ247 podcast.
The Freedom in Christ course comes from Freedom in
Christ Ministries and its material is a collaborative effort from Dr. Neil Anderson
and Steve Goss, FICM’s international Director, and also includes personal
testimonies from FICM presenters, Daryl Fitzgerald, and Nancy Maldonado. I am well versed in FICM’s materials and know
that God can use them to heal and transform Christians who wish to draw close
to Him and experience their freedom in Christ.
After coming to faith in Christ, we can often feel
like we are stuck some where between heaven and hell as we know that the Lord
has given us a new life, but we feel like we are stuck in the muck and mire of
our old ways and can’t escape. We can
feel like we are a failure or even doubt if we are a Christian because although
we said the prayer that gave us the hope of heaven, we are still dealing with
the hell that our life choices have put us in, or we are just floundering to
keep our enthusiasm for our faith because nothing seems to have changed.
This transitional period of life in the Christian
faith and this idea of being stuck, as if we are in a swamp, reminds me of:
Psalm 40:2 (NLT2) which says:
2 He lifted me out of the pit
of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and
steadied me as I walked along.
Psalm 40 is an awesome psalm to inspire your faith
walk. So if you need some inspiration you should look it up and read the whole psalm,
but I wanted to point out this verse because it indicates what God has done for
us and what we are supposed to do now.
When we heard that gospel message and put our
faith in Christ, God rescued us and lifted us out of the pit of despair. He
placed us on the solid ground that is faith in Christ and steadied us once and
for all. No matter what we may face in
life, if we have placed our faith in Christ, we have the solid ground of our
salvation and identity in Christ to stand upon.
But we may still be covered with the mud and mire
that we acquired from a lifetime of living independently of God and through the
consequences of poor decisions. So we
are supposed to stand on the solid rock of our faith and walk towards the Lord to
leave the darkness of our pasts behind and to walk into the new life of purpose
and meaning that God has for us.
If there was only some regimented way to become
built up in our faith that could educate and encourage us to walk into the
freedom we have in Christ!?
Well, I’m offering a free class to assist people with
that, starting tonight. So if you want to leave the muck and mire of the world behind
and live a life that is anchored by the love and wisdom of God come to class or
listen to the class via the mt4christ247 podcast.
Is this the only way to go on the path of
Christian Discipleship? No, of course not, but if you are hearing or reading
this message it just might be the way that the Lord is calling you to pursue.
So step out in faith and follow where the Lord
leads you. As long as you trying to draw
close to God and are walking towards God’s will for your life, I would say you
are going in the right direction. So
keep walking and talking with God, He has lifted you out of the pit of despair
and will steady you as you walk along towards your new life and freedom in Christ.
Today’s verse is drawn from” from the Dr. Charles Stanley’s In Touch Ministries provided resource: “Freedom: Our Life in Christ” Memory Verse Cards set:
This morning’s meditation
verse is:
Galatians 5:1 (NASB)
1 It was for freedom that
Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to
a yoke of slavery.
Today’s verse plain
speaks of why the Lord has chosen us and instructs us to live out our
purpose.
In our struggles of
trying to be conformed to the image of Christ, we can get to a point where we
question why God bothered to save us at all.
We may ask: why did God choose me? Why did He set me free?
Galatians 5:1
answers that question. Why did the Lord
set you free? For freedom!
What? Are we
answering the question by just rephrasing the question into an answer or what?
It’s like asking, “Why
did I win the game?” And being told that you were chosen to win, so you could
win!
If we don’t grasp
the meaning of what the Lord is telling us here, through the Apostle Paul, we
can think we are being played the fool to some form of circular reasoning. But it’s not that. This verse speaks of our
purpose!
You were set free so
you could live free, continually, in freedom.
Free from what? The yoke of
bondage. What’s the yoke of bondage? The yoke of bondage is the sin or negative
mind states that you were enslaved to that kept, or keeps, you from
experiencing the fruit of the Spirit.
You can identify your
personal yoke of bondage by examining your life and asking yourself what is
keeping you from experiencing Peace, love, joy, kindness, faithfulness, patience,
goodness, gentleness, and self-control.
That’s a long list
of fruit to realize and there may be a complex situation of many factors that is
keeping you from experiencing them. So
what do we do?
We stand firm in our
identity in Christ and surrender to the Lord’s leading to help us not be
subject to our yoke of bondage again. It
very well could be a long process to experience all the fruit of the Spirit in
our lives, but the Lord will steady us in our walk as we grow in our faith and
in our freedom.
It was for freedom
that we have been set free! That’s our purpose: freedom. So let’s endeavor to
realize our purpose by humbling ourselves and following the Lord’s ways for our
lives. Our realizing our freedom is not
about instant perfection, it’s about progress.
Every step and decision we make to follow the Lord is another step
towards freedom.
So keep walking with
God and enjoy the increasing freedom that comes from standing firm in our faith
and allowing Him to transform our lives.
As
always, I invite all to go 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 June Hunt’s
Boundaries: How to Set Them, How to Keep Them.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
II. Characteristics
The best way to describe the relationship between figure skaters Nancy
Kerrigan and Tonya Harding is . . . icy.
It's 1994 and the XVII Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, are just six
weeks away. The skaters will first compete against each other at the United
States Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Michigan. Nancy is favored to
win the Olympic trials competition and is at the rink a couple of days ahead of
time to practice her backspins and jumps. She exits the rink temporarily and
walks toward a backstage area, never imagining even for a moment that she will
become the victim of a crossed boundary . . . a boundary concerning violence.
The Bible has strong words for those who pursue violence. . . .
"The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love
violence, he hates with a passion."
A. What Differentiates Bad Boundaries from Beneficial Boundaries?
Nancy Kerrigan suddenly is approached by a man wielding a weapon resembling
a police baton, and he does the unthinkable where a figure skater is concerned
. . . he clubs her on her right knee.
The elegant skater now writhes in pain and anguish, buckling to the floor
and bemoaning her probable withdrawal from the competition. After a medical
examination, it is determined that Nancy, indeed, is not fit to skate and will
need time to heal in order to try to be ready for the Olympics. Meanwhile,
Tonya, her fierce competitor, glides to victory and is dubbed the U.S.
champion.
But eyebrows start to raise when the assailant and his three cohorts are
identified, exposing close connections to . . . Tonya. In the tragic
scenario . . . bad boundaries abound.
Scripture gives clear warning concerning those who are engaged in evil
schemes. . . .
"Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their
beds! At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their power to do
it."
Setting and respecting boundaries is a two-way street. It becomes a loving
approach to your relationship with others. Sometimes it becomes necessary to
reestablish and reinforce your boundaries when they have been violated.
People who have never had appropriate boundaries or who have no boundaries
at all may not be aware when they step across another person's boundary line.
In addition, they will likely fail to recognize when they should set and
communicate appropriate boundaries for themselves.
Those who have healthy, beneficial boundaries are generally quick to
recognize unhealthy, bad boundaries in others. The goal then becomes that of
maintaining boundaries while seeking to convey the value . . . the necessity .
. . of everyone establishing loving, beneficial boundaries in their own lives.
. . .
"The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and
understanding. . . . for he guards the course of the just and protects the way
of his faithful ones. . . . Discretion will protect you, and understanding will
guard you."
(Proverbs 2:6,
8, 11)
In seeking to distinguish bad boundaries from beneficial ones in your own life
or in the life of another, be aware of the following differences. . . .
Bad Boundaries
vs. Beneficial Boundaries |
|
Bad Boundaries |
Beneficial
Boundaries |
• You define yourself based on what others say or feel
about you and will do almost anything to feel accepted by them. |
• You know that you are accepted by God and created by Him
for a unique purpose and that you must define yourself based on who He says
you are! |
"Accept
one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to
God." |
|
• You do not express your
opinion out of fear that people will not agree with you. This leaves you
feeling inferior. |
• You are not afraid to express yourself, although doing
so can leave you open to criticism, rejection, and hurt. |
"God
has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
mind." |
|
• You isolate yourself in order
to minimize suffering, and you see yourself as a victim. . . . You don't ask
for what you need. |
• Even at the risk of being hurt, you form relationships
based on mutual respect and see yourself as healed of past hurts. |
"Heal
me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the
one I praise." |
|
• You seek out many people but
do not trust anyone. |
• Although not everyone is trustworthy, you have a few
trustworthy "forever" friends in your life. |
"One
who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who
sticks closer than a brother." |
|
• You are enmeshed in
relationships, but have little true intimacy. You retreat deep within
yourself, concealing your innermost feelings. You feel that it is unsafe to
love and be loved so you do not let down your guard with others. |
• You have many acquaintances but choose to be totally
open, truly transparent, and deeply intimate with only those who have proved
themselves to be safe and to always have your best interest at heart. |
"A
friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of
adversity." |
|
• You are inconsistent when
enforcing your boundaries . . . yet, when you do decide to draw the line, you
overreact and become overbearing, rigid, and inflexible. |
• Your boundaries are flexible, yet consistent. You can be
assertive without being aggressive. . . . You are tender and straightforward,
firm, and respectful when setting your personal boundaries. |
"All
you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'. . . ." |
|
• You use emotional manipulation
to get your needs met because you view disagreeing with someone as attacking
them, and you don't want to risk their getting angry. |
• You can express what you want and how you feel in a
forthright way while also being sensitive, dialoguing in a spirit of mutual
openness and discovery. |
"The
tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its
fruit." |
|
• You learn to use boundaries as
a weapon against others, to exert power over them, to deceive them, and to
keep them off balance or at a safe distance. |
• You do not use boundaries as a weapon against others,
but to demonstrate your desire to maintain healthy, honest, God-honoring
relationships. |
"Therefore
each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for
we are all members of one body." |
|
• You cannot see the ways you
allow others to mistreat you or the ways you mistreat others. |
• Your boundaries help you identify how others are
mistreating you or how you are mistreating others. |
"The
wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of
fools is deception." |
|
• You stay in bad relationships
with unsafe people because you feel needed and unworthy of anything better,
or you feel too insecure to leave the relationship. |
• You learn to enforce repercussions for the unacceptable
behavior of others and act to change harmful relationships. You reward
positive behavior that helps relationships to flourish. |
"Do
not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character. |
Biblical Counseling Keys: Boundaries: How to See Them - How to Keep Them.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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,
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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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