Previously On “Walking in the Spirit”- What a Year, What a Life in Christ! – Purity 616
Purity 616 12/31/2021 Purity 616 Podcast
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a friend drifting into the sunset
at Southsea seafront in Portsmouth, England comes to us from a friend’s paddling
excursion back in August of this year. I
know I shared a similar photo of our friend in the UK this year, but I had to
go back and wanted to make sure I didn’t share this one. The photo archive on my phone is positively jammed
packed with memories, both captured and borrowed, and the last thing I wanted
to do was share the same photo twice when I have so many to choose from.
Well it’s New Year’s Eve and Friday
and you can’t thank God for the year that has past, you can thank Him that it
will soon be over and you can thank Him for the end of another work week, as
most of us will be enjoying a three day weekend to ease into 2022.
As we look forward to a new year and
a fresh start in 2022, we should take a look back at what happened in the
previous year to have an idea of what God has done in our lives and how we have
navigated the past 12 months so we can learn from our pasts and possibly change
some things so we are not condemned to repeat some of the more unpleasant
aspects from our personal history.
As I discovered this morning, I
would suggest going back into your phone’s photo history to remember all the
scenes you captured and lived through (you made it!!!), in 2021.
As I have shared my life is rich
because I stay within arm’s reach of the Lord’s presence on a continual basis
and when you walk in the Spirit, you are grounded in the present moment. You
are so in touch with what is happening now that you are enjoying each step on
the path of Christian Discipleship and are free from concerns regarding the
past and you are also free of worry for the days ahead as you don’t look too
far into the future.
The fully engaged life in the spirit
is grounded in the fruit of the Spirit so as you go even though their will be
moments where you need the Lord’s patience, strength, and self-control as you
deal with negative circumstances, you are still grounded in His supernaturally
provided goodness, faith, gentleness, love, joy and peace.
When you hold on to God, you never
fall too far. It reminds me of the
Christopher Reeves’ version of Superman in the 80’s when Superman caught a
falling Lois Lane and said: “…I’ve got you.”
To which a startled Lois Lane, played by Margot Kidder, retorts: “You’ve
got me!? Who’s got you?!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUY48aQFcwA_
) So if you are not sure what the new
year has instore for you. Let me assure
you that when you make Christ your Lord and Savior and decide to actually
follow Him by “walking in the Spirit”, let me assure you that God’s got
you!
And man did God have me in 2021!
So anyway like I said, look at your
photos in the last year and see where you’ve been and see how God was there
with you. For me:
Professionally, I started the year
with the results of boldly deciding to go into a situation where I was given no
guarantees but decided to go anyway. In
2020, I had the opportunity to ask for a transfer to the Albany garage that was
closer to home but it was made clear to me that my function could change if I
went to the new location.
So what do you do? Do you stay where
things are comfortable or do you take a chance on getting something you want but
that may have unforeseen consequences.
Well, I knew in 2020 that God had been with me all my life and we have
been walking together since 2010 and I knew that, with God, I could face anything
and that when we are given the choice between a reward with a risk and staying
in the status quo because of fear, we have to trust the Lord and go for
it.
So in 2020, I told my employer to “send
me” and I received my permanent transfer letter to the Albany garage and on
January 7th of 2021, I started working there in the same job
function that I had in Schenectady! Ha Ha…. Sucker! In your face! But of
course, things change.
Although I started the year in the Buried
Service Department as a “ditchdigger for a fortune 500 company” I wouldn’t stay
there. Organizational changes happen and
I for some reason seem to be affected by the changes when 97% of the rest of
the work force just keeps trucking along untouched. God apparently likes to test me by putting me
in new situations. But as daunting as the adjustment periods can be, I always
seem to make it through to a good place in the end.
I also was home garaging in 2020 and
that ended in the summer 2021. Bummer, working from home was great but rather
than being bitter about it being over we will just rejoice that it happened and
we got to enjoy it for about a year. Not
all the restrictions of Covid-19 were a bad thing.
Anyway, in the autumn of 2021 I had
to turn in my shovel and wedge and become a telephone repairman, a job that I
had limited experience with and the
prospect of doing filled me with anxiety as I am my own worst critic and tend
to condemn myself when I don’t perform perfectly. I don’t like not knowing how to do things and
I don’t like feeling inadequate with my work skills.
But God, had my back there too. God provided a couple of co-workers to train
me who reminded me of the skills and knowledge, I already possessed, and taught
me the in’s and out’s of not only doing the job but in meeting the expectations
that the company would judge me by. In
our training relationships these people were absolute God sends as they showed
me that I had no reason to fear and I was fully capable of doing what I would
be asked to do. In return, I encouraged
them about the reality of a God that was alive and well and present in their
lives and of what really mattered.
So at year’s end, I have adapted to
the new job function and even though that “curse” that warned of a change of
the status quo did come to pass, God used it for good. The new position gives me the humble balance
of being confident when I am able to resolve a customer’s problem skillfully
and admitting that I can’t do everything when a customer’s trouble requires tools
and skills that I do not possess and I have to refer it to others, teaching me
the lesson that it’s okay to ask for help and walk away from problems we can’t
fix.
That’s a cliff notes version and
that’s a lot but that’s only my 9 to 5, or 7:30 to 4:30 – oh yeah – with the
new job function my hours changed too, as I lost a half hour of my life as I was
reporting to work at 8am.
Again, I was blessed to receive the
special hours for a time and enjoyed them for much longer than others who had also
lost the privilege of taking a half an hour lunch and were forced to stay at
work an additional 30 minutes without pay, for those corporate reasons that
seem highly impersonal and arbitrary. It’s
just another exercise in letting things go and accepting things as they
are.
That was only professionally, personally 2021 was a roller coaster ride in terms of my ministry pursuits and the new relationships I formed.
Ministerially, I began the year completing my training as a Community Freedom Ministry Associate with Freedom in Christ Ministries online and by attending the CFMA Practicum in April in San Antonio, Texas.
So in 2021, I taught discipleship classes
based on Dr. Neil Anderson’s Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker,
and the “Freedom in Christ” Discipleship Course from February to November.
We had a small following at our local
church but in 2021 I also made the decision to podcast the classes to reach
more people. I ended up using the podcast to share my daily encouragements as
well and in March, Arthur and Susanna Cincotti, agreed to cohost and podcast
our weekly Bible Study together.
In November, I attended Freedom Christ Ministries’ Fall Practicum in Latham NY as a member of the prayer team and an assistant coach for the CFMA training sessions where I got to become acquainted with many of Freedom in Christ Ministries’ leadership. Through my efforts at being faithful in sharing the message of Freedom and Christ and forming new relationships, I have transitioned to the role of a Course Leader for Freedom in Christ Ministries as I will begin facilitating the Freedom in Christ Discipleship Course to a Men’s Group via Zoom beginning on January 6th.
If you keep walking and talking with
God, He will lead you into new opportunities to serve Him. If you say “send me”
to God don’t be surprised if you are called to go somewhere.
And that brings us to another aspect
of my journey: relationships, with God always, but also with groups, churches,
and individuals.
My relationship with Freedom in
Christ Ministries and, let’s be honest, small participation, has led me to
discontinue the in-person classes that I was teaching at Rock Solid Church as I
have decided to try to reach more people with the message of Freedom in Christ with
the new Zoom classes I will host. So the
after 6 years of teaching at or leading a ministry at Rock Solid Church, 2022
will begin with my leaving that function for the body of Christ and going in a
new direction.
2021 was a year that I also began a
relationship with Starpoint Church in Clifton Park. One of my discipleship students is a member
of Starpoint Church and in the sping of 2021, I noticed on one of their posts
that Starpoint Church was hosting a “DivorceCare” Ministry.
As a recently divorced Christian and
a Christian Counselor of sorts, I decided that I should step out in faith and attend
the group. I had never attended the
church and didn’t know anyone that would be attending, unless my student decided
to go -and they didn’t.
So again when walking in the Spirit,
you answer the call. I figured I could
use the ministry for healing purposes, to receive the counsel of the program
and the support of other Christian divorcees, and if nothing else also learn a
little bit about counseling people who were dealing with divorce.
I received more than I contributed I am sure, as I was able to talk about what had happened in my failing marriage, how I had survived it, and how the Lord led me to a new home and a better life. I also made new friends and discovered more about myself as the group organized social events where we could confidently go out and enjoy our lives as divorced Christians.
Although I had been tempted to jump
into relationships or play the field like I did way back when I was single, my
conviction to stay sexually pure in the wake of my divorce was not typical of
the average “Christian” divorcee and although purity was not an easy path, I
discovered it was possible and that it is simply the best course for a Christian
to follow.
God’s word indicates that the only
sex that is approved by God is within the confines of marriage ,so I knew that
if I was going to have a romantic relationship it was going to lead to
marriage.
I made good friends with the people
of Divorce Care and the activities we shared were some of the highlights of the
summer of 2021. I enjoyed it so much that I even went to a “new Comers” life
group for Star Point Church that one of the Divorce Care members were cohosting
at their home.
One of the most important lessons
the DivorceCare taught me was that as a single person, divorced or otherwise,
was that you have to be intentional in “doing things”. Sitting around the house
is great but God gave us the ability to move and this great big world for a
reason. Our mental health benefits from
venturing out into the world to see what God has made and to interact with Him and
the people He created. So if you didn’t do
much in 2021, follow the call to go out there and see some things and meet some
new people in 2022.
One of the new people I met in 2021
has changed the course of my life forever. That student, who goes to Star Point
Church and who I had hoped to connect with in person by going to DivorceCare, is
TammyLyn Seguin.
TammyLyn discovered my podcast and class
through one of the other students who recommended it. She contacted me via email about the class
and I provided her with the information and encouraged her in her studies. We
became Facebook friends and began chatting via FB messenger where we encouraged
one another as Christian Divorcees.
TammyLyn said she enjoyed my
podcasts and wanted to come to class in person but lived an hour away. I invited her to come whenever she wanted but
understood that as a mother of 5, she might not make it. She insisted that she make it someday and one
day she made the drive and walked into my life and into my heart.
Before she walked into my class, I had
thought of TammyLyn and a “podcast student” who had a lot of pain in her life
caused by a broken relationship. I felt for her and encouraged her to seek the
Lord and His ways to grow in her identity and freedom in Christ.
But when she walked in my class, she
became real to me because here she was in the flesh and I liked what I saw, and
judging by the way she blushed at our initial meeting I suspected she liked
what she saw too. Yeah, as much as a
roomful of divorced Christian ladies and all the other available women friends
on FB couldn’t see it, I knew I pretty awesome and apparently TammyLyn was the
only one that God allowed to see it.
So my interest in TammyLyn and our
friendship grew over the months that stretched from the spring to the autumn.
In that time I became increasingly aware of the fact that TammyLyn might actually
“like me, like me” and as the time
progressed TammyLyn became more confident of who she was in Christ and was bold
in declaring her need for me in her life.
I wanted a “relationship” with her
too but was conflicted over my role as her teacher, our seeming personal differences,
and the collective baggage of our pasts and the resulting consequences of our
previous lives that we have to live with in the here and now.
As much as I wanted it, I couldn’t
see how all our parts could fit together and I was hesitant to “go there” if we
weren’t going to be able to make it work or if I would end up disappointing and
hurting TammyLyn.
Our conversations became more like
negotiations as TammyLyn subtly but tenaciously proclaimed her desires to be
more than friends and we discussed the various aspects of our lives. Throughout our friendship we have openly and
honestly shared the realities of our pasts with one another and as we grew
closer together, I revealed some real skeletons in my closet to let TammyLyn
know just exactly who she was pursuing.
For me, I know that I have been
forgiven much so I in turn I forgive much in others. But would TammyLyn be the
same? Would she understand and still want to be with someone with a long
history of brokenness if she learned of some of the worst and most regrettable
decisions of my life?
TammyLyn was unperturbed and was and
is accepting of my past as I was of hers.
She also showed that she understood the difficulties of blending our
lives together but was adamant in her willingness to be true to one another and
to work through the process of becoming a couple no matter what we would face
or no matter how long it took.
Who else would love me like this? Who else would so boldly proclaim and prove
her love for me like TammyLyn?
When I realized the full extent of
her love for me, my mind was made up and on September 23rd I asked
TammyLyn to marry me on FB messenger. She said no but she did agree to be my girlfriend,
an agreement that was sealed with a kiss later that night after my discipleship
class had been dismissed.
And on October 7th, before class began, I surprised TammyLyn with an engagement ring and a proposal to be my wife that she accepted.
We have been a happy couple betrothed
to one another ever since and increasing grow in our love for one another.
We recently spent Christmas Day alone
together and I had confessed that it was the realization of a dream come true
as it fulfilled my romanticized ideal of a “couple’s first Christmas”.
So this year has been truly an epic adventure
in all the different aspects of my life and I know that it wouldn’t have been
what it was if I hadn’t decided to faithful seek the Lord and follow where He
led me.
The word says that God works all
thing together for the good for those who love Him and are called according to
His purposes.
I can tell you from experience that
that Bible verse and all the word of God is true.
So make Jesus your Lord and Savior
or rededicate your life to Him as you leave 2021 behind and make a new start in
2022.
I am including a bunch of photos on
the blog at mt4christ.org today that show some of the year gone by. So look back and see what your photos will
tell you about the year gone by and make the decision to walk in the Spirit in
the year ahead.
Me? I’m getting married tomorrow! So 2022 will prove to be another thrilling
installment of “Walking in the Spirit with MT Clark” as TammyLyn and I will become one flesh, one
couple who are equally dedicated to each other and to seeking the Lord and His
will for our lives.
God bless you all and have Happy New
Year in Christ!
A note on today’s Bible Verse, 2021 was the year we exhausted
our index supply of Bible verses that I had handwritten during previous years
of Bible Study and when I was out of cards I started drawing the daily verses
from, the fiance provided resource, “The
NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. that we will work through in 2022.
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book
for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
Psalm 37:5 (NLT2) 5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
Today’s verse promises the
Lord’s help, with a few small conditions.
As my testimony of the past
year indicated the path of Christian Discipleship can take you to places you, and
having you doing things, that you can’t imagine. But I have to ask you
something:
Do you think half of the
things I experienced in the past year, and the prior eleven years since coming
to Christ, would have happened to me if I wasn’t intentional in seeking the Lord
and obeying the call to follow where He led me?
Do you think it was easy to
follow Him all the time?
The answer to both those
questions is no, I don’t know at most of those things would not have happened
to me if I had not sought the Lord and obeyed His will. We made some bold steps
into situations where we didn’t know anyone where we were going and what was
going to happen when we got there. And no it wasn’t always easy.
But that’s walking in the Spirit:
Committing everything you do to the LORD and trusting Him to help you
and see you through.
As I have stated a few times
this year, at least to myself, I don’t know where all this is going but I will
try to be faithful to go where EVER IT IS that the Lord is leading me. That’s why I take time each day to reflect on
His word, even if its only one verse, and why I connect with my heavenly Father
in prayer and in just talking to Him as I go through my day.
I want to commit everything
I do to the Lord which I think just involves us keeping ourselves mindful of
His ways and by staying in His presence. Every day of 2021 was not spent in what would
be considered “Christian good works” but I committed portions of my time to
remind myself of who I was in Christ and to thank God for giving me another day
of life in His kingdom.
And yes, I want the Lord’s help.
Heck, I constantly need the Lord’s help to keep walking my faith out. In the past few years, and all throughout
this walk of faith, there were some
critical moments where I had to make a decision.
Was I going to do things my
way or was I going to trust the Lord and do things His way, even though it was
hard and even though it would cost me something?
I can’t claim perfection. I
don’t answer His calls 100% of the time and sometimes I find myself doing
things that are unhealthy or that waste time that could be spent pursuing the
Lord’s wisdom and ways for my life.
But in those critical
moments of my life, I decided to trust the Lord and commit everything I did to
Him and I have been the recipient of His help and received more from Him that I
ever had to give, although we are still in the process of continually
surrendering all we have for His purposes.
So, do you need the Lord to
help you?
Well there’s some good news
in todays verse: He will help you.
Our relationship with God is
just that a relationship. You get out of
a relationship what you put into it.
Your part in receiving the Lord’s
help is simple. Just commit everything
you do to the Lord and Trust Him.
I said it was simple. I didn’t
say it was easy!
But can I tell you, the Lord’s
way for your life may be hard at times and is definitely the path least
travelled in our post Christian world,
but it is THE PATH that will make all the difference.
As you trust the Lord and
commit everything you do to Him, you will receive His help in transforming you
into the person you always wanted to be but never thought you could become.
The Lord wants to give you
your freedom and a new and abundant life.
So trust Him and just keep going where He calls you because eventually
you will see how He has helped you every step of the way and that the help He
gives is like Him. It’s infinite. It is continuous and it just doesn’t run out!
So take that first step of
faith, by saying in your heart, soul, mind, and spirit: Yes Lord, I will follow
you.
O the places you will go, if you will just trust the Lord and allow Him to help you to discover His perfect will for your life! Keep walking and talking with God into 2022 and into the rest of your life.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue to share from Dr. Neil Anderson’s
. “Restored: Experience Life with Jesus”. Today, we continue sharing from
Chapter 2.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Neil Anderson’s books for your own private
study and to support his work.
BRINGING EVERYTHING INTO THE LIGHT
God knows what needs to be brought into
the light. You may not be totally aware of some previous religious experiences
that have given a foothold to the enemy. That is why you are encouraged to pray
and ask God to bring to your mind all previous involvement with cult or occult
practices, false religions, and false teachers, whether done knowingly or
unknowingly. Two important objectives will be accomplished in this first step.
First, mental strongholds that came from false belief systems will be exposed
and broken by agreeing with God through verbal renunciation. Second, you will
learn how to handle lies and strongholds that surface later. This step will
enable you to recognize the counterfeits, and know how to deal with them in the
future.
Begin these Steps to Freedom in Christ
with the following prayer and declaration.
PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, You are present in
this room and in my life. You alone are all-knowing, all-powerful and
everywhere present, and I worship You alone. I declare my dependency upon You,
for apart from You I can do nothing. I choose to believe Your Word, which
teaches that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to the resurrected
Christ, and being alive in Christ I have the authority to resist the devil as I
submit to You. I ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit and guide me into
all truth. I ask for Your complete protection and guidance as I seek to know
You and do Your will. In the wonderful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
DECLARATION
In the name and authority of the Lord
Jesus Christ, I command Satan and all evil spirits to release their hold on me
in order that I can be free to know and choose to do the will of God. As a
child of God who is seated with Christ in the heavenly places, I declare that
every enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ in my presence be bound. Satan and all his
demons cannot inflict any pain or in any way prevent God’s will from being done
in my life today, because I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
BEGINNING STEP ONE
If you are processing all the Steps at
once (recommended), then you need only do it once. However, if you are
processing these Steps to Freedom one step or chapter at a time, then begin
each chapter (Step) with the above prayer and declaration. As you begin this
repentance process, you are taking back any ground gained by the enemy in your
life, issue by issue, and step-by-step. To help you understand the spiritual
significance of what you are doing, consider the following illustration:
Suppose there is a 40-year-old man who
has never done much right in his life. At a church service, for the first time
in his life, he hears about Jesus. His heart responds to the gospel, and he
prays, “Lord, I confess that I have sinned. Thank You for dying on the cross
for my sins. I choose to believe that You were raised from the dead in order
that I may have eternal life. I now receive You into my life as my Lord and
Savior.”
If you and I were in the room when that
man prayed, we may not have seen anything happen visibly. But in the spiritual
realm, his sins were forgiven, he passed from death to life and from eternity
in hell to eternity in heaven. All of this happened because he wanted to be
right with God. God hears and answers prayer, and neither Satan nor his demons,
nor any other person could block what God wanted to do in that man’s life.35
We’re going to go through a series of
prayers now. Many of them are short, simple prayers like the one that man
prayed. As you are honest and sincere before God, every prayer you pray is
going to be like the prayer of that man. Bonds the enemy has on your life will
be broken because of your authority as God’s child.
To successfully process this first step
and those that follow, find a quiet place where you can pray each prayer out
loud and verbally process each step. This action is important because there is
no indication in the Bible that Satan can read your mind. God knows your
innermost thoughts, but Satan is not God, and we should never ascribe the
divine attributes of God unto him.
If you experience some mental
interference, just ignore it and continue on. Thoughts such as this isn’t going
to work or I don’t believe this, or blasphemous, condemning, and accusing
thoughts have no power over you unless you believe them. They are just
thoughts, but if you pay attention to them, you may be paying attention to a
deceiving spirit and that will stop the process. Such thoughts will be gone
after you have fully repented and finished the last step. The mind is the
control center, and if you don’t lose control of your mind, you will not lose
control during the process.
Some people experience physical symptoms
like nausea or headaches. Just ignore them and go on with The Steps. They too
will disappear at the end. If you cannot stay mentally focused, call your
pastor and ask him to help you through the process. The book Discipleship
Counseling (Bethany House, 2003) explains the process.
Most people going through these Steps
don’t encounter much opposition. The enemy isn’t the issue anyway. Our
relationship with God is the real issue. These Steps remove barriers to our
intimacy with our heavenly Father. Going through these Steps is the process of
submitting to God and resisting the devil according to James 4:7. If there is
no devil or demons to resist it doesn’t make any difference, because these
seven steps are issues affecting our relationship with God.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship