.JPG)
A Community is Formed - 28 Day Joy Challenge – Day 199
– Purity 1075
Purity 1075 06/22/2023 Purity 1075 Podcast
Purity 1075 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s painting,
"Light
in the forest " by “Alexander Prokopenko (Oil on Canvas)”
which
features a pathway through the woods leading to a unseen destination, comes to us
from a FB friend who shared a post featuring this work of art that was shared
on the Passion For Art FB Group, (https://www.facebook.com/groups/PAPArtstore)
of which I am now a member. Lately I
have been triggered by the number of “sponsored” posts in my feed and I joined
today in hopes that it will bring more beauty to my FB experience.
Well, It’s
Thursday and I share today’s work of art because it highlights a pathway and it
is a tradition of mine to share photos of pathways on Thursday because Thursday
just happens to be the day I originally went to and later served, taught, and
led a Christian Recovery Ministry – Celebrate Freedom – at my former
church. It was through those Thursday
night meeting that I was able to find freedom from my addictions and was able
to discover my freedom in Christ and my purpose for God’s kingdom, which is to
encourage others to follow the Lord – that a life of authentic Christian faith
is the way to an abundant life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. And so I
share these pathway paintings or photos as a visual reminder (to myself and
you) and as an invitation to stay on or to get on the path of Christian
Discipleship. Believe me, this is the
path that leads to life! It begins with faith in Christ and continues as you continually
seek the Lord and His will and purpose for you.
This is a
path of progressive victory and freedom so it should come as no surprise that
this path leads to changes. And even though I took a hiatus from doing “Recovery
ministry” since 2021 – to launch a community freedom ministry at my local church
and to lead online national Freedom in Christ
discipleship courses for Freedom in Christ Ministries – I have once again been
called into “Recovery service” this spring as I was enlisted to lead a “recovery
growth group” at Starpoint Church.
But a lot
has changed since the last time I taught through the Celebrate Recovery
material at Celebrate Freedom in 2020. I
have learned much more and experienced much more and when I agreed to take on
this opportunity to serve at my local church I made it clear that I was going
to do more than just “recovery” – I was going to encourage people to live by
faith by incorporating discipleship principles alongside the recovery material.
And early on, I understood we really were doing something new as the “preach it
– teach it – then discuss it format” that I was used to doing wouldn’t really
work for a “growth group” that implies a deeper relational aspect to it. Ironically, this was just what I wanted to do
– heart focused discipleship – where the group members all contribute to one
another’s healing and growth into spiritual maturity. But how do you do that and if you did that
would it work?
Well, I took
the feedback that I got after our first meeting to “be more like a growth group
to heart” and decided to forgo the “stand and deliver” style of presenting the Celebrate
Recovery material for a group presentation where all the members would share in
presenting the material with the opportunity to speak freely – “as much or as
little as they felt led”. I also introduced
doing some quieting and appreciation exercises and material to encourage people
to add positive practices to their lives that would build joy and increase
emotional resilience to counterbalance the “giving up” – or quitting” aspect of
recovery. If we are encouraging people
to remove things, behaviors, or thoughts from their life, we should give them
something else to think about and do. So I introduced lists that proclaimed the
truth of who we are in Christ and encouraged the development of a spiritual
daily practice where they could “walk and talk with God.”
Ironically, even
though I tried to make things “more like a growth group” attendance was a
little erratic and a few people appeared to have chosen to stop coming to the
meetings. I hope that isn’t the case and I hope they come back, but I don’t know
why they stopped coming, and I won’t ask or try to chase them down. In this regard, as challenging as it can be
at times, I try to follow Jesus’s
example of letting people be free to walk away.
I know from my own experience that this path must be freely chosen and that
no amount of work on my part can make someone follow the Lord.
Don’t get me
wrong, we have had a small and faithful following at Celebrate Freedom thus far,
but I wondered whether the people attending would keep coming when the lessons
turned toward the “taking a moral inventory” of their lives. Spiritual encouragements are all well and good
but after the first few lessons things begin to “get real” as the material
guides you to not only trust God to help you but to commit your life to Him and
to do the work of repentance – to examine the past – to recognize where you
have come from – so you can walk free into the future.
So. last
night I wondered if the people would show up and I wondered if they would keep
showing up after we went over the introductory lesson on doing a “moral
inventory” of their lives.
I was very
pleased to see “the regulars” and a new member show up for the meeting. The
sharing, worship, and lesson went really well. One of our members shared their powerful
testimony of how their poor choices had medical consequences and they feared
losing their lives and how they went to the Lord and received healing and
encouragement to surrender to God’s will.
It was a powerful night.
But just I
thought things were going well and was encouraging the group to do some
quieting and appreciating practices for “homework” before breaking up into separate
men’s and women’s discussion groups, one of the members got my attention
indicating they had something to say.
I have to be
honest. Although, they started with
positive comments, I anticipated a big “BUT” followed by an announcement that “this
group isn’t for me” or “I will no longer be returning” – maybe because a previous
one time participant had done that via email.
However, I was
pleasantly surprised that the reason they wanted to speak was the exact opposite
of “opting out”. They poured forth generous praise and thanks for the group and
the encouragement that they have received by the people there and were confessing
that they “were on the fence” before last night and had been contemplating
walking away because of their own fears (probably a product of spiritual warfare)
but had come to the realization that our group gave them a tremendous
opportunity and an environment in which they could grow and experience the life
that God wanted for them.
This confession
led to other spontaneous praise and encouragements from other members that
proclaimed their intention to “keep coming” and to be an encouragement to one
another.
It was at
this point that I realized that we didn’t just have a “meeting” or even a “growth
group”, last night it was confirmed to me that we had a community – a heart
focused discipleship community! I have been blessed to be a part of a community
that has decided to follow the Lord and to encourage one another along the
way. I now feel confident that our
little growth group will endure, and I know that as we continue to walk
together by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, not only will the lives of
the people in our group be transformed, but we will also become a beacon of
hope for others to see and come along sign as we go. I can’t wait to see what happens over the
next few months. I anticipate breakthroughs and growth and I believe that this
is just the beginning of another mighty work of the Lord at our church. Speaking
of anticipating good things…
That brings us to our current series
where I am walking through the 28 Day Joy Challenge, (https://4habits.org/) because we are encouraging
ourselves and others, you, to “find peace” in our lives by increasing our
capacity for joy and by building our emotional resilience through simple
practices of quieting and appreciation.
The 28 Day
Joy challenge is based on Dr. Marcus Warner & Chris Coursey’s latest book,
The Four Habits of Joy-Filled People, and you can sign up to take it for free,
and purchase a variety of books from Warner and Coursey on topic of Joy, by
going to https://4habits.org/.
So let’s
jump into Day 19, which will direct us to consider not one but three things we are
looking forward to.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 19 - Anticipating Joy
Welcome to Day 19
of the 28 Days to Joy Challenge!
Today’s
Encouragement:
Practicing and
growing your joy, even if it is new and challenging, is good for our brains.
Joy helps us see our lives and the world around us in a new way. We are excited
to go on the adventure with you today!
Today’s Practice:
Exercise 19
Today we practice
looking for joy in the future.
- How This Exercise
Will Benefit You:
Anticipating good
things can revive hope in our lives and help us start dreaming again.
- Exercise Steps:
Think of three
activities, interactions, or relationships you look forward to with joyful
anticipation. It may be something you will do this week or further in the
future. What about these opportunities is meaningful to you? Identify what
feels satisfying for each one on your list, including how you feel as you
expect each one.
Have fun with this
exercise. We pick up tomorrow with more joy practice!
Well, I
went in cold to today’s practice and so I feel very fortunate because of how
the Lord has filled my life with great relationships and good things present
and future to anticipate. Depending on
where you are coming from, I can imagine that contemplating three things that
we are “joyfully anticipating” can be a real challenge. When you are in the midst of struggles or a
season of trials, it may be difficult to anticipate anything good coming your
way, but that is exactly the point of why we have to actually do these quieting and appreciating practices,
to retrain our minds to see the good things and to joyfully experience and
anticipate them, instead of walking through life afraid of the “next bad thing”
that is coming your way.
Yes, we
live in a broken world where we suffer but that only increases our need to
build our joy and emotional resilience through these practices, they ground us,
prepare us, and increase our ability to “return to joy” even in the direst
circumstance. So let’s practice.
For me,
I am anticipating something good tomorrow, next week, and in the months
ahead.
Tomorrow,
I joyfully anticipate being reunited with my wife TammyLyn. We are doing the one marriage – two household
thing – and so each week I always have something to look forward to: being in
her presence at our countryside home – and as a bonus it is my birthday this
Sunday, in which I get to celebrate an entire year of my life – all the days of
my 50th year on earth, as being TammyLyn’s husband. I don’t know
what we will do but whatever it is, I anticipate that it will be good, just
because I will be with her.
Next week,
I joyously anticipate the next meeting of the Celebrate Freedom growth group. It
was quite a night last night and I anticipate that we will continue to grow and
enjoy the community that we have found.
We have expanded our “safe place” into a community, and it feels
wonderful to be apart of something so life giving!
In the
Autumn, I look forward to traveling to Indiana for Deeper Walk International’s
35th anniversary conference with TammyLyn. Not only will we enjoy
the pleasures of travel and one another’s company, we will be given the
opportunity to enjoy some great Christian teaching firsthand. I am currently in
Deeper Walk’s School of Prayer Ministry and have amazingly grown more in just
the few months that I have been part of our cohort and have applied what they
have taught me at Celebrate Freedom. I
love autumn; I love to travel with my wife, and I love the community I have
with the people at Deeper Walk so I joyfully anticipate this October’s spiritual
pilgrimage to Deeper Walk’s headquarters.
So what
about you, what three things are you joyfully anticipating? It doesn’t have to
be some grand plan – just something good coming your way. So think about it, and if you got “nothing” –
remember that God’s mercies are new every morning – so look forward to that –
and then plan on doing 2 things you can enjoy – and you will be all set.
It may not
be easy to think of your life as “joyful”, but when you consider the everyday
blessings you receive, you can realize that you actually have a wonderful life,
and that God will help you and guide you through it as you decide to follow
Him.
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This
morning’s meditation verse is:
Today’s verse tells us
that we don’t have to do everything in our own strength, that we really can’t but
in our weakness, God shows His strength in and through us when we trust in
Christ and rely on God’s power, strength, and wisdom to help us.
The “power of surrender”
is another Christian paradox. When I am weak, I am strong! What?
Yeah, when we admit that
our ways just don’t work, and we surrender to the Lord and decide to believe what
He says about us and life and choose to do things His way. We receive His
power.
Through, faith in Jesus
Christ and the decision to surrender my life to Him, I have accomplished things
I would have never dreamed of doing, have overcome things I never have thought
possible, and seen amazing things come to pass.
So admit your weakness and
come into relationship with the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ and let His
wisdom and power work in 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 sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)
A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit
10 - The Holy Spirit Regenerating
Self-Regeneration Is Impossible
The absolute necessity for the regenerating operation of the
Holy Spirit in order for a sinner’s being converted to God lies in his being
totally depraved. Fallen man is without the least degree of right disposition
or principles from which holy exercises may proceed. He is completely under a
contrary disposition: there is no right exercise of heart in him, but every motion of his will is corrupt and
sinful. If this were not the case, there would be no need for him to be born
again and made “a new creature.” If the sinner were not wholly corrupt he would
submit to Christ without any supernatural operation of the Spirit; but fallen
man is so completely sunk in corruption that he has not the faintest real
desire for God, but is filled with enmity against Him (Rom. 8:7). Therefore
does Scripture affirm him to be “dead
in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).
“But as many as
received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, to them which
believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13). The latter verse
expounds the former. There an explanation is given as to why any fallen
descendant of Adam ever spiritually receives Christ as His Lord and Master, and
savingly believes on His name.
First, it is not because grace runs in the blood—as the Jews
supposed. Holiness is not transmitted from father to son. The child of the most
pious parents is by nature equally as corrupt and is as far from God as is the
offspring of infidels. Second, it is
not because of any natural willingness—as Arminians contend: “nor of the will
of the flesh” refers to man in his natural and corrupt state. He is not
regenerated by any instinct, choice, or exertion of his own; he does not by any
personal endeavor contribute anything towards being born again; nor does he
cooperate in the least degree with the efficient cause: instead, every
inclination of his heart, every exercise of his will, is in direct opposition
thereto.
Third, the new birth is not brought about by the power and
influence of others. No sinner is ever born again as the result of the
persuasions and endeavors of preachers or Christian workers. However pious and
wise they are, and however earnestly and strenuously they exert themselves to
bring others to holiness, they do in no degree produce the effect. “If all the
angels and saints in Heaven and all the godly on earth should join their wills
and endeavors and unitedly exert all their powers to regenerate one sinner,
they could not effect it; yea, they could do nothing toward it. It is an effect
infinitely beyond the reach of finite
wisdom and power: 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7” (S. Hopkins).[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" 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, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
For those who require the assistance of a Deeper
Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in
Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer
Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).
