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Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Spirit. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Purity 279: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


Purity 279 12/01/2020

Good morning!

Today’s photo comes a friend who captured this stunning shot of the heavenlies as they were going over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge between Columbia and Greene Counties of upstate NY. 

I chose this pic because sometimes in life we just have to look to God.

Recently, my brother, his fiancĂ© and their family were stricken with Covid-19 had relatively mild symptoms and overcame it. I did pray for healing and God delivered.  As we drew into Thanksgiving week, my mother and father became ill and cancelled their plans to host Thanksgiving, making this the first time ever that they didn’t host and at least have some of their sons present to celebrate.  

The day after Thanksgiving, we heard the news that Mom and Dad were positive for Covid-19 but we weren’t overly concerned, assuming like many do, that they would just get over it in a few days or a week.  Over the weekend though my mother’s breathing became a concern, and my father took her to the hospital where she was admitted and is currently receiving plasma transfusion to combat the “COVID pneumonia”, mom’s words. 

As part of my daily spiritual practice, I pray. I pray prayers of thanksgiving, wisdom, and guidance.  I also pray for my friends who are in need. Be it financial problems, grieving, or medical issues, I pray for those I am aware that need it.   When I see a need for prayer on social media, I immediately pray a short prayer and comment that I am praying or just put up an emoji of the “prayer hands”. 

So if you ever see one of my comments, you can be assured that I said a prayer. It might not have been a prayer monologue, but I bring your concern to the Lord and ask for His assistance in Jesus’ name.  

So when my parents got sick, I prayed for them, of course. Until they are well, I will continue to pray. 

But yesterday, my brother who is a NY State Trooper texted that he had just spoken to our mother and she sounded horrible and that we should text her and “pray”.       

If my brother is asking for prayer, you know it is pretty serious.  So I took to social media to ask for prayer and have been overwhelmed by the care, concern, and prayers of my many friends.  Thank you for your prayers. 

This latest episode reminds me of the importance of my faith and the importance of my community of friends.  When we are in need, we need to voice it. We need to go to God in prayer, but we also need to let others into our experience to know what’s going on in our lives and to petition the Lord with their prayers too. 

God has a will that is difficult to grasp. He has set up the world in a way that has cycles that come regardless of human efforts.  He creates seasons of planting and harvest.   One may say that God’s plan will come to pass regardless of our efforts. 

However, just as the season of planting and harvest will come no matter what,  only when we till the soil, plant a seed, water, and care for it will we experience the fruit that is a product of a miracle of life, that is solely God’s doing, but can be utilized for our good through our cooperative efforts with Him.    

So cooperate with God. Walk and talk with Him.  Say a prayer.  Plant a seed, hope, and accept what the Lord brings. 

(There is More at the restricted blog). Follow me on Twitter, MeWe, or Parler for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

This morning’s meditation verse was:

1 John 4:4 (NKJV)
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

For those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, we are the children of God and at the moment we said “Yes” to Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit was given to us and brought our spirit to life. 

This is a spiritual reality that is hard to understand. However if you have come to Christ, the Holy Spirit can and will communicate God’s will for your life, if you seek it. 

The three ways He communicates to us is conscience, communion, and intuition. 

Conscience – after coming to Christ, sinning just isn’t as fun as it used to be. He convicts your heart when you do things that are in opposition to the new life in Christ that you have. He encourages you and gives you the power to change, if you seek it. 

Communion – He begins to change your heart. The word of God, the meaning of what Christ has done for you, the glory of who God is, and the fact that He is with you becomes something you can experience. He is communing with you when you worship Him, or when a Bible verse hits home. Sometimes you get a feeling of “electricity” or “gooseflesh” when you consider spiritual matters or worship Him. Some would blow this off, but I assure you that these are tactile manifestations of the Holy Spirit, telling you that He is with you.

Intuition – The Holy Spirit leads you into all truth and His way of life.  Sometimes you just know what to do. Sometimes you can tell something isn’t right with someone. Sometimes you get a feeling to do something good or say something encouraging, or pray for someone… You know that’s not you, right? 

Before coming to Christ, all I cared about was myself. My intuitions and schemes were never good – they only sought my selfish pleasures.     Now I go on mission trips, or volunteer, or speak in public!! – That’s where He has brought me.   

So He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world, That’s the Holy Spirit!. 

If you don’t understand what I am saying, make Christ your savior and Lord and follow where the Holy Spirit leads you.  I’ve done lots of things that the Holy Spirit has lead me to do and as different and varied as all those things may have been I can tell you that they all had one thing in common: I never regretted a single one of them. 

Our faith in Christ is supposed to be lived, not just believed. Experience the power of your faith by surrendering those things you regret for the things that God has for you.   

Today we continue to share from Anderson & Baumchen’s Finding Hope Again, where they discuss overcoming barriers to knowing God

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Anderson’s books for your own private study and to support his work:

Overcoming Barriers to Knowing God

From Distance to Intimacy

We can intellectually know all about our heavenly Father and not really know Him at all. In the same way, we can know all about Abraham Lincoln. He was the sixteenth president of the United States of America. He knew a lot of Scripture, and quoted it frequently. John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln in April 1865. We know these and many more facts about Abraham Lincoln; but we have never met him, nor do we know him personally.

Paul knew all about God from an Old Testament perspective. He was taught by the best. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee who kept the law and was found blameless until Christ struck him down on the Damascus road. Reflecting on his past self-righteousness, Paul wrote:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ (Phil. 3:7, 8).

Paul no longer just knew about God. Now he knew Him. He realized that he was a child of the King, and that he was in a love relationship with his heavenly Father.

From Rebellion to Obedience

All born-again children of God have established a relationship with their heavenly Father, but many are not living in harmony with Him. Let us explain. When we were born physically, we had a relationship with our earthly fathers. Could we do anything that would change the fact that we were related? What if we ran away? Would we still be related to our fathers? What if they kicked us out of the house? Nothing would change the fact that we are blood related. It is a biological fact.

But could we do some things that would cause us to no longer live in harmony with our earthly fathers? Sure—and we probably discovered almost every way by the time we were five years old. Although living in harmony with our fathers has nothing to do with our blood relationship, it has everything to do with trusting and obeying.

This was true even of Jesus, "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). We also learned to trust and obey our earthly fathers, or chances are the relationship we had with them was not very personal, and we really didn't know them very well other than as taskmasters or absentee parents.

Now that we are children of God, is there anything we can do that would change the fact that we are related to our heavenly Father? The answer is the same, and for the same reason. We are blood related.

You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God (1 Peter 1:18, 19, 23).

Scripture also says that nothing can separate us from the love of God (see Romans 8:35), and no one can snatch us out of the Father's hand (see John 10:28). Our eternal life is not dependent on our ability to hold on to Him in our strength; it is primarily dependent upon His ability to hold on to us. The Lord said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Not only that, but "You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Ephes. 1:13, 14).

From Defeat to Victory

Although theologians disagree on the question of eternal security, there is no dispute about the fact that living out of harmony with God damages the quality of our life in Christ. We can be related to our heavenly Father as His children, but our relationship with Him will not be very personal or intimate if we don't learn to trust and obey Him, and our knowledge of Him will be very shallow. Although our destiny may not be at stake, our daily victory is.

If two people are going to get personal and close, they must resolve any conflicts that are going on between them. You may desire to know your neighbor better, but you won't be able to if you have offended each other. You would have to first forgive and seek forgiveness before you would have any chance of drawing closer.

The same holds true in our relationship with God. You will not be able to relate personally to God and get to know Him better until you get right with Him. Even your ability to read the Bible and understand truth will be hampered until you have resolved personal and spiritual conflicts that affect your relationship with God and people. Remember, the great commandment is to love the Lord your God with your total being, and your neighbor as yourself.

Paul also teaches that these conflicts must be resolved before we can understand God's Word. "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). We have observed this happening around the world. Christians try to read their Bibles, but it doesn't make any sense. They try to pray, but it is like talking to the wall. They hear a message at church, but it goes in one ear and out the other.

A missionary was seeing her psychiatrist, psychologist and pastor once a week just to hold her life together. The next step would be hospitalization. I talked with her one Friday afternoon, and two and a half months later, I received this letter.

I've been wanting to write to you for some time, but I've waited this long to confirm to myself that this is truly "for reals" (as my four-year-old daughter says). I'd like to share an entry from my journal which I wrote two days after our meeting.

"Since Friday afternoon I have felt like a different person. The fits of rage and anger are gone. My spirit is so calm and full of joy. I wake up singing praise to God in my heart.

"That edge of tension and irritation is gone. I feel so free. The Bible has been really exciting and stimulating and more understandable than ever before. There was nothing "dramatic" that happened during the session on Friday, yet I know in the deepest part of my being that something has changed. I am no longer bound by accusations, doubts, and thoughts of suicide or murder, or other harm that comes straight from hell into my head. There is a serenity in my mind and spirit, a clarity of consciousness that is profound.

"I've been set free!

"I'm excited and expectant about my future now. I know that I'll be growing spiritually again, and will be developing in other ways as well. I look forward happily to the discovery of the person God has created and redeemed me to be, as well as the transformation of my marriage.

"It is so wonderful to have joy after so long a darkness."

It's been two and a half months since I wrote that, and I'm firmly convinced of the significant benefits of finding freedom in Christ. I've been in therapy for several months, and while I was making progress, there is no comparison with the steps I'm able to make now. My ability to "process" things has increased many-fold. Not only is my spirit more serene, my head is actually clearer! It's easier to make connections and integrate things now. It seems like everything is easier to understand now.

My relationship with God has changed significantly. For eight years I felt that He was distant from me. Shortly before I met you, I was desperately crying out to Him to set me free—to release me from this bondage I was in. I wanted so badly to meet with Him again, to know His presence was with me again. I needed to know Him as friend, as companion, not as the distant authority figure He had become in my mind and experience. Since that day two and a half months ago, I have seen my trust in Him grow; I've seen my ability to be honest with Him increase greatly. I really have been experiencing that spiritual growth I'd anticipated in my journal. It's great!

This good woman had all the symptoms of severe depression and was being treated accordingly. Her thoughts went from scrambled to clear. She could now mentally process issues that she was unable to process before. Her feelings toward God went from the right side of Diagram 4.1, showing the false attributes of God, to the left side, which are the true attributes of God.

Her perception of God not only changed, but it was also God Himself who granted the repentance and brought the change. It is not enough to know the Word of God; we need the life of Christ to change. I had the privilege of encouraging her as she worked through the Steps to Freedom in Christ.

The discipleship counseling process that helped resolve this missionary's relationship with God can help you resolve the issues that are critical between yourself and God. Let's examine these issues.


Finding Hope Again: Overcoming Depression.

 

------------------------------more tomorrow--------------------------

 

God bless you all!


Thursday, October 22, 2020

Purity 245


Purity 245 
 
Good morning!

Today’s photo was captured earlier this month at Lake Placid. I love the way the water reflects the glory of the heavens here on earth.
Similarly God’s glory is reflected in the lives of those who know Him and follow Him.
As I prepare to teach on Grace tonight at Celebrate Freedom, my thoughts have turned to my relationship with God over the last ten years and how He has led me to places I would have never seen and to do things I would have never done without Him.
The power of our faith does not only lie in believing intellectually in God for heaven someday. The power lies in trusting what God’s word tells us about life and who we are in Christ and showing our faith by following where He leads us.
By following Him, he has lead me out of addiction and bad relationships and He has lead me into a life of joy and peace that is continuous as long as I keep my eyes on Him.
While I can’t physically see the Holy Spirit, I can feel His presence and leadings through my conscience and intuition and I can feel His presence when I commune with Him in worship. So I am continually thinking about His presence and His truth in regards to my life.
Just as Peter was able to walk on water when He kept His eyes on Jesus and trusted Him, we can walk through life and all its struggles with peace when we stay in His presence.
So turn your attention to Him, keep walking and talking with God and you will be amazed where He leads you!
God bless you all!

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Purity 235


Purity 235  10/10/2020 

 Good morning,

Today’s photo comes from my backyard, literally, and captures the setting sun over the Hudson River.
I share it today as a reminder to shine a light of hope in one another’s lives and because lights are on my mind because of this morning’s project.
A few days ago, I noticed the floodlights that shine light on my driveway were out. So last night I got a ladder and took out the bulbs, ran to Walmart for new bulbs, and ascended the ladder to replace them. The halogen work lamp type of fixture worked fine. But the spotlight fixture was only giving me half power and only if I turned the light bulb just so.
So this morning, knowing I had a choice of leaving it broken or dealing with it. I decided I wanted light on my driveway, imagining clearing snow in the dark early morning hours in the months ahead, so I ran to Lowe’s and bought a new fixture and some wire twist electrical caps and ascended.
The Holy Spirit must have been leading me to get those caps, because only as an afterthought did I grab a bag (and He speaks to us via intuition). My theory before ascending the ladder was that I would take off the mount to find caps and I could just switch them out but after loosening the mount I discovered just wire. So I stripped off the ends, connected the wires to the wires on the new fixture and put everything in place. I said a prayer and praised the Lord as I flipped the switch and discovered I had light on both fixtures! Hallelujah!
God gave us minds to figure things out, and the Holy Spirit to lead us when we miss something. So use your mind but make sure you listen for the Holy Spirit. Chances are He will save you from a lot more than a return trip to Lowe’s.
Keep walking and talking to God. And enjoy the long weekend! God bless you all!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

IF you Found this, I think the Holy Spirit Found You!

TODAY: This morning during my morning prayers the Holy Spirit has been pulling on my heart to call people to come to Him.  I don’t who this message is for so if your heart moves you please share this message. 

As we pass from February to March, from a time of darkness to a time of light, the Lord is reminding you of what He has brought you through and He wants to restore you or to bring you to life. 

Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Faith in Jesus Christ gives you peace and hope. Faith in Christ brings assurance of salvation, freedom from death and sin, healing, and a new life that begins with a small act of faith where you place your trust in Him. 

Anyone in the Columbia/Greene County area who’s looking for peace with God or to be restored in the relationship you once had, The Holy Spirit is calling you to Rock Solid Church 334 Union Street, Hudson NY 12534 TONIGHT at 7 pm. If this message is touching you, don’t ignore it, don’t harden your heart: Come. 

For those in other parts of the world, new life begins with a simple prayer to trust in Jesus.  Say the prayer shown here to begin the journey of hope, peace, meaning, and purpose that God has called you to. 

Being a Christian isn’t about being good or following a political ideology, it is about admitting that even though we aren’t good, we believe that God loves us, and sent His Son Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life, and to die on the cross to pay for our sins and to reconcile us to God. 

John 3:16 (NLT)
16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.


The Holy Spirit has put it on my heart to share this message today.  If it speaks to you: respond.  If you feel it is meant for someone within your sphere of influence, share it. 

Friday, May 6, 2016

Walking with God

“I love the idea that the Christian life is a walk. Sometimes I take a couple of steps forward, and sadly by my own foolishness, sometimes a step backward, but by God’s grace I’m making progress in knowing and loving and obeying and serving my Savior.” – From “Wisdom for Your Walk” by James MacDonald


I share MacDonald’s quote today because I often think of my relationship with Jesus as a journey or a walk where the path isn’t always smooth or straight.  Often my old habits or thought patterns have led me astray. I found myself caught up in the same confusion and darkness which amounted to trying to find meaning, happiness, or purpose in something other than God.  Be it material success, collecting and acquiring things, extreme experiences (sex, alcohol, drugs, travel, sport), or human relationships, anything you try, other than communion with Christ, will ultimately fail to satisfy.

Thank God, I woke up to this fundamental life changing truth in 2010.  Coming to Christ wasn’t an easy path for me. 

I had to not only see that I was lost 
(Yeah?... Well,  all my friends will be in Hell too! It's going to be a big party!)

but I also had to see that God would actually forgive me for ALL The wrong I had done (Really?) 

and that, when I accept Christ as my Savior, I would be forgiven for the sin I hadn't even done yet 
(Say What?)

and when God considered me, He would see the righteousness of Jesus Himself!   
(The only way I could be made righteous).  

When the truth was finally revealed to me, I was overjoyed at the peace and assurance of my salvation. Unfortunately my understanding wasn't the best,  so I was content to keep walking in my wild ways knowing that Jesus had my back.  I was filled with a love for Him and His word.  I flew through the four Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in my dusty Bible,

 (which I had received when I was confirmed into the Episcopal Church back in June 2001, before 911 and the death of my son in the spring of 2002 sent me on a journey of despair that had me renounce faith in Christianity and embrace the doctrine of suffering of Buddhism which I was fully entrenched in on the day I heard the Gospel and was saved.   – Wow!)

 , highlighting all the words Christ spoke.  I found a Church home in Rock Solid Church in Hudson and started serving as an usher then doing the audio visual work for the worship team. I even joined the Bible College.

However, my faith and my sinful lifestyle didn’t COEXIST so well.  As I kept making progress in my Christian walk, in knowing, loving, and serving Him, I wasn’t exactly obeying Him and I seemed to fall deeper into my alcoholism and sin.  Knowing I was forgiven but frustrated at my personal failures I had moments of great success and great failure.  Last year I went into the church’s recovery program and have left my addictions and failures of the past behind.  Since then I have had incredible experiences and insights into my life that have confirmed, beyond any doubts, the existence of the triune God, the exclusivity of Jesus to save, and the reality of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life. 


SO I am making great progress! However, I still often get caught up in my own foolishness or the things of the world and take a step off the path that God would have me walk.  The good news is that as Christians no matter how we mess up or fall down,  We can always get back on track knowing “…that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it…“ (Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)).  

I encourage all who reads this to follow the path that leads to salvation, Jesus Christ. To those of you who know Christ, don't forget to keep walking and to invite others to join you.  


Saturday, March 26, 2016

Power of Prayer in Recovery.

In our Celebrate group, one of our guys said he was having doubts about God and didn't want to come to our weekly meeting.  He came the next week and admitted that he only had a single day sober but we supported and encouraged him all the same and he seemed to be all right.  

This week he contacted me about going to the meeting  via text and asked if it was all right to come if he had been drinking.  I asked if he was drunk. He said no but he smelled like booze.  I told him not to drink anymore, to shower and brush his teeth, and I would pick him up.  The meeting was 3 hours away so I figured oh well better at the meeting then home alone drinking.  

I picked him up and he admitted to drinking since we spoke but he would behav himself.  I wasn't thrilled ( or sure about what to do) with the prospect of taking someone under the influence to the meeting. Part of me was ready to tell him to go sleep it off and to come next week but I decided to bring him so we could counsel him.  I wasn't sure what was going to happen and frankly I was annoyed with having to worry about his behavior.  

Fortunately, he didn't act outlandishly during the teaching portion and was respectful.during the small group discussion. He admitted that he had been drinking and he didn't know how he was going to move forward. He was receptive to advice but seemed to be consigned to his failure. He said that he knew he was killing himself slowly but was hopeless on doing anything to stop it.  His sponsor and I spoke on the power of God to change him and urged him to give himself back to the lord.  He had left the Lord but the Lord hadn't left him.  He broke down and cried that he wanted to be restored but didn't think he could do it again. We asked if we could pray for him.  His sponsor and I prayed over him to let The Holy Spirit inside him drive out this spirit of hopeless addiction.  As his sponsor prayed, I prayed in tongues feeling the spirit move me to.  (Okay I know most people think praying in tongues is charlatan tricks or just insanity, but that is not my experience.  I am no expert and would refer anyone interested in the subject to check out Robert Engelhardt's book "Speaking in Tongues: Heavens Language"   https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=Robert+Engelhardt%27s+. ).  Then I prayed over him (in English!) for him to surrender to the Lord and to know that God's infinite love and forgiveness was enough to cover his failure and that the Lord's power could change his heart and mind to break these chains that were binding him if he would  just let go and let God. 

He thanked us for praying for him and I took him home.  I told him to get rid of any alcohol he had but he advised me that he had drank it all.  Although I prayed for him, I was not to hopeful. He lives alone and could do whatever he wanted. His attitude towards drinking and smoking weed ( "out of weed too, Marc! He had shared.) was pretty bad so I was afraid that he might fall I spite of his willingness to look for help.  The next day my fears seemed confirmed.   

"I try and I try to no avail."  He posted on his wall.  

I replied with “Deuteronomy 4: 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.”

I didn't get a reply.  Work took me away for the day and after I went straight to church for a Goid Friday service.  

His sponsor was there and he asked if I had heard what happened.  My heart sank.  "He checked into detox. The Holy Spirit was there working last night when we prayed over him!"

"Praise the Lord! 

Unlike most Good Friday services, my church's was a prayerful worship filled celebration and I prayed and worshipped with great enthusiasm last night!   

I know praying for others might make you feel awkward but God can move all things and he is listening. So keep praying! 

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Not so Fast: A fine line between Spiritual Renewal and Condemnation.

Well for anyone who actually reads my blog regularly (I guess that would mean anyone having read it more than once lol! ); I apologize for the 2 week hiatus.   My last entry was a memorial to my friend, Jim McEathron and it took a lot out of me emotionally.  

On the heels of my last entry there was another significant loss to the body of Christ.  On January 3rd, Pastor Vaughan Jarrold died unexpectedly.   I only had the pleasure to hear Vaugh preach and teach on a few occasions but was deeply impressed with this mighty man of faith.  I was so impressed with Pastor Vaughn that when he invited people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit a couple of years ago at Rock Solid Church, I eagerly stepped forward to receive it.  I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect but when Vaughn spoke over me I was filled with the Spirit and did speak in tongues.  It freaked me out at the time and I know people don’t understand it but I credit the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues for giving me direct experiences with the Holy Spirit and for being the catalyst for my spiritual growth and my ongoing victory over alcoholism.   Although I only had limited exposure to Vaughn, I am forever indebted to him for the impartation of the Holy Spirit’s baptism and the gifts and victory that have followed it.   I didn’t know Vaughn’s wife and family but my thoughts and prayers were directed towards them in the wake of his passing.

After New Year’s Day, Rock Solid Church observes a period of fasting and prayer to encourage spiritual renewal for the upcoming year.   The fasting and prayer are completely voluntary and you set your own guidelines.  After the stress of my job changes, the holiday season, and possible symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (where is the sun!), I was really looking forward to placing my focus on the Lord and doing a Bible study I had been intending to do.   

The fasting period was from January 4th to the 6th and with my busy schedule of morning exercise, prayer, commute, and work I discovered it was relatively easy to not eat during the day.    At night I stayed out of the kitchen and retired to my basement retreat to get into the Bible Study.   My general attitude and demeanor during this time was that of an Augustinian monk, complete with pullover hoody to keep me warm in the chill of the basement.  I think next year I will read by candlelight and do some Gregorian chants to up the ante. 

The Bible study was about Spiritual Warfare focusing on Ephesians 6:10-20 where the Apostle Paul encourages us to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  It is a powerful study about Christians preparing themselves with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, prayer, the word of God, and the assurance of their own salvation to with stand temptations and overcome the challenges the face as Christians.   
 I wish I could say I made great progress with my study but the truth is that I didn’t get too far.  Distractions popped up and I was so tired that I only managed to study for a little over an hour the first two nights of the fast.  However, although my study was incomplete, the insights I had were eye opening.  

According to the study, “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age…” but having fasted I felt the struggle was “against flesh and blood”, mainly my own! I had cravings to eat but then I realized that the cravings were not particularly physical in nature.  I stayed hydrated and my body wasn’t screaming for food.  All the demands for food seemed to be coming from my mind, out of habit, or just a compulsion to act or fill a moment with activity.  After the first day I realized I could live without eating constantly and I didn’t have to be a slave to answering mental cravings and compulsions.  

Going into day two of the fast I felt such relief and reflected that this could be what Jesus was referring to when he said in Matt 11:28 “I will give you rest.”  When we put aside the demands of the world and our own flesh and press into our faith, we can experience a clarity and peace that is only possible when we are directing ourselves to follow the Lord.  I was deeply impressed by how trivial my normal concerns and interests were when put in comparison with the things of the Lord.  I felt that there was nothing nobler than to seek and follow the will of the Lord for my life.  
           
With this perspective I examined my thought life, internal dialogue, personal narrative, or whatever you want to call it and I was deeply convicted of how mundanely selfish and sinful I am.  My introspection revealed what I considered to be a somewhat base reptilian instinct to serve myself and my selfish desires with little or no thought to consequences for myself or others.  Worse yet my reflections on my thought life revealed a historical tendency to indulgences in irrational and potentially damaging fantasy.  Mostly theses fantasies would stem from mental musings of “What would you do if”, “If you could do anything…”, and “If I wasn’t …” I realize these are probably normal mental diversions but I realized that they were a waste of time that encouraged irrational thought and discontentment.  So I would end up hoping for things that can’t happen or if pursued had the potential to destroy life I have come to know.  The major problem with this form of mental diversion is that the truth of who I am and what I have is lost.  I have realized that a lot of the crazy things I have done in my life have been the result of long periods of mental musings where desires over ruled common sense.  The great thing about realizing all this was that I now had the insight to break these trains of thought as they arise by focusing of who I am in Christ.  At the end of day two, I felt like I was really making progress. 

So on day three of the fast, the last day, I figured I had it made in the shade.  I had my busy day of work ahead of me to be followed by Wednesday night worship at the church and then straight to bed. Bam! Next morning = big breakfast of a spiritual champion!  So I was feeling great. I had a major insight into my thought processes and I saw myself overcoming all distractions to serve the Lord but then I told one of the guys at work that I was fasting and immediately I thought of Jesus’ comments regarding the Pharisees and fasting in Matthew 6:16-18, which basically says to keep your fasting to yourself; don’t make a public display of it.   By telling my co-worker I was fasting, I felt like I had been overcome with pride and whatever spiritual progress I had made was lost!  The condemnation came fast and quick after that.  After going home, I figured I blew so I ate.  After I ate I felt that I was a hypocrite and I couldn’t go to church which would be a prayer fest of faithful fasters!  I was a total failure!

The fast has been over for 10 days and I am happy to report that I got over my “failure” and I had a revelation that Jesus isn’t looking for perfection.  The gift of salvation is through faith in Jesus and what He did, not me.  It was a free gift and I can’t pay it back with my “good” behavior.  

I realize now that the spirit of condemnation that overcame me was not a spirit from God.  It is the works of Satan that tempts and that would have Christians condemn themselves.  I was focused on pressing into my faith in Christ.  Who would want to stop that? Ironically, I was doing a study on Spiritual Warfare only to end up a causality of it.  However, I am thankful for the insights I had during the fast and will try to use this experience to take up the whole armor of God in my defense in the future. 

I hope all who read this are well and I would encourage you to embrace your faith in Christ by getting into the word of God and attending a Bible believing Spirit filled church. I invite anyone in the Columbia County area to attend services at Rock Solid Church in Hudson NY, at 8:30 and 11 am Sundays, and 7 pm Wednesdays.      

I would also recommend listening to the Bible for free through the https://dailyaudiobible.com/ website or download the Daily Audio Bible App for your smart phone or tablet.  I started using it on the first of the year and it is a great way to get the Word in your life. 

Until next time…. God Bless You!

  

Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015: What a year!

A year passes and you look back at all the things that have happened and sometimes it’s a regular passage of time with few changes or challenges other than coping with the change of the seasons and growing another year older. 

2015 was not one of those years.  I reflected on my year and my journey today and was brought to tears of joy and was shaken by the unbelievable experiences that I had in 2015.  As David Bowie sang,  CH- Ch-Ch-Ch Changes, (turn and face the strange)….. CH –CH- Changes just gonna have to be a different man. 

The most significant change in my life is that in March I decided to pursue and surrender to Christ to the point that I decided to stop drinking and go into recovery.  I know that sounds strange but that really is what happened.  Granted after attempting to quit drinking in the fall of 2014 on my own and failing, I entered into a pretty low period of regular drinking and hopelessness wondering why if I was a born again Christian for four years I was still caught up in this viscous Jekyll & Hyde cycle where I knew drunkenness and my faith didn’t compute.  I had reveled in the forgiveness I felt after being saved but I fell into sin in some ways worse than I ever did before I was a Christian.   Much to my shame, I used my forgiven status as license to sin.  So in late 2014 and earlier this year, I sort of hit rock bottom.  I hurt others, myself, and my relationship with Christ. It was at this point that I didn’t care what anyone thought about me or my reputation.  I reached the end of my rope and was all in for Christ. I was going to put down the lust of the flesh and pick up my cross and follow Him. 
    
So I initially went into recovery for religious reasons.  I didn’t have a problem. I could quit drinking.  I was giving it up for my relationship with Christ.    BRAVO!!!  

You see, that was sort of a cop out.  “I wasn’t like the rest of these drunks and addicts who ruined their lives.  I have a job, support my family, and even go to Bible College. I’m trying to get closer to Jesus. I’m really more of a social drinker but I am willing to lay that down for Christ. ”  

You see this is denial.  Although I had the illusion of control over my “bad habit”, I soon learned that I was in fact “powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing”.  I could hold out for a while; just have a few drinks and stop here and there but that TENDENCY to get good and drunk was coming sooner or later.  I had a million reasons to drink: holidays, weekends, to celebrate virtually anything, to reward myself, to blow off steam, to deal with stress, game’s on!, etc.   The TENDENCY loved these reasons. It was my recognizing the TENDENCY that made me able to admit that I was powerless over my addictions and compulsive behaviors and that because of this my life (although sometimes organized, systematized, and regulated) was unmanageable.   

So I came out. I announced to the world I was in recovery and amazing things happened. 

I saw the presence of the Holy Spirit at work right in front of my eyes one night at recovery.  We had been at it for a few weeks and an older gentleman in our group (“Stan” age 70ish) was showing up but wasn’t sure about all this Jesus stuff.  We were getting started in our small discussion group and just going over the first couple of principles.    Principle 2 is “Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.”  Stan wasn’t so sure about this but he let me continue to read the next one.  Principle 3 is “Consciously, choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control”.  To which Stan, said he wasn’t there yet.  We said that we respected that and continued along.  In attendance was “Brian”, a stereotypical addict, tattooed, intense, ex-con in his early to mid-20’s.  Brian, although his father was reportedly a pastor, had aspirations of being a heavy metal musician but had spent his life in addiction and incarceration.  Everyone took turns sharing their struggles.  Brian was discussing his girlfriend and how she suffered because of him and how he loved her. At one point Brian lamented how he wanted to quit cigarettes but couldn’t do it.  He said “If Jesus could just reach through the veil and tell me to quit. I could do it. “Breaking group guidelines; old Stan says something to the effect of “Son… you just…  (At which point Stan sort of brings his hands together and pulls them away from each other in an opening gesture)… let go and let God.”   This seemingly tame gesture hits Brian hard and has me saying “Stan… that’s exactly what we were talking about in the principles!”  Whether or not my comment was heard is hard to say because the next thing you know “Brian” is out of his seat and standing in front of Stan and says “Stan, you say you don’t know whether or not God cares about you but I’m telling you HE does! And we are going to pray for you, and you are going to pray to ask Jesus into your life!”   Stan hesitates for a second but quickly pulls himself out of his chair and starts praying to ask Jesus into his life!  The guys rise, join hands, lay hands on Stan and pray. Brian starts praying in tongues.  I reach out and lay hold of Stan and pray.  Meanwhile the group leader, my sponsor and Spiritual mentor Bob Costello, is in the other room dealing with new comers.  He’s been working with Stan from the beginning and Stan gets saved while he’s in the other room!  Stan is in his 70s and was in a bad place in his life.  He grew up on a farm and the tales he told of his childhood described a struggling existence where joy and love were not expressed but that night in the basement of Rock Solid Church he knew the love of Christ!  He was washed clean by the Holy Spirit and he was in awe of the power that had come over him.    Stan was struggling financially at the time, in danger in losing his farm.  Since coming to Christ though, Stan is no longer in financial difficulty and has started a foundation to help veterans that are struggling to readjust to civilian life after combat deployment. 

Brian never returned to recovery after that night.  Ironically, Brian, the son of a pastor, was used by God to lead an old man to Christ, who upon being saved made it his mission to help young men who are struggling to adjust to society, like Brian. 

Stan and I finished the 16 week recovery program.  Stan went on to do his thing with his farm and the veterans.  I went on to be part of the leadership team when our recovery group, Celebrate Freedom, started up again in the fall.  Three weeks in to the program, I picked up my guitar and lead the group in worship.  Just two songs a week; but man to use my guitar (which I had only played in my basement, alone, and usually under the influence) to give glory to God for what He has done in my life is something I would have not believed 12 months ago. 

Our group is on hiatus for a while but when we start up again, My friend, Bill Hamm, and I will be doing the teaching each week.  

In May, I earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Telecommunications Technology from Hudson Community College completing a course of study that took five years, going to school one day a week through my employer. 

Also that month, I earned my Associate Degree in Biblical Studies from Vision Christian Bible College & Seminary, taking classes at night one day a week for the past two years at Rock Solid Church, Hudson NY.  I just completed my first semester of my junior year as I pursue a Bachelor Degree. 

This year also saw my physical body transformed.  I started reading Men’s Health magazine and started exercising every morning.  I get up at 3:30 am and exercise while listening to an R.C. Sproul teaching about God each day. After my work out, I pray thanking God for everything I have and the earnest intension to surrender my will for His will for my life.  I pray for friends, family, and the pastors that have crossed my path. I pray for the persecuted church, those suffer throughout the world for their faith in Christ. I then pray for the lost, for the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin and to bring them to Christ for their salvation.   I then read the Bible.  I then read a couple of prayers out of 2 devotional books I have. Then it’s off to work. 

I know it sounds intense. I share this though because God wants our relationship with Him.  The way to build a relationship is to spend time and to put in effort.  More than once this year the prayers I have made in the morning have been answered in an amazing way. 
 
I started doing the physical work of a lineman and walking on my lunch breaks during the summer.  In autumn, I start to run.   On September 26, I ran in my first 5k.  I have since run in 11 more.   Through nutrition, exercise, and faith, I have built muscle and have seen changes in my physique.  I have lost 45 pounds this year and I continue to train to be healthy. 

I have had spiritual breakthroughs in my understanding of Christianity and my relationship with Christ that I didn’t think were possible.  It is my goal to glorify and serve the Lord with rest of my life.   I have committed myself to a missionary trip to Africa in February where I will perform humanitarian work and where I will spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am not sure where God is taking me but after a year like this one I know it won’t be boring. 

I strongly encourage everyone who reads this to press in to your faith and surrender yourselves to Christ.  I wish everyone who reads this a very Happy New Year!  First Sober New Year for me in 25 years! God Bless You!